Ashley and Matt are two friendly, baseball loving people that were married at Kenosha Kingfish Stadium with a reception at the Fountain Banquet Hall in Sturtevant. 

I’ve worked with a lot of couples that love baseball and even love it enough to incorporate it into their engagement photos, either baseball caps and balls or Milwaukee Brewers gear, but Ashley and Matt were the first to photograph a ceremony specifically on a baseball diamond. 

They even broke new ground with their wedding, since the Kingfish told them that their wedding would be a first for the stadium.

The Kenosha Kingfish Stadium

Right away there were a lot of new opportunities for creativity having a wedding at a baseball field, along with several challenges. The first opportunity that came along on their day was where Matt and the groomsmen got ready, which was the actual locker rooms.

I loved this look, since the lockers were more or less aesthetically pleasing, painted a deep blue with a simple look.

After Matt had gotten ready I took some more serious photos with him where he was holding a bat sitting on a stool with the locker behind him. I also took several pictures of Matt’s details in the locker. The locker room scene gave everything a more masculine look.

On Ashley’s side, one of my favorite pictures during the getting ready part was when I hung up her wedding dress on the netting between the stands and the batters box. 

From here I took a photo from both sides, one side showing the baseball field in the background and one side showing the stands in the background. Sometimes you never know which photo will work out best, so whenever you have a chance as a photographer it’s always best to “work the scene” as much as you can.

A pre-wedding walkthrough

One thing I offer all my couples is a chance to walk through the venue before the actual wedding day and in this case it really helped with Ashley’s getting ready photos. 

When we did our walkthrough I saw that Ashley was going to be getting ready with her bridesmaids in an office room. 

There were office supplies everywhere and nothing was romantic about the spot. It wasn’t set up to be photographed and unless I shot everything really up close and tight it would be hard to make the space look romantic and special. 

So, I asked if anyone had curtains or drapes to hang up, even on one side and sure enough one of her bridesmaids jumped at the idea and took care of it on her wedding day. 

Hanging up a curtain on one wall at least gave us one corner of the room that was devoid of office desks, printers, papers and pens.

This is definitely not a super ideal situation. It can be a hassle and it still doesn’t look the best if the curtain is too small but it’s more of a break in case of emergency situation.

The other big challenge for getting married on a baseball field is the sunlight. For obvious reasons, there are no trees or any other shade on a baseball diamond and most people get married in the early afternoon in summer, so if it’s a sunny beautiful day you could really be in a  pickle trying to make the photos turn out softer with less glare on faces.

Lucky for us, this turned out to be a worry that I didn’t need to lose sleep over. It was a beautiful cloudy day and the clouds helped the light become much softer and more photogenic.

Portraits at Harbor Park in Kenosha

After the ceremony, we all traveled to Harbor Park in Kenosha for the wedding portraits with the wedding party and couple.

When I photographed this wedding, I hadn’t had a ton of experience taking portraits in Kenosha, but we did take Ashley and Matt’s engagement photos in this location.

That was super helpful on the day of, because I had spent a lot of time during their engagement session walking around this big downtown/lakefront area trying to find the best spots.

A lot of that walking wasn’t practical, but on their wedding day I knew exactly where to go, which was to head to a fountain in between several buildings directly west of harbor park. 

We took photos at the fountain and then I noticed this beautiful symmetrical walkway leading from the fountain all the way to the park and th elake. There were trees lined on either side and the light was beautiful. 

We took the rest of our photos here and in the park and even on the rocks lining the lake. It was perfect.

Here I also want to mention Ashley and Matt’s great energy and their friendship. These two are very down-to-earth and friendly unpretentious people. They also like to have fun together. So even though they took posing directions really well, I also wanted them to do their own thing and make the pictures their own. 

So, I asked Matt to just have fun and then he started to play around, picking Ashley up, wrapping his arms around her, grabbing her arms and putting them around him and just generally being the affectionate fun-loving guy he is all the time.

This general vibe resulted in my favorite pose of theses two, which was them walking down the street with Ashley’s arm over Matt’s shoulders like they’re movie stars and on the cover of a romantic baseball comedy like Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham.

Hiring a photographer for the whole day!

One other important detail about Ashley and Matt’s wedding was that they loved photos and hired me to be there all day and I mean all day. It was a 12-hour day for us, 11 am to 11 pm.

If you’re wondering why in the world you would want your photographer there for that long there are some positives that come from that.

The first is that you don’t have to tweak or change your schedule just to make sure you get all those “photographable moments” in the time window that I’m present, whether that’s a short six hour day or a more standard eight hour day.

The other thing is that if you want to do a last dance of the day or a wedding send off, like Ashley and Matt then I’ll be there for that and I can photograph that final beautiful moment of your day. 

Kyle was the complete opposite. He is one of the friendliest guys I’ve ever met and from the moment we met at their engagement session in Lake Geneva to his wedding day he would go out of his way to not only make me, but all the vendors, feel like they were the guests of honor.

And as you can see from the photos, Kyle’s personality added a lot of fun to all the portraits, from getting ready before the ceremony, to the actual portraits all the way to the reception and the dancing.

Gatherings on the Ridge

Kyle and Autumn were married at Gatherings on the Ridge in Eastman, Wisconsin. This was one of the first weddings I’ve ever done in southwestern Wisconsin, a funny enough fact considering how much I travel around. Kyle and Autumn chose this tucked away barn wedding venue since it was the halfway point from where their families lived.

This location was remote and out in the country surroundings by woods and valleys. It has a main barn where they both got ready, Autumn downstairs and Kyle upstairs. You can get married inside, but Kyle and Autumn got married outside since it was an unseasonably warm October weekend.

Outside there were other another metal rustic barn you could use as a backdrop along with woods and a wooden swing set. I ended up using this wooden swing set for portraits right after we used the woods for absolutely lovely twilight portraits. With it being fall weather, the woods were all full of color and resulted in some of the most fall-laden colorful wedding portraits I’ve ever taken.

Creative Pictures

Since Kyle and Autumn were so friendly and loved the photo taking process I was able to take more creative shots and portraits than usual.

