“Let’s go for a sunrise stroll, I found a new spot in the Black Hills that you’re going to love!”

Little did she know, this stroll would not just end at a beautiful view, it would be the beginning of the rest of their forever together. You see, he had surprise up his sleeve and a ring in his pocket.
After a moment of soaking in the view, he couldn’t wait any longer. He started telling her how important she was in his life and how he couldn’t imagine his life without her. He wanted her to be by his side forever, for all the ups and downs and sunrise strolls for the rest of their lives.He pulled out the ring, got down on one knee, and asked for her forever, because not a day less would do.She said yes. ;-)  While on their ‘life changing stroll,’ Sarah from The Vintage Lease had set up a lovely little celebration table, complete with coffee, champagne, and peaches and cream. A huge thank you to the following vendors for putting together this styled proposal.

The Vintage Lease – Sarah had the vision to put this together and style the table

Hubbard Visuals – Nick and Kaylee put together a lovely video of the occasion

Riddle’s Jewelry – provided the gorgeous gems

S&Co. Boutique – Sami provided Tessa’s stylish outfit

Jake & Tessa Wolter – the lovely models

Jenny’s Floral – Jenny put together the amazing bouquet on the table

Studio LB – I had the honor of photographing all this beautiful-ness!

Grant + Hillary came to the Black Hills to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, and wanted to document their trip with a photoshoot. When I found out they would be hiking several trails along their journey, I asked if they would be up for hiking for their photos and was SO EXCITED when they agreed! We met at Sylvan Lake and hiked to the nearest overlook to watch the most beautiful blush sunset.  I love that they slow danced on top of a mountain at sunset, while thinking back on their wedding day a year ago. It seriously can not get any more romantic than that!!! I had been using the gorgeous pink sunset as a backdrop, but I didn’t want them to miss out on the beauty of it, so they took a moment to just soak it all in. Then, Grant soaked in the beauty of his bride. ;-) 
I love that among all the sweet, romantic photos, they were still quick to laugh with each other – a good sign of a good marriage, if you ask me! :-) Thanks again, Grant + Hillary for reaching out and for going on a little adventure with me! I can’t wait to see where you go for your next anniversary!!

In my mind, mid-September has always been the perfect time for a wedding. Even before I was married, I was photographing weddings at that time and thinking “this weather is perfect – not summer, not fall, just right.” Then, my husband and I got married mid-September because it was the only date that worked for the photographers I wanted. Now, I get to share an anniversary with this lovely couple you see here!

Lex + Heidi traveled down from North Dakota for a perfect South Dakota September wedding day. The morning was foggy, but by lunchtime the sun came out and shined so bright for these two!
After the ceremony, we had a full hour before Lex + Heidi were needed at the reception, so we went on a little adventure! :-)  Lex + Heidi – Thank you so much for having me at your wedding! I loved being able to create beautiful wedding photos that you will hopefully treasure as much as I treasure my own photos from September 15th a few years ago! :-) Thanks for letting me take you on a little adventure as well! I hope you had a fun couple of days here, and enjoy your honeymoon this winter!

David + Marcy could not have planned a more perfect September South Dakota State Park wedding. The details from Timeless Weddings & Events were so beautiful, as were the flowers from Jenny’s Floral. But my favorite part of David + Marcy’s wedding came from up above – the clear blue skies providing warm sunshine and the perfect breeze to keep everyone comfortable.

Also my favorite was David + Marcy themselves. After having photographed them twice for engagement pictures (because we just had so much fun the first time around and wanted to do it again), they were so at ease in front of the camera. So many last-minute wedding day details can be stressful, but the photo portions of the day were a breeze.

Can we take a moment to talk about Marcy’s dress? You see, she had ordered a beautiful mermaid-style gown with a tulle overskirt, but after alterations were made, she could hardly breathe, let alone sit down in it! So this beautiful number was off the rack, and the veil was made specifically for her. Marcy was comfortable and so she practically radiated beauty and confidence!! And her amazing updo by Tancy at Elite Hair Design helped boost that ‘beauty level’ up an extra notch. ;-)Memorial Day weekend at Sylvan Lake is nuts. Thank goodness for Photoshop! ;-) I loooooove stolen glances anytime throughout the day – especially during ceremonies when the officiant has said something that pulls a heartstring. Mary from Your Joyful Wedding creates and delivers the most beautiful ceremonies – it’s always a treat and an honor to get to work alongside her!! The plan for photos was to climb this rock immediately after their receiving line. The light was perfect, the amount of time before we had to get back to the reception was perfect, and the breeze was BEYOND perfect. Just you wait and see. :-)

Also, Marcy purchased her wedding shoes based on the fact that she would be climbing a rock for photos. My kind of bride right there!!! Poor David was stuck with slippery rental shoes. Oops!!
It’s very possible I shed a tear when I took this photo, and I know it has caused many other tears to fall since sharing it online a couple days ago. This is exactly what wedding photographer dreams are made of!!!
Okay so one more favorite thing about this wedding – the rock candy geode on the cake!!! David + Marcy – Oh man, how do I even begin to thank you for having me photograph you? I loved every minute of your wedding day, and I tried to savor it as best I could because I didn’t want it to end! Don’t be alarmed if I print up a few of these photos and put them up in my own home. Love you both, and I hope these first few months of life as newlyweds go smoothly with the move. Text friends forever, mmkay? ;-)

One of the biggest honors for me as a wedding photographer is to be hired by two sisters. It’s so fun to see the similarities between the two weddings, which in this particular case was familiar faces, borrowed details, and super-sweet personalities.

My favorite similarity is that both Gina and her sister Kayla have married such kind, caring men. Ethan made sure Gina could feel a breeze from the fan during their ceremony, and he tossed rocks into the tall grass to scare any snakes away from where we wanted to take photos.
Gina’s favorite part of the day: seeing Ethan for the first time on their wedding day!Doesn’t she have the best smile? The weather on their wedding day was over 90 degrees, and I was afraid to ask them to step out into the sunlight for some photos, but they said “let’s go for it!” So we did. But we went quick. ;-) I love that Ethan’s dad was his best man – they even have a secret handshake!!! Another similarity that I forgot about until it was happening, was when Gina + Kayla’s grandfather blessed the meal in English and Norwegian.Kuchen!!!!!!! Here is where Ethan was oh-so-chivalrous for both Gina and myself. There have been so many rattlesnake instances around the Black Hills this summer, so Ethan, being the outdoorsman that he is, picked up rocks and tossed them ahead to scare away any possible snakes so we could take photos in this tiny forest at sunset! Thanks Ethan and Gina for traipsing through this meadow to have a moment to yourselves.

Also, Gina said the first look was her favorite part of the day, but as we walked back to the car after these photos, she said she changed her mind and this her favorite part. Spending some quiet time in the beautiful Black Hills with her husband. :-) Ethan + Gina – thank you, with my whole heart, for having me photograph your wedding. It didn’t feel like work at all, because you were so kind and calm. Plus, I feel like we kinda bonded with how much we all sweated throughout the day, but still persisted for the sake of lovely photos. :-)Kayla + Gina – Thanks for being sisters!! And for having such great taste! ;-) I loved both your weddings so much, and I loved meeting Elliott, and I can’t wait to watch both your families grow!!