White Shutter

anna & ryan

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:50:43 +0000

we love anna and ryan. and we don’t throw that word out there lightly. they are absolutely beautiful people and a total inspiration to us. during our engagement session over the winter, anna was finishing her phd at marquette and ryan was working for habitat for humanity. so much has happened to them since then, we could write a book about it. instead of writing that book, we’re going to show you a few pictures about a day in june. we love spending a full day with our couples and love it even more when they want to play before the wedding. we gave anna and ryan a little alone time on the shores of lake michigan to see each other for the first time on their wedding day. after that, we played on the lakeshore before heading to the villa terrace decorative art museum where we met up with their bridal party. we spent time in the lower gardens for some fun group shots before heading up to the museum for their amazing ceremony. as the ceremony was coming to a close, a major storm front moved across the skies. the skies opened up and the rain came down just after they walked back from the terrace into the museum. soon after, we moved across milwaukee to the charles allis art museum for their reception. little did anyone know that anna’s wedding gown transformed into an adorable dress suitable for dancing late into the evening. we really, really enjoyed becoming friends with anna and ryan and love hearing where life is taking them. we do know that for now they are laying in each other’s arms on a beach in oregon, watching whales. so here’s their wedding, a glimpse into a day in june… enjoy.

details:

dress custom designed by miriam carlson

shoes by badgley mischka

reception music by deejay rob

cupcakes by bay bakery

flowers by the bride

new album partnership

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:00:42 +0000

in march, we attended the WPPI conference in las vegas. while there, we visited with several album companies and fell in love with two. so we’ve switched our album companies and are offering handmade flush mount and classic matte wedding albums. even the packaging is unique, made from recycled pineapple leaves and finished with a ribbon made from recycled mulberry leaves, topped off with skeleton leaves and dried flowers, how cool is that.

well, we just got in jamie and andrew’s wedding album and wanted to give you a glimpse of it. we cannot wait to build more wedding albums this year…

brittany & michael

admin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 07:31:09 +0000

watching brittany being escorted by her grandfather in full military dress uniform was extremely moving. what a way to start a very memorable day. from the crazy little ring bearer at the cathedral of saint peter to the generator driven power at the mauh-nah-tee-see country club, this was one not to be missed. one bonus for us was being able to work with deejay sandy, who rocked the night away. here’s a quick look at their wedding day. enjoy.

details:

dress designed by david’s bridal

reception music provided by deejay sandy

cupcakes by audrey’s cake creations

flowers by event floral

brennan

admin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:11:16 +0000

just a sneak peak for his grandma… we shot 3 day old brennan this morning and it made us realize just how big colden brig is.

simply, a salad

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:42:56 +0000

we thought we would switch gears in the midst of wedding season and give you a glimpse into our daily life. a few months ago, we planted our little backyard garden. our romaine and red leaf lettuce came up quick and plentiful, so we grabbed some from the garden for lunch. you see, we’re lucky enough to work from home, so we get to surround ourselves with our kids all day long. while colden brig cleaned the floor, cashin and i got working on the salad. cashin absolutely loves the salad spinner so as soon as everything was washed up, he went to town. that little boy would spin salad for an hour if you let him. philan grabbed some fresh vegetables from our local farmers market and put the finishing touches on our crab meat salad. and of course, to top off a perfectly healthy salad is the dressing…a totally unhealthy mix of ranch and italian, but it sure is tasty. enjoy.

kyle

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:38:57 +0000

i have know kyle since he was just a little guy, so when his mom asked us to shoot his senior pictures we were thrilled. kyle was a blast to work with, i would point out a location and he would tell me he was just thinking about the same spot. we had a lot of fun during our session, at one point he even broke out the zoolander blue steel look. here’s a glimpse at his seniors…

jamie & andrew

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:20:48 +0000

jamie was absolutely stunning. andrew was no slouch himself. put them next to each other, what a beautiful couple. we started the morning with jamie and her girls at the salon with a few mimosa’s, some hair spray, and a lot of laughs. when i met up with the guys, they were just as relaxed, hanging out and playing cards in the church basement. the boys even had jimmy john’s delivered to our guys session location…they were a blast. after the ceremony, we got to play a bit more in downtown dixon by the riverfront. then we moved on over to the post house ballroom where everything was detailed in purple and black to match their colors. we dance and partied late into the night. thanks you jamie and andrew for having us be there to share in your day. enjoy.

details:

dress designed by casa blanca

salon studio 404

reception by deejay jason vidmar

cake by folsom’s bakery

flowers arranged by weeds

kay & brian

admin — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:51:13 +0000

brian is a marine (once a marine, always a marine… hoo-ahh) and works in public service. he’s a big, intimidating guy and when you first meet him, he comes across kind of touch. kay is cute and little with a personality that glows as big as her smile. you put kay next to brian and he becomes a totally different person. his guard comes down and the way he was raised comes out, a gentleman at the core. cut through all the seriousness of the first half of the day and you get to see the other side of kay and brian. the laughter, the fun, the lightheartedness. what a great couple to spend a day with.

kay and brian’s backyard wedding was in the perfect location to showcase their family’s close relationship. we were extremely honored to have complete access to their home during their wedding day and were able to get a bit closer than most weddings to all of the preparations that were going on. kay’s mom made the flower-girls’ dresses, grew a flowering sign for the newlyweds, and spend countless hours gardening in preparation for the wedding day. i watched as dad finished up the final little details in the backyard, making sure everything was perfect for his daughter.

the day was here, the sun was out, the guests arrived, it was time for a wedding. after a very personal sermon, kay and brian sealed the ceremony with a monster kiss. after some backyard portraits, we headed to the forest hills country club for pictures and a killer reception. brian designed the cake, there was a huge candy table for the kids (and adults…), and we all rocked the night away to clutch cargo. enjoy.

we always get the bride getting ready, but never the dad. being there for these moments was extra special to us.

i just loved shooting this series of images. these girls were so cute checking everyone out, commenting on all the dresses they loved and how great everyone looked. usually it’s the other way around… everyone waiting for a glimpse of the bride.

details:

hair and make up by galleria hair studio

ceremony music played by tristan string quartet

live reception music provided by clutch cargo

dress designed by oleg cassini

transportation provided by rockford charter coach

cake by patricia’s patisserie

invitations by jack sprat

video shot by special moments video

floral arrangements by crimson ridge

ceremony arch by event floral

wish upon a wedding

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:00:37 +0000

a few years ago, my younger brother was granted a wish through the make a wish foundation during the beginning stages of his battle with marfan syndrome. since then, we have tried to reach out to others in need within the community. as part of that effort, we recently partnered up with the wish upon a wedding organization. the wish upon a wedding organization is a nonprofit wedding wish granting organization. along with local vendors, they provide weddings across the united states for couples facing life-threatening illnesses. please check out their site, donate if you can, and if you know of anyone that is in need of being granted a wedding, forward the information on. thanks.

krista & michael

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 04:24:55 +0000

krista and michael were already a part of the white shutter extended family before they were engaged. i met krista when she was a bridesmaid in stacy & brian’s wedding last year. well, since then, michael asked krista to marry him and of course she said yes!!! i absolutely love being a part of a couple’s journey from the beginning. i met up a few weeks ago at blackhawk springs forest preserve to celebrate their engagement, and although it was extremely hot and sweaty, we all managed to have fun and get some great shots. we can’t wait to photograph their wedding next may. until then, enjoy.