I have been excited for Chad + Bri’s wedding ever since their engagement session this fall – they are such a beautiful, down-to-earth, loving couple! I have so many great memories from their wedding… and I was just the photographer! Their vows were more than just romantic, they were funny! They have such an honest love and great sense of humor. Chad + Bri are so blessed to have each other – they are one of those couples that you can see in 50 years still holding hands, madly in love, making each other laugh. :-)

Helloooo gorgeous!!

Like I said, down-to-earth:

Yes, it was January 2nd in South Dakota.

Yes, it was cold out.

And yes, I work with the best couples EVER.

Chad had access to this small chapel in a nearby cemetery:

Someone’s been practicing their dip…

When I posted this video on facebook, Chad was a little skeptical about going outside for a few casual portraits…

Oh, and the entire wedding party rocks, too, for going outside for photos.

Introducing my new special trick…SUPER CLOSE-UP RING SHOTS!! Yippee!!

Isn’t this adorable? The ring bearer and flower girl watching as the ceremony starts:

I LOVE how everyone is looking at each other in this photo – I can still feel the love and excitement!

Cake! Cheesecake! Cookies! Candy!

Groom’s cake!!

Not only did Bri’s sister have a great toast, she also sang an awesome song that she wrote for Bri + Chad:

And a sparkling exit!!! My very first wedding exit EVER and I loved it!!

Chad + Bri – I hope you are having a fabulous honeymoon in Playa del Carmen! (Really, I’m not jealous AT ALL that you’re somewhere warm and I’m here in South Dakota awaiting another ‘strong arctic blast’ according to weather.com) Enjoy your time and travel safe! :-)

You might know that I love to take photos. You also might know that I love to make lists (more list-making to come…I’m making a 101 in 1,001 list). Today’s list is my top ten favorite images from 2009. With commentary. Enjoy!

10. Eric + Jen – my first referred wedding of 2009. They got my name from a friend of a friend and they. Were. Wonderful! And quite photogenic, might I add. :-)

9. Joel + Andi are just simply adorable (and now expecting a baby, who I’m sure will also be adorable!!). When they showed up for photos and Joel was wearing a t-shirt with a penguin holding a martini, I was worried. I thought “Oh no, he doesn’t care about photos!!” Then later I realized that what is most important to them is their relationship, and that is what really shines through in this image – not the t-shirt he’s wearing. :-)

8. Simplicity. ‘Nuff said.

7. This wasn’t even one of my weddings, I was just second shooting with my friend Samantha, but I LOVE beauty mixed with grunge.

6. Chris + Amy – the phrase “Live, love, laugh” comes to mind whenever I think of them.

5. Jael + Brian – seriously, could anyone have picked a better time/location to get married?

4. Sarah and her dad, before they walked down the aisle, shared the sweetest looks.

3. Jeff + Bethany – I still can’t believe how awesome the weather was for their November 14th wedding…

2. Bill + Jacqueline – There was not one single bad photo from their portraits – they definitely knew how to rock it!

1. Josh + Tammy – my very first outdoor wedding. Priceless.

Thanks to all my wonderful clients – you made my dream of becoming a wedding photographer come true because you had faith in me. This was my first summer being a full-time, self-employed wedding photographer and I loved every minute of it! I pray that all of you are enjoying your first few months of marriage (sorry, Chris + Amy, you have to wait until June to enjoy married life) and that 2010 treats you well!!

-Laura

When I arrived at Bethany’s parents’ house, I was welcomed by a swarm of already-dressed bridesmaids watching over Bethany as she finished getting her hair and makeup done. I love it when all the girls are smiling and ooh-ing and aah-ing over the bride. Bethany put on her dress and the girls smiled and aww-ed over her some more. Jeff saw Bethany for the first time before photos and the admiration didn’t stop there. Everything about the wedding gave me warm fuzzies inside – from the Christmas lights illuminating the altar, to the hot apple cider and big red tissue paper flowers at the reception. Everything was beautiful, relaxed and well put-together, just like Jeff + Bethany.

When Bethany asked if they could do their first look on this bridge at the end of a gravel road, I jumped up and down and said “yes, please!”