The first of these shots was with the wedding dress. Right away I saw a wide arched opening in the downstairs connecting the getting ready rooms to the larger ceremony/reception area. There was also a hook that holds wedding dresses. This is a side note for photographers and couples when they wonder where to take photos of the wedding dress. A lot of venues will purposely install a hook or nail into the woodwork or wall to hang a dress. That really takes a lot of questions out of where to take the classic wedding dress photos.

The other thing I noticed is that the upstairs was an open air space and when Kyle and the groomsmen walked to the railing you could see them from the first floor. 

I thought this was a unique feature and so I asked Kyle to walk to the railing when I was taking photos of the dress. That way I could take a fun concept photo of the wedding dress and the groom in the same picture without the groom actually seeing the dress. Looking at the photo makes me think of the dress being a secret, unbeknownst to Kyle who was getting ready. They were together in the same picture, but separated by knowledge and framing.

Another creative photo that I liked was incorporating a painting on the wall with portraits of Autumn. In this case there was a portrait of a woman in a wedding dress walking away and it was located above a lovely vintage love seat. So, I took most of Autumn’s portraits here, a mixture of closeups and full body portraits.

In this same location there was a lovely set of double doors that led to the kitchen. When I looked at the doorway I saw an opportunity to make a photo that connected the getting ready portion of the day to the ceremony part of the day. Thinking of it as a sequence in a story, I decided to take photos of Autumn walking through the doorway, This would create this idea that she was moving from single life into marriage by dramatically walking through a doorway. 

Kyle and Autumn’s own creativity led to another unique photo. The two actually had their vows printed out on small sheets of glass perched on wooden foundations. I’ve never seen vows made like this, but I absolutely loved it. 

I took photos of the vows, but then knowing that you could see through the glass I thought it’d be a neat idea to take each of Kyle and Autumn’s shoes and place them behind each glass. So in one photo you can see the vows and then Kyle’s boots behind his vows and Autumn’s heels behind her vows.

Candid moments

There were a lot of fun candid moments at this wedding. The first of these moments came about with something very inconspicuous. Around the barn and property there were hosts of ladybugs. There were all over the place outside the building and on the walls and porch. 

At one point when I was taking photos of the details and the rings one found its way onto the ring box and I immediately took a closeup of the situation.

However, my favorite moment came at the reception. After the portrait session all the wedding party, family members and guests were mingling around for the cocktail hour. At one point, Autumn and her dad walked over to the doorway leading to the outside. They then stood there looking outside with their arms around each other.

It was a sincere moment that I had to get photos of, and it was all the more special since it was organic and I didn’t have to engineer it with any prompts.

Nightime portraits

I absolutely love creative photography playing with lights and flashes. One of the best times to do this is night time and in the dark. It doesn’t always work out to do this at weddings, but Kyle and Autumn loved taking pictures and were excited to try out different portrait concepts at the end of the night.

For this I set Kyle and Autumn up under one of the doorway entrances which had a small light shining down on them. The doorway gave them a nice frame around the couple and the light above them gave the photo a little more interest.

I then asked my wife who was my assistant on this wedding to hold a flash behind the couple. Kyle then dipped Autumn and gave her a kiss. The flash behind them then created a dramatic silhouette.

It was a perfect ending photo to a wedding day.

Bible Verse of the day: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Philippians 4:4

Venue: Gatherings on the Ridge

Dress: David’s Bridal Rockford, IL

Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

DJ: Nicky Avalon Studios

Caterer: U2-BBQ

Road America

Think NASCAR and the Indy 500 and you’d have an idea of what Road America looked like. It’s an enormous course and property. We drove from corner to corner and never saw the whole course. It’s got multiple spots to camp or view the track and for us to take portraits.

Bob and Carrie had an outdoor wedding at Porsche Park, the venue location. And, in the background was the track with cars and their roaring engines in the background.

My favorite portrait location was a road (a road for spectator traffic and not racers) forested on either side forming a tree-lined tunnel.

The other locations were far more race-centric. We took photos of Bob and Carrie with Bob’s porsche on the championship podium, on top of a spectator overlook, and in the stands of their favorite racetrack corner.

I didn’t know what to expect heading into my first viewing of Road America, but I was pleasantly and enthusiastically surprised by the natural beauty of the property. Even if you wanted a more traditional wedding and pictures without racing cars, it’d suit your needs.

Carrie’s Wonderful Enthusiasm

The one thing I’ll always remember about Bob and Carrie’s wedding day, aside from the unique racing venue is Carrie’s lively personality.

She is full of life and energy. Her enthusiasm and laughter rang throughout the day. And, she was excited for every moment. She made me laugh out loud several times and she added so much to my posing prompts.

In particular, I remember asking her and Bob to walk across the road in front of the large “Road America” entrance. I was looking forward to photographing low to the ground and isolating them in front of the large entrance, sign and sky. 

I thought it’d be a good idea for them to walk across the road, because it’d give them a reason to be out there and they could do a “Beatles Album Cover” type walk.

In the past, I’ve never been 100% satisfied with my Beatles Album covers, but Carrie initiated a whole new way to walk. As a joke she started walking like a robot with her arms at 90 degree angles, over-emphasizing every step and arm movement. Bob did the same and it really made the photos pop.

Especially with wide angle scenic portraits, subtle movements won’t really stand out, because it’s so far away. It’s only big outlandish movements that will show up in the photo. So, her outlandish walking actually made the arm and leg movements stand out enough for you to notice them.

In general, I really appreciate Carrie’s attitude, because it made her so pleasant to work with and it spurred us on to having more portrait time and therefore them getting more and higher quality wedding portraits from their wedding day.

Golf Carts

Andy Anderson was our point person for Road America and he was in charge of making sure the weddings they hosted went on without a hitch.

On the day we visited Road America to tour the facility and see the best places for photo ops, he drove us around in his pickup truck.

On the day of Bob and Carrie’s wedding, however, we instead had a golf cart and I drove around in my car. For our sunset session we all hopped on the golf cart.

This was a really nice setup, because we had a lot of independence and were able to go anywhere we wanted to on our own. This was only possible, because Bob and Carrie were very familiar with Road America, visiting the track for races multiple times a year.

Bob was able to drive the golf cart without getting lost of wasting time going down the wrong roads. He was able to lead us everywhere.

Golf carts are just perfect for portrait sessions and I highly recommend them.

