First Comes Love...

Then comes marriage... third comes the baby! It just so happens that I've been able to photograph this couple in all three of those phrases. Katie and I went to high school together. When she got engaged to Ben, I took their engagement photos as a very new photographer. I was her co-personal attendant at their wedding and took many, many candid shots that day. Now, they're expecting their first baby... a little girl! As usual, I love photographing a mama-to-be. Beautiful moms. Beautiful couples. Lots of fun. Katie and Ben - so excited for you to become parents! I hope I haven't scared you with my many Tyler tales. Looking forward to meeting your daughter so soon!



We braved VERY sub-zero temps for a couple photos!



Mr. and Mrs.

The BIG weekend is past us now, but it was so much fun! It started on Wednesday night and lasted all the way to Monday. Two very wonderful things happened. First, our ultrasound revealed my husband and I are expecting a BOY! We are thrilled and have already begun registering at various stores. It is overwhelming, but exciting. Second, I have a new sister, Kala. She married my husband's brother and it was an honor to stand up at her wedding to celebrate their marriage and new life together.

Here are a bunch of photos from the weekend. I'll provide a link at the bottom of the photographer's site where you can find their AMAZING wedding day photos! You HAVE to check them out!

I was in charge of getting all of Kala's getting ready photos for the day as well. And later down in the blog, you will see my obsession with her wedding shoes... gorgeous!

See, they are gorgeous! As was the bride :) To see some ridiculously great shots from the wedding, head on over to Alison Lea Photography blog.

Location: Saint Cloud, MN and surrounding areas

it is a BIG weekend

Well, here we are at 19 weeks already. The time is going so so so fast. I'm feeling BIG! A lot has changed since the last picture I posted of my growing belly. I sort of actually look pregnant now instead of chubby. I've also felt the baby move and wiggle around!! I'm still feeling great, but have to remind myself every now and then that my body is working hard... I need to slow down! Here is my 19 week photo taken yesterday. Please excuse the gross-ness, but it was in the 90s and we don't have our a/c installed yet. I was hot. I found a great and comfy (most importantly) pair of shorts at Target that I think I'll be living in this summer. OH, and tomorrow is our ultrasound!! We are totally finding out the gender of this kid... as long as he or she allows us a good view! I'll be posting the good news!

Another reason this weekend is so BIG, my brother-in-law and his fiance are tying the knot on Saturday! Do you remember these guys? We are so excited to be part of this special day. Both my husband and I are in the wedding (yes, the dress fits) and we couldn't be happier!!

I love 5 day weekends!!

Bride + Groom + Kids + Barn + Pig = Great Fall Wedding!

I assisted at a wedding a couple weeks ago with Alison Lea Photography again. The wedding was outdoors overlooking Lake Minnetonka (the same place I took senior prom pictures in high school!!). After the wedding, we traveled to an open area where a big, red barn overlooked a smaller lake and fields. It was the most beautiful fall afternoon of the season yet. Alison sent me two of my shots from that day, so I thought I'd share them with you. You can also check out the rest of the wedding pics here.

Ever been to a party where a van pulls up with "Divine Swine" plastered on the windows and a large pig is in a roaster attached to the hitch? This was my first! I'm not crazy about pork, but after shooting for 9 hours, it tasted amazing.

Details Details...

Over the weekend, I was in Nashville, TN celebrating my good friend, Lori's, wedding! As a bridesmaid, I got to be at every event all weekend and watch Lori be married to a wonderful man. While all of us girls were getting our hair done on Saturday, I decided to take a few "detail shots" since the real photographer hadn't arrived yet. What a beautiful day! This girl knew how to pick great details for her wedding!

A huge tin full of extra long sparklers for the bride/groom send off!

Lori's wedding band sitting on top of her white flat sandals. Not gonna lie... I'm loving this shot at full size.

Just one of her "something borrowed"... a bracelet from her cousin, Natalie.

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Greer! All my love.

A NWC Wedding...

The Labor Day weekend wedding I assisted at is now posted online. Check it out here on the Alison Lea Photography blog!

One more!

I forgot about this image. I thought it was so cute!

The Wasserman Wedding

A few posts back I mentioned that I would be posting some wedding pics! That weekend finally arrived! My high school friend, Katie, had an 18-month engagement to Ben. Despite many wedding planning bumps in the road (you Minnesotans all heard that news story about the bridal shop closing... yep, Katie's dress was from there, but she somehow managed to get her dress despite the shop closing unexpectedly ONE month before her wedding!), the wedding was wonderful and perfect in every way! The weather couldn't have been better and both bride and groom looked stunning!

Luckily (for my sake), there was only one photographer, so I got to play "second shooter" for the entire day! 400-500 images later, I was exhausted, but pleased! It was SO fun to follow everyone around and just snap away at all the candid opportunities. I even got to use my 4G memory card for the first time (not sure why that excites me so much...)!! The pictures seem to be in reverse order! Oops!

Best wishes to the very happy couple... vacationing in Jamaica... lucky ducks!

A couple of the groomsmen goofing around while the real photographer wasn't looking!

The photographer suddenly forgot something, handed his big camera off to Abbey, one of the bridesmaids, and then ran off for a while. So... what to do, what to do... she turned it on and started snapping! It was hilarious and the photographer will have quite a surprise when he looks at his images! :)

Ben's niece, Eden. She was sooo sweet.

Katie requested this shot, so I gave it my best attempt! Her bouquet is unusually similar to mine :)

Long story, but a funny one. If you know Katie, ask her.

Getting ready...

This event was a blast! Let's see... I've done their engagements and lots of wedding photos... so what is next? Baby?? ;) Love you guys!