It’s official… wedding season is HERE!! And I couldn’t be more excited!!

Dan + Kalina had a wonderful winter wedding in Brookings this weekend. Not only did I get to be their photographer, I also got to be their guest! I was fully prepared to catch Kalina’s bouquet at the end of the night. :-)

For those of you who don’t remember, Kalina caught the bouquet at her sister Erika’s wedding back in May. Dan proposed the very next day.

I’m so proud of Kalina for risking being cold just for the sake of pictures! :-)

The ladies and their matching scarves and mittens:

The men in their hats… breathing out… :-)

The Carlsons did it again – the Old Sanctuary was decorated so beautifully and set such a cozy mood for the reception.

ceremony | St. Thomas More

reception | Old Sanctuary

hair | Ritz Hair Studio and Whole Body Retreat

gown + bridesmaid dresses | The French Door (Sioux Falls)

men’s tuxes | Fergen’s

flowers + cake | HyVee

decorations | Pam Carlson (mother of the bride)

caterer | 1481 Grille

One quick photo from Dan + Kalina’s Brookings wedding yesterday before I get back on the road to Rapid City!

Congrats on your wedding and have a safe trip to Cancun for your honeymoon!!! :-)

Welcome, my wonderful blog readers, to the february edition of ‘laura loves…!’

There are several things that have made me smile this month, and here are my top favorites:

1. This video on YouTube makes my heart melt a little every time I watch it!! Part-way through the song, the dad is whistling and the little girl is pretending… she looks over to her dad and asks “one day I’m gonna whistle?” SO cute. And it’s a good song.

2. Rapid City is getting a Bed Bath and Beyond, and I caught them while they were working on putting up the sign. I think it would be much funnier to have a Bed Bath and Beyo…

3. Colorful yarn – I have finished several projects since I re-taught myself how to crochet using YouTube videos. My favorite part is picking out SOFT yarn in FUN colors.

4. Flowers – Lance had flowers delivered to my apartment for our 4-year dating anniversary almost two weeks ago. The original arrangement is on the left. Today I took all the still-fresh-looking flowers and created the arrangement on the right.

5. To My Wife – I subscribed to this blog a few weeks ago. My favorite is the one about slow walkers. Every time Lance and I have to go to WalMart, we are always on a mission to get what we need and get out of there.

6. Burros – I was cleaning out the text messages on my phone and this picture from Lance made me laugh. out. loud. It’s now the background image on my phone. :-)

7. Boots – I have never been a fan of boots. On other people, sure. On me, no. I wear a size 9 shoe and I feel like boots would really accentuate the hugeness that is my feet. But then I found this pair on Zappos.com and I figured why not try them on? It’s free shipping both ways. I got them in the mail a week ago and they are never going back. I think it was the buttons that sold me.

Hello and Happy Valentine’s day!!

I want to thank all you married couples out there for believing in love. For believing in each other.

This weekend at mass, the priest gave an amazing homily about things not being possible until you actually believe they are possible.

Believe God will take care of you and He will.

Believe you can climb a mountain and you will.

Believe you will be true and faithful to your spouse and you will.

After the homily, the priest asked all the married couples to renew their wedding vows right then and there. The elderly couple sitting in front of me reached out to hold each other’s hand. All the married men in the church spoke together, promising their love and everlasting commitment to their wives. Then all the married women in the church spoke together and promised their love and everlasting commitment to their husbands. It was all I could do to keep the tears from streaming down my cheeks.

I felt so overwhelmed (in a good way) to be surrounded by so many people who believe in love. Who believe in their spouses. I see this kind of love and commitment at every wedding I photograph (and yes, I tend to tear up during their vows, too), but to hear a hundred couples renewing their vows – after having been married anywhere from a month to 50+ years – is really an awesome experience to witness.

So thank you again to all you married couples for believing in love. For believing in each other. You make Valentine’s Day ‘love’ly. :-)

I love it when a couple makes their wedding about them and what they like.

I’ve seen cakes switched out for cupcakes. I’ve seen an iPod replace a DJ. I’ve seen a dessert reception instead of a full meal reception. A couple seated in the middle of their reception instead of up on a stage. Unity sand instead of candles. Quilt squares instead of a guestbook. An absence of aisle decorations. A photobooth at the reception. No desire to shove cake up each others’ noses. The list goes on…

My point is, if you are planning your own wedding (or having someone plan it for you), make sure you make decisions based on what you like. Not what your aunt or cousin or sister or soon-to-be-mother-in-law thinks is best. It’s your wedding. Your day. You don’t have to have an 8-tier cake. You don’t have to have a limo. Unless that’s what you really want, then by all means, do what you want!! It’s your party!! :-)

If you’re looking for some visual inspiration, here are some blogs that are dedicated to all things weddings:

Snippet and Ink – Ruffled – Flights of Fancy – 100 Layer Cake – Wedding Chicks

What are your favorite wedding blogs? What are you doing to make your wedding more personal? What’s your tradition?