Would you believe it if we shared that the first thing these two said during their dreamy winter engagement photos once we had slipped and slid our way through the ice and climbed the rocks at Taylors Falls Interstate Park to this spot was, “We have no idea how to pose for photos.” Yup. I promise, it’s what they said! We quickly assured them that that’snormal and that’s why we’re here! In fact, it’s so normal that we’ve worked hard to create simple posing that by the end of the session and even after the session, they can pose themselves and even probably describe them to someone else.

Wow, oh wow, oh wow. As I sit here and have a chance to look back at every wedding day, engagement session, family portraits, anniversary photos, mini sessions, maternity portraits, lifestyle sessions, newborn portraits, senior portraits, and more, all I can say is wow. 2018 was such a blessing. You blessed us! So many special announcements, new steps and chapters in life, and stopping to document life are seen below. You trusted us and invited us to walk alongside of you in these precious moments -- allowing us to live vicariously through you and celebrate the best parts of life with you. So below, you'll find some of our favorite photos as wedding and portrait photographers that highlight many more photos and moments not shown, each freezing memories to be looked back on for a lifetime.

​“Just wait,” Alex said after Ariel asked if they would get going soon. They were sitting on a bench at Afton State Park and Alex was working up the courage to propose to Ariel. She had remarked about how peaceful of a spot it was so he knew this was the perfect moment as they loved to hike together. He had finally worked up the courage, popped down on one knee and was about to put on the ring when an older woman walked by and took her sweet time enjoying all the flowers so once they were alone again, he put the ring on Ariel’s finger and made it official. We laughed that during a candid portrait set in their engagement session at Afton State Park, a gentleman walked right through their photo instead of walking around them – interrupting the moment like the older lady had all over again. Speaking of their engagement session, we laughed so hard and had so much fun with these two! We can’t wait for their wedding next year!

We're currently on the road traveling in rainy weather to tomorrow's wedding but couldn't hold this fun engagement session to ourselves any longer! Meet Rachael and Andrew. These two showed us one of their summer date night traditions by taking us to Vino in the Valley for their engagement session. We can see why they love it -- especially in all of the gorgeous fall weather and colors!

You never know what type of weather you get in Minnesota for outdoor engagement sessions. One week it can be 46 and two weeks later, the wind chill is -12. This was the case with Michael and Kari’s winter engagement session in downtown Stillwater. The cool thing about these two is that they rolled with Minnesota’s oh-so-cold punches and were epic troopers through the whole thing! It wasn’t until the walk back to the cars that we all agreed that the cool air coming off of Stillwater’s St. Croix River was a bit more than we could bear – at which point Michael said the thing that would warm him up was pizza! (Kari assured me later that he got his pizza.)

This post has taken a long time in coming. Lindsay has had the privilege of looking back on countless sessions from last year and struggled to pick only a handful of photos from each session which is why this is getting posted mid-January instead of end of December 2017. We just love you all too much!
 
You know what else we love? Traditions. Especially ones that help us to reflect on the past year, those we love, and how we've grown. This is definitely a tradition that we will continue on (we did do a reflection on 2016 – but this year we can’t narrow it to 50 photos).
 
2017 was quite the year. We traveled to Georgia to visit Mark’s grandma and introduce her to our firstborn son. We welcomed our second-born son in April. We jam-packed our summer – some of our favorite moments were getting to take the boys to Wisconsin Dells’ Kalahari with our church’s youth group, hanging out for a week at Big Sandy Camp as a family, and then ending summer with a trip with Lindsay’s family getting to explore the always gorgeous Duluth and further up north. We traveled to Michigan for Thanksgiving to visit Lindsay’s grandparents and then to Montana for Christmas to visit Mark’s parents. But this post really isn’t about us. (We will have a coming post of our personal favorite photos of 2017 soon!) It’s about you – our awesome clients.
 
Getting to walk along with other families and amazing couples through their precious additions, new beginnings, and documenting family life always leaves us so grateful. You kept us busy. You kept us creative. You kept us alive and excited to share life as we experienced one joyful moment after another. You walked alongside us as we tweaked our business practices. You laughed at Mark’s dad jokes. You celebrated us as we welcomed our second son.
 
All this to say, we love you guys. We appreciate you. We can’t wait to serve you this year! Happy 2018!

We love learning how a couple loves to spend their free time. Lucas & Andrea both love nature -- so throwing on their hiking backpacks and getting outdoors was definitely a huge focus as we planned their engagement session. We're super excited to see these two get married at the same location my hubby & I did six years ago this summer -- where did the time go? Congrats on your engagement, Lucas & Andrea! 

<3 LW