Karen & Bernie's Wedding ~ Oconomowoc

Karen and Bernie held their ceremony and reception at Olympia Resort, the place where they first met years ago at their Matron of Honor's wedding. Isn't that cute? :)

We had planned to do photos outside, but with cold and rainy weather that day, Adam and I arrived an hour early to scout out the inside of the resort and get nice and inspired :) It all worked out for the better because we got a great variety of photos inside and finished up with some fun shots outside with umbrellas... the best of both worlds!









Karen was a gorgeous bride! I showed this photo to her friend when I shot it and she got all teary-eyed :)



Karen's father's Navy sword was on display at the ceremony in memorial of him, and later they continued the family tradition of cutting the cake with it. It was a very special moment.











One of my favorite parts of the wedding day is following the bride and groom down the aisle when they pass me and then photographing their first private moments as husband and wife. Pure joy :)























During dinner one of Karen and Bernie's very good friends called from deployment to congratulate them. Bernie announced it to their guests and everyone gave the soldier a great round of applause.













Congratulations, Karen and Bernie! Wishes for many happy years to come :)

Ceremony / Reception: Olympia Resort
Florist: Magnolia Floral & Gift Shoppe
Officient: Reverend Gene Ferrara
Cake: Cakes While U Wait
Hair / Makeup: Vici Capilli
DJ: Double Platinum DJ Service

Happy Anniversary Suzanne & James ~ Meadow Springs Country Club

On June 7th, 2008 we had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Suzanne and James. Remember the crazy tornado storms and flooding last Spring? Yeah, well it was that weekend. I'm probably scaring the heck out of brides right now, since weather is one of your biggest concerns... but don't worry- I'm getting to my point.

The day started out with beautiful weather... sunshine, pretty clouds, etc. all the way through the ceremony. Then the clouds got big and dark... and bigger and darker. Pretty ominous looking. This was the weather that was forecasted for the day.

But no Tornado Warning could ruin this wedding. All of the guests still came out to celebrate in their marriage, and more importantly, Suzanne and James kept everything in perspective: they were MARRIED! They were not going to let this storm rain on their parade!



(I love this shot of Dan, Suzanne's dad, excitedly peering over the side of the church staircase before walking her down the aisle!)













And, it all worked out perfectly. Adam and I had big black umbrellas that Suzanne and James and their wedding party could use so we could still get gorgeous outdoor photos, and when the rain slowed, we got some cute shots under the shelter of an evergreen.

It was also such a cool atmosphere inside the Country Club. Seeing the rain and hearing the thunder through their big windows was actually really romantic.

Moral of the story: Things might arise on your wedding day that aren't part of the plan. Instead of getting irked about it, embrace it. It's all part of your day and part of your story... and things just might end up the way they were supposed to :)























Congratulations, Suzanne and James, on your One-Year Anniversary! We're so glad we could share it with you.

*Sidenote: Did you know that rain is actually good luck on wedding days? It's not just something people say to make you feel better... it's TRUE! Many cultures have their own ideas on why it's good luck. What are the reasons you've heard?

Ceremony: First Congregational UCC, Lake Mills
Reception: Meadow Springs Country Club, Jefferson
Florist: Flowers by Faye
Hair and Makeup: Hair & Things