They talked on the phone every day for the next month before she returned to Kansas for their first date. She wasn’t sure how things would go, but they were really comfortable around each other and felt like they had known each other forever. The next weekend, he took the trip to visit her home at the lake where he met her entire family all at once. He was really good with her 5 year old niece, Jaden, and Sarah’s parents loved him. She said that her parents are REALLY picky and knew that if they liked him he was a good guy. After their second weekend together and him meeting her family, she knew that she could see herself marrying him. Ever since, they have driven those 3 hours almost every week to see each other and talk on the phone every night. She said that her poor car definitely knows how much she loves Peter.

They spend much of their time at the lake together and visiting wineries in the area. We started their session at a private yacht club followed by a visit to the 7 Springs Winery. I look forward to photographing their September wedding up at the Lake. Hope you enjoy the sweet photos from their engagement session. I just couldn’t get enough of that beautiful morning light on the sailboat.

After the wedding, they became friends on Facebook and wrote back and forth. Thus began the flurry of e-mails, phone dates, and skype. Lindsey appreciated that John was very direct and didn’t beat around the bush.  On a Sunday in December, John drove 600 miles from his home in Wisconsin for a surprise visit, and they had their first official lunch date at Cheddar’s. (Hence, one of the locations for their engagement session.)  Lindsey respects John for so many reasons… how he loves God and has a heart to learn God’s Word and apply it to his life, he treats her with gentleness and respect and is very much a gentleman, a man of thought and action, keeps his word, and puts God first. John waited to share his first kiss with only Lindsey.

On the day that John proposed, he took her out to lunch and gave her wildflowers and nose rings. They went to a marriage retreat in Branson, and he proposed afterwards under the starry sky singing “Keeper of the Stars”… “it was no accident, me finding you, someone had a hand in it…” Little did he know that in 2006, Lindsey had gotten her nose pierced and prayed that her future husband would give her a nose ring. She loves the story in the Bible of Isaac and Rebekah and wanted God to pick out her mate the way that Isaac’s wife was hand selected for him. So, she prayed a “silly prayer” for a “sign” that the one that God wanted her to marry would give her a nose ring. She already knew that John was the one she wanted to marry, but it was amazing for her to see how much God cares about our little prayers.

I love their story and hope you enjoy their sweet engagement photos. Their little pug, Bella, even joined us for some photos!

I wish you all the best, John + Lindsey!

I wish you all the best, Dane + Chelsea!
I can’t wait until your Nashville wedding in July!

• Looking back on your wedding day, what was the best decision you made?

1. To say “I do.”

2.  Buying my dress at Norman’s Bridal. It was seriously the easiest part of the wedding planning, and it couldn’t have been a more perfect dress for me. I know I sound like an advertisement for them, but it was priceless knowing I wasn’t going to have to worry about my dress or alternations.

3. Choosing to spend more money on my photographer than anything else, because the pictures and memories are all I have left of that one day I put so much time, money, and work into. And believe me, I don’t want to EVER forget the product of our months of hard work.

• If you could change anything about your wedding day, what would it have been?

There are two things actually.

• I made the decision of our location based on convenience, not just for Michael and I, but for everyone involved even though I had ALWAYS dreamed of an outdoor wedding. I don’t regret the decision I made; it was very beautiful and turned out great, but if I was doing it again I would do the extra work to make my dream happen. Location affects so many aspects of the wedding, and unfortunately is one of the first decisions that has to be made and almost impossible to change. It’s important not to get ahead of yourself on all the more “fun” aspects and skip really taking your location into consideration of what you want.
• Concerning the actual day of the wedding, I would have been less involved in the final details of the décor and taken more time to enjoy quality time with my family and bridesmaids relaxing. I was so exhausted at the end of the day; my whole body hurt, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. It was a crazy beautiful day though.

• How did you go about choosing your photographer?

