Matt and Holly’s wedding involved two different wedding celebrations, both so special in their own way. They planned the heck out of both events and pulled them off impeccably! Their intimate ceremony in La Crosse last spring, and their reception later on in the summer with all their friends and family at a BEAUTIFUL lakeside venue Seven Seas (seriously wait til you see it!)  I decided one overall blog post would be the best way to really showcase their full wedding story, so here we are! One extended blog post – and one that I think is worth scrolling to the very last image!!

Matt and Holly are our dear friends and when they reached out to me to photograph their day I was truly honored and obviously said YES YES YES! For the first time Alex and I acted as both guests and photographers, Alex a part of the wedding party. As we got rolling and figured out our groove, it really hit me how important my (our) job is. Here I was photographing one of our best friends’ wedding. Alex’s best friend since high school. We get to capture this for them to cherish FOREVER. I let that sink in and it made me so emotional, butterflies, I just wanted to capture this day the best I could.

My jaw had dropped when nearly a half a year later Holly was getting into her dress once again and she looked just as stunning as she did back early April when I watched them say “I Do.” It was the best feeling of de ja vu! And where do I begin with Matt!? Alex has grown into the man he is alongside Matt and their incredibly close-knit (and amazing, might I add) group of high school friends. I myself have gotten to know Matt the past 8 years being with Alex and got to know his mannerisms, his jokester laid back personality. But their wedding day I saw Matt as a husband. Looking at his bride during their first look and letting the emotion of the day run through. And six months later I got to see him looking at his wife. Back in her beautiful gown. He still looked at her the same as their wedding day, perhaps with even more adoration. They say love grows fonder throughout the years, and these two being through a lot the past year, you could just feel how connected they were. The way Matt looks at Holly, and the way Holly can’t stop laughing with Matt. It was the best thing to witness. I may be biased cause they’re our good friends, but dang. This here is one beautiful couple.

It was such an honor capturing these memories for them. Both their ceremony and reception had me so moved and we were in the bestttt of company! Be sure to scroll to the end and read bride Holly’s wedding advice. Enjoy!

What was your FAVORITE memory of your wedding day?

My favorite memories were the one-on-one moments with my husband, father, sister, bridesmaids, mother, guests, etc. It felt like time was able to slow down during these moments and I was able to take a breath and enjoy the moment and their company.

How far in advance did you book vendors? Which 3 did you book first?

I had an expedited wedding and started booking vendors before my engagement ring was made (I had it customized, which I highly recommend doing). We booked the church and the reception hall 4 months and 9 months ahead of time but recommend booking them earlier because our date options were limited. We booked the band 3 months ahead but had them pencil us in 5 months ahead.

Any tips on dress shopping / saying yes to THE dress?