wisconsin

ALL THE SINGLE LADIES! (well, not anymore...)

When I was a junior in college at UNC, I studied abroad in Sydney, Australia. During that time, I really grew into myself and discovered who I wanted to be. I even took my first darkroom class at the college of fine arts on UNSW's campus. I made some amazing lifelong friends (Americans and Australians!), and I can't speak enough good words about the whole experience. This blog post is meant to commemorate a very special thing. While in Australia, I formed a pretty tight-knit group of American friends, who I still keep in touch with today. We don't talk everyday, by any means, but once you share an experience like we did, it's kind of hard to break that special bond. ; ) In fact, I've had the extreme honor of shooting every single (yay puns!) one of these lovely ladies' weddings (from L-R): Bernadette, Nicole, Rachel, Susie and Claire. What a beautiful bunch -- look at us in 2005, we're babies!

I got married first! I was so happy that Nicole, Bernadette (Bean, as we affectionately called her in Oz) and Susie were able to attend my wedding on 06.4.11.

Nicole got married on 10.1.11 in Corolla, North Carolina. Here are Nicole, Claire and me with two close Australian friends on her wedding day:

Next up was Claire! She got married on 05.12.12 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Pictured are Nicole, Claire, Lizzie (who also studied in Oz!) and me:

Rachel was next on the list. She got married on 08.11.12 in Manhattan Beach, California. My husband and I traveled there a day early for the "beach day" to celebrate the bride and groom.

...and here's a photo of me in action on her wedding day!

Bean got hitched next in Baltimore, Maryland on 04.13.13. Here I am with the beautiful bride (thanks for the photo skillz, Steph!):

And last but certainly not least to get married was Susie. Her wedding was in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on 07.13.13. Here are a few iPhone snaps from her reception:

I'm extremely grateful to each of these ladies for their trust in me, generosity in having me, and of course, their huge hearts. Here's to the next big chapter(s) in our lives! Love y'all. : )

SUSIE + SEAN - Geneva National Resort Wedding

If you like baller sunglasses, Dr. Seuss quotes and lots of sunshine, this wedding is for you. I absolutely LOVED this day. Susie and Sean are incredibly sweet, FUN people.

In mid-July, I traveled up to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to photograph Susie & Sean's wedding. Yes, Wisconsin! You see, I met Susie when I studied abroad in Australia back in my college days, and I was PUMPED (!!!!!) when I heard from her a little over a year ago about shooting her and Sean's wedding. (Side note: I've had the privilege of shooting FIVE study abroad girls' weddings. A post commemorating that later...!) Susie & Sean got married at the beautiful Geneva National Resort on a breathtaking day.

Bride's dress: David's Bridal Bride's shoes: RSVP Bridesmaids' dresses: J.Crew Groom's attire: Banana Republic Groomsmen attire: various Makeup: Sarah Chico Hair: Nahraine Stone Florals: Treasure Hut Cake: Gooseberries DJ: A Personal Touch DJ Programs: DIY Rings: Oak Park Jewelers

As it always seems to be (lucky me!), I hit the jackpot with some awesome families. I already knew ahead of the day that Susie & Sean were gracious, kind people, but their families welcomed me with open arms as well and were SO kind throughout the day. Also, a funny side note: during Susie & Sean's portraits, we dodged golfers (still in their rounds) and LOTS of goose droppings. It was pretty hilarious, if you ask me. Always an adventure!

Sus and Sean, thank you so much for introducing me to Wisconsin! If it's anything like your wedding, I believe I'll be traveling back there again someday. : )

How sweet is Susie's nephew?!

And I love this one of Susie's niece watching her mama put on lipstick.

I love how we got Susie's niece to smile for a portrait by holding a stick. #alwaysthinking (yes, I just used a hashtag in a blog post... #addicted)

Handsome groom, beautiful bride... check!

YES.

Tea + lemonade = favorite!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

Another favorite!

Maybe the best face ever during a cake cutting. : )