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On Monday, my long dreamt-of J.Crew Jane Austen shoot was featured on the Minnesota Bride Magazine Blog! What an honor and a priviledge for this fabulous shoot to be featured on the most fabulous of all the Minnesota wedding websites; I seriously could not be more thrilled to be associated with such an upstanding publication.

One big bear-hug to my friends at Minnesota Bride. You guys rock.

I’m so excited to share more from this shoot.

Today is the day that changes everything. Today, at noon, myself and 6 other fabulous local vendors will be styling & photographing a concept shoot that has taken just slightly less planning than my wedding 5 years ago. I have enlisted some fabulous and amazing local vendors and we’ll be bringing a substantial amount of talent your way and I can’t WAIT to show you the results. (And with it the entire breadth of my rebrand! Soon, my friends, soon.)

Until that October day, here’s a little sneak peak into the Creative Brief behind this concept shoot. It’s going to be BIG. (And insanely gorgeous.) If you want even more of a sneak peak, make sure you follow me on Twitter; I’ll be twitpic-ing the day’s events between shots.

The last few months I’ve spent getting to know Christine and Cole, I can tell you one thing for certain. They make quite the couple. For serious. Dynamic, interesting and completely charming. (Oh, and they can rock some photographs like nobody’s business.) If their personalities are any indication, their October wedding is going to be amazing. Can’t wait.

And then I meet Lauren & Mike. And Lauren is this gorgeous, hilarious, tiny little yoga-centered spitfire; and Mike is this handsome, equally hilarious, perfectly sarcastic & loving guy and I just couldn’t stop the laughter. Seriously. There were times where I literally couldn’t breathe, let alone work my shutter finger; that my friends, means I have the best clients in the whole world.

I think this also means I am pretty much in love with them and I’m pretty sure you will be too. They are impossible to resist.

In the darkness of some cloudy days came one amazing ray of sunshine. Jenna of Eat Drink Pretty made my week and featured Kimber & Chas’s fabulous Utah engagement session. If you don’t follow the Eat Drink Pretty blog, you are missing out. (I mean that.) Between her panache for making the most gorgeous sweet treats, she also posts about one of my very favorite topics: entertaining.

I also found out that a couple of the photos I took of the JNP Studios Workshop Tablescape were published in Issue 9 of the online magazine Utterly Engaged. The tablescape was all about the manly-man so I’m sure they were – ahem – thrilled with the uber-girly squeal that escaped my lips when I first saw my name.

Even though it hasn’t been the kindest of last 30 days, I know how blessed I am to have my photography recognized by a blog and an online publication that I love. Blows to the stomach included, I realize I am living one hell of a charmed life.

I have so many fun blog posts coming up soon including the details of two spectacularly gorgeous Minnesota weddings. Look for those to hit your Google Reader this month, but first…I must go put Life in a headlock. He deserves it.

My hope for next year is that I can look back and cherish where I am right now; WHO I am right now because I think the recognition of how far one has come is important but remembering who you were is just as important. A year ago, I was holding myself back in protection from the fear of the unknown but today I am purposefully running full stride in the direction of fear and uncertainty. I know my failures will be numerous but that’s ok because playing it safe is no longer in my vocabulary.

I am so grateful to the clients and friends I have gained since the beginning of this journey. I have been entrusted with documenting one of the most important events in a couple’s life and I am being honest when I say I am totally honored by their trust. 

Saturday was the first wedding of my second wedding season ever and let me tell you, it set the bar pretty high; can’t wait to share. Until then, Happy Anniversary to me and a heartfelt thank you to my clients, friends and support system for pushing me and believing in me. I would not be here without you.

I think one of my favorite things about photography is not only do I get to witness the gentle, silly and loving moments in a relationship but I also get to document those same moments for a couple to see for themselves. More than almost anything I want my friends to lead lives filled to the brim with love and getting to witness Kimber & Chas so fully inundated is enough to make my heart burst but then I am priviledged to show them how they laugh together, how they look at each other with such love and even how they cuddle together. I can tell you from experience it’s an amazing thing see your relationship laid out in that way and to be able to show someone I am close to what they look like in love is downright powerful.

To my friends, thank you for hosting/feeding/loving me. I can’t wait for your wedding in October! xoxo

Three years, one law school diploma and many (many) Wii Bowling Tournaments later, Carrie called me to let me know they were engaged and I could not have been happier for our two friends who love each other with so much passion it makes most people look like amateurs.

Love you both a lot.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

When I first started my photography journey, a very wise and wonderful friend gave me this advice: Dream BIG. There’s no point in dreaming if you don’t dream big. So I did. Some may look at my 5-and-10 year plans and laugh (There’s likely an entry for “Portraits of Justin Timberlake” in my ten year plan. No big deal.) but I am crazy passionate about making these things happen for myself. Yes, a lot of the things on my list are out of reach right now but what fun is there in aiming low?

In the past couple weeks I have been so humbled and honored to have some of my work featured on the blogs of women & publications that I respect and adore. With a huge thanks to these very fabulous women, I have been able to cross off one 2010 goal far (far!) earlier than I originally had hoped.

Minnesota Bride Blog:

First Blush Bride Event Planning:

Live the Fancy Life:

Justin Timberlake, here I come.