Fall in Des Moines is one of my favorite things. Photographing Chris & Brylie engagement session made it even better. Surrounded by the fall colors and golden sun walking around Grey’s Lake learning more about their relationship and wedding day was so much fun. These two are a ray of sunshine together. Scroll through below to see for yourselves ☀️ I can't wait to capture their wedding day as they embark on their journey of forever together at the West Des Moines Marriot this next weekend ..read more

I photographed Laura’s older sister wedding at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden and was so excited when Laura reached out to me for her own wedding day at Toast Ankeny! All of Derek and Laura’s major relationship milestones happen in the winter and in the city, so it made sense they take their engagement photos in the winter in the city as well. They also brought their mini Bernedoodle Norman for a few pictures which I loved! If you have pets, engagement sessions are a great time to get family photos ? Their engagement session is a great example that you can have vibrant photos even i ..read more

During covid none of my weddings cancelled. Instead each downsized and followed regulations. Those weddings were some of my all time favorites for many reasons. The intimacy, thoughtfulness, and time couples were able to enjoy stood out to me. After covid, my wedding sizes went back to 200-300 with large wedding parties. I’m all about a good party, but for me personally something changed. I realized photographing large weddings no longer sparked the same joy it used to. That being said I’ve decided to focus on the more intimate days, so I can serve my couples with maximum passion. Below is a l ..read more

1. Do I feel comfortable in my outfits? There is nothing worse than tugging/adjusting your outfit every few minutes. When you feel comfortable you will be naturally more relaxed and get professional photos that feel like you. Just to be clear, comfortable doesn’t mean you can’t dress up. If you feel super comfortable in a form fitted dress - rock it! 2. Am I picking out my outfit to please someone else or because I love the outfit? Trends are fun and who doesn’t love being complimented on your outfit? But if you are so focused on pleasing others you most likely will look back on the photos an ..read more

2022 was a great year. I had the opportunity to shoot at many beautiful and personal venues: Noce DSM, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, the pond at West Des Moines Lutheran Church of Hope, The Loft DSM, The Hive at Busy Bee, St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church, The District in Ankeny, Valley Church in West Des Moines, and my last 4 travel weddings outside of the Des Moines metro. Some of my favorite photos are heartfelt, some silly and some just transport me back to the couples wedding day so perfectly. Enough talking, time to show off the photos ..read more

2022 was a great year. I had the opportunity to shoot at many beautiful and personal venues: Noce DSM, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, the pond at West Des Moines Lutheran Church of Hope, The Loft DSM, The Hive at Busy Bee, St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church, The District in Ankeny, Valley Church in West Des Moines, and my last 4 travel weddings outside of the Des Moines metro. Some of my favorite photos are heartfelt, some silly and some just transport me back to the couples wedding day so perfectly. Enough talking, time to show off the photos ..read more

My first wedding of 2022. There is always something extra special about my first wedding of a year. All rested up and creative juices ready to flow I was pumped for Aaron and Baylie’s wedding day to say the least ? Both were all smiles from start during getting ready downtown at the Des Moines Marriott to finishing up on the dance floor at Noce DSM. They did all the prep work before and truly were able to relax and have a blast during their day. I can say with confidence that they fully took in and enjoyed every moment on their wedding day, which I loved seeing and want for all my couples! The ..read more

Sometimes I get extra blessed with couples were we immediate click and feel like life long friends. The kind of couple who we just get each other and the more we learn about each other the more we ask “Did we just become best friends?”. Ida and Jacob were that couple for me this year. Ida and Jacob ooze soulmates in the best way possible. While hanging out during their engagement session it was clear to me they are made for each other. The way the look at each other, talk about and with one another. It’s as good as it gets. They requested nature only, so naturally we went to Water Works Park ..read more

As a photographer who loves the city and nature, when couples come to me and want to incorporate both into their engagement session my heart sings. Alexa play "The best of both worlds" by Hannah Montana. One thing I especially love about the city of Des Moines is that downtown there is a great mix of architecture and nature together. Walking around downtown Des Moines learning about Emily and Mark’s relationship was a blast. Ending it at Waterworks Park by the water was the cherry on top. Can you believe these two locations are only 10 minutes away from each other? Just one of the many perks ..read more

Time is the number one underestimated thing on wedding days. There is never enough time. The day will fly by and it’s common for things to take longer than expected - hair, makeup, corralling family members for family photos, traveling from one venue to a next, the receiving line, etc. Below are common issues I see on wedding days that in hind sight could have easily been avoided if thought out fully before hand. Disclaimer: every wedding has something that doesn’t seem to go as planned. We are all human and things happen. BUT with simple planning and thinking through some of the not so fun m ..read more