Wednesday, May 30, 2007

nadia lind



I'm so grateful to have such good friends! Nyra, Ben, and their little daughter Nadia met me for a morning shoot at the park. What a perfect morning it was for pictures. Basically I just let Nadia do what she wanted and I snapped away. I just can't get over how cute her curls are, and when she smiles it's pure joy!
It has been a blast watching her grow up. I can't wait to see her as a big sister at the end of the summer! All the best to you both. Thanks again, Em









Sunday, May 20, 2007

pam & ron





Congrats to the newest bride and groom in Door county! Pam and Ron got married in Fish Creek, Saturday the 19Th, and celebrated in Egg Harbor at the Landmark for the reception. Smiles, laughter, and joy welcomed the new couple as they arrived at the reception as husband and wife.
Unfortunately the weather didn't hold up all day ... rain fell and the cold howled in. However, have no fear, with a little luck and an adventurous spirit, you can still get great photo's. As you can see, we still ventured out and got some great outdoor shots even though there was a bit of moisture in the air. Pam was a trooper and it paid off!!!
Even though the weather was nasty, no rain drops could put out this crowd! They danced, ate, and were merry all night long. If every reception could have your families attend there would be never be a frown at any party. What a wonderful group you had with you to celebrate your big day. Meghan and I were so grateful to be a part of your wonderful day. Thank you for including us.
All the best. Have a fabulous honeymoon! Em

























Friday, May 18, 2007

adventure 212 brochure


Once again I was able to work with the fabulous folks at "Adventure 212 fitness" the best place to work out, chill out, and feed your face in Stevens Point!
We spent the day doing shots for their new brochure as well as portraits of the awesome staff for their wall of fame.
I'm so excited for this space to open in August. The owners have a big dream for their business and our community. I am so thrilled to be a part of it and can't wait to be a member. Thanks you for getting our community up to speed with how awesome it feels when you combined a positive attitude, fitness, and healthy food. Our lives will be changed ... I can feel it!
All the best and many blessings to you as the grand opening nears!!!







Sunday, May 13, 2007

wedding planning advice

Attention to anyone planning a wedding! Congratulations to you for being able to celebrate your love for your fiance, your children, or your friend. This is an exciting and joyful time, but can sometimes be stressful especially if you have never planned an event this big. Things that you never thought would be discussed are now giving you sleepless nights! I feel your pain, and have been there myself.
First take a deep breath! It's all going to be okay. After seeing lots of ideas and tons of weddings, I'm going to give you my top 10 idea's or suggestions from my experiences to ensure a smooth and fun filled event.
1. Hire a coordinator.
2. Have the event at one venue.
3. Have the ceremony and reception back to back.
4. Have a back up plan for the kids.
5. No open Mic.
6. Have the music start before the dinner is finished.
7. Put the dance floor and bar as close together as possible.
8. Give your people water at the end of the night.
9. Provide transportation
10. Be creative, Be yourself!

1. Hire a coordinator! I know what you're thinking. That's expensive and ridiculous, my parents got it under control, my Aunt Betty is paying all the vendors the day of the wedding, or I have everything under my belt and am doing it all!
Good one! For less stress for everyone involved, it really does make a difference to have someone not related to the situation in contact with everything and everyone the day of the wedding and not you or your parents. This is your day to shine (or your children's), let someone else do the dirty work.
Coordinators can do a number of different jobs which you designate for them or they can do everything, depending on your budget. They can also coordinate all the other "coordinators" ... be it your mother or mother-in-law, the church lady, and the head dog at the reception site. They can also be great defenders of what you want. For example, your d.j. starts playing songs from your "DO NOT PLAY LIST!" The coordinator confronts the situation, not you! How brilliant is that. They are the bad guy for you!!! Awesome.
If you need suggestions or someone to talk to for ideas, call Lynette at Embrace Event Planning 715.824.6828 www.embraceeventplanning.com She has a number of different packages for any budget.
Your wedding is a celebration. Let your parents, best friend, and yourself enjoy your day as much as possible. It goes by so fast, don't waste any time the day of the wedding dealing with rubbish that someone else could be handling while you are getting your hair done or dancing your first dance!

2. Have your wedding at one venue! What a great way to get everyone in attendance to actually show up at the ceremony. This is sometimes hard to hear, but the truth. Many times with separate venues for ceremony and reception many will only go to the reception where the food, drinks, and fun is at.
I know it's hard to believe that Uncle Bob doesn't want to see you walk down the aisle, but if you don't give them a reason to believe that your ceremony is going to be different than the last 30 they have seen, or have it connected to the time when they think they "really need to be there" they will skip out and wait for the good stuff!
This may not be as easy for traditional brides being that most churches aren't able to host a rockin' reception. My suggestion for that is in number 3!

3. Have ceremony and reception back to back! Now sometimes this isn't possible to due church restrictions for designated times that they "think" a wedding needs to take place. If your church only allows weddings at noon on Saturday because they have a 4pm service the same day, here is one suggestion. Try asking them nicely if they can step out of the box a little and have a candle light service after their 4pm Saturday service. Have your ceremony at 6pm and cocktails starting at 7pm at the reception. This takes a huge load off your guest having to dedicate 10 hours to ties and high heels. If you want your day to be a lot longer, plan a getting ready time with the girls with brunch and mimosa's, or an early round of golf for the guys. You can have events planned all day, if need be, that don't have to involve all 300 guests.

