The sweetest little newborn session! I always love when families come out to the studio for their sessions. The lighting is my favorite. Its almost edible! Baby Grant was total perfection for hi session. He slept the entire time and loved all the cuddles. Big sister Quinn was so loving and I always enjoy giving the older sibling some time in front of the camera alone!
I hope this brings you joy today! That you feel the sweetness all over!
I am still in awe that I had the incredible opportunity to document a wedding in Breckenridge, Colorado! It was everything I thought it would be. I was able to bring my mom along on the trip which was so much fun- she does so much for us! I have been waiting for an opportunity to show her how much we appreciate her.
Surrounded by huge mountains in Colorado is the beautiful town of Breckenridge. We made the most of our time there by filling it with jaw dropping hikes, amazing meals, laughter with friends and so many steps, plus 2 yoga sessions.
Amanda started off her wedding morning with a yoga class in the same park she would be married in that afternoon. Amanda is a yoga instructor herself so this was the perfect way for her to get centered that morning.
Ryan and Amanda met a few years ago through mutual friends. They share a love for the outdoors and their dogs. I have loved following them on Instagram and watching all of their adventures. From dirt biking to snowboarding, they are always on the go!
After the beautiful and calming yoga session with friends and family, Amanda had lunch and got ready for the day. Amanda and Ryan chose to not see each other until the ceremony. It made for a beautiful entrance and a sweet moment. I love that they had their dogs Callie and Newman in attendance too. During their vows to one another, both dogs chimed in as well. They just had to be with them! You can’t part this sweet family!
We did a first for me in all my ten years of photographing weddings… never have I hiked to the top of a hill to overlook mountains. Losing my breath all the way up was so worth the view. I would do it again any day. It was an incredible day that I will always remember. Beautiful couple with beautiful views to back it up!
Venue: Carter Park, Breckenridge Colorado
Dress: Made with Love Bridal
Flowers: City Market
My first meeting with Sarah and Keanu was so much fun. They originally had been planning a traditional fall wedding for this year. But after chatting with them it was clear that that’s not what they really had in mind. We started dreaming together about what an elopement would look like on the North Shore. It was so fun to be a part of dreaming out loud with them.
About a week after our meeting, Keanu called me and asked how I would feel about a sunrise wedding on the North Shore, on the 4th of July! I, being a dreamer and adventurer myslef quickly got on board with this plan!
The morning of the big day was an early one (waking up at 3am) but so worth it. The entire morning truly spoke to who Keanu and Sarah are as a couple. Full of life and spontaneity.
The sunrise gifted us with beautiful pink and blue tones on the the very still waters of the grand Lake Superior. I was so wrapped up in the sweetness of the morning and truly honored to be a part of this intimate ceremony.
The ceremony was held at The Grand Superior Lodge in Two Harbors, MN.
My favorite moment of the morning was the written vows. I love when couples right their own vows. So much love and truth comes out of them.
Thank you so much for having me Keanu and Sarah! It was an amazing wedding to be a part of.
Alex and Kelly were married on June 17th, 2017 in Taylors Falls, Minnesota at the beautiful Maple Ridge Farm.
I have been looking forward to this barn wedding for months. The moment I saw that big swing in the barn online my heart skipped a beat! It was everything I thought it would be.
Alex and Kelly have known each other for years! Their relaxed relationship with one another is going to make for a wonderful marriage. They are that kind of “friend” to one another that you always imagine yourself growing old with. They share a mutual love for things that go vroom; Motorcycles, fast cars, jeeps, and all cool engines. You know when your bride pulls up in a bright yellow mustang looking like Hollywood that it’s going to be a great day.
Kelly had driven her mustang to one of our meetings before the wedding day and, as she was leaving, our daughter Paisley yelled out, “Wow, that car is awesome!!!” That comment made both of our days!
The day started with Kelly and her girls all getting ready at the hotel. The guys had spent the night at the barn house and were getting ready there! Alex and Kelly had chosen not to do a first look but to see each other for the first time that day when Kelly got down the isle. My favorite moment of the day was when Alex read a letter that Kelly had written to him. His face says it all in the images!
It was such a beautiful day full of joy and happy tears. Alex and Kelly danced the night away with friends and family. They will soon be on their way to Alaska on their honeymoon to travel the state and fish. It sounds delightful.
Thank you so much Alex and Kelly for having me, it was an honor.
Caterer: Devine Swine
Florist: 101 Market
Stylist: Flawless Images
DJ: Party Patrol
Bar: Log Cabin Catering
Boots: Ariat
Venue: Maple Ridge Farm
In the weeks prior to the big day I sat down with Jason, Amelia, and her maid of honor Gwen to go over all the wedding day details. To map out the schedule for the day. When they would get ready, the first look time, right down to when the cake should be cut. The meeting was so much fun. I love this couple and all they bring when they are together. We were chatting about the things they still needed to get done before the day. At this point, the wedding was about two weeks out. I asked Amelia about the dress and she just started laughing.
She said so coolly, ” I haven’t made it yet. But, I know what I want it to look like!”
My heart started racing for her. For most brides-to-be, this would have been a major problem. But not for Amelia.
