June had us celebrating Milo’s half birthday and *lots* of new blooms in the garden!

Milo is so enamored with his sister, that taking his 18 month photos was a breeze. He was still a bit unsure of walking, so I plopped him down, got in position, and had Elodie peek-a-boo from behind me. This was one of the very first photos of the morning and it was all we needed! But for some reason I still took plenty more. ;-)

Elodie and I examine the garden every single morning when we water. The hollyhock, rosebush and squash are blooming, and the double petunias we started from seed are finally opening up!

This, my friends, is the result of a ‘friend zone’ relationship having been through a successful ‘re-zoning.’ That’s right, when Thomas first asked Alicia out, she didn’t think of him in that way at all. But then, she thought about it and prayed about it and realized that Thomas didn’t belong in the ‘friend zone’ category. So they dated, became boyfriend and girlfriend, got engaged, and here they are now, promising to be best friends forever. Shoutout to Alicia’s bridesmaid who saw this and called me down the stairs to capture this. We were using the lovely window light above, while Thomas walked in those bottom doors to get his flower pinned on for the ceremony. :-) The first time I went through the photos from the day, this next one stopped me in my tracks. The gentle breeze blowing Alicia’s veil and hair, and the sweet smiles shared between them made my heart leap!  Thomas told the ‘friend zone’ story very well – from his point of view, of course. Which means the version where Thomas was so charming, he got Alicia to change her mind and ask him out without any prompting. :-) Father-daughter and mother-son dances are always such a fun way to see another side of the bride and groom’s relationship. How they hold and act with each other is one thing, but when they dance with their parents there is so much honesty in what kind of person they are and how they were raised. It’s like putting on ‘future goggles’ and being able to see how these close bonds will hold them together in the future.

I cried all throughout Alicia’s dance with her dad, and Thomas’s dance with his mom I couldn’t stop mirroring the grins on their faces! So much love and laughter in these families!

Thomas + Alicia, thank you SO much for having me come all the way to ‘almost Canada’ for your wedding! It was such a treat to photograph you as well as enjoy some family time. As always, the time goes too fast, but I hope these photos will bring you right back to how you were feeling that day!

Sam + Kelsey’s wedding day was full of glamour and surprise. ‘Surprise’ is not really something that one can hope for or plan on for their wedding day, but Sam + Kelsey strolled through the day like a walk in the park.

The first two surprises – Kelsey’s dress had to be fastened with a safety pin because a hook was missing, and Sam had to wear some boots he found in the back of his truck because his wedding shoes were two sizes too big! Another surprise was the 1880 Train’s departure just as Kelsey was walking towards the ceremony. All eyes turned to her, and the train blew its whistle, and this was her reaction! Everyone laughed and cheered, and it was such a fun memory for everyone!! Any chance we could get, we snuck in some photos with their little man – he was so busy running around, but after the ceremony he was tired and cuddly (for about a minute) so we finally got some sweet photos with him! After Sam + Kelsey’s first dances, JD Productions welcomed all of the married guests out to the dance floor and slowly narrowed the couples down to the one who has been married the longest – Sam’s grandparents! After those first few dances, I whisked Sam + Kelsey away for another little dance in the beautiful evening light. I could tell they were more in their element (without everyone watching). :-) Sam + Kelsey – Thank you so, so much for having me photograph your wedding! It was so fun to meet you and to hear about your upcoming adventures!

Mike + Becca are the very definition of a sweet, fun-loving couple. They chose to get married in the morning with their closest friends and family, and after lunch they took off on their three-week-road-trip honeymoon!

You guys know I love a sweet mother-daughter moment! Gosh, it’s so hard not to cry at weddings!!

After getting dressed, Becca hopped in my car to go meet Mike… but we couldn’t resist a little walk through some wildflowers, so we pulled over and did just that. :-)

Their first look was the most endearing moment I have ever seen during a first look! Mike turned around to see Becca, and he barely even looked at her before embracing her in the biggest, longest ‘first look hug’ I have ever witnessed. ⠀
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One minute and eight seconds. (I checked the time stamp on my camera settings.) 68 seconds of hugging before he even got a good look at how good she looked. And she looked gooood. ;-)⠀
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But you know what? It didn’t matter what she wore! It didn’t matter what she looked like! It mattered that THIS WAS THE FIRST DAY OF THEIR MARRIAGE and they were SO excited just to be with each other.⠀

We had such a lovely, peaceful time in the meadow, but I wanted to give them some real ‘Black Hills’ photos with a bit more landscape. The wind also decided to join the party, but that didn’t stop Mike + Becca from having fun, as you can see from their ‘jazz hands’ below. ;-)

Classic wedding party portraits are always a necessity, but I love that Mike + Becca’s siblings and friends are just as fun-loving as they are, and photos that showcase that is even more special! Next stop: the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center for their ceremony + reception, where the wind really showed off. Mike had been holding back tears since that morning when he was waiting to see Becca. When it came time for them to exchange vows, he couldn’t hold them in any longer!

Another sweet, thoughtful moment that Mike + Becca shared on their first day of marriage was having a first dance to themselves. Mike had the song on his phone in his pocket and they swayed together and let the wind dance around them.

And before you forget, not only are they sweet, they are FUN (insert jazz hands, again). :-D

Their car loaded up with their bikes on top, ready for their road trip!! Becca told me that she planned on wearing her dress to dinner that night in Colorado. As comfortable as her dress looked, I wouldn’t be surprised if she wore it for those 6-ish hours in the car ride that afternoon!

Oh man, Mike + Becca, how do I even begin to thank you for having me photograph your big day? Everything you planned was so thoughtful and down-to-earth. Your first look is one I will remember for years. Your sporadic jazz hands will also be hard to forget. :-) I hope you are having the best time on your trip, and I hope you have fond wedding day memories every time a gust of wind blows hair in your face.

I feel like May had been a long time coming for everyone in the Midwest! With so many April snowstorms, we couldn’t wait for green grass and lilacs, and May did not disappoint!

There were a couple of really beautiful foggy days right around Mother’s Day, so of course we had a mini photo shoot in our backyard before heading to church! Also, Elodie now knows how to wink. ;-)

Both kids love to spend their time outside now that it’s warm enough out to play! They also cooperate sometimes for impromptu photos. :-)

Elodie and Milo are both getting to be so grown up! I just put away Milo’s 12mo clothes and Elodie said, “He’s growing up so fast! I’m growing slow.” But she is growing up fast, too! She talks a mile a minute, narrating every part of her day (sometimes in song) and has now decided to simply not listen to mommy and daddy when she doesn’t want to do something. #threenager