Studio Noveau Blog

Cody and Liz are getting married in Madison in October, but I was SO excited when they said they wanted their engagement photos in Prairie Du Chien. Not only is Prairie Du Chien only a 30 minute drive from my house, it has some seriously amazing locations for photos. Ah-mazing. Really. Check ‘em out:

PDC has some of the coolest historic buildings!

Katie and Eric contacted me a while back for some photos.  They were celebrating an anniversary and Katie’s birthday, and wanted some photos of them.  I call sessions like these “Connection Sessions”… photos for people in love, whether they are married, engaged, or dating.  It’s just an excuse to document that love!  We scheduled the session at Olbrich Botanical Gardens and were lucky to have a gorgeous evening!

Here are a few of my favorites:

They were so cute: anytime they walked anywhere, Katie would reach over and rub Eric’s back, or he’d give her funny little looks that would make her crack up.

This last one was just a pretty shot I grabbed before leaving Olbrich.

Seriously, how cute are Rachel and Dave? I loved meeting up with them downtown Madison for their engagement photos in May! But I have to admit, I’m even more excited for their winery wedding in Door County in a few weeks!

Love this next one!

I love reflective windows!

Pretend these next four are in a little story board:
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Andy and Elona were married at Devil’s Head Resort in Merrimac, WI on May 22nd. Devil’s Head is near the Wisconsin Dells and is actually a ski resort in the winter, but during the spring and summer it’s a gorgeous site for an outdoor ceremony! They also held their reception at the same site. Since I’m sooooo behind on blogging, I’m going to just post a few of my favorites, but this in no way takes away from the fact that this wedding was a casual, fun day with some great people!

Special thanks to Carla for tagging along and acting as second shooter for the day.

How is this for a bride and groom portrait?  :)  Fun, huh?

This next one is probably my favorite from the whole day.  Andy looks so happy and Elona is so relaxed!

I love these next three in the series from their reception. Elona’s grandfather was giving a very lovely speech. (You’ll see him again in a photo, dancing with his wife.)

This next one is fun, too. After the maid of honor, Willow, gave her speech, she realized she broke her promise not to cry. Fun fact: Willow will be getting married in 2011 and I’m proud to be the photographer for her wedding, too! AND I’m the photographer for Willow and Elona’s mother who will be getting married in just a few weeks!

First it was going to rain.

Then it was going to thunderstorm.

Then it was *maybe* going to rain.

SO… we ultimately decided we’d just keep Tricia and Dustin’s engagement session scheduled, rather than try to reschedule.  And, of course, the weather was AWESOME!  I love when things work out.  :)  And here are just a few of the photos from their session in Viroqua!  (Let me point out, dear readers… I am trying desperately to keep up on blogging in a timely fashion.  It’s one of my 2010 goals!)

Tricia and Dustin, I’m looking forward to your wedding in La Crosse soon!  I had a blast working with you guys!

Hmm, have I ever mentioned I’m behind on blogging? Because I am. This next session even has SNOW on the ground, but it’s the middle of April already! Please don’t judge me. If you want to see the latest and greatest as soon as they are shot, make sure to become a fan on Facebook… typically, sessions are posted to Facebook within two days! The blog… well, the blog doesn’t get quite as much love!

Anyway, meet Casey and Zach. These guys rock. They were having a heck of a time deciding between a winter and spring engagement session, so we decided to do BOTH! Yes, we divided their session up into two mini-sessions so they could get the best of both worlds. (If you are a client of mine and interested in the same, please inquire for details!)

What I loved about this session was that we were able to try some SUPER fun locations that were very off-the-beaten-path. After all, you may not always get to be adventurous with photos on your wedding day, so why not make it a goal for your engagement session? I loved this location with all the crates!

Casey REALLY wanted photos with this old sleigh. I was a bit skeptical at first, but after her “crew” showed up to help us move it (thanks to her dad and brother!), I could see how cute it would be. Don’t you love it?

And I LOVE this grove of trees. And how Casey and Zach really just “pop” because of the muted background colors.

Beth and Dan were married at Luther Memorial Church on University Avenue in Madison recently. Followed up with fun shots at the Capitol and the Union, we ended the beautiful day at the fabulous Monona Terrace. This day was filled with fun details such as barbershop quartets, a photobooth, and lots of great people. Special thanks to Mandie for joining me that day. I love shooting with her, and we’ve done weddings together in Mexico and all over Wisconsin. Mandie, you rock!

Next two taken by Mandie:

This church was beautiful, but had some very strict rules for professional photographers. Mandie and I definitely got creative with where we placed ourselves to capture photos of the ceremony! Next two taken by Mandie.

I love this one Mandie took of Dan and the little boys, and also this bridal portrait I took of Beth. She’s so beautiful!

Yes, the Capitol building is such a typical place for photos if you get married in Madison, but I’ll be honest that I don’t get tired of it! It’s just so regal and impressive. Even at my wedding, some of my favorite photos of the day were taken there.

By the time we got over to the Monona Terrace, it was pretty dark. We just took a few minutes to set up some off-camera lighting, and this sweet photo by Mandie was the result of our quick moving… how awesome is this?

The reception:

Dan is involved with a barbershop quartet, and asked some of his buddies to sing with him. It. Was. AWESOME. After Dan sang, the original quartet went to each table and sang during the dessert hour. It was an amazing personal touch to add to their day.


Next two taken by Mandie:

It seems like there is always one couple at every wedding that really steals the dance floor with their moves.

And to top it off, just a couple fun shots from their photo booth. If you are thinking about adding on this feature, it’s awesome. In fact, it’s so awesome that it’s something I chose to do for my wedding, too! Not only do you get cool photos of your guests that you will always look at and smile, but you also will get a second shooter for the day! Huge bonus!

Aileen and Mike had an absolutely beautiful wedding in downtown La Crosse. Gorgeous venues, gorgeous couple, and lots of fun details! I’ll let their photos speak for themselves.

Little kids with bubbles make me smile.


Okay, maybe it’s not just kids. Bubbles make me smile.

We headed over to Pettibone Park with the wedding party for some fun shots. This next one was completely posed, but it completely cracks me up!

The reception was at The Waterfront in downtown La Crosse. Love that place!

The End!

It was a cold, cold winter afternoon in Prairie du Chien… the day I met Lindsay and Jason.  They drove up from Iowa and we decided to take their engagement photos at Villa Louis, along the river, and downtown. I just loved how the photos “popped” with all the snow in the background.

I’m pleased to announce that Studio Noveau has just received word that we’ve received the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Award for 2010!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds. Studio Noveau is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

Thanks to all of my clients who left reviews and feedback on my services! This is the second year Studio Noveau has been given this honor, and I’m flattered!