Britt + Steven // Hawaii Elopement Photographer

Today is September 30th and it is SNOWING outside my window. In memory of warmer days, I decided this long overdue Hawaiian elopement should FINALLY grace the blog tonight.

Britt and I worked together back in college and unfortunately haven’t lived in the same town since. When she told me she was going to spend a month on the island of Oahu, I obviously bought a plane ticket and booked a first class seat on her airbnb couch. A few weeks before her flight, Britt called me and said “What if I got married while we’re in Hawaii?”. I obviously had a slight heart attack and told her that it was the best idea I’ve ever heard. Thankfully for both of us her fiance was willing to go along with our plan.

That misty morning, with a wedding dress ordered from Amazon and last minute flowers from Chinatown, my best friend was the most beautiful bride. From the handwritten notes to her closest family in attendance, every part of the day was meaningful.

This elopement is the perfect example to show that a fancy venue, an expensive dress, the trendiest cake, and a large guest list aren’t what make a beautiful wedding day. The love between two people, sharing their day with those most important to them is all you truly need♥

Jess + Houston // Bismarck Winter Wedding Photographer

Winter is my slow season.. Who really wants to stand outside when its -10 degrees out? Definitely not me. Recent life events, along with this years freezing cold slow season, has left me feeling super uninspired lately.

Last month I decided to change that. I hit up my go-to hair and make-up artist and an amazing local florist I've been dying to work with, and we started scheming a shoot for Valentine's weekend. I anxiously awaited to see what kind of magic Kelsey (Crabapple) and Jessica (Glance) would create, and I definitely wasn't disappointed when the day finally came. These two are absolute must haves for you wedding day! Although we have a major shortage of mountains, canyons, desert, etc., I'm excited to have found these two new locations and add them into my rotation. 

Now onto this sweet couple.. Jess & Houston are some of my closest friends and I literally jumped for joy when the agreed to be apart of this shoot. They were married last summer and I can 100% say I cried like a baby while standing up on the alter with them. These two are basically super humans and put the rest of us to shame. Jess is kind, nurturing, always dresses to kill (like she could go from kayaking to clubbing in two seconds), sensitive, yet fierce, and quite possibly the strongest woman I've ever met. Houston is funny, the ultimate protector, and has a quiet strength about him (like he could probably flip a car to save a child, but would never tell anyone he did it). He basically reminds me of an old school sitcom dad, or superman, or both. On top of all of that, they're model-status hotties and spend their date nights lifting weights. I'VE TYPED THIS 18 TIMES AND I'M STILL NOT DOING THEM JUSTICE. (sometimes I type in caps to yell at myself and then delete it, but I feel like you guys needed to know this) Together they're an unstoppable, stronger as a whole, than two halves. I have no doubt they can conquer anything the world throws at them, all while being their humble selves. The love these two have for each other is inspiring and I couldn't be happier to witness it grow.

Also, I didn't realize how obsessed I was with these two until I started typing this. Your creep-ometers are probably off the charts, whoops:)

Hair & Make-Up: Jessica at Glance Spa & Salon
Floral Crown: Kelsey at Crabapple Floral
Photography: Kylene Fitzsimmons (duh!)

Metzger Destination Wedding | Pensacola, FL

Do you guys remember that big hurricane that hit the Florida coast back in October? Well that just happened to coincide with Carley and Jordan's wedding week. Luckily, they were married up in the Gulf, rather than Miami or somewhere else affected. I don't even remember how many frantic texts and calls I received asking if I was okay, but it was a lot. Anywho...

The Metzger's had 75 of their closest friends and family surrounding them for the most beautiful beach ceremony. If you're thinking about a destination wedding, don't think, just do. These two lovebirds were wed at the Margaritaville Hotel, and were blessed with perfect weather. The photos speak for themselves, so prepare yourself for a long post full of happy tears.

Helbling | Anniversary

Can you believe these photos are from early November... in NORTH DAKOTA?! As I'm typing this, we have like 18 inches of snow outside.. but its been a few weeks! Brittney and Chad were so fun and put up with all my crazy ideas. Happy one year anniversary you two!

Morgan + Lucas | Black Hills Wedding Photographer

Holy crap. I shot my first destination wedding and it was AMAZING. Beautiful location and even more beautiful bride, what more could a photographer ask for?! A cooperative groom possibly? CHECK! Lucas was awesome, along with all guests and bridal party, I had such a blast. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I probably should let them speak for themselves and quit adding to this 60,000 word blog post. ENJOY!