journal entries

MR AND MRS KUCHERA!!! This is a hard day to try and summarize. I don’t think I’ve ever been so touched, cried so many times, or laughed as hard as I did at this wedding. Courtney and Derick’s wedding was filled with joy, laughter and camaraderie with family and friends. One of the most important and touching elements of the day was the way in which they remembered Courtney’s father who had passed. His presence was felt all day long, and I still have tears thinking about the ways in which they honored him during the speeches, the father – daughter dance with Derick’s father stepping in (the honor on his face when he was asked, and the way in which he honored her father was so beautiful – see the photos below), carrying his thumbprint on her bouquet, and the list goes on. This beautiful couple understands each other on a deep level. Their love is so pure and rooted. I can’t wait to see the things that they do in this world together.

The biggest compliment I can receive is when I get an inquiry from a relative of a previous client. Why? Because they’ve not only seen their family member’s full wedding gallery, but they’re also around for the entirety of the wedding day, not to mention present for arguably the most stressful part of the day – family photos! If a couple can know your work that intimately and still chooses you, THAT’S the biggest compliment of all! Meet Christian and Nicole. Christian is Cassie’s brother (peep their blog here), a client of mine from 2021. A few months after Cassie and her husband Brock’s wedding, Nicole reached out and I was SO excited. These two are incredibly kind, have big hearts for one another, and killed the wardrobe game 🙂 We explored downtown St. Paul for their engagement photos in our last few days of 2021 fall. I’m so incredibly excited for their wedding day in October at The Hutton House. Nicole’s vision is going to be a DREAM to photograph! But for now, enjoy their beautiful engagement photos.

Stefanie and Mike are married, and it’s been 11 years in the making! These high school sweethearts tied the knot at the beautiful NP Event Space in Brainerd, MN. Stef chose probably my favorite color scheme of the entire year and stunned me with the colors and decor in the reception space.