Every golf resort that hosts weddings will have golf carts available and a lot of larger wedding venues like Road America will also have them ready.

The nice thing about them is that it is so easy to just hop on and off and every bride will have an easy time hopping on a golf cart, no matter how cumbersome their wedding dress happens to be.

The greatest thing about them is that they give you access to more areas. At a recent golf resort wedding we were able to visit three places four or five holes away from the clubhouse, because we had a golf cart.

Without it, we would have been relegated to walkable areas immediately beside the clubhouse which may or may not be the most scenic.

If your venue does charge an extra fee for golf carts, I’d recommend adding it to your budget, especially if you care deeply about the portrait session.

Entertaining the Children

Another part of Bob and Carrie’s wedding, which I thought was super unique and I’ve never seen before happened during the reception.

Like a lot of Wisconsin weddings, Bob and Carrie were very family friendly at their wedding. Kids were welcome and most of their friends and family had small children. It seemed like most of their guests were families rather than singles.

With that in mind, Bob and Carrie wanted to do something strictly for the children at the wedding.

Before the first dances started they had the DJ entertain the children with a few games involving a mix of following directions from the DJ and also dancing.

I love seeing a DJ being able to adjust away from putting on a party atmosphere and entertain the crowd, whatever kind of crowd that happens to be. At my own wedding, I really appreciated our DJ who was able to entertain our guests, who were mostly family members and mostly Christian and traditional. 

After a few games, the DJ then had a little dance party and Bob and Carrie threw candy out at the children for them to catch the candy like they were at a Fourth of July parade.

The children absolutely loved it and the good-naturedness of Bob and Carrie really enjoyed seeing all the laughter and joy coming out of the children.

Verse of the Day:

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Psalms 126:2

Dress and Bridesmaids: David’s Bridal

Groom and Groomsmen: DuBois Formalwear

Flowers: A Floral Garden

Jewelry: Sienna Moon

Hair: A Hair Affair

DJ Sound Sensations Entertainment

Coordinator: Andy Anderson, Road America

Rings: Etsy & Kay’s Jewelers

Caterer: The Antidote

Miranda and Tim had a spark about them and it shone all the way through their wedding day. This was a couple that brought such vibrant life-filled personalities everywhere they went. On their wedding day, they were just smiling the entire day and bringing their family and friends along for the fun.

The two got ready in the homes of their respective parents in Mount Pleasant and Racine. We took portraits before the ceremony at Petrifying Springs Park. They then were married and had the reception at a farm of a friend in Sturtevant. It was an outdoors wedding on a beautiful sunny June day. 

Chemistry on Camera

One thing I absolutely have to rave about from this wedding day is the incredible chemistry Tim and Miranda had on camera. This is something different than being photogenic, but it definitely makes them photogenic as a couple. And, it really made their wedding portraits some of my absolute favorites.

Every couple I work with naturally has good chemistry. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be getting married! However, once the camera comes out things can get a little awkward regarding to how do you two hold onto each other, how do you snuggle together, how do you kiss each other.

Feeling awkward can result in the photos have a nervous fun energy to them, but too much awkwardness can result in stiff hands and unnatural looks.

A lot of this is about having fun together. It’s fun as a man to give your soon-to-be wife a big squeeze or lift her up, give each other a peck on the cheek or stare into each other’s eyes until one of you burst out laughing.

Tim and Miranda had a lot of fun.

It’s also about having fun in a physical way that looks good on camera. This physicality can be either touching or facial expressions. As for what looks best, it’s all about creating more contact points or touch points. If you hold hands but stand apart you have one single touch point in the photo. If you snuggle together, then you may have a touch point at your knees, waist, hands on waist, hands on arm, shoulders together. It basically creates one continuous touch point. That shows more trust and intimacy in a portrait. If you do that then you do not even need to kiss in order to convey romance and intimacy.

Tim and Miranda were really great at this. 

The best example was the first look. 

Tim had a look that said ‘wow, girl you are fire’ when he first saw her. He then even walked around her while Miranda beamed and flushed like she was 1,000 feet tall. She did this by scrunching up her shoulders and rocking her head to the side with a big smile. 

If you were directing actors and actresses to convey the perfect emotions for a fun romantic comedy, you could not have done better than what Tim and Miranda did naturally.

For the portrait session itself, they continued their excellence. 

Miranda was about a head shorter than Tim, so Tim could really envelope her when he wanted to. They pulled off big showy poses with laughter and then they also pulled off simple shots like walking hand in hand. They also flawlessly executed dancing photos and dips and more serious romantic photos like they’ve been doing it for years.

Working together the way they did really made my job easy.

Photo Assistants versus Second Photographers

I started off this wedding day off with my assistant Danny at the home of Erin, Miranda’s mother. After a short amount of time taking photos of the rings, dress, shoes and other details we rolled over to the men getting ready at the home of Tim’s father, also named Tim. 

There Danny stayed with the groomsmen all the way until portraits. I on the other hand, took only a few getting ready photos and left to go back to Miranda and the bridesmaids. This was a benefit of working with two people, in this case my assistant and I. We were able to split up and cover both the groomsmen and bridesmaids.

For my weddings, I principally use a photography assistant. This is a little different than having a full-time second photographer. A second photographer is a person who has experience being a lead photographer on a wedding day. They can be the person taking the main photos of any scene. 

An assistant, on the other hand, is just what it sounds like. Most of the day they will assist me in taking photos. That might be: holding flowers, moving items out of the shot or in the shot, directing family members for family portraits and holding or moving the lights. 

Anytime they take photos, it will be in a secondary role. For example, during the ceremony I’ll be taking photos with the mindset of needing to cover every important moment: the first kiss, the precessional and the exchanging of the rings to name a few. And, I’ll be taking these photos at the best angle whereas my assistant will be taking photos of everything from a side angle or taking photos that are nice to have for the couple, but not crucial. Everything they take is extra.

In the case for Tim and Miranda, it was really important to them to have someone just with the guys getting ready, so that was why Danny stayed with them. However, just in case I stayed at the beginning of the scene to cover all the basic getting ready photos before I left him alone.