This was a big one for Michael and I. With him working in the media field and having a very strong opinion on what was “good”, it was hard to find someone he deemed worthy that was not only available but in our price range. We heard about Heather through a friend and amazingly enough both loved everything about her. We had also decided our engagement session would be our trial run for whoever we hired. After seeing how well she worked with both of us while taking the photos and the end result of our pictures, there was no more considering to be done. We had to have her!

• Did you do some sort of workout program to get fit for your wedding day?

I am a firm believer in running.  No, I’m not one of those “natural” runners, so every day was a fight, but it worked! Leading up to the wedding, my free time became less and less, so I had to make my workouts count. Running was the best way for me to do it. I could run anywhere, at almost any time of day, and it gave me the full body workout I wanted.

• What was the most fun part of your wedding?

We are very social individuals who are always surrounded with people, so talking to friends and family at the reception. Everyone there was so special to Michael and I that we couldn’t help but just love seeing them all in one place.

• What was the most “memorable” part of your wedding?

Walking down the aisle. Someone was standing in my way, and at first I couldn’t see Michael at all. When I finally saw the look on his face, I knew he had me forever.

• How did you select the venue(s) that you used?

Michael and I attend James River, so the option was always one we considered, but the determining factor was the size of our wedding. There aren’t a whole lot of venues that cater to large weddings (350-400 people) in the area and even fewer that can host both the wedding and reception at one location. We were both very passionate about making our wedding the best possible experience for our guests. With so many out of town guests coming in, we were concerned with everything from parking to hotels. James River met those needs and gave us more flexibility with decorating availability, unlike most other venues.

• What were your wedding colors?

Apple green and black on white damask. Being the one who had been dreaming of this day for so long, I gave Michael three options. Of course he chose his favorite color- green. It couldn’t be just any color of green though, it had to be the exact shade of a ripe green apple in the summer. Black and white damask was also a given for me. I love the pattern and its vintage inspiration, but it still provided clean lines and made a statement.

I wish you all the best, Blake + Christina!

This past week, I have been amazed by the Lord’s faithfulness and provision- each day. I wanted to share a word of encouragement with you from what the Lord spoke to my heart this weekend.

Being the ambitious person that I am, always making plans as far in advance as possible, I sometimes expect the Lord to answer my prayers in the same way. But, this weekend, as my sister and I were in conversation, the Lord used her to remind me that sometimes the Lord simply provides us with all that we need for “today.” We must accept that the Lord’s way of providing for us is… Enough.  Great peace can be found in this realization and acceptance of the Lord as our provider and sufficiency.  Although He desires that we would be productive and work hard, the results of our labor and prayers are in His hands.

This immediately reminded me of the Israelites in the wilderness found in Exodus 16. The Lord promised that He would provide bread for them each morning, and they were to take only enough for that day. If they gathered too much, it would be covered in worms in the morning.  And, the portion that they did not gather would melt as the sun grew hot.  In this case, it was a test of their obedience.

This daily journey helps us to trust and know the Lord.  He shows us in this way that He is true to His Word and promises.  So, as you face today, leave your worries in His hands and let Him give you all that you need for… Today.

• How did you know that you wanted to be a designer?

 My mom was an artist.  I grew up watching her do all things beautiful in life.  She and dad had 9 kids, not much money….and yet nothing stopped them from producing a beautiful, richly-colored life for all of their kids.  Up until I was at least 18 years old,  I had a non-stop obsession with decorating and redecorating a three story dollhouse that I shared with my sisters.   My mom also took us to lots of auctions/flea markets.  After college, marriage, and having kids, I started selling refurbished antiques + junk style stuff in partnership with a few girlfriends at a shop called Merchants Landing…close to Branson.  I did the merchandising, room lay-outs, and setting up their seasonal promotional parties.  I started getting asked by customers to come decorate their homes and throw their parties/weddings.  I haven’t stopped since then, and it gave me the confidence to eventually venture out on my own full-time, and then finally, 5 years later open my own store/studio.

• What do you specialize in?

• How would you describe your favorite style?

• Describe your “perfect” or “ideal” wedding or project.