I had such a wonderful time at Andy + Abby’s classic, fun and elegant Black Hills wedding!! They got married at Our Lady of the Black Hills Catholic Church in Piedmont, and their reception was at her uncle’s cabin outside of Deadwood. AND the storm clouds held off for (mostly) all our outside photos!!

Hair by Meghyn at Shangri La Hair Studio

Flowers by Fancies Flowers

Catering by Angel’s Catering

Cupcakes by Jerry’s Cakes & Donuts

(AMAZING) Cake topper by Concarta on Etsy

Their first look was so adorable! Of course, I say that at every wedding, but REALLY they were so cute!! Here’s Abby showing off her hair to Andy:

And if you’re a fan of mine on facebook, you’re already familiar with this photo:

Déjà vu, anyone?

This is the second wedding of the season who had a string quartet, and I LOVED it!!

They MEMORIZED their vows. And they nailed them!!

Mr. And Mrs.!!!!!

I know, my focus landed on the ceiling, but I thought this was too cute not to share!!

And guess what was outside waiting for them? :-)

Didn’t I tell you their cake topper was amazing?! I even went to the designer’s blog and found pictures of Andy + Abby’s topper!!

This was a test shot. And I warned them it was going to be on the blog. :-)

Andy + Abby – I hope you made it home safely!! From South Dakota to Tennessee is a long drive!! And enjoy your two weeks in Italy!! :-)

Well, they’ve been engaged for quite a while now, but their Rapid City wedding is coming up fast and we were finally in the same town at the same time to take some photos!! I simply adore the way Pat hugs Mackenzie – like he’s never EVER going to let go. And the way she smiles when he kisses her? Cutest. Thing. Ever. I am so excited for these two to get married!!

Seriously. There has GOT to be something in the water in Rosholt!! I just can’t get over how GORGEOUS all these girls I’ve photographed are!! Kelsey and I had to get real creative with hiding from the RIDICULOUS wind yesterday. I won’t be back to Rosholt until September, so we had no other choice but to embrace the windblown look! :-)

Kelsey also re-kindled my affection for pop-tarts. I haven’t had any in a couple years, and she introduced me to the blueberry muffin kind. I’m hooked. Did someone say perfect mid-session snack?? :-)

Oh, and p.s., Kelsey ROCKED the serious look!!!! I’m so proud of her. :-)

Dear Kelsey, I love you for laying down in your dress. On the beach. You rock. Love, Laura.

Another RHS senior of 2011!! Sarah came over for her portraits and I was impressed at how easy she was to pose! I kept saying “Sarah, you’re such a natural at this!” And then she told me that she watches ‘America’s Next Top Model.’ :-)

I couldn’t decide which of the next two I liked better. So you get to see both!! :-)

I have known Jill ever since she was born. I have known Aaron since Friday.

He makes her smile. He makes her laugh. He gazes at her adoringly when she’s not looking.

Together, they are genuinely happy. I couldn’t be more proud for my cousin Jill to have such a great husband!

Jill’s sisters laugh a lot. I love them for that! :-) I believe Jess (left) was telling a story about how the alarm clock in their room was so old that they couldn’t even figure out how to set the alarm on it. I know, it doesn’t sound that funny now, but my cousins have a great gift of story-telling! You should subscribe to our family newsletter.

Is it just me, or do first look moments give you warm, fuzzy feelings? :-)

The wedding party loves being on the steps of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fargo! And the fact that Aaron and Jill are getting married! :-)

Why, yes, those ARE orchids you see scattered in her bouquet!! LOVE it!

This is that loving gaze I was talking about earlier… and them laughing at Fr. James’s homily. :-)

p.s. Did I mention that our uncle is a priest? Aaron + Jill’s wedding was full of family talent!

Mom. Hugs. Are. The. BEST!! Am I right, or am I right? :-)

They also had the best cake EVER!! Mint chocolate. I had two pieces.

Aaron and Jill were given this awesome bean bag/corn hole set for their wedding:

And they even made some time before the reception to toss a few:

I have three favorite parts to every wedding: the first look, the actual getting married part, and the first dance. Me? A sappy romantic? No way!

As for this next photo, don’t ask me why I can’t get three people to be in focus at the same time. I blame my camera. :-)

Aaron + Jillian – I hope you take this next weekend to spend as much time together as you can and pretend it’s a ‘mini honeymoon!’  Jill, I wish you didn’t have to go back to school this week, but I’m so excited for you and Aaron to finally be married! Congrats to you both! I promise to call every time I come to Fargo from now on! :-)