Getting Ready at Home

A big question for most couples when planning out their wedding day is where to get ready? I know when my wife and I got married we spent a decent amount of time contemplating this. We thought about a hotel and then we looked into nearby airbnbs, but in the end we got married at my wife’s parents’ house. 

I really like this move. For one, it saves money and second it also can make the getting ready photos more personal. The background of the photos will be a place that is near and dear to your heart. One day when my in-laws move away from their house, we’ll always have those getting ready photos to remember the house my wife grew up in.

You may think a hotel or airbnb is a better choice due to its fanciness or cleanliness, but a lot of time there’s no guarantee that the hotel or airbnb is a better venue for photos.

I’ve taken photos in a lot of hotel rooms and unless you splurge for a suite or they give you the actual bridal suite (more likely if the ceremony is there) then you’ll be in a cramp space for photos. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been contorting my body into corners or over dressers or beds to get a better portrait.

AirBNBs can be really nice, if you have the money to spend on a bigger place, but you have to be careful to really like their decor so that it’s a style that you appreciate being in the photos. A less expensive place than you’ll be running into space issues like a hotel room.

All of them can be great options, just don’t count out your own home, because it can really shine for you.

Verse of the day:

“Instead they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11:16

My beautiful friend Ashleigh got married!

I’ve known Ashleigh for a long time. We went to church together in Milwaukee. I’ve helped her move apartments and she’s eaten at my house many times. I’ve even collaborated with her on photo projects. 

As a nurse, Ashleigh worked at a hospital in downtown Milwaukee in the maternity ward where I’d eventually have my first baby! 

As for Ashleigh, she eventually decided to become a traveling nurse and decided to travel across the United States. We all missed her, but knew that this lifestyle fit Ashleigh’s wandering adventurous spirit perfectly.

After a couple spots, Ashleigh ended up in Sacramento and fell in love with the city. She stayed there and a couple years later met an awesome guy. After they got engaged, she immediately thought of me to be her wedding photographer and hired me to come out to photograph her wedding. 

It was such an honor and so exciting for me to photograph a wedding in another state. I was doubly excited, because I’m from the western United States and from my home in Montana I’ve traveled a lot all over the west including California. California is nothing short of a gorgeous state. I’m extremely biased, because I think Montana is a gorgeous state, but California is equally beautiful, if not more. Plus, the weather is incredible.

Julietta Winery

My flight into Sacramento arrived on Friday afternoon. I grabbed an Uber and headed straight to the venue, since Ashleigh and her fiancé Logan were going to be in the middle of their dress rehearsal. 

Their venue was at Julietta Winery in Clarksburg, about 20 miles south of downtown Sacramento. It was out in a country setting and it was secluded and beautiful with a river running by the property and wide fields and wide views surrounding it.

Like a lot of larger venues, it seemed like the place was split up into two venues, one north and one south. Ashleigh and Logan were in the southern venue area and from what I remember the northern venue was where the main store was and was the place a wine drinker could come for a single night out.

The southern portion featured a house for the women to get ready, including a large courtyard and yard area, a barn for the reception and dance floor outside, and an outdoor ceremony space between the barn and the river.

Logan and the guys got ready in what was technically the parking lot, but was more of a grassy field, so it was scenic for photos as well.

The vineyard itself was south of the barn and dance floor, just a short walk through some trees that separated it from the dance floor.

A Classic Car

Since, I was close friends with Ashleigh, I didn’t end up staying at a hotel, but she set me up with a room at Logan’s house. So, I ended up spending a lot of time with Logan, which was great because it turned out that we had a lot in common. 

We both grew up more country and working class and we both liked working on cars and both owned classic vehicles.

I’m being generous to myself, since I’m far and away a novice on mechanical matters, but Logan is not. He’s a stellar mechanic and auto body specialist and owns multiples vehicles that he is working on.

One of these vehicles is a classic blue and white Packard car from the 1950s.

It was a show stopper of a car. It was old enough that it had those bench seats, no seatbelts and an authentic suspension system that gave you a bouncy ride. It also had no automatic windows, so you had to crank them down yourself. It really made you feel like you went back in time and as Logan would talk about the “cruising” lifestyle of California it made me feel nostalgic for a romantic time period that I wish I had experienced!

Needless to say, but by the time the wedding day rolled in I was eager to use the Packard as the backdrop for many different scenes, including the guys getting ready, Logan’s portraits in and out of the car and portraits of the groomsmen.

By that night, Logan and Ashleigh also used the Packard to drive away after a sparkler sendoff. So, as they packed up the car I quickly took my flash off my camera, popped it into the back seat and took a silhouette of them kissing in the front seat.

It really brought a little extra style to the whole wedding and the photos. 

Prayer

There are quite a few traditions or activities you can add to your wedding day that really add a little oomph not only to the photos, but can you give you moments to remember. Having a first look with your dad can show you how much you actually mean to him when he tears up at the sight of you in your wedding dress. 

Exchanging letters with your future spouse without looking at each other, can give you something tangible to hold onto for the future. The letters you write are being written at an emotional and special time of your life, so the things written in those notes may be things you never say or think ever again.

For Ashleigh and Logan, one of these traditions was the wedding party praying for each of them separately. 

One of the things I love and appreciate so much about Ashleigh’s family is their outspoken and sincere faith. Even during the reception, Ashleigh’s dad shared the gospel of Jesus, how He died on the cross for our sins, took our place and provided a way to God and eternal life through His sacrifice as long as we repent and believe.

So, it was very natural for prayer to be emphasized before the ceremony. The bridesmaids and mother of the bride all prayed for Ashleigh in the getting ready space and the groomsmen and his parents and Ashleigh’s dad all prayed for Logan out near the ceremony.

They all put their hands on Ashleigh and Logan’s shoulders and prayed for them and the photos turned out very meaningful.

Favorite part of the wedding

This was a unique wedding as my favorite part wasn’t actually the wedding, but spending time with Logan during the Friday night and Saturday morning. Aside from that, it was just special to feel a part of the family and friend’s circle with Ashleigh and Logan, not just another vendor who is more of a stranger than a friend.

Verse of the day: 

“The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

Say hello to my final wedding of 2023. It was one to remember. This year I didn’t end my season in December, but in November, a common occurrence for me. Winter weddings in Wisconsin are always hit or miss and when I do get winter weddings, it’s usually just a once a month occurrence.

