A Little Vacation Engagement

She knew he had the ring, but he made her wait...and wait...and wait.  

He had a plan.  And after a long, excruciating wait, for three months, the plan was finally put into action.  Luckily, I got to be a part of that plan.  

Our family and extended family (quite extended) all congregate up in Sister Bay, Wisconsin in Door County every July at the same location where our ancestors have been doing the same things for years and years and years.  Fish boils, jumping off the Sister Bay dock, boat rides, amazing sunsets, hiking, goats on the roof, skipping rocks, go-karts, and Swedish pancakes.  We look forward to it year after year.  It was only fitting to make Sister Bay a new special place for a new addition to our family.

My cousin, Matt (a/k/a "Matty") let me in on his secret of the upcoming proposal on our annual trip, but not because I am his favorite cousin, well, maybe I am now, but it was because he wanted me to use my best paparazzi moves and capture this moment for them forever.  I was game.

I hid behind the boathouse while he worked his magic.  And the rest is history...

The unsuspecting bride-to-be, just before the proposal.  You can't see it in this picture, but I think Matty's knees may have been a little wobbly.

We had to find the perfect location to include sentimental value, good lighting, as well as somewhere for me to hide out.  That is the Sister Bay dock in the background.  One of my happy places.  Hopefully now it will be one of Kaci's too.

She said "Yes!"

Fellas, no better way to impress your lady than by proposing in a super meaningful, beautiful place and also having it documented secretly so she will never forget.  To say I loved shooting this engagement would be a huge understatement.  It was amazing and I was almost as nervous as Matty.

Then we did a little impromptu engagement session.

They're taking the plunge!!

Congrats Kaci & Matt.  I wish you both all the happiness in the world.  You both deserve it.

VACATION!!!

I will be out the office for the next week and a half...I am traveling to do some fun shoots and spend time with this crew:

Thanks for your patience as I return emails and phone calls.  See you soon!!   xoxo

Please won't you be...my neighbor?

Chad and I have lived several places, some with great neighbors, and some with not so great neighbors.  We consider ourselves lucky to have met the Moellendorfs.  They make our last name seem normal.  (I kid!)

Brynn had to get in one with her BFF.

Bring Your Kids to Work Day

When my brother and his then fiance asked me to be in their wedding,  I was over the moon excited.  When they asked me to also shoot their wedding, I couldn't have been more thrilled.  It is what I love to do and to do it for someone I love was a dream come true.

Then, the more I thought about it...my dream suddenly wasn't so dreamy.  I was nervous and panicky.  Are they asking me because they like my work?  Do they feel like they have to ask me??  Are they asking me because they want my "family discount??"  Also, what about my kids and my husband who will also be in the wedding?  Who will help them get ready?  Who will entertain them, feed them, and help them while Chad and I are fulfilling our duties?

So Faye and I got together and made a plan.  We planned the day out from minute to minute as best we could.  We pre-selected posing styles & photo combos and made lists and checked them twice.  We brainstormed ways to give this wedding a little something special.  Having not been to Springfield since our 8th grade field trip, we were unsure of the locations we would be shooting in and what the lighting would be like at that time.  Not to mention what the weather would be like.

Well, all our planning paid off as our day with Laura & Eric went off without a hitch.  It was a hot one and I was melting by the time Laura was walking down the aisle, but the blisters on my feet and my shattered nerves have all healed nicely and we had a great day.

Faye grabbed these shots of my "Bring Your Kids to Work Day."  Good thing they didn't complain at all that day...NOT.  We were sweaty and Brynn hates it anytime I have my camera in my hands.  Not a good combo.

(I didn't realize how short my dress was until I saw these pics...yikes!  These are my "work" shoes.)

I think I was gearing up to practice my "sprinkler" here for later on the dance floor.  chicka...chicka...chicka....(that's the sounds a sprinkler makes)

Some of these photos may seem like a repeat from my first blog post I did a few days after the wedding, but this time I took some of my faves and mixed them in with some of Faye's amazing shots...plus then I got to be in some photos for a change ;)

 

This kid was on the move all day.  He would not sit still for nothin'.

I got to spend time with the fellas while Faye was with Laura and the other girls getting ready.  I was bummed to not be a part of that, but I had a ball shooting the groomsmen for a change of pace.

 

 

One of the best decisions we made for this weekend was leaving the babies at home with Chad's mom and sister.  There is NO way I could have handled anything else on my plate.

If you're wondering what I am looking at...it was Brynn pulling on my dress telling me she was hot and wanted to go.  She's lucky there was a camera pointed at me.  Not sure I would have been smiling ;)

Two of my favorites from the whole day.  Lisa looked absolutely beautiful.

 

Laura's brother, Matt, was the "Man of Honor" aka "Bride's Right Hand Man."  They are best buds.

Laura, although insisting she didn't mind what we wore as long as it was a black dress, definitely was a girl who knew what she wanted.  She pulled the bridesmaid look together by gifting us matching brooches, birdcage veils, and our gloves.  They were the perfect accents to unify all of us.

Sisters!

A little something blue.

40's glam look executed flawlessly.

 

 

We love capturing the details and this wedding did not disappoint...there were details everywhere you looked.  It kept us busy for a while which put a huge damper on me enjoying my favorite part of a wedding day...the cocktail hour....which I did not get to partake in :(

Everything they did was DIY; from the cork name card holders down to the centerpieces...they did it all themselves.  I think they may have even painted some of the walls in the venue.  Hey, when you want something done right...do it yourself!

 

 

 

 

I don't think the mother-son dance was quite what my mom had hoped for...thanks to my children and my cousins running around them on the dance floor.  By that time of the day I was physically spent and any energy I had left was going to be reserved for busting a move on the dance floor -- which was a much needed nervous-energy stress reliever.

Congrats Laura & Eric.  I wish you many, many years of happiness to come.  xoxo
Thank you Faye for making this day happen for me.  Love you!