Vintage wedding...

Every little detail for Nick & Erin's wedding was picture perfect!  And while, I did capture those details what stood out to me the most on their wedding day was that the focus was right where it should have been- on the happy couple and the life that they are embarking on.  They were surrounded by loving, supportive family and friends who wanted nothing more than for their day to be as perfectly special as the couple themselves.  The day was about their love for one another, and how that love is going to carry them through the rest of their days.  That is the detail that I love most about weddings and theirs just glowed with it from start to finish.

Most of the formal portraits were done before the ceremony at Nick's parent's farm house.  Everyone looked amazing!

The setting was positively gorgeous with the deep, rich tones of the rolling hills around the farm.

Congratulations!  Thank you for letting me share in the day with you.  I can't wait to show you the rest of your images and the FUN photo booth from the reception.

Love is in the air...

I am so happy that Winter is finally at rest and Spring has taken over!  That means that I get to be working outside so much more and that Engagement, Wedding and Senior season has begun!  

{Hooray!} 

What better way to kick it all off than with this adorably sweet couple?!  Erin & Nick will be getting married in the fall.  They love the outdoors and camping so it was very fitting that I met them at a campsite on one of their camping weekends for their engagement session.  They even renovated this fun retro camper for their little weekend excursions:

We really could not have wished for better weather than we were blessed with either... although it would have been nice if sunset had lasted just wee bit longer so we had more of this yummy light.  

I am SO very excited for your wedding in the fall and I cannot wait to meet with you next week to show more of your images- you two are just WAY too cute!

A beautiful day for a beautiful wedding...

We have not had a very springy spring so far this year.  And I'm not gonna lie, I've been feeling a bit disgruntled about it.  However, Mother Nature did redeem herself a bit on Saturday by granting sunshine and somewhat warmer temperatures for Megan & Bruce's wedding.  I couldn't have been happier that we were able to stick to the plan by heading down town in Vinton for some of the wedding party portraits.

The flower girl was just the sweetest!

The ceremony tugged at the heart strings and the celebration afterward was shared with loving family and wonderful friends.

Shot Gun Wedding...

Literally, Elise & Kyle brought shot guns for their wedding portraits!  I get to meet a lot of incredible people when I work weddings- these love birds were certainly not an exception!  They were so fun, so happy, and the couple so ready to take this step.  There was no stress or jitters that I could see, just so much joy and adoration.

See?  Fun!

Not only do I get to see the love between two people, but also in all the people they surround themselves with.  Elise and Kyle are very blessed with family and friends who whole heartedly came to celebrate their union with them.

Well, except maybe the kissing parts...

Congratulations!  I really enjoyed spending the day with you and your wonderful families!

Wedding in the country...

It is always a pleasure and an honor to share in a wedding day.  To say that spending the afternoon with Breann, Chris and their families was a pleasure just doesn't even begin to describe the experience for me!  They were all just so amazing, so happy and so fun!  There were lots of laughs and sincere tender moments.  So here they are:

Chris & Breann

Together with their families:

United in love:

Congratulations!

Love, Sweet Love...

Each wedding is as unique as the couples who plan them.  Having two weddings this past weekend, I realized that my approach to each wedding is a little different as well.  I always go in with a plan, I would be lost without my clip board of notes, names and shot lists!  But this particular wedding felt a little more spontaneous or organic when it came to making the portraits.  Don't get me wrong, the list was still there, somewhere on the sidelines if we needed it but there was just a natural flow that felt amazing.  The hardest part of the day was making sure the bride and groom didn't see each other before the big moment.

I know the groom's family pretty well, having taken his senior pictures, and family and engagement portraits last fall (and his dad has spent the better part of May working on my kitchen remodel as our couldn't-do-without contractor!)  They are full of personality and lots and lots of laughter and love!  I think that knowing them the way that I do, really made this day all the more enjoyable for me and I am so honored that they allowed me to be the one to document their day!

The groom and his brothers and sister...

Congratulations Kheyton & Michael!

Dubuque Wedding

It seems like I've been talking with this bride about her wedding forever, I can't believe it is over and I'm sitting here retouching images!  We went over every detail to be sure that all of it would be captured in their album- and each and every one was absolutely PERFECT!

The ceremony and reception were held at the Grand River Center in Dubuque IA.  The river front was captivating and the perfect setting for their portraits.  We did get some rain, which altered our plans slightly but it certainly didn't detract from the beauty of the day, which was almost as stunning as the bride...

One of my favorite parts of a wedding day is when the bride and groom see each other for the first time.  This couple wanted to focus on the portraits before the ceremony so they had their first glimpse outside the reception hall before their guests started to arrive.

I am just so completely in love with all the images that it took me all day to decide which ones to share!  I can't wait to reveal the rest of the images to the couple in a few weeks.

Engagement and Family...

I have known this couple since I first photographed their oldest when he was 6 months old (he is now 4).  It has been such a pleasure to get to know them over the years and to watch their family grow!  Now I get to be with them when they tie the knot next month and I cannot wait to share that special moment with them.  Here is a little sneak peek at their engagement/ family session.  I don't want to show too much because they will be using many of these images at the reception but I just had such a hard time picking only a FEW.

St Patty's day wedding...

I had the great privilege of spending the morning with this lovely couple and the bride's kids on St Patrick's day!  The wore their green, they are so in love and they have a LOT of fun!  There were tons of giggles, lots of little nuzzles and kisses were certainly not in short supply.  Here is a little peek at their special day:

My Cousin Got Married!

I was so excited to hear that she was engaged and that they wanted ME to be their photographer.  They actually got married in November in a private ceremony on a mountain side in Utah and still wanted to celebrate with friends and family here at home with a reception at the Hotel Vetro in Iowa City.  It was simple and simply beautiful, and so was the bride!

The groom is a bit camera shy so we just did a few with the couple and then their families for the formals.  The rest of the night I got to play, taking lots of candids and detail shots.  The hotel staff did such a wonderful job with the ball room!  The centerpieces were stately and elegant and really captured the mood of the night with bright green and creamy color combos.  The set up was meant for mingling with some cocktail tables and lots of food stations with different themes.  The one that I gave the most attention to was the dessert table.  While the kids were thrilled to have a room set up just for them with games, activities and movies.

My favorite moment of the night was the father daughter dance.  It always gets me at every reception I'm at but this one in particular was so, so special to me.  Watching their interactions reminded me so much of how my daddy and I are together and made me wish our trip to see him weren't so far out on the calendar.  I just love how much fun they seemed to be having together!

Congratulations!  I really couldn't be happier for the two of you!

Group Photo Contest 2011...

These are some groups that I found memorable in 2011.  You can still have your favorite JP moments added simply by contacting me with the one you want to add.  Since some of these have more than one family involved, the prize will go to the person that scheduled the session/ event.  Just leave a comment at the bottom with the # you are voting for.  The same images will be in an album on Facebook so feel free to go there (www.facebook.com/junglingphotoblog) and tag your self and/or share the link on your own page so all your friends and family know where to vote.  I do appreciate new "likes", comment and followers on my Facebook page but it is not required for your vote to count.  Voting is open until Jan 31st at 8pm and the winner will be announced right here so be sure to stop back.


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Couples 2011 Photo Contest

Leave a comment on this blog with the # of the image you are voting for.  Feel free to tag yourself in the album that is on Facebook and share a link to this page so your friends know how to vote for you too.  I do appreciate new 'likes', comments and followers on Facebook but they are not required to voice your opinion.  Voting continues until Jan 31st at 8pm and the winner will be announced right here.  Good luck!

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