This year my last wedding was the second week of November, and for whatever reason I always have great memories of this time of year. I feel like there is always a last glimpse of warm weather and sunshine before winter fully sets in and I end up appreciating that final farewell to warmer days. 

Bob and Renee’s wedding didn’t exactly fall on a warm day. In fact, a couple days after their wedding, the weather actually spiked another 10 degrees higher. But, they did have lovely sunshine and what I’ve found is that if you’re in sunshine, 40 degree weather can be quite bearable, even enjoyable.

The two got married at The Bog in Saukville, a lovely golf resort that really caters to events and weddings. This was my second time at The Bog and both weddings turned out great. This was principally due to how kind and sweet the couples were, but the venue is wonderful as well.

As for the sunshine, that made its greatest impact before the ceremony when Bob and Renee opted for a first look out on the ceremony site, which had a couple fairways in the background. 

Their first look was super special. Bob is an emotional guy and there were many times during the wedding when he teared up a bit and this was one of the first times. They also each had a wedding journal books inscribed with their names on top. They wrote letters to each other and they read them immediately after the first look.

After they read their books, we immediately moved into the family portraits, starting with a portrait of Bob, Renee and their dog. Their dog was a big part of their life, so I made sure to get lots of pictures of her during the ceremony.

As we took family portraits and then started to get ready for the ceremony, I couldn’t help but marvel at that weather like we talked about. It was just a sunny and warm day, but cool enough that there was a crispness to the air. It made me think about my college days in Bozeman, Montana at Montana State University. 

Bozeman is located in a high elevation valley in the Rocky Mountain Range and has mountains out in the distance everywhere around the city. In the fall, the mountain air comes down into the valley bringing that cool and clean mountain air. It’s just fresh and every time I smell that crispness, I’m reminded of Bozeman.

A good wedding plan and attitude

Renee was an ideal bride to work with, because she had the best approach to wedding planning. She was meticulous and realistic with her plans. She is definitely a planner and she planned every single part of the wedding. 

She had little details thought out like the wedding books, had the details ready when I arrived, had a timeline that actually worked and even made her own wedding cake.

And, then on her wedding day she just had fun. She was relaxed. She followed through on her own plans. And, she rolled with the day, letting go of things that changed.

This is absolutely the correct mentality to have. There are so many things that can change or go wrong that if you’re not go with the flow on your wedding day you’ll find yourself swimming upstream against a waterfall. There are just too many variables and people and vendors to assume that everything will go close to plan.

Portrait Session

Renee also had another trait that made me absolutely relish being her photographer. She gave me time and license during the wedding portraits around The Bog.

I work with a whole host of different brides and grooms and a lot of them like things differently from each other.

Many of my couples prefer not to spend their entire day taking portraits, either family portraits, wedding party portraits or creative couple portraits. They instead want the bare minimum and would rather spend the day having fun with the guests and friends they asked to be there, rather than the vendors they paid to be there.

I think it’s incredibly important to respect that and as a somewhat more seasoned photographer it’s my job to find a right balance where I get all the photos I need (the ones that they’ll want to have months or years after the wedding, no matter what they say on the day of) while honoring their wishes where they look back on their wedding remembering the fun times with family and guests instead of standing for portraits.

For Renee, I didn’t have to worry about that. She wanted great portraits and she gave me ample time. She also hung in there and never asked to end early, even though it was super cold! Eventually I was the one who suggested we get back to the reception to stay on time!

Although it was sunny earlier in the day, by the time we hit golden hour, dusk, sunset and even twilight hours it was definitely not warm. We were going around the golf course in a golf cart in temperatures in the 30s and Renee was game for all of it!

We actually got to all of The Bog’s favorite recommendations, the old barn, the sunset view, the bridge and the pond. The pond was last and it was my favorite. By the time we made it here, it was twilight and I loved the colors: purple, blue and variations of those. It was a special spot.

Last Dance

This was my second wedding of the year where the bride and groom had a last dance. I’m thinking this is becoming more and more popular, because I haven’t even suggested it, but it’s been suggested to me by the couples.

What happens is near the end of the night or the actual end of the night when the DJ is about to wrap up and the venue is about to close the DJ will kick everyone off the dance floor and invite the couple out to do one final dance by themselves. 

For Bob and Renee, they were game to do this out on the patio, even though their original first dance was inside. We set up a small speaker and they danced under string lights all by themselves. Check out the photos to see if you want to do the same thing at your wedding!

Bible Verse of the day: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” – Genesis 8:22

Venue: The Bog

Dress: Volle’s

Bridesmaid’s Dresses: David’s Bridal

Groom’s Attire: Richard Bennett

Groomsmen Suits: Bjorn’s (Kenosha)

Flowers: Windsong Designs

Makeup and Hair: La Bella Salon

DJ: Midwest Sound

Rings: Brandt Jewelers

Groom’s Ring: Jared’s

The Fields Reserve Wedding Venue

It’s been a few years since I was last in Stoughton, Wisconsin for a wedding, but this year I finally made my way back to this little city south of Madison for a wedding. Well, I didn’t really see anything of Stoughton, because the wedding itself was out in the rural parts, tucked away without another house or building in sight. 

It was the Fields Reserve, this amazing wedding venue with a pair of barn-like buildings and one of the most spectacular outdoor ceremony sites I’ve ever seen.

I’ve been to many an amazing wedding venues, most which are venues strictly made for weddings and most of the time the outdoor ceremony site itself is quite simplistic. It’s usually placed in a large grassy open area with an arch that may be moveable or one that might built into the ground and stationary. The folding chairs are brought in and then taken out.

It’s simple and effective.

However, the Fields Reserve far outpaces this simplicity with a natural amphitheater that is within maybe 200 yards of the reception, but because of the woods surrounding it makes it feel hidden away and locked deep within nature’s forests. 

The venue built in long thick and rustic wood benches that make you think of fallen logs that are placed on both the bride and groom’s side of the aisle. The benches lead up and out to where the wedding party will walk in on the concrete path. 

They then have a timber-sized arch built into the concrete at the bottom of the amphitheater and beyond that all you can see is forest everywhere you look.

