With all the sunshiney days in March, the month seemed to fly by just as summers tend to do. Along with enjoying the beautiful weather, here are a few other things I’ve been enjoying this past month!!

1. Rice Krispies Treats – In this month alone, I made three pans of these bars. For the first pan, I thought to myself “I forgot how easy these are to make and how tasty they are!!” So I made another pan. And then another. Because they were just SO yummy. (Honestly, I don’t ask for much in life – just Rice Krispies, marshmallows, and butter.) But don’t worry, I didn’t eat three pans all by myself… I shared. :-)

2. Crafting parties – Projects are so much more fun when friends, grown-up drinks, and girlie movies are involved.

3. Coffee dates – Before Zack + Betsy’s Tuesday wedding in Sioux Falls, I spent the entire weekend just chillin’ with my bff (Hi, Jill!!). Typically when I come to town, I’m only around for an afternoon or evening, so it was nice to have the entire weekend to just hang out. No rush of needing to be anywhere. Just lots of fun!

4. I Don’t Know How She Does It – It’s true. I only read books that are going to be movies. Because then I’ll know they’ll be good.

The first wedding of the season always sets the bar for me. And this year, that bar is set higher than the sky! Everything about Zack+Betsy’s day was so perfectly meaningful. So wonderful. So them! I’m sure they got asked ‘You’re getting married on a Tuesday?! In a bistro?!’ all the time. But of course they picked Tuesday – it was March 20th… exactly three years after their first date. And now it will be the most memorable Tuesday of their lives. :-)

Even the bistro has a special history – it was where they had one of those ‘really good’ dates. With a great conversation and a decision to stay together forever. Parker’s in Sioux Falls will now be the most memorable bistro of their lives. :-)

Probably two of my favorite images from the day!! Betsy helping her daughter get dressed + Betsy’s mom and daughter helping her get dressed. :-)

You can tell a lot about a couple by the way the groom looks at his bride. These two? They’re TOTALLY in love. :-)

I have SO many favorite parts about their ceremony!!

1. Betsy’s friend became ordained so she could officiate the wedding!

2. The guitarist played Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg.

and….

3. This moment. :-)

Okay, and this moment, too! Love exciting exits!! :-)

ceremony + reception | Parker’s Bistro, Sioux Falls, SD

wedding gown | David’s Bridal

flowers | HyVee

guitarist | Geoff Gunderson

Zack + Betsy – I cannot thank you enough for having me photograph your wedding! I hope you’re having a wonderful time enjoying your marriage! And seriously think about a Black Hills honeymoon!! I know all the great places (and faces) to see! :-)

Nora – You make a wonderful Cinderella! I hope someday you find your Prince Charming, and that he is as perfect for you as Zack is for your mom! :-)

I thought I knew so much about weddings. I followed wedding blogs long before I got engaged. I made mental notes of things I loved while photographing other couples’ weddings. I watched movies like 27 Dresses, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Princess Bride, and Wedding Crashers. :-)

I had a very clear vision of what I wanted our wedding to be like, but I had no idea which vendors we were going to pick… other than our photographers and priest – we chose them before we knew our wedding date. So I started asking my photographer friends. “Who cooks the tastiest wedding food?” “Who bakes the yummiest desserts?” “Who is the best and most creative florist you’ve worked with?” I trusted their recommendations because they have been to SO many weddings and have worked with these people before.

Our top three priorities in finding our perfect vendors were:

The quality of their work – Knowing they have impressed other vendors at past weddings assured me that they know what they are doing, and they are really good at doing it.

The fact that they love what they do – Attitude is everything. By hiring vendors who are living out their dream job, I knew that they were excited to book another weekend. Not for the money, but for the love of their craft.

They are easy to communicate with – I might have been ahead of the average bride by being in the wedding industry for a few years, but I still have a ton of questions and ideas to bounce around.

Finding vendors who meet all of our ‘requirements’ is SO comforting. In all the uncertainty of planning a wedding for the first time, they are there to take care of us by doing what they do best and letting us enjoy our engagement. We are planning on this being our one and only wedding and we want to thoroughly enjoy the day.

This past month has been full of love, relaxation, and crafty projects!!

1. Lover’s Leap Trail in Custer State Park – This February marked Lance’s and my FIFTH year of being together. We celebrated by hiking up Lover’s Leap Trail where Lance proposed just a few short months ago. :-)

2. Homemade Power Bars –  I’m always afraid to try energy bars because I have this fear that they’ll taste like cardboard. Or something way worse. So when I got my latest BCBS magazine with a recipe for homemade bars with peanut butter as the main ingredient, I had to try them. And I just made my third batch of them today.

3. Anniversary flowers. Who doesn’t love a fun, zebra-print vase?

4. Girl Scout Cookies – mmmmm Thin Mints…..

5. Teal vases – if you come visit me between now and September, we WILL have a painting party. You have been warned. And invited. :-)

It all started when my best friend Jill and I went to Sinful Things Desserts in downtown Sioux Falls just after Christmas. We shared a slice of their Red Velvet Ultimate Sin cake. Two layers of red velvet cake with a layer of cheesecake in between, covered in cream cheese frosting.

I fell in love. It was all I could talk about for the rest of the day. I had dreams about it that night. I woke up the next morning determined to find a recipe so I could make an entire layered red velvet cheesecake cake and have it ALL to myself.

I found one. But I didn’t have 9″ round pans, a spring-form pan, a roasting pan, a cake stand OR the willpower to not eat the entire cake by myself. So I decided to make them as cupcakes. Because I couldn’t just NOT make them!!

I followed the recipe as closely as possible – making the cheesecake layers one day and the red velvet cupcakes the next. Then sandwiching and frosting.

This is where my dream turned into a disaster.

Have you ever been so excited to do something that you just go ahead and do it without really thinking “is this the best way to do this?” I realized this happened when it came to frosting these little buggers. My fingers were covered in frosting for the entire assembly of these. So I used cupcake liners to cover up the ‘un-pretty’ sides and made some pink sprinkles to prettify the tops. Because something SO delicious has to look somewhat appetizing, right??

And they were so so SO delicious. And now I have two dozen of these teeny-tiny cakes to take out of the freezer whenever I want! All that work of layering and frosting was SO worth it.

Let me know if you’ll be making these for Valentine’s day! Or if you find an easier recipe! Or want to come over and take some off my hands! :-)