Even when you think your calendar is full, and you will be 7 months pregnant, when one of your sweetest and oldest (in terms of longest!) friends gets engaged and is planning a beautiful, simple wedding for 5 months later…you photograph!  Michael and I would have moved heaven and earth to attend Katie and Aaron’s wedding and were so excited to get to be there and see some other close friends from across the country, but it is so special to us to get to capture the memories too and we just knew we wanted to do it!  Spending the day with Katie, getting to know her Aaron and see them together a lot, and knowing that one day their kids and grandkids will see these pictures just means so much.

Katie and I became friends right away in high school.  I actually cannot recall what caused us to start hanging out– she was one year older than me and while we did lots of choir activities together throughout school the first was musical our freshman year.  She became such a weaved in part of so many of my favorite high school memories after that.  Most weekends were spent at her house (it was one of those where you could just go in the back door and were welcome whenever– I loved that), watching movies or hanging out in the hot tub with friends. She grew up on a street that also housed a few other close friends and we really all just grew up together, navigating so many of life’s big questions as teenagers. As we went to college, I will never forget the day she left (one year before me).  She had a gift made up for me (because she’s that type of friend), and one of the things she told me was that even though I sometimes got “teased” for it, she loved that I saw the world through rose colored glasses and hoped that never changed.  It struck me then and has shaped a lot of my mindset since.  Throughout college and the years after, we became travel companions– that group of girlfriends went to visit Katie when she did a year long program in Mexico, we went on a cruise together after college, we traveled to Alaska and San Francisco and many closer trips to her family cabin in northern Wisconsin.  Like I said, so many of my favorite memories of late childhood and early adulthood are wrapped up in her, and I will always be so thankful for her friendship, joy, and spirit!

Katie and Aaron, thank you so much for letting us capture your wedding! It was a beautiful day that really cut past the frills and got to the heart of it all, which is what we loved the very most.  You are so very loved by such a large group of people, and I know you will have such a beautiful life together. We are so thankful to be a part of it!!

This long term friend of mine is a total beauty!! We loved this view!! First look! Favorite 🙂 Wisconsin totally gets that it was time for the leaves to be changing, and when we got home, they were finally changing here too! This is Michael’s, and I love it! My beautiful friend! Katie’s sister from another mother, Angie, shared a note with Katie and I had to grab a little of the emotion. We love you guys!! So many more are coming your way in your gallery!!

We loved working with Katie and Aaron’s wonderful creative team!!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: East Side Club

Flowers: Felly’s Flowers

Wedding Dress Designer: Adrianna Papell

Hair Stylist: Studio 924

Reception Blue Grass Band: The Oak Street Ramblers

Caterer: Blue Plate Catering

Wedding Cake: Sam’s Club

Invitations: Shutterfly