It really was incredible and I’m an absolute sucker for nature, so to me this was a perfect combination of the ease of getting ready in a beautiful building and then suddenly feeling like you’re getting married in the forest.

It was a perfect spot for Tess and Jacob, two lovely people that are down-to-earth and have a lot of outdoor hobbies.

Getting Ready Photography Magic

It was so much fun working with Tess and Jacob on their wedding day. In photographing so many weddings, I’ve found that the absolute best people to work with are the ones that diligently plan out their weddings with military precision, but then are carefree and go-with-the-flow on the actual day.

That was Tess and Jacob.

When I arrived, Tess and her party were deep in the throes of getting ready and Tess was already ahead of the game with her hair and makeup. That left us ample time to take getting ready photos and we found time for more than a few creative getting ready photos as well. 

After getting some standard makeup shots and one of her holding her wedding dress, I got a couple more interesting ones: one with her looking out the window as if she was anticipating Jacob coming down the driveway and one standing in this narrow beam of light in the center of the reception space.

I’ve done this at a couple different weddings, but when I see a narrow beam of light coming from a window I find it’s nice to do something fun with it. Maybe the light lands on a table and I’ll put a detail in it, like the invitations or the rings. In this case the beam was large enough to fall on part of Tess’s face and I had her set up in a more elegant pose. 

When Jacob arrived he got ready in a space that also had great lighting. His room was in the groom suite in an adjacent barn that had an indoor ceremony space for those people that chose it. His room had a couple couches and a window. The window had a desk in front of it and it was a perfect spot for Jacob to write out his wedding vows. 

Actually, at my last wedding in Stoughton I was able to photograph the groom writing out his vows beforehand as well.

In Jacob’s case the light from the window gave him amazing dramatic lighting.

The main thing I’ll remember about Jacob was how he might have been the most dapper and well-dressed groom I have ever photographed. 

The man was meticulous about his setup. He had a wonderfully custom-made white suit and he wore a black Johnny Cash-style button up shirt underneath with no tie that gave him a man’s man kind of look.

On the outside of his jacket he placed a brown floral handkerchief in his pocket and had a rose with a long feather pinned to his collar. He then had maroon-brown pants and a simple analog watch with a leather band to finish the ensemble. 

Later Jacob had a change of clothes ready for the reception. It consisted of brown slacks and a floral button down shirt of complementary colors to the slacks.

A grand Grand March

Another wedding photography favorite from Tess and Jacob’s wedding came at the grand march. As a wedding photographer the grand marches can really be hit or miss. Even when wedding parties go through their plan in detail with the DJ, once they actually walk in their instincts take over and they may do something completely different than the talked out plan.

When I first started going to weddings I would typically stay far back and near the head table trying to catch them “where they were supposed to do their dance or routine.” Later, I realized many people would instinctively start dancing or doing their routine right in the doorway, so now I get out my wide angle lens and I get real close to the entryway. Even if they dance a little bit later, it’s at the entryway where they usually have the most energy and smiles.

With Tess and Jacob I did that same thing. I used my wide angle lens and stood really near the doorway and I retreated as they walked in and I’ve never seen a couple be so energetic and extroverted as they came in for the grand march. Both Tess and Jacob were laughing waving and showing off the love they felt from the whole reception.

Sparklers just for fun

Another fun moment from their wedding was at the end of the night. The DJ, Big Sand Productions, had brought along their sparkler machine and they ran it out in front of the reception hall outside in the yard. After taking a couple photos of just Tess and Jacob, they then had multiple couples run in front of it to get their picture taken before the sparkler ran out of juice. We also took a large group photo. It was a crowd pleaser!

Wedding Vendors

Location: The Fields Reserve https://www.fieldsreserve.com/

Dress: Vera’s Bridal https://www.verasbridals.com/

Groom’s Attire: FineLine https://finelinecustomattire.com/

Flowers: Surroundings https://www.surroundingsef.com/

Makeup: Unveiled by Tia https://www.beautyunveiledbytia.com/

DJ: Big Sand Productions https://www.bigsandproductions.com/

Hair: Unveiled by Tia https://www.beautyunveiledbytia.com/

Caterer: North & South https://northandsouthcatering.com/

Between taking family portraits, senior portraits and then all of my engagement sessions and wedding days I’ve taken a lot of portraits in a lot of different parks.

Couple that with my natural love for going on walks and hikes and being outside, I thought I knew on the back of my hand every park in the area. But, low and behold I just finished this engagement session with Michael and Rachel and they took me to three places I’ve never been before. Three places that were new to me, but places I definitely have to return to take more photos.

Living in West Allis, we first started out behind Rachel and Michael’s house which had a small green space that people could escape to. It was part of a row of town houses and everyone living there had access to it. I won’t be going back there, since it’s private but it was a perfect spot to start with since Rachel and Michael really wanted to take portraits with their pet cat. We were able to take portraits and easily and quickly return their cat back to home before he got too mad at the whole process.

Pets

That’s a good tip for bringing your pets along on engagement sessions. I’ve had many sessions with many pets and I’m all for bringing your furry friend to the session.

Here’s a couple tips though to make the process easier.

Number one: Start the session with them. That way you can get the bumpiest part of the day out of the way right away. After the initial bumps and bruises then the rest of the session will be a breeze.

Number two: Always bring a handler for the pet, someone who can handle them and keep them under control and out of your hair when you want to go back to your regular portraits.

Number three: Have fun and relax with your pet. Pictures with your pet are naturally the more laid-back, fun or goofy photos so don’t stress about having them be perfect. Instead adjust to your pet and laugh with them. If you have a dog we can do photos with them walking or running circles around you or licking your face when they’re not supposed to. One of my most popular photos ever was a bride holding up her dog and getting a big sloppy kiss. People love that photo and the bride was totally ok with the unexpected kiss from her pup.

The times when I’ve seen more struggles from clients and their animals is when the clients get overwhelmed and anxious trying to keep their pet on their best behavior. No one wants a photo of themselves staring down and yelling at their puppy, getting red in the face trying to control them. Instead keep it light.

Number four: Watch out for those dirty puppy paws. Plan out where the photos will be and if your dog likes to jump around and play in the mud and water then I’d avoid that area unless your ok getting paw prints on your pants and dress. 