4. Have a back up plan for the Kids!!! Many brides have a mini-bridesmaid or flower girl who is just the cutest thing in the whole world be a part of the wedding. She is sweet, well mannered, and the best child you have ever encountered! No one, especially her parents, expected the freak out that happened as she started heading down the aisle at the church!
For the children in the wedding and their parents (your siblings or your best friend) have a back up plan for them if they loose it. Hire a professional babysitting service or the teenager from down the street for the evening to be on call just in case the little ones need a big time out. This allows for the kids to be taken care of (or asleep) but doesn't require the parents to have to ditch out on your big day. What a nice surprise when you can tell your brother he doesn't have to leave with the kids but "Kelly the sitter and CPR certified professional" will take the kids until you are done at the party! BRILLIANT!

5. Open mic night is Wednesdays at the coffe house, not at your wedding! WARNING! I have not once seen an open mic at the reception turn out well! (especially if you are serving alcohol with dinner.)
It sounds like a great idea ... "Let anyone who wants to say something nice about us get up and talk!" In the movies it always turns out lovely and endearing. Let's just say this gives the last person you would expect the idea that it is okay to get on their soap box and discuss anything they want. I have heard it all! From Maxie pads and puberty, to political views about 9/11! My point, if you want someone to toast your new marriage, let them know ahead of time so they can prepare and have your coordinator on hand to tell Uncle Bob that now isn't the right time to get on the microphone!!!

6. Have the music start before dinner is finished. If you are having a band or d.j., please have them start while the dinner portion of the night is finishing up. I have seen this many times. The dinner ends at 7:30 but the band isn't supposed to start until 8pm. Some people mill around a bit and other see this as the perfect time to take off.
Unfortunately people leave if their isn't something keeping them involved. Keep the action happening and people will stay all night!

7. Put the bar and dance floor as close together as possible! Now this may just be a midwest thing, but if you put the bar in a different room and the expensive band you hired in another, everyone will be standing by the bar and no one will pay attention to the band. If you put the action and the alcohol in the same place the two feed off each other and magic happens. It makes me feel ill when I see the expensive band playing away and everyone is in the other room with the bar. It's shocking I know, but it's true especially here in the midwest!

8. At the end of the night ... have water available! With about an hour left have your coordinator bring out the bottled water that you bought at Sam's Club this winter that was on sale. Have it at the bar and also at the exits. Not only is it a nice to have for the walk or ride home, but may actually stop someone from ordering another expensive drink.

9. Provide transportation! What a better way to say thank you for helping us celebrate then getting everyone back to the hotel safe. Let's face it, we want everyone to have a great time, we offer them free drinks all night, and then send them off on their own and hope they get there without a D.U.I. or find themselves in a ditch.
DUH, not smart!!! For the extra money and peace of mind, give the gift of a safe ride home.

10. If you have an idea for something different, DO IT! Whether it's a different song or reading during the ceremony or having the reception on the top of the tallest building in your town ... do it. Make this your wedding, not the one you went to last month. Spice up your party. Trust your gut. If you always wanted Mexican food at your wedding, get it. If you hate wearing white, wear a red dress. If you want Hawaii but can't afford to get everyone there, bring a Luau party to your reception. Make it special, make it yours, and trust yourself.

If you need any advice about an idea or are not sure about something you think could be great, please don't hesitate to ask. All the best to you and cheers to your future planning!!! Em

ivitations

Invitation design is here!
Have M photo integrate your favorite picture or pictures from your engagement session into your invitations for your wedding.
Here is just one example of what we can offer.
This is the front cover of a 4 page layout:



This is the inside, pages 2 & 3 (folded down the middle):



And this is the back page with guest information:



This is the reply postcard that guest mail back to you:
One side

And the other side

Friday, May 4, 2007

luke horton



Mr. Luke Horton has once again impressed the heck out of me. He has grown so much since our last photo shoot that I thought his mom did a kid swap! He has changed so much that I asked Wendy if he was 9 months old? Oops, turns out he was born 3 months ago. Let's just say the time flies, and now that it is spring I think everything over winter was a year ago!!!
Luke has no more wrinkles of loose skin like before, but puff cheeks and amazing blue eyes. Eyes like that can't be normal. I wouldn't be surprised if he has super powers in Them! Watch out Wen and Tim, you have a lady killer on your hands. It was great seeing you again and thank you for letting me document the growth of Luke's precious little/bigger body! Love you, Em









nicole & chris



I was able to join Nicole and Chris on Monday for a fun engagement session in Uptown Minneapolis. Thankfully the rain held off long enough to get some great shots using some of the "funkiness" of the area. I just loved using the random colored brick walls or the fun lighting outside of filio restaurant. What a blast being at home again and shooting in my favorite area. There are so many different backgrounds to use in an urban area that you just don't find at the park! Thanks for trusting me to move the shoot on Hennipen and Lake. I'm super pumped with the way your shots turned out. All the best to you both. Enjoy the cities!!! Em




Thursday, May 3, 2007

ryan schutter


Sports fanatic Ryan Schutter was joy to work with last Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful end to a great weekend. At only 2 years of age, Ryan can throw and hit a baseball better than some adults I know. If his interest stays in sports I have a feeling he is going to do very well! The only thing I regret is that I didn't get his autograph! Next time I see him I bet he will already be on the PGA circuit or NFL draft. It was a pleasure meeting you Ryan. Keep up the good work! Em