Bethany + Kaitlynn – I know that you two have this constant battle to get photos of each other making weird faces. In these next two photos, I wasn’t even trying – you just happen to make funny faces a lot and they were bound to be captured by me. :-)

Jeff + Bethany – I hope you are having a fabulous honeymoon!! Safe travels, and enjoy your photos!! :-)

This weekend I had the privilege of second-shooting Jael’s (my former boss) wedding!! Everything was so picture-perfect – but what else would you expect for a photographer’s wedding! :-)

The wedding and reception were held at Buffalo Ridge Resort in Gary, South Dakota – Jael and her girls also spent the night before the wedding at the motel and all got ready together that morning. The resort has such picturesque areas that it was SO easy to get awesome photos!! I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the dress when I saw the lobby:

Jael relaxing and waiting for the girls to finish getting ready before she put her dress on:

Check out the bling!!

Their first look was SO romantic! I may have teared up a little at this point…

Jael and Brian had a horse-drawn carriage for the wedding and the crew showed up early enough to pose for a few photos:

The joy of second-shooting… :-) Here’s Missy and Dustin of ML Portraits from Watertown

Jael’s sisters had purple dresses, friends had green dresses, the guys wore their own suits and the boutonnieres were made by Jael.

Live music was performed before, during and after the ceremony and all through the reception:

The guys walked up to the ceremony while the girls got to ride in the carriage:

Brian wasn’t the only one excited to see Jael walk down the aisle with her parents:

Dear Hagmans Bakery,

I love you. And your wedding cakes. And your brownie bites. Please open a branch in Rapid City.

Sincerely, Laura.

Brian’s friends are such great guys, with even better stories!! Thanks for sharing them in your toasts!! :-)

Jael’s father and sister Bethany performed a song that he had written about his ‘little girl.’

Jael + Brian – Thanks so much for having me at your wedding! It’s truly an honor to photograph a couple so in love (and so talented)!! Hope you’re having a great honeymoon in Mexico!!!

Kyle and Alyssa had such a fun wedding on Saturday! I walked into the room where Alyssa was getting ready and it totally reminded me of a slumber party! The radio was playing, all the bridesmaids, junior bridesmaids, personal attendants and moms were in there fixing hair, doing makeup, chatting and getting excited for the wedding! These girls were having so much fun just being around each other. I knew earlier on that they were going to be an awesome group to photograph – I had seen photos on facebook from Alyssa’s ’80’s prom-themed bridal shower and everyone had side-ponytails and brightly-colored eyeshadow to match their retro dresses!

But enough about the girls (for now), here’s some ring shots with the awesome flowers Alyssa picked out:

Alyssa’s mom helping out with the jewelry:

And the first look!! *awww* :-)

Alyssa works at the ice cream shop in Howard, so we had to get a few shots of them peeking out the order window:

Since I was in Howard in June for Jen + Eric’s wedding, I tried my best not to take the same images for Kyle + Alyssa, but I couldn’t help myself. Howard has a billboard!! (p.s. don’t forget about the tractor pull!!)

Kyle + Alyssa had the cutest kids at their wedding!! Here are the ring bearers (who flat-out refused to do formal photos, hence the cute individual ones :-)

Mr. and Mrs.!!

Doesn’t the flower girl have beautiful eyes??

After the ceremony we went to Alyssa’s parents to do some photos around the yard:

That’s right, Main Street Howard:

The cakes! Before the little one got smashed by the fallen chandelier:

With so many little cousins, Alyssa knew to have some kids tables prepared, full of snacks, candies, games and crayons:

In order for Kyle and Alyssa to kiss at the reception, someone had to sing a song with the world ‘love’ in it. Tables also had to fight for their place in line by answering trivia questions about Kyle and Alyssa. It was so fun to watch people get so excited to answer questions just so they could get in line to eat!!

Back to the girls – we had so much fun taking photos, after each one they were saying “okay, what can we do now?”

This crowd sure knew how to party!! A special shout-out to Ben Davis Productions for providing the excellent tunes and being such an awesome guy!

Thanks so much for having me, Kyle + Alyssa! I hope you’ve had a nice couple days since your wedding, and enjoy your honeymoon this winter!!