Fractured Thoughts. ~ Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

Note: Post contains affiliate links to things I like. 

Currently Spinning: I have joined the rest of the US and fallen under the temporary spell of the Greatest Showman soundtrack. I don't care if it was feel-good cheeseball-ness. I loved it. Betty loved it too. We also snagged tickets to An Evening with Ghost at the Riverside and I cannot WAIT. If it's one thing I think Ghost is going to excel at, it's a killer live show. If you haven't been one to partake in Ghost yet, I have to highly recommend checking out their album Meliora. 

Currently Reading: Oh man, do I have trouble on my hands. I way overestimated the time I would have to simply READ....and, well...not really. So, I have about 5 books just WAITING to be finished. I've started all of them....but I'm experiencing a bit of book attention deficit right now. So, right now I'm sort of reading:
-Meet the Frugalwoods by Elizabeth Willard Thames. LOVE her blog so I'm really looking forward to getting time to finish that one.
-Evicted by Matthew Desmond, which I'm about halfway through. Fascinating for many reasons, but one being it's set in Milwaukee, a town I know and love.
-Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. Kind of got bored with this one quickly, but I plan on powering through.
-Willpower Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy. I have a friend in the industry send me this one to read, haven't had a chance to start it yet.
-Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. HILARIOUS. She writes like I want to write. 

Currently Watching: Loving Divided States on A&E lately and Hate Your Neighbor on Vice. Vice drives me nuts usually, but I like that show. I kind of checked out of what has been going on socially in this country for some time and I'm feeling the need to really check back in.
  Just watched Lady Bird, which was watchable but not as AMAZING as some critics made it out to be. It felt a little "try-hard" to me. Saw Wonder, which was really cute and I cried through the whole thing with all my mom feels. 

- House is.....coming along. I think I've mentioned the level of impatience I have on a regular basis. About pretty much everything. So, I'm finding house building to be rather triggering. :) But, we got drywall this week....which hopefully means we'll be moving in SOMETIME in ....I dunno...May? Good God......

- I've been concentrating HARD on creating content for The Pudgy Gazelle, my personal finance blog. I know, maybe I'm trying too hard to make "fetch" happen here, but I really believe in the usefulness of this information to help folks.....so, if you have any interest at all in personal finance, I invite you to hop on over! 

- Got summoned for Federal Jury Duty. Had to show up. They asked me what TV shows I watch. Apparently "Investigation Discovery Murder Shows" is a one-way-ticket to dismissalville.

- It would feel shallow of me to not address the school shooting on February 14th. Today high schools across the country staged a walk out to incite action on gun control. I am behind them 110%. It's been far too long without any real change happening.....and 7000 young lives lost to school violence. Enough is enough. I'm hoping to make it to the March for Our Lives in Milwaukee this month, if schedule allows. 

- So, anyone trying the new social media app Vero. I signed up.....read a little about their developers/owners. They sounded douchey. I signed off.

- My Betty went to her first Comic Con this month. They grow up so fast, little nerds. I'm so proud.

- Yes I watched the Oscars. Yes I still love them. No, I don't think the "lady bones a fish man" movie should have won, but what can you do? 

- During said Oscars I tweeted something related to Lin-Manuel Miranda. And HIS MOTHER LIKED MY TWEET. I then died.

- Realized my hair is a HOT. STINKIN.MESS that I haven't fully "cut" since I had Bridget. It's grown past my shoulders in what I hoped would be a bid for long, luxurious locks. It was not to be. I am forever the girl of the stringy tresses. So, I'll be chopping it off at the end of March. 

- RIP to Stephen Hawking. That wasn't one I was expecting, really. He always seemed like one of those "celebrities" that would just always be around. Kind of like the Queen of England or Cher.

- On the business front, I am running my SPRING MINI SESSIONS for April, so make sure you jump on those. Also, my SPRING FORWARD DOUBLE UP SALE is currently running until this Sunday, and you DEFINITELY don't want to miss that. The savings are HUGE! 

- I'm also looking to fill some fall dates for 2018 weddings and 2019 weddings are booking as well. 

- Seniors (Class of 2019), NOW is the time to secure your dates. Heck, take advantage of the Double Up Sale, get your dates on the books, and relieve all stress! 

5 New Rules for Weddings ~ Midwest Wedding Photography

in

I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong. That's getting married. A wedding is an entirely different proposition.
- George Banks - Father of the Bride

 The other day I was talking to a Type A bride about my own wedding. How, when I got married in 2006, "Asian decor" was really in style. And God-forbid we NOT be at the height of fashion, right? HA! So, our wedding looked like Happy Hour at China Buffet, if I'm being honest.

And neither of us are Asian. 

The complete joke of a pasty Irish gal and a German dude marrying surrounded by take-out boxes, Lucky Cats, and a bridesmaid donning a Cheongsam was lost on us then. Looking back now? It's a little embarrassing. We full on appropriated an entire culture because The Knot told us it was cool.

