My favorite part about working with couples is hearing the story of how they met. Richard + Erika went to school knowing each other, and are technically high school sweethearts – they started dating just a few days before graduation! However, their first kiss was at prom…and they weren’t even each other’s dates!!! :-) Graduation came and went, Erika moved to Vermillion for school and Richard went Sioux Falls (almost an hour drive in-between). Richard then moved to Hawaii for school (more than an hour drive, but definitely an awesome location to vacation!) before he came back to South Dakota to finish school in Vermillion.

I believe that living in separate towns and working through a long-distance relationship can really make a couple stronger. Sunday was the first time I met Richard + Erika and I knew right away that they are perfect for each other. The went to high school together. They dated all through college – even with half the country and an ocean between them! They have grown up together and now they get to grow old together!!

Richard + Erika – thanks for being so great! I still can’t believe you laid on the ground when it was a little muddy!! I hope you enjoy your photos, and I can’t wait for your wedding in May!!

As I write this, I am crossing things off my ‘to-do’ list before I drive back to Brookings for Jeff + Bethany‘s wedding tomorrow!! While I’m on that side of the state, I am also going to be doing Richard + Erika’s engagement session for their wedding in May! I’m also meeting up and having coffee with Brandon + Laurie – another wedding for next summer!

This weekend I will be in heaven. Photographing Jeff + Bethany’s wedding, and meeting two other awesome couples. Have I mentioned before that I could do this every weekend? Love it!!

Because blog posts are better with photos… here is a photo from Jeff + Bethany’s engagement session to remind you how simply adorable they are!

I met Chris and Amy when I was in high school – we were all in the 4-H Council/Ambassador program together. Because of 4-H, Chris and Amy knew each other for a few years before they started dating in 2005.

Four years later, they go on a date for their anniversary and Chris has one place to stop before dinner – Bridal Veil Falls in Spearfish Canyon. They pull off to the side of the road, and Chris has two presents for Amy. The first, a dozen roses – eleven red, one white. Amy is excited and taking pictures of the flowers and when Chris asks her to turn around, she sees him down on one knee with a beautiful ring (which he picked out all by himself)!

She says yes. They hug. They kiss. They laugh.

Amy opens the other present – a bottle of champagne to celebrate their engagement!

Ten days later I go with them back to Bridal Veil Falls for some photos and the slope/path to the bottom is completely covered in snow. So we took photos from the road!! :-)

We thought Roughlock Falls might be plowed, but we ended up having to make our own tracks though the snow.

It was totally worth the cold, wet feet.

These two are always laughing – and I LOVE it!!

Chris + Amy – thanks for being so much fun! Walking through lots of snow, driving around the Northern Hills to find all the great locations and laughing at my ridiculous comments make you one of the coolest couples I’ve had the pleasure of photographing! CONGRATS on your engagement!! I’m so excited for the both of you!

I will travel anywhere to take photos. Anywhere. Saturday I traveled to Vermillion (during USD’s homecoming) to take Lee + Nikki’s engagement photos!! It. Was. Cold. But FUN! We had great light to work with, and lots of fun areas for backdrops!

Lee + Nikki – thanks for being such troopers about the weather!! Lance and I stopped at Bomgaar’s in Yankton after your session and I was checking out the industrial-sized space heaters, wondering if that would be an option for me to bring along for fall/winter outdoor sessions. :-)

Brian + Barb came all the way from Brookings to do their engagement session out here with me! Brian is going to grad school for athletic training, and Barb is an athletic trainer for South Dakota State University. They are very busy people, so it was great that they could take a weekend and vacation in the Black Hills! Brian went to high school with Lance, and they lived together for a couple years in college, so Lance talked us into doing photos a little earlier so that we could drive around Custer State Park, visit the Purple Pie Place in Custer and hit up Deadwood before it was time to call it a day.

Brian + Barb – thanks so much for coming out to Rapid for photos! Lance and I had a great time hanging out with you and we can’t wait for your wedding in June!!