.merry Christmas.

Merry Merry Christmas.  I hope this finds you enjoying your holiday with loved ones and celebrating.  Thank you to all my lovely and amazing clients, family and friends for your continued support and love. What a great year it has been.  We had Bailey our Lhasapoo puppy join us in April.  She continues to bring joy into our day and hearts.  

Cheers to many more celebrations and love in 2012.  

And last years card to catch you up on our family trend!!!

hair candy product, handmade hair accessories, fabric ideas

I just found out about this awesome product hand made by Anne Erickson called "Hair Candy."  Anne makes each piece special and then sends them in the mail.  Super easy and super cute!

The pieces pictured here are made by her from fabric left over from my wedding dress.  I had extra from alterations (I'm short!) and didn't know what to do with the extra.  I sent the fabric to her and this is what she created for me.  I am in love with my new hair pieces and thought I would share.  What a perfect way to reuse any fabric that is special to you.  What about a bridesmaids or wedding dress, a piece of grandmas favorite shirt, or grandpa's hanky.  There are some many different things you could do.

Please check out Hair Candy or call Anne to come up with your very own hair treat!  www.etsy.com/shop/scherffa  651.724.7002

Thanks Anne, I love my new Hair Candy!

get your nails done!!!! "Shelack" in Stevens Point

Ever get your nails done and not 2 seconds after leaving the salon you nick or chip the paint?  I have a solution for you.  It's called "Shellac" and you can actually get it done in Stevens Point, WI with Sara at The Difference.  715.252.8071

Shellac is so awesome and it is now the only way I want a manicure.  For the same price of a regular manicure you can have perfect, hard nail polish, that lasts for up to two weeks, immediately after leaving the salon.  The Shellac isn't a gel or acrylic nail.  It is a polish that is painted on and dries before you leave the salon.  And I mean dries!  None of this waiting for an hour and still chipping a nail when you get in the car!

Please note, I am not a hand model.  I was however a bride and when I had a manicure the day before the wedding I was hoping my nails would look awesome for our pictures.  But once again, they chipped even before I made it to the rehearsal dinner.  Ugghh!  Now you can prevent that hassle with Shellac.  Get your nails done 4 days before the big day and still have beautiful nails the day of the wedding.  

Call Sara at The Difference 715.252.8071 and try it out.  You wont be disappointed.  

Ps.  She has all different colors, not just French tips.  

will & em in print! Wisconsin Bride Magazine

Check us out.  My lovely husband accompanied me to the annual Wisconsin Bride Magazine's Best of 2010 awards evening in Madison, WI last spring.  During the evening we had fun enjoying the lovely food, meeting new friends, and jumping in the photo booth to be silly.  To our surprise WI Bride put our photo booth picture in the magazine now on shelves!  Check us out in #3!  Thanks WI Bride!

miss kendyl

Meet my newest rock star in training, Miss Kendyl.  It took a little time to warming up, but once we got started the smiles didn't stop.  Mom had the best idea and bought a cake to celebrate the big first year's photo shoot.  And all I can say is WOW, did it turn out well.  I now know how I am going to spend my next birthday.  Can you say fun?  I had the best time, and obviously Kendyl did as well.  At first she was very proper with her cake tasting, and only took small samples.  Five minutes later cake and frosting were flying.  I wonder what it is like to have cake inbetween your toes?  Thanks for the great Friday afternoon Kendyl.  Happy Birthday!  Em

something to think about ...

Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

45 minutes:
The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace.
He collected $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments .....


How many other things are we missing?

stylish events

I would like to invite all you bridal blogger fans to check out Stylish Events blog which is a great site that promotes all things wedding.



April recently posted a blog about M photography from the wedding of Rebecca and Scott earlier this summer. Check out their post and see what Stylish Events has going on! Thanks again April ... you rock!

pawty in the park

I recently volunteered my time at Pawty at the Park to support the Portage County Humane Society and met some beautiful new friends.
Pawty in the Park is an expanded version of the Humane Society's annual Walk for the Animals. In addition to a 1.5 mile walk along the Wisconsin River banks, the event included a pet fashion show and costume contest, a microchip clinic, a doggie bakery and agility demonstrations. Families also enjoyed food, beverages and entertainment by Zman DJ. Best of all, the proceeds went to the Humane Society.
It was awesome to see all the dogs hanging out and getting along. Don't forget to check out the Humane Society in your area if you are interested in getting a pet.
Thanks for the great time. Woof!

I'm Back!!!

