~S&S Say I do!~ June 1, 2013 {Nebraska Natural Light Wedding Photography}



I love it when I have a conversation with a bride months before her wedding and before we hang up the phone she says, "Yup, I think I found our photographer!". S&S were so much fun to work with. From getting up before dawn for their engagement session (when it was -8 degrees outside) to being a part of their special day.

 

I honestly was a little nervous when I woke up that morning and the wind was blowing, it was raining a bit, and it was COLD. However, I went into the day like I do every wedding, let's do this!

 

I love that S (bride) knew exactly what she wanted. She would pull me aside if she thought of a shot she wanted, and kept me in the loop of what was going on.

 

Once she got into her dress we decided to get some shots in the church yard before the ceremony. We walked outside and BAM! Sun, wind went down and the light was PERFECT! I was drooling! The good Lord was watching over S&S that day and made the rest of the day just beautiful! The ceremony was lovely and we were able to get outside for some bridal party shots in a meadow, with cows and all! We really couldn't have had it any better.

 



 

 

 

 

Oh how S loved her shoes!!

 

 

I loved the flower girls. They were too cute!

 

 

Yeah, I got that look from the groom a lot that day ;-)

 

Ah, corset backs. I love the movement in this photo.

 

The love was so evident between these two.

 

 

♥

 

 

Mr.&Mrs.!

 

We were picking birdseed out of the bride's hair for a bit after this!

 

 

The little wind that was left...oh we used it! 

 

The clouds were SO dreamy!!

Oh this group was so much fun!!

 

 

The pin on her bouquet is her Grandmother's

 

Had to have the dogs there!



 

True cattle people!

I love that they had the antler from their engagement session at the reception. 

Each center piece had a quote about love, so sweet!
*Handwritten by the Mother of the Bride*

 



This was a first for me, they had a cake topper made from one of the photos I took at their engagement session! How cool is that?!

This was a very neat idea!



All the little details at the reception was so much about this couple. There was no denying they were made for each other.

*All the chalkboard signs were handwritten by the Mother of the Bride*

 

I love Daddy Daughter shots :-)

 

I love the creative way they made their card box.

 

 

 

 

The bride got a lot of ideas for the decorations from Pinterest, and put her own spin on them.

 

Their custom cake topper was made by Clay Figurines. The bride wanted an archery couple as that is them to a tea. Most of the custom made cake toppers were too "cartoonish" but when they found Clay Figurines she was excited to see their creations were very close to the photos they were made from.

 

Their cake was made by a woman in Valentine that attends church with them. " I wanted a simple cake with a touch of elegance (the blue ribbon) and we highlighted it with our brand" ~ the bride. And it was delicious!!

 

The groom's little brother made all the cedar pew decorations, shelves for the mason jars, drink table, and planter center pieces. Such a nice personal touch. "The Cedar pew decorations have the Love is Patient, Love is Kind verse from I Corinthians 13:4-8 burned into 16 cedar circles which lined the aisle at the church, so guests could read the entire verse as they walked in. They will forever hang in our home. The centerpiece planters were made out of old barn wood from an outbuilding that used to stand on Pat and Linda's place. Tommy used the wood to build 35 wood planters and then burned our brand into 2 sides of each box." ~ the bride.

 

Quote from the bride about her big day~

 

"I did not plan on many things that happened the day before or the day of. Everything did not go or get set up exactly as I had planned, but it ended up being wonderful! The morning started out raining, which was great to receive more rain, and then God gave us sunshine the minute we started taking pictures, I couldn't have been happier it was gorgeous! It ended up being the perfect day to marry my best friend and love of my life!"

 

 

There was so much love that day. It has to be one of my favorite weddings I  have shot! 

Tiny Fingers Tiny Toes ~Baby K~ {Nebraska Newborn Lifestyle Photographer}

 Oh how I love newborns! I forget that my little monster was that small, they grow entirely too quickly!

I was so excited when A contacted me about doing her daughter's first photos. She was so itty bitty! I was glad to find out that I still have the newborn touch and was able to rock her to sleep (makes me even more excited for my new little bundle to get here!).

I like to do my newborn sessions a bit differently. I take a lot of detail shots and the family interacting with the new addition. Don't get me wrong, I think the photos with the props and cute outfits are adorable, but just not what I like to shoot. I just come and hang out for a couple hours and capture what I capture.

 

I just love the little details.

 

Oh baby feet get me every time!

 

I got a couple smiles out of her ;-)

Oh their soft wispy hair...

I have a feeling she is going to be a Daddy's girl

 

Proud Momma

 

 

Daddy's Hands

 

 

 

Now, I am the first to admit I am much more comfortable with families outdoors. The sun and I are friends! :-) So, we met up yesterday to finish up this session and get some more photos of the family together. 

What a proud big brother!

 

 

 

Sweet

 

 

 Happy Family

 

 

 

As we prepare for our move, it's families like these that make me sad to leave. I hope to capture more moments for them someday. They are too cute!

