Doug and Heather had a mid-week destination wedding at Sylvan Lake in the Black Hills and it was SUCH a beautiful day to get married! Something you really can’t plan when you schedule an outdoor wedding over a year in advance! While I love early morning and late evening light the best, Sylvan Lake really does shine under a bright blue sky!!

My good friend Mary from Your Joyful Wedding performed the ceremony, adding an extra level of special. The way she tailors a wedding ceremony to each and every couple she works with is so beautiful – it’s as though she’s known the couple for years! 

I usually save these kinds of photos for the annual ‘best of MOMENTS’ roundup at the beginning of each year, but this little guy wanting snuggles from his daddy is just too cute not to share twice! :-)

Can I just say how much I LOVED Heather’s two-piece wedding gown? The beaded bodice was gorgeous, but that flowing skirt had me oohing and aahing all afternoon!!

#modelstatus

Doug + Heather, thank you so so much for having me photograph your wedding! Doug, I hope your hunting trip went well, and Heather, I hope you had a nice relaxing time to yourself! ;-)

John and Natalie were visiting their ceremony site and decided it would be a perfect occasion to take engagement photos – I couldn’t have agreed more!! It was a beautiful evening, and hanging out with John and Natalie and their mega-watt smiles was absolute perfection. :-)

The Game Lodge at Custer State Park is a favorite of mine for so many reasons – the lighting is fantastic anytime in the afternoon, my husband and I got engaged at the top of the trail that begins near Lovers Leap deck, and now it’s practically my back yard since we moved to the park! Weston + Ashlee getting married at this location made it that much sweeter with their gorgeousness and easygoing personalities.

Weston + Ashlee – Thanks so much for having me take pictures of you on your wedding day! We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day! :-)

These two are high school sweethearts – how cute is that?! And if you don’t know them, they’re very close to the same height, so we had a little fun with the uneven ground, letting Jayson feel really tall for an evening. ;-)

Nothing gets me more excited for a wedding than taking engagement photos! Hanging out with Evan + Megan in such pretty light has me counting down to the day they say “I do!”

Stella was such a good girl waiting for ‘mom and dad’ to take pictures, we just had to let her be the star of the show for a tiny bit!