Trash the Dress 2009

All, I can say is WOW! There is nothing more awesome than having a vision for something or having an idea and seeing it play out into reality!

I've always loved the trendy, fun, beautiful pictures of brides a.k.a. Trash the Dress. I had a lot of people say...you're going to do what?!?! But, once I explained my vision and ideas...I had an awesome response and a lot of excitement from the girls I had asked to participate. This has been over a year in thought...just wanting to do something like this. I got everything finalized a few months ago...and was SO excited that everything turned out wonderfully. Of course, with every event, snags can arise...a.k.a...I had a bride have to cancel the day of and one of my hair dressers (and planning to be a model bride) was not feeling well at all! But, she gave me her devotion and at least came to do hair and makeup! THANK YOU, MANDI! :-)

When I envisioned this and asked the girls to participate...I knew the styles I wanted to portray and the amount of variety I wanted to work with. I was so incredibly pleased by the girl power that these girls put into this event for me! It couldn't have been done without you! From my countless messages/emails of suggestions, what to bring, etc. I knew that I could count on these girls to bring all of who they were to this event. And all of them went above and beyond. THANK YOU! The bride models...Shannon, Cody, Dana, Kristine, Hilary & Angie. You girls were amazing! You were so aweseome to work with! You went with all my ideas and portrayed exactly what I was looking for! And all of you brought an amazingly unique flair to this Trash the Dress project!


P.S. These photos are just a small sampling of the photos we shot in 4 hours. So, I will label this part one...more to come in the next few weeks as I have 2 girls who decided to be adventurous & head to the beach after we were done with the group. Oh, I love those photos, too! So excited to work on those. :-) Thanks, Cody & Dana!

Special thanks: Mandi & Missi for hair & makeup, my mom for helping with makeup & running errands, my sister Amy for helping the girls get ready, to Ariel Katzmark for coming along and shooting with me, to my husband for coming along and shooting with me & being my main go to man for details & helping load and unload the bus. An awesome thanks to our church for allowing us to use the church to get everyone ready! And a big thanks to Cody for getting us all set up with Eric Vrooman, for the use of the party bus for the afternoon/evening! It was so awesome for all of us to be together and have a place to bring all the goods we needed! THANK YOU!!!

All of the girls...

A couple ring shots from the girls' rings...

Ariel getting a few shots of my rings. :-)

Our first stop in a cool alleyway downtown. It was SO windy...but it really was perfect to create some photos!

Dana trying to fight the wind...haha.

Be on the look out for more photos! I really wanted to work on all of them....but I need to finish up some other work! :-)

{The Wedding of Tim & Mary}

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of shooting with Minneapolis photographer, Maris Ehlers. We had a great time working together & the wedding was beautiful. This was my first time shooting in Minneapolis. I hope to do some more work there! Thank you Maris, for having me! :-)

We had a really hot, humid day down in the city. But, everything went well and between the three of us, we were able to capture some great images! The reception was held at the Semple Mansion and was a beautiful place. http://www.semplemansion.com/

I was assigned to shoot the guys & had such a great time with them! Especially because they were so willing to let me be creative and didn't complain despite how hot it was outside! Kudos, guys! I had a great time second shooting and being able to relax a little more and capture the wedding in a slightly different way. :-) Here is what I got...

I loved the florals. They were really unique.




Mary's dad getting ready.


I was busy with the guys...so I only got to sneak a few pics of Mary getting ready. I thought women everywhere would appreciate this one...I mean, the hairspray!?!? Gotta keep the beautiful hair in place!


When I peeked in the guys room before they all started getting ready...I had to kind of laugh at Tim's great attention to detail. He had all of his things lined up in a row...this is just the tail end of his goodies lined up...




What a groomsman...using the lint roller on the groom?!?!


First look...so beautiful...waiting for his bride...












This one is so funny...I didn't realize I took it. I love this one for some reason. :-)


Walking across the street to the park for a few pictures alone before the ceremony.




Maris discussing what is next...






















One of my favorites...






Leave it to this funny crew to find this sign sitting on the bench...of course we had to use it. :-)


These guys were jumpers...woo-hoo!






Gotta love the bus stop...










I love how Mary's dad held his hand over hers...
















And my favorite of the wedding party...while Maris was spending some time with Tim & Mary in the mansion...I loved this sitting area...and think this is one of my favorites. :-)

{The Wedding of Dennis & Kim}

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of photographing Dennis & Kim's wedding at http://www.larsmontcottages.com. The forecast called for rain which we did get in the morning. Then, the rain stopped all afternoon...until about 10 minutes before Dennis & Kim's outdoor ceremony was supposed to start. :-( Everything was moved inside to accomodate them and they had a beautiful ceremony. Dennis & Kim were so calm and were just so happy to get married, the rain didn't upset them at all. Of course, however, immediately after the ceremony, the rain stopped. Which was nice regardless, as we were then able to get some beautiful outdoor shots of them on Lake Superior.

Dennis & Kim had a very intimate gathering of close friends and family to celebrate their wedding day and they celebrated in a style all of their own...which was perfect & fun. Thank you for choosing me to photograph your wedding! I had a wonderful time. Enjoy your preview!



















The children were the wedding party...it was so cute & they all looked adorable!










They did pretty well here...considering it was drizzling...:-(


One of my favorites...Lake Superior is SO beautiful. I just love the feeling of this one.






























Celebrating in style...