Wow, it's been a while.
As one of my weekly bloggers told me last week, "I am sick of saying good morning to Mr. Eagle!" Thanks for the kick in the butt! I have neglected the blog these last few months as I crawled into organizing the office and studio phase of winter. Things are looking good on the inside, so now I jump into Summer Phase!!!
I'm so excited for the new season that is ahead. I have spent the last 2 months getting office things done to make the next season run even smoother and now it it time to start shooting again. I have some great location shoot coming up this year with some awesome clients! I get to go to Dominican Republic, New York City, Door County, Minocqua, Duluth, Minneapolis, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Dells, Alaska and don't forget Stevens Point. All for work! I have such a cool job. A big 2009 and I can't wait for it to get started.
I have also had some time to do some fun stuff the last few week in between the organizing and office work. To prove that I am not all work and no play below are some pictures of me actually getting out and about!

1. The Killers Concert
I was able to attend the Killers concert at The Rave in Milwaukee, WI with some friends. What a blast we had. I just love live music. The beats thumping through you just makes me feel alive!
To top off the night, I caught the drum stick after the drum solo! I felt like a total rock star even though I didn't have anything to do with any music making!!!! Below are some shots taken on my phone!

2. Joe's birthday party in Chicago and Arlington Heights!

My husband and I were lucky enough to sneak away for the weekend to attend our friends 30th birthday party in Chicago. I just love seeing all our friends and hanging out, but the best part was the theme birthday party. We all got our foofy hats out and went to the Arlington Park race track for the birthday party. Y'all know how I love a good theme party!!! I highly recommend a day out there. It was great fun.

3. Turkey hunting

Last but certainly not lease, I went turkey hunting with my Dad and husband in Southwest Wisconsin. We had beautiful weather and another fabulous time. I know girls, seems odd or maybe not your thing ... but it was great hanging outside in the fresh air and great for some bonding time with my favorite men.

Dad and I were sitting in a blind (hiding tent so the turkeys don't see you) and two Jakes (youth turkeys) came out of the brush together. Dad looked at me and said, "Well, shoot it!" On the count of three we both shot and bagged our birds! One of the birds had two beards. Very unique!

This isn't anything I ever envisioned myself doing, or really something I would do on my own ... but it was great being a part of something that Dad and Will totally love. Thanks guys for showing me the ropes and for being patient with my "ants in the pants" while waiting for the birds!!! Love you.

See girls, you can be a girly girl, rock star, and hunter all in the same blog post!!!

Thanks for checkin' in. There will be more updates soon, as shoots are quickly approaching!

Happy day,

Em

SURPRISE MAMA!!!!

Right before new years my sister and her husband Ryan came home for a visit. The catch you ask .... Mom was the only one in the family that didn't know about the surprise. So when Megan and Ryan pulled in we told mom that she had to put a blind fold on because we had another gift for her that just came in the mail but we needed to set it up. So we put the blind fold on, had Dad play along, and then we brought them down to stand in front of her. She had no idea what was going on, and as you can see, she was super surprised!!!
Thanks Meg and Ryan for the visit. It was so good to see you. Love you, Em

merry merry

Merry Christmas!
We are up in Cable, Wisconsin for the holiday with my parents and my husband. It is a winter wonderland up here as you can tell from the picture. I was shocked as we drove closer. It was so beautiful. I forced Will to stop the car on our way in so I could take this picture. It truly looks like Narnia.
I hope this finds everyone happy, healthy, and enjoying each other. All the best to you. I will post more soon for I have an awesome wedding shoot on New Years Eve.
All the best to you, Em

up north!

Will and I have had the best time this last week up in northern Wisconsin at my parents house for deer hunting opener and hanging out! I spent some time catching up on some work stuff, hanging out with mom, drinking some wine, catching up on sleep, laughing, watching mom cook, eating the amazing food, chilling with family that came to visit, and walking around in the woods with the men.
Below are some outdoor surprises I found while helping Will put up his tree stands.







And my hunter! Can you see him?



Here is the new beaver dam we found on the property. Wow, have they been busy beavers! The pond to the left used to be a small stream.



Beaver food!



And here are Lucy and Cleo my parents lovely dogs. Mom and daughter team that rule the Reichert house. The "girls" as Dad calls them continue to make us laugh. They have such personalities, how can you not love them?



And going outside you must wear your orange! Just kidding, we don't make them wear hats ... we were just fooling around.





After a busy day of entertaining me, it was time for a nap!



Here is one of the clearest nights we saw. This is a great example of why I love my D3 camera. This picture below was taken outside at sunset with no tripod! Amazing. I continue to be in awe of what this camera can do! Thank you Nikon!!!



Thank you Mom and Dad for hosting us for the week. We had such a great time.
We love you!