Amy & Mike's Backyard Indiana Wedding

Amy & Mike had a fabulous backyard wedding at Amy's parent's home in Roanoke, IN. I think what I love most about home weddings is that everything is personal, anything goes, and everyone feels free to kick back and relax. This was definitely the case for Amy & Mike, as well as their family and friends!


I'm going to warn you up front about the gratuitous number of kid shots from this wedding. I couldn't help it!! There were many times when the adults were just standing around talking, and if I tried to get a candid shot, they'd turn and smile at me until I took the picture and went away. But the kids... the kids didn't care about who I was or what I was doing because they were so focused on what they were interested in at that moment. Hence, many of my favorite candid moments just happen to include children.






What I love about the image above... many wedding photographers would zoom in on Amy looking out the window - such a classic candid moment to capture with the beautiful light and details of her hair and dress, but with an image like that- we would think she was in a quiet moment alone. So, I decided to tell more of the story here because the fact is, Amy was rarely ever alone that day and there was always a kid or two running around! As a side note... a few photojournalists told me to never shoot a wide vertical image, but I can't help it... there are times when I feel like a good composition demands it!




Amy is one of the funnest people to be around! She has fun no matter who she's with or where she is, and when her and Mike are together, they both radiate happiness.








I think it's always a good sign when a couple is relaxed enough to laugh during their ceremony!




Zoe, Amy's daughter, was a bit of an emotional roller coaster that day. Zoe's at that age where she wants mom all to herself and thought that having a step-dad would get in the way of that. Even though Mike had been in their life for a while, she felt this would make it all different. I think I was a similar age when my parents divorced and I remember how emotional I was about things changing. After Amy talked with her, Zoe started to feel better and spent the rest of the night celebrating with everyone else.


They had such a beautiful color palette of light purples and soft blues, with coordinating hydrangea and paper lanterns! They even had purple porta-potties! PURPLE porta-potties!!!




Kids + animals = fun. If you look really closely in the above image you can see the baby bird that the kids found and then followed all over the yard.




Amy's friends from school were quite fascinated with how she had "grown" over the years!


Sure, I took the posed & smiling shot- but I thought this one was more interesting. ;)


I think he's trying to say "I love you" - but Amy can't see behind her back... luckily I can. ;)


Mixology 101: Grenadine + Sprite = Shirley Temple




I love how something as simple as a piece of tulle can send a kid into a whirlwind of imagination and play. I wonder who she was in her mind at that very moment.


As night went on, Amy decided to slip into something a little more comfortable, and a little more party-friendly.... and I think Zoe finally realized that she wasn't loosing her mom, just gaining a dad. Thank you so much Amy & Michael! I feel so lucky that you found me and chose me to capture this day in your lives!! I hope that you have many more years of happiness and good times ahead of you- no matter where life takes you.

Maria & Chad's Wedding

Maria & Chad had a beautiful wedding ceremony at Maria's parent's house in Annapolis, IL. Their house on a hill proved to be a beautiful backdrop for this home wedding ceremony on a perfect blue sky day.

I started off the day at the Hair Connection salon in Oblong, IL where the girls were getting their hair and makeup done. Some girls enjoyed it more than others!!



Later, I came to find out that Maria's mom, Martha, is a bit of a local celebrity! The proof was right there in the magazine article with a beautiful picture of her dream home. I definitely felt special being able to photograph a local celebrity! ;)


No matter how hard you try to get everything done before the wedding day, there always seem to be last minute things to take care of on the day of the wedding. Maria was able to take care of everything with ease- which is not easy for everyone.


Speaking of attire, check out this super cute flower girl dress with loose rose petals floating in the tulle! When I saw it hanging on the door in the hallway, it was too precious not to photograph. Of course, the dress doesn't even compare to the flower girl herself - how irresistable! All together now.... "awwwwwwwwww!!!"



I think cuff links are universally the most confusing part of putting on wedding attire for men, but they always seem to figure it out!


One of the things that Martha said to me was how much she wanted a sepia bridal portrait of her daughter to go with the other sepia family photos that hung in her hallway. Sepia is no problem - but traditional bridal portraiture is not really my forté, so I gave it a shot and tried something a little different with dramatic lighting and slightly unconventional posing. What do you think?


Maria & Chad decided to make their children a special part of their ceremony. More and more often a bride & groom will give a rose to their parents during the ceremony as a token of thanks, which Maria & Chad did, but they also gave them to each other's children with the promise to care for them and treat them like their own. It was a very sweet touch.



Being a "city-girl" for most of my life, I never really played around with four-wheelers until I dated a "country-boy" (before I met my husband). Now I understand the joy of just taking off into the wilderness and riding around on trails with little to stand in your way. Some people take their boats out for an afternoon of relaxing, but when you don't have a big lake, you can still take off into nature on a four-wheeler. Thus, it's only appropriate to get a picture on one of the favorite family toys.


I still can't figure out why, but this is one of my favorite unexpected portraits of the day.


The reception followed shortly after at the VFW in Robinson, IL and it was easy to see how in love Maria & Chad were in everything they did - never holding back their affection, which became contagious and inspired everyone in the room to be more loving.




Maria's dad had no problem tearing up the dance floor with his daughter! Look at them go!


Name that tune!!


Maria's daughter was a tough cookie to crack. She started off the day with many more scowels than smiles, but by the end of the day she was all smiles and having a blast at her mom's wedding. I know that in the next few years, the distance will grow between these two- as it naturally does when a daughter progresses through her teens and seeks to define herself, but I hope that images like this one will help them remember their love for each other and how much fun they can have together.


I think this image is a slight foreshadowing of the total shirt removing that happened later in the evening. In any case, many of the guests had me in tears laughing throughout the night! I just love people... they're always full of surprises.


Maria & Chad - I wish you many more years of laughs, tears, and good memories!

Candice & Joe's Wedding

I am so crazy about this couple and their wedding!! Candice & Joe were totally unconventional, which made everything incredibly personal and special. They wanted completely candid photography with only one large group pose, giving me creative freedom to be in the moment and capture all of the little details that made their day unique. I could barely contain myself with all of the fun and unique details!! Candice's veil, dress, shrug, bridesmaid dresses, and I think even the groomsmen's vests were made by Candice's mom! Talk about a superwoman!!




How adorable are these little guys waiting for the ceremony to begin??



I really love outdoor ceremonies. There's always a risk, and it's good to have a back-up plan, but 85% of the time it totally works out and looks absolutely beautiful!!






No cake here!!! Just yummy, yummy desserts and the best beer in the entire world, made right in Michigan. ;-)



Candice & Joe had a great group of friends who loved practical jokes, and not so practical ones! Apparently Candice & Joe were both in quiz bowl together and wickedly good, so their friends put them to the test complete with REAL quizbowl buzzers and lights!!! I won't say who won this round.... but someone needs to work on their spelling! ;-) Apparently, a little bird in one of the centerpieces was subjected to a bit of friendly wrath as well... luckily they used electronic tea lights to subdue any pyromania tendencies.



I have way too many favorites when it comes to dancing pictures. You'll just have to click on an image to watch the slideshow and see more of them!! AND, you'll get to hear Candice & Joe's awesome selection for a first dance song!!



I love, love, love, love, LOVE photographing in the dark with available light. There's just a romantic and fantastical quality about images captured in this way. I'm so grateful that I was the one Candice & Joe picked to be their wedding photographer. They are just amazing people and I know that there are many years of bliss ahead of them!!