The Larsmont Cottages are a beautiful place & the cottages are very modern & beautiful! I sense a family vacation someday here! :-)

Yay for summer! :-)

We have had a beautiful last several weeks! Warm sunshine, sometimes a nice breeze...it's been wonderful! Our son celebrated his 4th birthday earlier this month & although I am still cringing...my husband allowed Madden to enjoy his very first taste of soda. (still cringing!) He woke up the next morning begging for soda. I finally had to sit down with him and tell him that soda is an extra special treat...sometimes. It's not healthy and we don't make that our first drink. Yada, yada, yada. Needless to say...I did take some pictures of him with his very first soda. Orange, soda to be exact. Well, I wouldn't have to tell you that...it's all over his face!





I love this little man...soda faced and all. :-)


P.S. He hasn't had any since and I think he may have forgotten about it...

The S. Family

Giving back is hands down one of the most special aspects of my photography business. It is so incredibly important to me. I do not give hoping for some benefit to myself, but I give because I have been given so much in my life. Giving makes the world go 'round. Everything I have is truly not my own...therefore, I feel that I am to share all that I can with those around me...my time, my talents, my resources...whatever I can do to meet a need or show others that they are special and important.

When I chose to apply to be a photographer for The Littlest Heroes Project, I did so based on what they stand for and how much they want to let the world know about the many special children and families who have illnesses and diseases. They aren't a private organization...they want to showcase and show love and appreciation for these children and their families. To read more about this awesome organization...please visit http://www.littlestheroesproject.org/

Which brings me to the S. Family. What an awesome family! Kim had contacted me about my photography and brought to my attention their son J. and what he is going through. I was so excited to tell her about The Littlest Heroes Project. After she completed her application and submission through the TLHP...we scheduled their session! We had a beautiful day (even though the forecast said rain & thunderstorms!), however, when we got down near the lake...it was a little cooler there and there was some fog, too. But, the lighting was awesome and I had such a wonderful time hanging out with The S. family and their adorable children. Although, I should have worn my sneakers because anyone who has little boys knows that they don't like to sit for too long and they love to run & explore. :-) I think we did pretty good. We walked on some train tracks, played at the park for a little while, explored the docks & boats and ended our session with everyone dipping their feet into the cool water at the lake. :-) Thank you S. Family, for allowing me to photograph your beautiful family. You are an inspiration to many! Thank you for sharing your lives with The Littlest Heroes Project. :-)

And, no...I can never narrow it down...

Little J...what a sweet little man!




See...everyone was running away! :-) I love it, though. It means they are having fun being themselves! :-)




One of the few times everyone sat together! :-)




Little J. loves trains...so the train tracks were perfect. I love this one. :-)




SO cute! :-) I love J. here!




Little brother E. running from dad...so dad was taking him to the trash can. :-)




I love how big brother J. is all for it! haha.


And the beautiful big sister. :-)












J. wanted to climb...but he said he was scared...but here is proof he did some climbing! :-)












I LOVE this one...mom just giving her little man some love. :-)


Looking up at the big boat...I would've gotten the boat in the picture, but he stood there for literally 2 seconds...then it was on to the next thing. Boys. :-)


Lastly...the water! The kids really liked this part...






And I even grabbed a few pics of mom & dad. :-)
















The Littlest Heroes Project is a non-profit based organization made up of professional photographers nationwide that provide free photo sessions to our nations Littlest Heroes. This is their way of giving back and taking a stand for these children who sometimes feel forgotten because of their illnesses. We are here to let them know that they are heroes to many, and to share their inspirational stories and photos with the world.

If you have a child, or know a child, who suffers from any type of serious illness we are here to help. The Littlest Heroes Project provides you with a complimentary photo shoot for your hero and family. Please read the information on this site and be sure to contact us so we can help pair you up with a photographer from your area. The whole family … Super Sibs and the Brave Parents are welcome to participate in the session as well!

{Senior Session}

I had a great time working with M. last evening for his senior portraits. We used some great places and I was thrilled to have found this mysterious graffiti graveyard everyone talks about. It's underneath one of the highways and you have to walk along this little creek next to the wall and then climb up this makeshift ladder/wall. Haha. His family came along as well and it was great to meet the whole gang and work with them. His sister joined in for a few pictures as well. I'm looking forward to getting together again in the next few weeks to get a few more pictures of him with his guitar. :-) Enjoy your preview!





One of my favorites...










Brother & sister...


Love it! :-)


Another favorite...




























Such a beautiful girl!

{Family Session}

It's June 7th today. And it was 45 degrees. Barely. The wind was so incredibly strong...it felt like it was in the high 30's. But, this family wasn't going to let that scare them away! They had to do their session today because of family moving/traveling, etc. So, I arrived a little earlier to scope out the wind situation because we were going to be up on a high hill at Enger Tower. I found a few places that were tucked in between some trees to help manage the wind and it worked. We didn't have any wild blowing hair...which surprised me because the wind was really, really strong! I think everyone did really well despite the "frozen tundra" as Cody described it. :-)

Anyway, this was part one because it was so cold. We are getting together later this month to photograph just the children...so that will be so much fun. And these girls were so adorable! Cody and I went to school together...so it was great to be able to see her again & photograph her beautiful family...and her little girl...who did not want to smile, look at me or get off Cody's lap. :-) Do you blame the little cutie? It was freezing!!! Thank you, everyone for choosing me to photograph your family! Enjoy your preview! :-)











We really tried to get her in the photo with the grandchildren & grandparents!