Studio Noveau Blog

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!

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!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’m pleased to announce a fun and exciting event….

A Sassy Boudoir Marathon Event!

If you aren’t familiar with boudoir photography, imagine tasteful, artistic portraiture that shows off the beauty of your body.  You can view examples on my boudoir website, a join venture with friend and fellow wedding photographer, Mandie.  Our website can be found at www.sassyboudoir.com, or by clicking here.  A boudoir photo session makes a great gift for your groom on your wedding day, celebrating an anniversary or milestone, or just because.

Choose from TWO great dates/locations.

1. Join Mandie on January 16th at her new studio near Madison or
2. Join Rebecca on January 23 in downtown La Crosse.

Your mini session includes 30 minutes of shooting, a private online gallery to view your images, and a 5×7 folio with your two favorite images to give that special guy.  This Valentine’s special is all yours for only $100!  A very limited number of sessions will be booked, so book now!

SPECIAL: refer a friend for the La Crosse date and you’ll both save $20 on your session fee!

For only $75, upgrade your two-image folio to a 10-page mini album! Show off up to 20 of your lovely images in this portable little album that he can carry in a suitcase or stash in his nightstand drawer.

To confirm your session or get more details, contact Rebecca (rebecca@studionoveau.com)!

Happy 2010, Everyone!  If you’ve been a loyal blog or Facebook follower of Studio Noveau for any amount of time, you may have learned a few things about me.

1. My husband just got back from Iraq on December 23.  (Yay for fun surprise Christmas presents!) The photo below is my hubby during his 2005 deployment.



2. I’m actually a U.S. Navy veteran myself, as I mentioned a few posts ago.  (I get seasick.  Blech.) The photo below is me and some of my Navy buddies almost 8 years ago.  Can you pick me out?



3. One of my volunteer activities is working for Operation Love Reunited as a volunteer photographer for deploying or returning military and their families. You can view a sample session by clicking here.

So… this leads me to the purpose of this post.  :)  Several of my clients have been or are currently in the military, and I pride myself on trying to be as military-friendly as possible.  So because of that, I’ve decided to make one very important change, starting in 2010.  Studio Noveau now offers a military discount!  After speaking with a new client a few days ago and learning that many photographers don’t offer military discounts, I’ve decided to make my discount public!  :)  After all, I truly believe that our military and their families are truly sacrificing themselves and years of their lives for us, the American public.

Here are the details:

• This discount is good for 10% off any session.  Yes, this even applies to wedding packages!  And to go a step further, you may qualify for a FREE Op:Love portrait session.  (Please contact me for more details to see if you qualify for the free session.)
• There are NO blackout dates.  The only restrictions on dates are if I am already booked or simply cannot fit your session into my schedule.  Typically, I book weddings and portrait sessions on a first-come, first-served basis.
• This discount doesn’t apply to prints, albums, or canvases.

I hope you are as excited as I am about this.  It’s nice to be able to show appreciation for something so important!  Have a great day!

I adore this engagement session. It took a while to schedule it and pick out a location (Viroqua vs Madison), but we made it happen! After starting out at The Union, we walked all the way up State Street, and ended at The Capitol building. Love love love these photos!

This one is one of my favorite engagement photos of the entire year!

Renee and Justin had a beautiful wedding and a seriously awesome wedding party. I think I laughed more at this wedding that I have in an extremely long time! In my opinion, this wedding needs little explanation… I’ll let the pictures do the talking!

While the girls were beautifying, the guys were hanging out. It’s safe to say that they make looking good, look easy. Ha!

I loved Justin’s face as he watched Renee make her way down the aisle…

This next photo deserves an explanation. But… sorry! You should have been there! Hahahaha!

I think this couple has been married for over 50 years! They won the “Anniversary Dance”. How sweet are they?

Jess and Zeke are, in a single word, wonderful.  Jess has been a good friend of mine since we were in college, working for UW Learning Innovations.  That was five years ago, but we’ve remained close ever since.  When she first mentioned a guy named Zeke who started working there, I wasn’t sure what to think.  But when I met him, I knew that they were perfect for each other!

When it was time for them to get married, they chose to have a small, intimate family affair.  So it was great for all of their friends and extended family that they chose to renew their vows on their EXACT one year anniversary!  It’s not often that I have the honor of being a both the personal attendant AND the photographer.  :)  But it was fun, and I was so thrilled to be a part of their big day!

Okay, enough talk.  On to the pictures!

We started off at a salon right on University Avenue.

Then, off to the hotel to finish getting ready!

Then, off to Deerfield for formal portraits and the Vow Renewal Ceremony:

This next picture is why I adore Jess and Zeke.  They really are this happy.  All the time.  I promise.

Then off to the church…

Then, off to a Madison landmark: Ella’s Deli and the carousel!

Off to the reception.  I love that they had tables numbered with significant places and the corresponding story from their relationship!

Usually I’m not a fan of “DJ games”.  But this game was actually pretty fun.  :)

They had a beautiful first dance.

Well, actually it was about 30 seconds of a beautiful first dance.  Then there were some “technical dificulties”.  Apparently technical difficulties = choreographed dance to “Cotton-Eyed Joe”.  Loved it!

Meet Mike and Tracy… you’ll be seeing their wedding here on the blog next year.  :)  I love seeing clients at weddings other than their own!

One fun thing after this wedding?  I was able to put the cameras down and do a little dancing myself.  :) So I’ll leave you with one final picture because this post is already waaaaay too long.  Here’s a (very rare) picture of me with Ron and B-Rad!  I look a little rough after having all that fun, but I figured it was time to post one of me!

I love big families.  Specifically, big families with lots of cousins getting married in 2010.  Yes, Toni is the third cousin in a single family to contact me about photographing a wedding next year.  Fun!

Anyway, Toni and Brandon… what an awesome couple!  These two were so natural in front of a camera with fantastic smiles. And check out Toni’s amazing hair!  I’m so jealous.   We met in Spring Green and drove out to the family land.  What a great backdrop for pictures!  I love fall pictures, even after the leaves are falling from the trees: it really makes the subjects “pop”.  Did I mention that fields of weeds are a dream come true for me?  Yeah, it’s true… I’m easy to please.