You know how when some people ask how you are doing they really care? That when they smile softly you can see the glimmer of kindness in their eyes? This is the best way that I can explain Rachael and Andy. These two are the sweetest couple: so down-to-earth, so genuine, and absolutely radiating with love for one another. We were blessed to be their wedding photographers and walk alongside them in their wedding day as a husband and wife photography team. And getting to explore the beautiful Settlement Hills Farm in Hudson, Wisconsin? All the more special! Settlement Hill Farm is a beautiful venue that’s been open for weddings about 7 years. The owners bought it in 1996 and have done a gorgeous job renovating it to make it perfect for a wedding day!

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.

The first time I thought about how we should actually document some of our own funny behind the scene moments was after so many people asked us what it was like to hang out with llamas at Peter & Hannah's wedding day but I wasn't re-reminded until Matt & Laura's wedding day when Mark graciously attempted to hold all 8 opened umbrellas in his arms. I missed the funny moment as I was more focused on him not flying away but from that point on we made an agreement to try to stop and snap a photo of the silly moment before moving on. ​There are so many things that happen behind the camera or when it's down that you never see, so this year we stopped to capture some of the funniest and truest wedding photography behind the scene moments that we could find. Being a husband and wife photography team in the Twin Cities has been a dream come true because we get to work with our best friend and relive our wedding day all over again as we live vicariously through our amazing brides and grooms.

The details, all the beautiful details. We were shooting details in the Rush Creek Golf Club entryway when in walked Nathan's mother and their adorable niece -- the flower girl. She was the cutest little flower girl we've seen and had the most precious of details to match. Getting to watch her spin around like Cinderella in a gown throughout the day always brought a smile to our faces. These beautiful details continued out throughout the entire day, but their day wasn't defined by the details: it was emphasized by them. These two cared so much for creating the best experience for their friends and family, so they went to any means necessary to encourage their closest loved ones to relax and enjoy the day. They had the coolest wedding ceremony program we've seen -- sharing not only unique details about their relationships but where their love ones were traveling from. Thankfully, Nathan and Cali weren't the only ones to put their guests first as Rush Creek Golf Club graciously decorated their beautiful grounds for Christmas a little early, enabling them to have the romantic winter wedding day they were hoping for. 

The guests were hanging on every word. The bride’s dad held the microphone loosely as he shared story after story and detail after detail about the lovely couple before him – you would think that he was mostly sharing his pride for his beautiful daughter but at the end of his speech, he took a sudden turn and talked about the family the bride, Andrea, was marrying into. “They’re such a perfect match family-wise and we are so blessed,” he said and soon, the groom, Charles, was in tears, his mother was on tips of tears smiling in the direction of her son, and the bridesmaids were asking each other for tissues. We are always up for destination weddings and the chance to enjoy a road trip or travel so when Charles and Andrea reached out to us about being their wedding photographers, we were all in! Heading to photograph their beautiful wedding day at Usher's Ferry in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was amazing -- and what was even better is that it was about 20 degrees warmer there then in our hometown of Cottage Grove, Minnesota.