Katie + Luke [Cedar Rapids Marriott Wedding, Cedar Rapids, IA]

Katie and Luke were married on July 20th in Cedar Rapids, on an absolutely beautiful summer day. Josh and I have been looking forward to photographing their wedding ever since we shot their engagement photos at Ellis Park last fall, these two have tons of chemistry and are just so so sweet.

The ceremony took place at St. Jude Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids, with the reception following at the Marriott (also in Cedar Rapids). Katie and Luke chose the Morgan Creek Park Arboretum as their third location, which was a beautiful spot for some photos (love the wildflowers and all of the greenery!!). I loved the colors Katie chose, wines and pinks for the ladies, coordinated classic tuxes for the men. Everything was classic, and elegant...just perfect. I think it's pretty evident looking at the photos from their day, but Katie and Luke are not only beautiful on the outside but on the inside too. Their friends and family were so incredibly gracious and kind the entire day, and it was sad to say good bye at the end of the night!

Katie and Luke - Congratulations again!! I hope each day is as wonderful as your wedding day, you two deserve nothing less!! Thank you for choosing us to be a part of your day, and I hope you like this sneak peek. :)

Vendors:

Dresses: Heart to Heart Bridal, North Liberty 
Tuxes: Skeffington's, Marion 
Flowers: Oakland Road HyVee 
Cake: Johnson Ave HyVee 
DJ: LMD Productions 
Videographer: First Kiss Video
Hair: JCPenney Salon 
Makeup: City Looks Salon 
Rings: Albert's Jewelers, Clinton, IA 
Reception Venue & Catering: Marriott, Cedar Rapids 
Ceremony: St. Jude Catholic Church



















Next five photos (below) by Josh.











Often, I encourage my brides to have a mini "first look" with their dads as well, it's such a sweet moment for a father and daughter!



Photo on the right by Josh.

I love when my couples choose to do a first look, the reactions are always the best!!






























Below photo by Josh.

Below photo by Josh.











Below photo taken by Josh.






Katie and Luke went to Iowa State, so they played this awesome entrance video and then came in to the fight song. Everyone at the reception loved it!

















Katie and her dad planned a really fun father/daughter dance as a surprise (only her mom knew about it) and the crowd went crazy! They started out slow dancing, and then the music switched into a medley of music through the years.

Luke, Katie's brother, and Luke's moms' reactions were priceless!

Featured: Iron Leaf Press [Lisbon, IA]

A few weeks ago I received the most beautiful letterpress invitation to a grand opening for Iron Leaf Press in Lisbon, IA. Sadly, I couldn't attend that evening, but was able to schedule a visit with Danielle for another day! I'm not only a huge fan of paper goods (I made all of my own invites, etc for my wedding, as well as for several of my sisters when they were married), but I also love the opportunity to meet other creative business owners in the area. It's very inspiring to me to meet others who are chasing their dreams, and bonus - I get to share with all of you!

Danielle is an extremely talented graphic designer, who specializes in letterpress (and also offers flat printing). While at her new shop, I got to see the printing presses she uses, as well as some of the work she's create in the past. Not only would she be a great asset to brides looking for custom wedding invitations, but she also makes invites for baby showers, thank you cards...you name it! She also showed me her portfolio where she's designed logos for businesses, and also does custom packaging and other work. I'm pretty sure I was like a kid in a candy store, and purchased a couple great items for my office redesign (including the "Trust your Crazy Ideas" print - love!!).

If you want to find out more about Danielle and Iron Leaf Press, you can check out her website HERE and Facebook HERE.

Danielle, thank you so much for showing me around Iron Leaf Press!! It was amazing to see, and I wish you much success.

Kelsey & Jared [Solon, IA Lake MacBride Engagement Photography]

Kelsey and Jared are not only completely adorable, but sweet and so much fun as well. When Kelsey emailed me to discuss locations and had envisioned something including a boat, I was super excited because I'd been wanting to do a session like this for awhile. We had the perfect evening for it last Saturday, though we had to improvise with a canoe instead of a rowboat as Kelsey originally had in mind. Either way, the sunset lit lake provided a stunning backdrop, and I loved the colorful paddle boats lining the old wooden dock.

Kelsey and Jared - I cannot WAIT for your wedding in May, it is going to be beautiful and so much fun. Thank you for choosing us to document such an important time in your lives, we are so honored and thrilled. I hope you like this sneak peek!! Thanks for a wonderful evening.

My favorite! (Well, one of them at least...)

Below photo taken by Josh.