Couldn’t get enough of these two’s proposal at Vermillion Falls? Don’t worry, we stepped back out into the snowy tundra of Minnesota to capture some more engagement photos. Want to know a secret? Engagement photo sessions (even when it’s your own sister taking them) are still stressful – there’s the what-to-wear, how-to-pose, am-I-doing-this-right for everyone – I’m serious! When Mark and I get our own photos taken, and I’m not the one behind the camera, I too struggle with what I’m doing, if I’m posing right, and will I like the photos? Yeah. Pretty much everyone struggles with their image. It’s part of being human and living in this world. ;)

Once upon a time there were two high school students who fell in love at a drive-thru movie. You know the cool place the students would drive their cars and then just hang out for hours chatting about life and watching movies? Yes, that’s the spot. The high school sweethearts broke up after high school, moving separate ways to go to college. After a few years being separate, they realized that taking a break wasn’t a good idea any longer, so they rekindled the old flame and started dating again. Within months, they were engaged. He had bought the ring, and when she brought up the conversation of marriage, he turned it on her by asking her if he could marry her – sealing the deal. Then began the hustle and bustle of wedding planning and eventually deciding the challenge of where to take their engagement photos. If only the drive-thru in Cottage Grove was still open. But wait! Since being closed, the sign was given to another spot nearby -- Little Log House Pioneer Village in Hastings, Minnesota (one of the cutest and most unique spots for portraits being taken). At last they had found a spot that was sentimental to them!

One of the most precious things that happens on a wedding day is uncovering the behind-the-scenes stories and details that aren’t shared with everyone. In fact, I love this so much that we’ve made it a new goal of ours to try to notice the special little things and remember them, so that we can share them after the wedding day. Ariel and Alex’s wedding day at Olympic Hills Golf Club in Eden Prairie had so many of them, though, that we might not be able to share them all, but we’ll try!

I still remember the first moment Travis called to tell me about her. I was outside pushing my kids on the swings in the late August sun, and he randomly called - something he hadn’t done in a little while. He began to excitedly share all about Crown College’s welcome weekend, and finally he got to talking about her (the girl Josiah had hinted at in our family group text with a photo earlier that week). Emma was her name, and Travis was pretty smitten. We talked for the next few weeks about how things were going, what she was like, and what he could/should do with liking her. Flash forward to the day of our family photos – yes, on top of everything else in capturing a proposal we thought we’d try to throw Emma off by taking our family photos (pretty sure she was too smart still but we tried!) It’s not every shoot that you get to capture a proposal, and it’s even less likely for it to be your brother the one proposing. In fact, for me, that chance is two in a lifetime, as I had previously taken photos for my sister’s surprise engagement (no pressure to make it three, J ;D)! Anyways, when Travis shared he was getting ready to propose and that he wanted us there to capture it the answer was, “OF COURSE.” Josiah joining in on the fun again to capture the day? Yes, please! Who wouldn’t want three photographers in order to make sure we would get at least one solid angle! The tricky part was when he shared he wanted to take them in our area at Vermillion Falls. We LOVE Vermillion Falls, but if you’ve been there, you know there really aren’t that many angles you can take from with all the trees, bushes, and, well, falls. But we were up for the challenge, which meant that I went weeks in advance to take photos and videos while I walked the area to get an idea of what we would do.

The only thing better than hanging out with a couple on their wedding day is hanging out again after the wedding day to celebrate the coming of a little baby! This was definitely the case of Matt & Laura’s maternity photos at Woodland Trailhead Park in Elk River. We captured their wedding day photos last May at the Grands at Mulligans in Sartell, MN, so to come full circle and be capturing their maternity photos now was absolutely so much fun! Some other things that came full circle? Matt had given his groomsmen each individualized suphero cufflinks as a gift, and now we took a few photos of them with a superhero onesie to celebrate their little bambino!