Katie and Aaaaron
Sittin' in a tree[swing] 
K-I-S-S-I-N-G

You know the feeling you get when a season of one of your favorite shows ends with a most delightfully tantalizing cliffhanger?
Yep, me too.
It's exactly like shooting a pair of parents-to-be one sunny summer morning, then having to wait a whole YEAR for baby girl's first birthday. Ohhh, but little Evy was worth the wait! And Andrea + Tony are just as happy, just as loving as before, their sweetness only magnified by the little lady they've brought into the world. How's that for incredible?
Happy first birthday, Evy!

Wanna know what happens when you have a senior ready to PLAY during her session?
This.
Wanna know what happens when the rain pops in halfway, to encourage a casual 30 minute pop-wow in the car?
Still this.

HOLY WHAT.
Is that what you're thinking?
Because that's what I'm thinking + have been ever since Liz + Jordan's dreamy sunflower field session.

After a lifetime in the PNW, L + J are a couple of recent transplants to rural Wisconsin. In chatting about our session, Liz knew she wanted it to look + feel like the Midwest to mark this time in their lives with some new surroundings. In particular: fields is what were callin' her name. (Easy peasy round these parts, eh?) We scheduled a session for September and everything was set. Until Instagram ruined things in the best possible way. 

WHAT. I found a sunflower field 4 hours away in Wisconsin. WHAT. I'm free tomorrow + so are they. WHAT. This weekend is the last + only time the park is open. 

An impromptu road trip and spontaneous shoot later, this is what happened.
And it happens to be one of my favoritefavorite e sessions to date.
(Holy what. Holy scroll.)

Guys, I've mentally composed 24 different versions of this blog post in the past month. Since the good stuff went down. And each time I get reeeally excited. I take notes. Make sure to include clever phrases. But every time I get to the end, I realize that it's not enough. Not that's it's not good, but that it simply fails to encompass eeeverything.
Everything I heard.
Everything we did.
Everything I witnessed, and felt, and ate. (And eat I diiiid, mini donut bar, spoiler alert.)

As any wedding photographer will tell you, it is entirely possible to have a crush on a couple. It usually occurs during the engagement session, when everyone is relaxed and happy, yet just the right amount of nervous. It shows up in the way they laugh with one another, they way they laugh with you, and through the flow of easy conversation. The crush status then becomes solidified when your sweet couple is willing to run onto a roadway with big smiles + sparklers in pursuit of some ballin' photos.

ACTIVITY TIME!

K.

Imagine a world where weddings can be steeped in sweet tradition and raucous buckets of fun. Where introductions with the bride's family begin with hugs instead of handshakes, and letters between lovers come with an ounce of good whiskey. Picture for me a dance floor dominated by a fiesty grandma, pulsing with the sounds of live DUELING PIANOS. In the next room there's an ice cream sundae bar and later on, there'll be a late night pizza delivery and a large scale McDonald's run for trays of burgers and fries. Such a world does exist, my dears; Kelley and Carter created it.

And not only did they create this kick ass wedding with the help of one fantastic coordinator, they created something bigger. Something brighter, and even more beautiful than the bouquets. And I think you know where this is headed.

*Drumroll*

Once upon a time I worked at a portrait studio north of town. I was the Photoshop girl + a grad portrait photographer. Once upon a time, the same time actually, Miss Linnea was one of the hundreds of seniors that walked in the studio door and sat down in front of my camera. We ran way over time. We ran all over the gardens, through fields of wildflowers. And I had one of my faaaavorite favorite senior sessions of all time. &Do you wanna know how one reaches that hall of fame status? With sweet smiles, lots of laughter, and a "SURE, let's try it!" attitude. Seven or so years later and we're doing a round two, this time with a fiancé thrown into the mix. ROUND 3 (!!!) will have these same lovebirds hosting an elegant + easygoing party in barn for their closest friends and family. They're clearly my kind of people; June can't come around again quick enough.

Meet Brian. Meet Rachel. Meet Brichel.
These cuties made the trek from Fargo to traipse around outside an abandoned brewery + giggle with each other in a tangle of photogenic weeds. And OH did they do it well.

I can often tell what the tone of the shoot will be before I have even touched my camera.
&It's pretty obvious that when it starts with some volleyball + a giant game of pong, your subjects are going to be the type of couple that are down for anything with a string of endless smiles to match. Turns out I was right. And I ain't mad about it.

The next time these babes grace the blog they'll be in formal attire, exchanging vows in a pretty barn in the countryside.
Guess who can't wait!
Spoiler: ME.
Woohoooo, Brichel!

YOU MADE IT! You're here! You've clicked in to one of my favorite engagement sessions... wait for it... of all time. Whoop, whoop! &I'm ready to throw the virtual confetti.

Meet Jeanna. She's a sports broadcast journalist on Channel 6.Meet Zach. He's a pro hockey player for the Boston Bruins.

There's already a romantic comedy somewhere here in the making, amiright?

Aside from their professions, they're the kind of couple that laughs their way through the alleyways of Saint Paul, smooching their way along the Mississippi River during their engagement session. Relaxed. Real. And reeeeal cute, constantly making the other grin + giggle. They're also a certain brand of stellar that drops a bottle of Prosecco off at your house the day after their session as a thank you. (As if they weren't my favorites already.) Theirs is a cuteness that just clearly doesn't quit, and I'm thrilled to be featuring these lovebirds on the blog. CHEERS to J + Z!

UFF-da, y’all. (A Minnesotan married a Texan–it’s cool, guys.) &It was everything you could want in a wedding and then some.

A sunny, outdoor ceremony, tucked in a fringe of tall trees and fluffy clouds.
Words + rings exchanged with a purpose and promise.
Toast after toast, bathed in the warm glow of a dozen, glittering chandeliers.
A cozy dance floor in an historic barn.
And a thick slice of cake and some homemade rhubarb wine.

And amid all of those glorious moments, there lives a boy and girl so crazy in love with one another, they’ve vowed to live the rest of their lives moving forward towards that gorgeous pursuit of pure love. So, yes, revel in the photos. Take in that knockout dress, that picture perfect cake cutting, each delicious detail, but I want you to FEEL this set, guys. Because this wedding–this marriage thing–is a big deal. And woooo-eeee, THEY DID IT!! Jillian and Colton, you both have my eternal adoration + best wishes for a beautiful future. Cheers, you crazy kids! :* :*

I'm a romantic at heart. And this wedding doesn't just make my ticker happy, but every bone in my body. "I fell for you at the very first hello" is how it all began. Both in reality, several years ago on campus, and on paper, as the start of Holly's personal vows.

Fast forward through a series of birthdays, vacations, and family Christmases spent together + transport yourself from Wisconsin to Hawaii. The proposal. On a tropical hike with Holly and her family a few months ago, Anton got down on one knee. (And from the holiday snaps I've seen, Holly joined him seconds later on the ground, overcome with emotion and a jubilant YES.)

Now Hawaii to Minnesota. You keeping up? These lovebirds didn't want to wait. And with Anton scheduled to deploy to Egypt 10 days from today, they couldn't wait. A dress was secured. A date at the courthouse booked. &The invitations? Pffff. No need. Why not an intimate exchange of vows in the grand rotunda and an "engagement party" surprise for their crew afterwards?

Holly + Anton.
You crazy kids are the real deal.
And I'm so happy I got to take part in such an epic celebration of loooove.
Now grab some tissues, yo, and start the scrolling; that really can't wait much longer either. ;)