Real Wedding :: Kara & Steven, Menomonie, WI

When I first heard that Kara and Steven were dating, I remember clearly being in my basement cleaning out baskets. I immediately started dreaming about their wedding day...because I just knew. 

knew they were going to get married. 

knew the kind of wedding Kara would want. 

...and knew that I wanted desperately to be a huge part.

Kara is my pastors daughter, and she has a huge spot in my heart. I was her youth pastor so many years ago, and so the bond grew all the way back than. I have watched her grow in her love for the Lord, and who she is as a person. She is truly vibrant and someone you just want to be around. Someone you can't help but utterly adore, and insanely want to call for fashion advice. Her heart is genuine, and kind. Her smile pure and radiant.

Steven is our worship leader and has an amazing and hungry heart for the Lord. He has grown so much, and I am inspired by him continually. I love how open and real he is about his journey, and completely devoted to being a light, shining for the Lord, and growing. 

I could not have been more happy for Steven and Kara. They are complete in each other.

Kara wanted a bohemian wedding that was fun, whimsical, and outside. We decided to utilize our church land that is currently a huge open field, and bring the indoors out. With the help of dozens of people, we created a beautiful space with a ton of antique furniture. The work was extensive, but the effect so well worth it! 

Today I want to highlight the first portion of the day, with more fun details of the reception later in the week! 

First look between dad + daughter is so precious.

Dress from Joynelle.

   

Going up the land to the ceremony. The look on her face is completely priceless!

Something I do at every wedding is look at the groom as the bride is walking down the aisle. I am never disappointed.

Love the way she is leaning into him, last moments before he hands her away. No words to describe this moment between dad and his daughter.

Pure.Joy.

Stay tuned for more beauty later this week. These two are contagious!
{photos by Collin Hughes}

Happy Wednesday!!!

With love,
Liz

fall amazing.

Part of fall that I simply adore is snuggling under a thick blanket on my deck with a hot fav drink of choice. I'm always loving new recipes to explore, so when I found these on A Beautiful Mess, I fell in love with them. I can't wait to try them out this week!

So, my obsession with pumpkin treats is a little out of hand. Oddly enough, though, I don't really care for pumpkin pie. It doesn't make much sense. I add it up as the texture of pumpkin pie turns me off.
This pumpkin shake looks like divinity in a glass.

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

To make a single milkshake blend together 1 slice of pumpkin pie { it can be homemade or pre-bought}, 2 cups of vanilla ice cream, and one to one and half cups milk. If you are making multiple milkshakes at once simply double or triple this recipe.

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I have been loving sea salt lately so the combo of that and chocolate really appeals to me.

Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, makes 2 large servings.

Needed: 16 ounces milk or cream (I used a combination of 8 ounces milk and 8 ounces cream), 4 ounces dark chocolate, 4 ounces chocolate caramel (such as Hershey's version), a pinch or two of sea salt.

In a sauce pan or small pot heat half (8 ounces) of the milk and 4 ounces chopped dark chocolate and salt until melted. Continue heating and whisk in the remaining milk and 4 ounces chopped chocolate caramel. Continue whisking until the entire mixture is warmed through and smooth in texture.

Serve with a little whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Enjoy, friends! HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

lump of learning.

I told that to my beautiful assistant last week.
"This summer has been a lump of learning." She laughed at me {pretty typical, I love that she thinks I'm funny!}, but in all sincerity, it has been.
I have been reminded often this year, that without falling you can never learn from your mistakes. My pastors taught me that, and it has been embedded in my brain.
So, I continue to grow. and learn. and sometimes fall...But always lean on the Lord for strength and wisdom.

Want a little sneak peek that is making my heart happy today?! :)
My Pastor Dana. Soaking in her daughter's wedding. I truly can't wait to blog this wedding, not only because the pictures are amazing from Collin Hughes, but mostly because of the beauty that lies in the moments, and how special these people are to my heart.

Soak in the expression on her face-true joy. True peace. Embracing all that is this day. I.love.it.

Happy Thursday, friends!

So much love, Liz

Real Wedding::Lonny & Karyn, Hillsdale, WI

Le Sigh.
This wedding brings a smile immediately to my face. Karyn & Lonny are such sweet, funny, and overall -- awesome people!! To say how much I loved their wedding, would be an understatement. I loved the details that Karyn brought in through the day.. soft, whimsical, and intimate elements that captivated who they are.

Beautiful story on Karyn's dress. This was the dress her heart longed for, but her budget couldn't afford. So her mom, knowing her heart, surprised Karyn and bought it for her. SO SWEET.
And the dress? It couldn't have been any more beautiful.

Karyn, you are so fun! :)

COWS are a fav! These little mints were perfectly divine.

Karyn & Lonny, thank you. It was a true joy, so much fun, and reflected the two of you so perfectly! Love you much,
Elizabeth

Vendors:
Wedding Coordination: Elizabeth Anne Weddings
Venue: The Enchanted Barn
Photography: La De Da Photography {Melissa is amazing!! It was SO hard to pick from the images!}
Videography: Princess Bride
Floral: Allure Floral
Cake: Jans Custom Cakes
DJ: Blooms and Tunes
Hair & Makeup: Leissa's

friendship treasures.

Well, school started today for the kids. To me, this is always the realization that summer is officially over, and fall is upon us. I am in denial about the end of summer every year. I hate to see it end, even though I absolutely love fall and everything it brings...
This summer, many great memories are stored in my heart. One of which I want to touch on today.
Some of you know this about me, some of you may not...but I am very selective of the girlfriends I let into my heart & life. I am one of those girls that has a small selective amount of girls that really know me. Today, I want to talk about one of those girls...Suwanee.
Suwanee and I met our sophomore year in High School, and since than, we have always had this amazing friendship that never lessens over the years. There's something so hilarious when we are together... something that is completely ditsy, yet refined and to the max all out girly too. The laughter when we are together can be heard across the miles-are hearts are connected no matter the length of time apart.
Suwannee was the person to push me to take that first scared step into this career. She has her own very successful photography business {www.suwaneephotography.com}, and through her counsel, tips, encouragement and advice, I took the first step. Though timid and frightened, I did. She cheered me on and snapped new photos of me in the process. I can honestly never thank her enough.
This summer I got to see her. It is one of my favorite memories of the summer. Suwanee currently lives in Spokane, WA but is moving to St Louis next month, so the timing was just perfect. One last hurrah for us in Spokalicious {my home, than her home}, and laughter to carry me through till the next time we embrace.
I'm forever thankful for the girlfriends I have, though small and tight, they are such a rock of support and love to me. Suwanee, you are a treasure...and I simply love you, your heart, and your laughter.

xo Lizie

Yep, she really is this beautiful.

A lot of this happens when we are together! :)

Happy Tuesday! <3