2018-03-05_0003.jpg

Lesson learned? Sometimes places like The Knot and their ilk are full of bull-dookie. Their job is to SELL. SELL the idea of a hip, stylish wedding. The more they sell the idea, the more money they make. 

But, weddings are an affair steeped in tradition. In cultural significance. And these days, your wedding can be ANYTHING.......

So here's FIVE NEW RULES for your wedding. 


1. SEE Each Other Before the Wedding

I'm a big fan of what's become known as a the "First Look". This means seeing one another before the "big walking down the aisle" moment. Reasons why a first look are so great are many: You just got ready and you are looking the best you are going to look all day. You have a chance to share a quiet, special, just the two of you moment together away from prying eyes (except, you know, me....but I'm a ninja). If you're a crier, you can get that out of the way and still have time to fix your makeup. You can share letters you wrote or just a quick hug and good-luck. Everyone I've spoken to who has had a first look has really enjoyed it and not regretted the moment.

2018-03-05_0007.jpg

2. Don't Be Afraid to Eliminate Things
Here's the deal: Wedding are freakin' expensive. We all know this. I wrestle with being a frugal lady and being in the wedding industry on a daily basis. Because I know when it came to my own "big day", we cheaped out on a LOT of things that all the bridal magazines will warn you are MUST HAVES. 
I also run the risk of alienating fellow vendors if I say their wares are not necessary. So, I'll just say this: Only you can say what is a "must-have" for your wedding. Don't let trend or other's opinions persuade you to drop major ducats on something you don't see value it.
We skipped out on flowers all together. For one, I'm allergic to most flowers. Two, I couldn't keep them around. I guess you could argue I could press some in my wedding album or something equally crafty. But, that ain't me. I carried a parasol down the aisle. 
We also skipped out on cake. I had a strawberry shortcake trifle made instead and it was all kinds of awesome. 
My point is, you don't HAVE to have anything you don't want to have. You get this one day. If you don't want to drop money on something, you don't have to. 
(Side note: I wouldn't RECOMMEND cheaping out or eliminating photography, but duh.....that's a given.....) 

2018-03-05_0005.jpg

3. Think Outside the Fashion Box
When my Grams got hitched back in the 1940s, she wore a suit and a corsage. The war was going on, she didn't want a big white, frilly dress, and she looked smashing. 
You do not HAVE to go the "big white dress" route. Your partner doesn't have to wear a rented tux. There are SO SO SO many options out there these days that you can pretty much do anything you want. 
If I could go back in time, I would totally wear a black wedding dress. I wear ALL black all the time. It's me. People know I only wear black. A white dress really made no sense for me other than that's what color I figured wedding dresses were. I mean, what would people SAY about a black dress!? 

Who cares. Wear the damn black dress. Show off your arm sleeve tattoo or rock shorts and flip flops. Be comfortable!

Take Nicole's black and white beaded gown below. I have to tell you, I got MORE complimentary comments on her dress than any I've ever photographed a bride in. It stood out and she looked rad. 

2018-03-05_0004.jpg

4. Why So Serious?
People take weddings SO seriously. And they are super serious, I get it. You are hitching yourself to another person for life. 
But, like George Banks said, that's MARRIAGE. And it should be totally taken seriously. That's not A WEDDING.
A wedding is a party. A wedding is a series of events celebrating your decision to marry. In order to MARRY, all you really need is a few hundred bucks and a JOP. 
So new rule? RELAX. Go into your wedding day ready to let the good times roll and let the bad things roll off your back. Because, I guarantee you this, something WILL go wrong. It may be something really small....but if you make a mountain out of a tiny molehill, you only have yourself to blame. 
Approach your wedding like the party it is.
Approach your MARRIAGE with seriousness and reverence it deserves.
Learn the difference.

2018-03-05_0001.jpg

5. The Most Important Rule:  Break All the Rules 
Well...maybe not ALL of the rules....but some rules, especially completely ridiculous rules created by the wedding industry, are just made to be broken. (Maybe follow the rules that keep you out of jail. At least on your wedding day.) 

I am all for clients that are willing to be risk takers, the dreamers, the merry-makers, and the creative types. I'm all about a dog with a bowtie. I am all about photographing a wedding in your backyard with only your best friends to witness it and a barrel of beers to celebrate. 

2018-03-05_0002.jpg


This year? This season? I'm about seeking out my tribe of lovable weirdos. Is that you? Then let's chat! 

I still have a few openings for 2018 and 2019 is booking now as well. I can't wait to hear about YOUR "new rules" for wedding splendor! 

 

A Different Kind of Spring Portrait ~ Wisconsin Family Portrait Photographer

My kid has become a reluctant model for my portrait whims. Where once she would wear any ridiculous vintage dress I could find on Etsy....now I must bribe her with promises of makeup wearing and listening to Imagine Dragons on the way to the studio.

Ahhh...pre-teens.

But, I wanted to showcase a different take on the average Spring Portrait. These are more editorial based, fine-art portraits that can definitely be done for your youngins'. With or without bribery.