Helloooooo, summer!!! It has been a busy month full of weddings and engagement sessions, as well as office and yard work. Fresh air makes everyone more productive, right?

1. New grass!! – Last week, Lance and I worked on our front yard for six straight hours. We shaped the dirt and seeded grass and put down a germination blanket (the wind in our hill-top neighborhood is ridiculous, and we didn’t want to put in all that hard work to have the wind blow all our seed away…) When I came home from last weekend’s wedding, there were these little sprouts waving ‘hello!’ Only a few more weeks until the rest of the seeds take root and fill in! :-)

2. Summer drinks – When it’s hot out, I like to have my fridge stocked with cool treats. My new favorite drink? Iced chocolate chai. I brew extra-strength chai tea, store it in the fridge, and when I’m ready to cool off, I mix it with chocolate almond milk over ice. Yummmm!

3. Mini Swingline – Office work seems so much more enjoyable with my cute little stapler.

4. Dahlias – I like to think these colorful potted flowers in front of the house made up for the lack of a front lawn earlier in the month.

5. Date night!! – Lance and I went out to eat at Piesano’s (our favorite pizza place in town) and took a stroll around the Outdoor Campus West.

p.s. Several of my ‘favorite things’ make an appearance on Instagram as they happen throughout the month. If you’d like to follow along, and even see some sneak peeks from weddings and engagement sessions, come follow me – my username is studiolb!!

Matt + Kate have such a great sense of humor (a.k.a. we get most of each others Michael Scott quotes) – it was so much fun to walk and talk with them during their engagement session.  I didn’t want them to go back home to Omaha!! Soon enough, their wedding day will be here and I’ll get to hang out with them and their closest friends + family and I absolutely can not wait! :-)

Okay, so this is the real reason I didn’t want Matt + Kate to go back home. I could have listened to them make up songs for hours!! Which, I’ll have you know, were equally romantic and hilarious.

Matt + Kate – I hope you had a wonderful time out in the hills and that engagement photos were right up there with cake tasting. :-) It was so good to see you again and I am SO looking forward to October!!

Lucas + Lindsey are big fans of animals, nature, and each other – which I think is a pretty fabulous combination! :-)

Can you believe this southern beauty moved all the way from Mississippi to Nebraska to be with the man of her dreams? Lucas, you are one lucky guy. :-)

Congrats to you both on your engagement! I had such a nice time getting to know you, and I am so excited for your wedding in a few months!! :-)

Dave + Janice and their families are the very definition of southern charm. I can’t tell you how many times I was called ‘darlin’ – and I loved it every time!

Not only were they incredibly sweet, they had the best taste! Dresses from BHLDN, flowers from Bent Willow Designs, and tiny pecan pies brought all the way from Texas. What more could you ask for a lakeside wedding? Not much. Although, the Texans were hoping for a few more degrees of warmth – we South Dakotans were just glad it wasn’t raining like it had been all week. ;-)

Janice was brought down the aisle at Sylvan Lake by her two beautiful daughters.

Their first look – don’t you love Dave’s smirk?

A true southern gentleman, that Dave… ;-)

Immediately after the ceremony – who doesn’t want to hug?! ;-)

Janice with all her girls now!

Dave + Janice – It was such a pleasure to finally meet you and your families! Y’all are so kind and welcoming, and you make me wish I was southern (so I could have the drawl and the tiny pies.) ;-)

Since the moment I received Andrew + Tremaine’s hand-drawn save-the-date card in the mail, I was giddy to photograph all the lovely details they had planned for their wedding.

When I learned about their long-distance relationship and their affection towards car games, I couldn’t wait to get them out of the car and into Custer State Park to photograph the beginning of their marriage.

As soon as the forecast full of rain showers came out for their wedding weekend, we all said a little prayer for good weather and I was so excited to have nothing but sunshine for their big day!

Tremaine’s veil is the one her mother wore on her wedding day – how lovely is that!!

Here’s an example of the lovely details that Tremaine’s sister drew – in their wedding program! Sidenote.. if you’re looking for someone to do something like this for your wedding… I know a girl. ;-)

The newly-constructed Lover’s Leap Deck is my new favorite ceremony location in Custer State Park. Sweet sunlight filtering through leafy green trees? Works for me!!

The reception at the Game Lodge Pavilion was full of lovely details, but my favorite was the ‘head table’ – set up in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by their loved ones.

Even their cakes had the sweetest toppers!

Andrew + Tremaine – Thank you so much for having me photograph your wedding! I am so happy the weather cooperated for us, and I hope you had a great mini-honeymoon road trip. Who am I kidding, I’m sure you had a blast, knowing how well you enjoy spending time together in the car!!