 

 



Everything happens for a reason...

...it doesn't make it any easier.


Here it is the news you have all be waiting for:

Part One~

We. Are. Moving.

Yes, you read that correctly. However, this time we are moving HOME to Minnesota!! My husband was offered a job near his hometown and we had to jump at the chance. It was NOT an easy decision. This place will be SO HARD to leave.

This last year and a half has been AMAZING! I have met some wonderful people and have been able to share their smiles. I designed the MOST amount of Christmas cards in my career last year! Which is incredible! I formed wonderful relationships with the other local photographers and I will always treasure that. They are so talented.

This time spent in the Sandhills has taught me that I can stand out in a crowd of talented people. There is room for all of us in this industry and I truly felt that in this area.

No worries, I won't be leaving for a few more weeks so if you want to get a session in before I leave, please contact me and we will make it happen! Especially those with credits!

I do travel for weddings and would love to travel back to the area to capture someone's special day. So please do not hesitate to contact me in the future!

I will be returning next Summer for a wedding. I will be announcing when it is and will make sure to allow enough time to squeeze in a few sessions if desired.

I truly love this area and plan on making visits as much as possible. This place will always hold a piece of my heart. You know what they say about sand ;-)


Part Two~

"If I knew then what I know now..." my business would be completely different. I learned a lot in the last four years. I wish I would have taken my business slower and really did my research before jumping in and "going for it". I made mistakes (I still do!) but more importantly, I learned from them. I have better business sense now. That's important.

As much as I love my business name and the history it holds for me, it also reminds me of my naïve younger self. I wish I had thought harder on my business name when starting out.

So, starting next week I will now be known as~

 

 

I have waited eight years to have this name, and darn it I am going to use it!! :-D The colors are very much "me" bright and friendly. Session fees will stay the same (however, I will no longer be offering mini sessions) and print pricing will be the same.

 

Over the weekend I will be working on my website so it will be in transition for a few days. Please be patient. 

Thank you to all of you who have supported me in my business. This is truly what I love to do and feel very blessed to share my passion with other people. I hope to continue to grow for many years to come!!!

~D&J~ Say I Do! {Nebraska Wedding Photographer}

 

I was so pleased to be able to help this wonderful couple and capture their blessed day. through a snow storm and all they were nothing but smiles! You can just see the love between these two when they were around each other and how blessed they are to have found one another. It was a true honor to witness such a wonderful day. 

 

 

 

 

 

Am loving this photo the more I look at it! I love teasing the groom while he waits patiently to see his bride!

Oh how I love first looks!

 

 

Perfection

 

 They were so happy!

 

 

 

 

 

 Stunning bride

 

 

 I love getting goofy with the bridal party!

 

 

 

Precious moment

 

 

 

The groom wrote and sang a song for the bride. I was tearing up!!

 

 

 

 

 Delicious cake by Michelle Sage of Sparks, NE

 

Again, this couple is so blessed. With love for each other and the amount of love surrounding them. I wish them a lifetime of happiness!

How they chose their colors~
Jason and I both like blue--his favorite. The lime green I decided to use because it was springy and went well with the blue. After I got to planning more, the only thing that ended up being blue were the bridesmaid dresses.
Dress~
I bought my dress in Loomis, NE. It is very small town southwest of Kearney. My aunt had gotten her wedding dress there a few years before, as well as a cousin. One weekend, my mom and I met in Kearney and stayed with my aunt. We went to one shop in town and then out to Loomis. It was the 2nd dress I tried on a that store.


Quote from the bride~ "Literally up through the day of rehearsal, it seemed that everything that could have gone wrong, did. The wedding day turned out to be wonderful. It was a peaceful day and in the end, we got married!"

52 Week Challenge~ Week 7 {Nebraska Portrait Photographer}

Yes, I missed a week. You find out soon enough why I have been off my game, in the meantime, here is week 7!

{LOVE} 'Tis the season for love, right? I had a wonderful Valentine's Day with my boys, with a nice supper and a wonderful card. Monster had a blast at the school Valentine's Day party and ran his little heart out.

My photo is of one of my loves. Horses. I grew up in the suburbs and took riding lessons starting at age 10. I showed horses in High School and even owned a few here and there. I was so blessed to marry a man with the same passion and we currently own two Quarter Horse geldings. We live on a ranch where I can look outside and see all the boys grazing, playing, or relaxing. There truly is nothing like living in the country.

Their eyes tell their story. Where they have been and how much love they feel for their owners. This horse's name is Johnny Popper, he is a beautiful palomino and is owned by our boss. He is pretty much the leader of the pack and is pushing the others away at the fence in hopes for a treat. My son can pick him out and says, "there's Popper!". The lighting is dreamy for me too! This for me is love.

 

I have to post a photo of my other two loves! My little cowboy-in-training!

 

Visit Sweet Emotions Photography for the rest of the 52 week challenge participants!!