Number five: Match the outfits to the moment. Rachel and Michael started their session with goofy shirts that had their cats face on them, along with jeans. If your outfits are more casual then it’s more ok for your dog to run, jump and potentially get your outfit messy.

Locations

Returning back to the locations for Rachel and Michael, after we wrapped up their “backyard” we went practically right across the street to Greenfield Park. This is another park that somehow I’ve missed exploring in my last 10 years in Milwaukee. 

It had a lovely pond and massive trees, along with a little wild flower patch. We were able to take photos walking around the trees, sitting on park benches with the pond in the background and them cuddling in the middle of the wildflowers.

It really was a park that had a lot to offer photographers.

The last location was a bit further away in Waukesha on a boardwalk over a swampy area. Now, I’ve been to a lot of boardwalks before, but this was a massive boardwalk that stretched out for a super long way in the distance. We only stayed near the beginning of it, but looking out I couldn’t see the end of it.

It was also amazing, because it gave wide views and all you could see was nature all around. It was a magical spot to capture the sunset, which is what we did with Rachel and Michael.

Summer Temperatures

Now, I feel like I’ve gone through a lot of sessions coaching clients on how to stay warm in cooler temperatures or even the winter.

But, I’ve never coached them on the opposite spectrum, when they are taking their photos in the middle of summer and it’s blazing hot.

Here are a couple tips for that.

Number one: schedule a morning sunrise session. Yes, it can be rough waking up super early, but this is how you truly avoid the heat of the day. Even by sunset, the temperature won’t fall a whole lot, but in the morning the temperature had the whole night to fall to something more palatable.

Number two: Hydrate beforehand and during the session. Bring lots of water.

Number three: Bring towels to dry off as much as possible. Many of these warm sessions are absolutely fine, but the one thing we’re trying to do is to avoid sweat.

Number four: Plan ahead for walking minimal distances. Yes, that cozy butterfly garden in the middle of the state park is amazing, but if it takes us 10-15 minutes to walk there we might be a sweaty mess by the time we arrive.

Number five: Don’t be afraid to jump back in your car and crank up the AC. With my engagement sessions I give the couples plenty of time, up to four hours. So, definitely take advantage of it. It’s a marathon, not a sprint!

Well, that’s all from Rachel and Michael’s lovely engagement session in West Allis and Waukesha. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

The reason I love this wedding so much is not only because Eric and Ally made me look so good with their attire and flair, but also because it was a vintage downtown Milwaukee wedding.

In many ways, their wedding was in the heart of Milwaukee. This town is known for its history of breweries and yes, you could make the argument that Miller is the most important of those, but that brewery is not downtown. 

The Pabst is downtown and it has nearly if not equal historical distinction as Miller. Pabst Brewery these days is parcel outed into condos and businesses and one of those businesses is Nō Studios and that’s where Ally and Eric had their wedding day.

The whole studio encompassed three floors in one of the buildings in the Pabst Brewery area. On the top floor was the ceremony and reception, on another floor was the dinner and on another floor was the area where Ally got ready.

Outside of it, was the cobblestone streets and factory buildings of Pabst, meaning you could really take vintage Milwaukee wedding portraits.

Getting Ready

As a wedding photographer, the incredible attribute that stood out the most to me about Nō Studios and having a wedding day there, was definitely the floor where Ally got ready beforehand.

It was a simple place, big and spacious and looked like it had been a small factory room. But, it had huge windows to the west. I mean enormous windows and they were angled at the top and framed by more brick, making them simple but stylistic.

They were more than 15 feet high I’m guessing, and right away I had a dream of hanging the dress from the top of the peak. So, fortunately Nō Studios lent me a ladder and a rod with a hook so I climbed the ladder and used the hook to transfer the wedding dress on a hanger to a small hook/nail hanging above the window.

This made me incredibly nervous, because at that point I didn’t have that much control of the dress and I didn’t want to drop it or worse above all things have it get stuck on some rogue nail or snag where I couldn’t get it down. 

But, it all worked out just right and I got the photo and another photo of Ally standing in the window next to it.

This is something I’ve incorporated more and more into my dress shots, having not only the wedding dress as a stand alone wedding detail photo, but also asking the bride to stand next to the dress or hold the dress (details with a heartbeat!)

The window also gave me beautiful light for my portraits of Ally getting dressed by her mom and sisters and bridal portraits after that. 

If you want one piece of advice for picking a place to get ready is to find a place that’s large enough for me to full length body shots of you and your family/friends helping you get dressed, but also large enough that you keep all your supplies out of the background.

If you’re in a single room, usually I’ll walk in and see bags and clothes lining every wall and every corner.

I usually have to move all of this out of the way before getting the “getting dressed pictures.”

The ceremony

The ceremony was a unique photography location as well, because it had only windows as its background. Now, if this is your case and the windows have direct light, than you are in serious trouble as a photographer. Direct light means that the sun is shining through the windows in full view. 

In the morning that’s the eastern side of the building and in the afternoon or evening that’s on the west.

Fortunately, for me we had indirect light behind the ceremony for Eric and Ally. It was still a challenge, because they were backlight, but not impossible. For other wedding photographers, I’ve also found that when you’re in this situation you can get incredible black and white photos of the ceremony where people are lit almost in this halo effect.

Portraits Outside

Taking wedding portraits outside was the one thing that I was worried about and focused on the most heading into their wedding day. 

I was worried about it, because although the entire area really is that old brick buildings which make for incredible photographs, I still wanted to find a large space that was out of the sun and off of the street. 

I like taking photos in the street, but that works a little bit better when the wedding party is already familiar with working with you and you’ve already crossed off all the basic pictures.

I also didn’t want to ask Eric and Ally to walk a long ways away in case we were running behind time or they were getting tired from the long day already. Fortunately, there was a big courtyard a block away from Nō Studio with trees and nature, which is pretty much my expertise in wedding party portraits.

We took all the wedding party and groomsmen and bridesmaid photos there, plus most of the husband and wife photos. On the walk back, I was able to get a little more creative and I took some photos of them walking in an alleyway and then I took photos of them in direct sunlight in front of a yellow brick factory building.

I’ve experienced more with this direct sunlight photography as supplemental portraits. You still have to be careful with it and work around it, rather than tackling it head on, but direct sunlight can really give things an edgy almost 1990s or 1980s supermodel look. When you succeed at it, it can really burn bright!

