These two are absolute troopers!! I’ll be the first to tell you I was concerned about the snow coming down sideways earlier in the day. Since Jeff and Lindsay were only in town for a few days, we just had to make this weather work!! Now, I’ll be the first to tell you I am so glad we braved the weather (the snow in the hills was absolutely magical) and had pockets full of hand warmers!!

Jeff + Lindsay – Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy week, braving the cold+snow, and for showing me your love. I can only imagine how much more radiant you will be in September!! :-)

I am thankful that Nick met Samantha, ‘wooed’ her, and asked her to move with him to South Dakota.

I am also thankful that Nick had a plan to propose on a rock (ahem, cliff) overlooking the part of the forest where he grew up – and even though Samantha knew he always had this plan, she was still surprised when he actually proposed!!

I am *most* thankful that Nick + Samantha found me and asked to take their engagement photos on his childhood playground. The rocks, the trees, the ghost town – I didn’t want to stop playing taking photos with these two!!

Back to the rock (ahem, cliff) comment from earlier… Samantha told me they got engaged on a rock in Nick’s parents’ back yard. I’m thinking of something like the granite boulders in the Black Hills that pop up out of nowhere and have sparkles and green fuzzy growth. I show up, ask about the famous rock, and they point *up over there* (in the right photo on the upper right side). Ummm, you mean that cliff way over there?! Awesome!!! Not quite what I had envisioned for photos… but we made it work!!

*This* is more like what I had in mind when I thought of ‘engagement photos on a rock’

Nick + Samantha – Thank you so SO much for inviting me out to where you got engaged. Thank you for being so beautifully in love and goofy at the same time – I absolutely love you guys for making snuggling and giggling look so dang good!! :-)

Hello!!! Welcome to my first 2014 edition of ‘Laura loves” – where I share with you what I’ve been enjoying for the past month. It’s been a cold and quiet month, but enjoyable none the less. :-)

1. Merry Christmas!! My husband and I spent Christmas with his family and the tradition there is to take family photos before Christmas Eve mass. Here we are all dressed up – don’t we clean up nicely? :-)

2. BREAD!! We received a bread machine for our wedding, and I’ve been intimidated by it ever since (a whole 16 months). With the help of my dad (who *always* has a homemade loaf on hand) and a recipe from Pinterest that didn’t require powdered milk – I made my first loaf and I have been hooked ever since! I have learned, however, that I must make bread in the evening. If I make it too early in the day, it tends to be all I eat. I heart carbs!!

3. Office vignettes – During wedding season, I’m too busy staring at my computer to make my office look nice (ahem.. keep it clean…). Since one of my new years’ resolutions is to keep a tidy(er) house, I decided to cover all of my business books in kraft paper. I haven’t read them in years, but I don’t want to get rid of them in case someday I feel like re-reading them (I might be a mild hoarder), and now they look *so* much prettier!

4. Black Hills Bride Magazine – Lucas + Lindsey’s wedding was featured and Andrew + Meghan‘s lovely faces appear on my ad! For those of you planning your Black Hills wedding, make sure to pick this up as it has *lots* of tips and vendor lists for you to help plan your wedding. :-)

5. Black Hills Woman Magazine – I had the pleasure of photographing and getting to know President Heather Wilson and Leona Zastrow – both featured as ‘Fabulous Women’ in the Jan/Feb issue. This magazine can be found all around the Black Hills, or you can click here to receive a digital copy and read about all the women featured in this issue!

Weddings are full of wonderful moments. From the unexpected mishaps to the slow-dance snuggles at the end of the evening. Looking back at the weddings I photographed this past year, I can’t help but feel blessed to have gotten to know all of these couples and provided such pure and honest documentation of the ‘first day of the rest of their lives.’

This is the collection of my most treasured wedding images from 2013 – these are the images that I strive to capture for every couple.

The timeless portraits of a husband and wife who are deeply in love. Images of a bride glowing on her wedding day. The first time a groom sees his bride. Fathers giving their daughter’s hand in marriage. Stolen glances during the wedding ceremony and the excitement of being pronounced husband and wife.

I hope you enjoy!!

What I love most about engagement sessions is the love… the snuggles, the smiles, the short yet exciting part of a couple’s lives before they become husband and wife. Here are my favorites from 2013 – enjoy!