Lexie and I were 4-H Council/Ambassadors together in high school, we will both share the same wedding anniversary, and we both have an appreciation for small towns with abandoned houses and roughed up doorways. :-) So naturally, I couldn’t wait to meet the man of her dreams and photograph their love. Hope you enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s funny that November is one of my favorite months. It is when snow starts to fly, coats are mandatory, and Christmas songs are played before Thanksgiving – all of which are things I don’t care for. But the things I LOVE about November far outweigh the cold weather – like having a garage to park our cars in. :-) This leads me to this month’s installment of ‘laura loves…’ :-)

1. Thanksgiving with my family – in particular, reading to my nephews. This is the only time they willingly sit on my lap and snuggle with me. Next time I visit, I’m going to bring the biggest, longest story book EVER so they never stop cuddling with me. :-)

2. My birthday cake – my sister-in-law makes delicious home-made cakes. One year she made a spiced caramel rum cake (my mouth still waters at the thought of it!!) but this year she experimented with a recipe she has wanted try for a long time. Molten lava chocolate cakes. Yeah. She sets the bar high.

3. Nail polish – about a month ago, I went searching for the perfect shade of peachy-pink nail polish. And then I couldn’t.stop.buying.nail.polish. “I wonder how this sweater brown color would look on me?” and “Oooh, mint green would be fun!” FYI, the perfect shade is a mix of the first two colors, but it takes three or four coats to get it just right. Which means getting that perfect shade without smudges makes for a really time-consuming project.

4. Taking photos at the Cathedral in Rapid City – the Cathedral will be celebrating their re-dedication this spring and they needed some updated photos for a booklet that will be put together. Yours truly got to climb up five levels of scaffolding to document every stained glass window, station of the cross, painting and plaque. Not my typical job with a camera in hand, but it was definitely fun to stretch my comfort level (who wants to go to Six Flags or ride a zip-line with me??) and do something out of the ordinary.

After a week of beautiful Black Hills weather, Jerry + Jenny’s wedding was forecasted to be around 30 degrees. I made the mistake of saying to myself “if it’s going to be cold, it might as well snow so at least it’s pretty when we have to go outside for photos!!” And guess what we all woke up to the morning of their wedding!!!

Inside the Cathedral, guests were shaking snow out of their freshly done-up hair and keeping their coats on until the chill wore off. The girls were giddy with excitement…

… the boys were as calm as could be…

…the musicians filled the church with lovely melodies…

…and the bride and her father talked about snakes all the way up the aisle to keep from crying. :-)

 

These two could not keep their eyes off each other during the ceremony!!

 

 

So maybe wishing for snow and having it come true wasn’t such a terrible thing…

 

 

 

Their cake was SO lovely – pink and cream roses with a love note on the top layer. You guys know how I love love notes!!

 

 

Their sweetheart’s table!!

wedding gown + groom’s suit | Audra’s Bridal, Rapid City

florist | Victoria’s Garden

ceremony | Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

reception + catering | Hotel Alex Johnson

cake | Piece of Cake

Jerry + Jenny – Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for having me at your wedding!! It was such a pleasure getting to know you and being there on your special day!! I wish you both the happiest of ever afters!! :-)