Their wedding was pretty much all DIY. All hand-made things, mostly by Jason and Amelia themselves. The flowers were purchased at Trader Joe’s on Tuesday. (I would have never guessed- they looked amazing). The cake was made by Amelia and frosted on site. All the cutlery was bamboo and compostable. It was amazing. This is such a testament to what they will do in their marriage.
The dress and head piece were also made by Amelia. She had recently learned to sew. I think it was incredible. It fit her and their day so well.
The wedding was all held at Whitetail Woods Regional park in Farmington. This state park has the most incredible brand new cabins that the wedding party all got ready in and stayed in that night. They are tucked back in a beautiful forest of large tress. It was magic for photographing in. The day was perfect weather for the 1st of June.
My favorite moment of the entire day was the foot washing at the ceremony. A true picture of serving your spouse over yourself.
Congratulations Jason and Amelia! Thank you so much for inviting me in on your wedding day!
The woman at the well is a very popular story told all over church congregations and in Christian circles world wide. We have all heard it preached or touched on.
Jesus is at the well in Samaria resting while the disciples head into town to find food. Now, it’s the middle of the day in the desert, the sixth hour, that means it’s HOT! I’m not talking it’s a little hot… It’s the desert. I personally have never been to the desert, but I can imagine that it’s not very pleasant. It’s the kind of hot and dry that keeps us indoors in the summer. The kind of HOT that melts ice cream in a moment and leaves you sticky and unsatisfied.
So, it’s the sixth hour and Jesus is hanging out at this well. The women of the town have collected their water in the early morning when it’s not yet this hot. Smart women! Who wants to go carry heavy water in the desert when it gets warmer during the day? Not this girl! So along comes a woman, in the middle of the day, to collect her water.
Why is she coming in the heat of the day to get her water?
Because all of the other women have left at this point and won’t be there. She has no desire to be around them. To be around the women that would judge her; that would talk about her behind her back (or in front of her, for that matter). Have you ever walked into a room or conversation and all of the chatter comes to sudden halt? And you just feel icky, and know that the conversation might have been about you? That’s how I imagine this woman feeling when she goes to the well in the morning with all the other women. She feels alone, judged, misunderstood, and out of place.
Can you relate? I can.
You see, this woman has now had 5 husbands and the man she’s living with now is not her husband. In that time this was NOT OK. You didn’t live with men unless they were your husband or a family member. You also didn’t typically get married more than once. Also, women were not really spoken to by men. So imagine her surprise when Jesus starts speaking to her and asking her for a drink.
I could imagine her turning and looking around to make sure he was really talking to her, and not someone else. Like when you think someone is waving at you, and you wave back, and then realize they are waving at someone behind you, and it gets real weird for all parties involved…!
And then Jesus does the unthinkable by asking her for a drink of water. He asks a Samaritan (who the Jews did not speak to) woman (who the men did not speak to) for a drink. The crazy thing is that He knows all of her sins. He knows exactly who she is. He is God, He is all knowing! She doesn’t understand, and asks Him why he has nothing to draw water with himself? Jesus goes on to to say to her “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
The woman stands there dumbfounded! Not only does Jesus have nothing to draw water from the well with, but what “living water” is he talking about? She asks him if he is greater than Jacob, the man who built the well. Until this point, Jacob has been the one to look to. Jesus explains to her that “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
“SIR, GIVE ME THIS WATER, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE THIRSTY OR HAVE TO COME HERE TO DRAW WATER.”
This request is simple. She still has no idea that she is talking to Christ, but the idea of never being humanly thirsty again and never having to come to this well in the middle of the day again sounds so sweet to her that she asks for it right then and there. It’s then that Jesus tells her that he knows all her sins. About her many husbands and the man she lives with now. She thinks he may be a prophet. She knows that the Messiah is coming. She tells him this. She has a full understanding of what she has heard up until this point. That Christ will come and “He will tell us all things.” That’s what she says to Jesus.
John 4:25- The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”
I can’t imagine what she must be trying to process in this moment. This guy knows everything about me and he says he has living water, that I will never be thirsty again??? Who is this man?
He then says (probably very cool-ly) “I who speak to you am he.”
This sweet woman then drops her water jar! Can you see it falling to her dirty and dry feet as she realizes who she is speaking to? The water splashing all over the ground and her taking off towards town? The NLT version of the bible says that she “ran back to the village, telling everyone.”
She RAN, in the heat of the day because she was welling over with living water. She RAN back to the town where she has been mocked, left alone, pushed away, disgraced, and unaccepted, to tell these people about Jesus! The very people who she made a point to steer clear of by gathering her water in the heat of the day. She couldn’t contain herself. And they all listened. They all went and believed.
This woman was a sinner and Jesus chose her to RUN and tell everyone about him. He could have picked anyone from that town. He could have gotten there in the early morning and sat with all the other women who would have been there filling their water jars. But he waited for that sinner. That lost woman, needing a friend, a savior, and living water, so that she would never be thirsty again.
I love that Jesus uses the stories of the sinners to speak to this world. He wants your mess because he is BIGGER than it. He covers it and the moment you grasp that you will have no choice but to well over with that living water and splash it on everyone else. Oh my gosh, LORD give me that water! I don’t want to contain it! I want to drop my jar of problems at my feet, at your feet, in the heat of the day and RUN to the people who despise me, to tell them about you! I want to cast aside all my fear of judgment because you are the ultimate judge. Lord let my life well over with your living water.
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