Sunset Portraits

If you’re working on your wedding day timeline, always mentally plan for sunset portraits! In Eric and Ally’s case, we had an amazing sunset since we were able to go outside of the top floor of Nō Studios since it had an outdoor patio that was on the eastern and western side of the building. We went out the western side and we were high enough that we were able to see the sun over all the rest of Milwaukee in the distance.

Thank you Eric and Ally for this experience and may you have a beautiful marriage.

Vendors:

Dress: Savvy Bride: https://www.gosavvybride.com/

Groom’s Suit: Savvy Bride

DJ: Big Ron https://www.djbigron.com/

Makeup: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanytallinger/

Caterer: Chef Deborah https://mschefdeborah.com/

Venue: Nō Studios https://www.nostudios.com/

Let’s talk about wedding sendoffs. They’re referred by many different names and “wedding sendoffs” might be the most formal. Some people simply call it a wedding exit. Or, what I’ve heard the most is a sparkler exit, but in this case you’d specifically be using sparklers.

Whatever you call it, this wedding reception activity generally involves a bride and groom walking through a tunnel of their guests outside of their reception venue late into the evening as they’re ready to call it a night.

It’s a fun and dramatic activity, not just for the couple, but also for all their guests. But, not everyone does it.

I want to talk about it, because I’ve actually had wedding sendoffs in my last three weddings, whereas before that I believe I only had one or two in my first five years of full time weddings!

But, why isn’t this more popular? You’d think walking through a tunnel of lights would be a must-have activity for any couple.

Well, the biggest drawback or hindrance for couples is that they simply don’t want to leave their reception. 

Why would they leave their parties at 9 pm, when the venue doesn’t close down till midnight and they’re missing out on precious time they paid for, either through the venue or the hiring of their DJ? Those last hours are fun times where they can finally cut loose and relax with some drinks and dance as much as they’d like.

Leaving early can also be a buzzkill for your guests. Whether you mean to or not, they may assume the party is over at that point and start packing up their things. Even if you’d want them to stay, they may not be interested in staying since they came to see you as well.

Well, in my experience there is a simple acceptable alternative to this problem and that is to not leave.

In two of my last weddings: the couples have had the DJ announce their sendoff, but also say explicitly that they’re doing this for the photos and to have fun, but that they’re going to be back on the dance floor in no time.

From what I’ve seen, the guests were more than happy to oblige. Even the most enthusiastic dancer is happy to take a break for a song or two and this gives the more socially conservative guest another activity to do, one that pries them away from their table or close-knit group and interacting with other guests.

And, lighting sparklers has been just as much fun for the guests as it has been for the couple, especially if they have children at the wedding. Children love this part.

In most of my cases, the couples have basically booked me to a certain time and then scheduled the wedding sendoff right at that time.

If I was scheduled to leave at 9 pm, then the sendoff was at 9 pm, or if I was to finish at 8 pm, it was 8 pm. It was the last event I photographed before packing up my equipment.

Different types

Not every wedding sendoff is a sparkler exit. In my last three weddings, I’ve only had one exit that actually used sparklers. The other two had lighted candles held by the guests and the other used bubbles. You can also use confetti, balloons or chinese lanterns or you can throw rice or wave glow sticks.

If you can imagine it, it can be done either with something that lights up or something that can be thrown or travel through the air.

Here’s another article you can use to brainstorm.

Tips on a successful exit

There are few crucial tips to keep in mind to have a successful grand exit.

The first and most important tip is for the sparkler exit and that is about lighting them. 

To get the best effect and the best pictures you need all the sparklers lit at once and the truth is that sparklers are very hard to light when it’s not from another sparkler. 

The best technique is to have your guests light their sparklers in groups of five or six. Group the end of the sparklers altogether and try to light all of them or any of them. Once you’ve lit one, the other five or six or more sparklers can light their sparklers off of that one.

Once a whole group is lit, have them look down the line and see if any other people or groups need help lighting theirs.

You have to work fast, because if you try to pass the light down the line or wait for everyone to light their sparklers from a lighter then those that are lit first will burn out before even half of the entire line has been lit.

The second tip is to keep the lines close together. For the absolute best result you don’t want any more than five to six feet between the lines. This way you’ll form that tunnel pattern. Especially, if you are blowing bubbles or tossing something small that close proximity will make the bubbles or confetti look like a larger amount. 

The last thing you want is for the lines to be so far apart that the amount of bubbles or confetti to come out looking sparse and meager in the photos. The point is to overwhelm the couples with whatever you’re using, so it’s more fun and exciting.

Also, make sure that you don’t schedule your sendoff too late. If you’re still going to stay around for awhile, don’t schedule the sendoff at 10 pm, just because your photographer will still be at the reception. Scheduling it too late and a lot of older guests or ones with kids and families will have departed and you’ll find yourself looking at the sendoff and wondering where half of your guests have gone.

Remember, the point is to have a lot of action going on and that includes more people. If you see the crowd starting to thin early, feel free to tell the DJ to move it up on the schedule.

My final tip is the most important for photos and that is to not run! You may be tempted to do this, but you have to resist. Getting great exit photos is a tricky process, because it’s usually at night and as the photographer you’re backing up and there are a lot of different light sources to balance. So when a couple runs straight at you, there’s a chance you might miss the entire thing. 

Instead of running, walk at a leisurely pace down the tunnel and stop two to three times to pose for a picture or to look at or kiss each other.

My best photo I got at my last sparkler exit was when the couple stopped and gave each other a kiss. That slowed everything down enough that I was able to get the couple in focus and really nail the moment. 

Also, since you’re not leaving anyway, try an encore and walk down the tunnel twice or three times. If you’ve lit your sparklers all at once, you should have plenty of times to give it another go and something for the guests to do while they wait for their sparklers to burn out. That’ll also give your wedding photographer another chance to get a perfect shot.

For more information on planning your wedding day, check out my post about putting together a photography timeline for your day.

Locations: Fountain Banquet Hall in Sturtevant, Wisconsin; Barn at Pioneer Acres in Richfield, Wisconsin; The Barn at Homestead Hollow in Germantown, Wisconsin