Ryan + Sarah met while volunteering for an event at the Humane Society, and from that day on they realized their lives would be so much better together. They both spend a lot of time on computers at work, so in their free time they love doing anything outdoors. A few months ago, they took a trip to Palisades State Park – a trip that marked the beginning of the rest of their lives.

Since awesome scenery is their favorite, what better place to get married than the Black Hills?? :-)

They chose the gazebo at Canyon Lake Resort to exchange their vows:

Mr. and Mrs.!!!

You guys could SO be models for a magazine… and you thought you wouldn’t be good at taking pictures. ;-)

This seems to always be one of my favorite shots of the day!

Ryan + Sarah – CONGRATS!!! It was such an honor to be part of your wedding – I hope you had a wonderful rest of the weekend in the hills!

You know when you’re so excited to do something because you know in your heart it’s going to be so great? That’s how I felt on my way to photograph Brent + Laura’s wedding in Beresford this past weekend. I met Laura several years ago, but it was only a couple months ago that I met a glowing, soon-to-be bride and the man that made her smile bigger than ever.

Brent + Laura are some of the funniest, easy-going people I know and it was such a treat to watch them begin the rest of their life together.

Let’s start from the top – the shoes. Oh, my, the shoes. :-)

Their first look was so sweet as well as funny. I was instructing Brent on how to ignore me and just take a moment to check out how beautiful his bride is. His response: “what if she doesn’t look that good?” I told him to trust me, she looks AMAZING. Watching them interact, I’m pretty sure he agreed with me.

See? AMAZING.

Laura’s something new, old, borrowed and blue were three generations of rosaries (hers, her mother’s and her grandmother’s) that she carried in a pouch with her bouquet.

Such a precious father-daughter moment before walking down the aisle.

ceremony | St. Teresa’s Catholic Church, Beresford, SD

reception | Bridges at Beresford

wedding gown | Heartstrings Bridal, Hopkins, MN

bridesmaid dresses | David’s Bridal

groom + groomsmen outfits | Men’s Wearhouse

hair + makeup | Studio 26, Sioux Falls, SD

cake | Sunshine Foods, Brandon, SD

caterer | The Home Place, Parker, SD

dj | Pinnacle Productions, Sioux Falls, SD

Brent + Laura – from the bottom of my heart, thank you so SO much for inviting me to be your wedding photographer. I had a wonderful time getting to know your friends and family and watching you begin the rest of your happily ever after! :-)

John + Rachel are such a wonderful, genuine and happy couple and they compliment each other perfectly. Even though the storm clouds were threatening their beautiful day, they had no concerns. They must have been to excited to get the party started. Or dreaming about leaving the very next day for Aruba. Because really, I don’t think anything could dampen a girl’s mood if she was going to Aruba with the love of her life!!

Who could forget that beautiful custom ring?!

Such a sweet moment between Rachel and her mom as she helps Rachel get ready.

She could be a princess – with superpowers. See that beautiful bouquet she’s holding? She made it. That, my friend, is talent. I can only make flowers look good through my lens!!

John + Rachel were married at the beautiful Chapel in the Hills.

John seeing his bride for the first time!!

Such big, happy smiles!!

One of the most-traveled wedding parties I’ve ever met! These guys (and guests of the wedding) traveled from literally all over the country to be there for John + Rachel!!

To add a bit of personality to the decorations, they added rocks as a nod to John’s geologic profession.

The girls sharing a few giggles as they worked to bustle Rachel’s dress. :-)

I love how John + Rachel can be across the dance floor and still share a special glance! :-)

ceremony | Chapel in the Hills

reception | Canyon Lake Resort

hair | Wicked

cake + cupcakes | ??

Me and the wonderful couple!!

And my fabulous assistant, Hannah (timed self-portrait style)!!

I am SO excited to finally share this newlywed session with you! I can’t call it a ‘day after’ session because Chris + Amy have been married for almost a year. And I can’t call it a ‘trash the dress’ session because the dress was not harmed in the making of these images. :-)

What I can tell you about the newlywed session is that we had fun!! It is always my goal as a wedding photographer to allow couples to relax and have fun during the portraits on their wedding day, but sometimes there is so much going on that relaxing and having fun is easier said than done.

That’s right, little ol’ me from South Dakota had my very first destination wedding in St. Louis!!! I’ll expand on that more in a different post, because now I want to introduce you to my beautiful cousin Gladys and her dancing-machine-husband Matt!!

Matt + Gladys met at a swing dance event in St. Louis. She needed a ride home. He had a car. Since then, they have become great swing dancers and fallen deeply in love. I LOVE seeing my cousins marry people who make them laugh and smile, and Matt does just that for Gladys.

These guys had the most involved suits I have ever seen – they all had to help each other get ready. At one point, I think there was a line of guys putting on each others’ suspenders. :-)

Gladys couldn’t have picked better shoes to wear all day and dance in all night!

Gladys’s niece Eden is just as shy as I was when I was a little girl!

This wedding was one of the craftiest I have seen in a long time – the girls bought these flowers at Trader Joe’s and arranged each bouquet themselves.

Matt + Gladys chose to see each other for the first time during the ceremony – here’s Matt seeing Gladys for the first time.

And he could NOT keep his eyes off her! :-)

Some people are jumping-challenged… but not these guys. Holy smokes!!

For those of you who were at the wedding and chillin’ at the reception, this is what I was up to:

Gladys had fun shoes and Matt had fun argyle socks! I love me some awesome details! :-)

THIS is my cousin. Fun, gorgeous, and happy to be married!!

And Matt’s ‘button’iere? He made it. And one for all the other guys. SO much craftiness at this wedding!

Gladys’s niece Elise recently earned her angel wings due to a disease called Tay Sachs and was Gladys’s flower girl in spirit.

You can read her story here and make your own contribution to cure Tay Sachs here.

Sqwires is such a unique place and it was perfect for Matt + Gladys’s wedding reception!

The father-daughter dance…

And let the swingin’ begin!!

ceremony | Lafayette Park United Methodist Church

reception | Sqwires

bridesmaid dresses | a selection of stores

men’s suits | Men’s Wearhouse

flowers | Trader Joe’s