We have a NEW BLOG!

Hello Everyone,

 

I just wanted to remind you that if you are visiting this blog, you are missing out on all the action-packed goodness over at the new website and blog!  Visit www.studionoveau.com for all of this exciting stuff:

~Updated Portfolio

~Packages/Pricing

~A new, revamped blog

~One Million Dollars

 

Okay, I’m kidding about the money… BUT I update the other site more often, and that is worth it’s weight in gold, right?  Right?  :)  

 

See you on the other side! I’ll leave you with one final image on this soon-to-be-historic blog…

Take care~

Rebecca

Updates and Big News!

Hello everyone!

Wedding season is just starting to wrap up for the year.  I officially have two weddings and one engagement session left through December, so I’m looking forward to a bit of a break.   In fact, next weekend I’m taking the entire weekend off to spend some much needed time with my husband.  As many of you know, I work a full time job, and have a wedding almost every weekend.  Photo editing gets done at night, and that doesn’t leave much time for my little family.    We received a gift certificate for a stay at an Inn in the Wisconsin Dells for our wedding in September of 2007… this is the first chance we’ve had to use it!

Right now I have a couple previews to post, several weddings to finish editing, and a couple albums to design.  Anybody that is waiting, thank you for your patience!  I’m working it all as quickly as I can, and hope to get quite a bit accomplished throughout the next two weeks.  My goals continue to be getting wedding photos posted within 2-3 weeks after the wedding, and albums designed 2-3 weeks after  you choose your feature photos.  So far I’m meeting most of those goals, and sometimes even exceeding them!

 

And on to my big news…

Images of Distinction is changing names and getting a fancy websites!  I’ve been working on a name change for the last few months, and finally decided on a new name.  Of course, that means a new website, logo, and a whole lot more, so I’ve been slowly getting all of the new stuff in order before I told you all.  My new name is Studio Noveau, and the new website is www.studionoveau.com.  From that site, you can reach the new Noveau website, new Noveau blog, old website (for proofing), and this blog.  Please check it out and let me know what you think! 

Current clients: if you have a contract with Images of Distinction, nothing has changed.  You are still guaranteed the package and photographer you booked.  If any of you out there who contacted us for next year are still considering booking us but haven’t yet sent in a contract or deposit, I will honor the Images of Distinction prices until December 1st. 

I’m also considering bringing a professional photo editor onboard to help with the post-processing side of things.  If that happens, I’ll let you all know!  That would mean that your photos would have an even more polished, edgier feel to them.  It would also allow me to take a few more weddings since I won’t be spending so many hours each week sitting behind a computer. 

Thank you all for your business and support over the last year!  Because of you, I went from 1-2 weddings a year to nearly 30 in 2008! And so far there are 13 weddings booked for next year.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Rebecca

Leah + Matt + Screaming Eagles = GOOD TIME!

Yup, you read it right.  The Screaming Eagles made a guest appearance at Leah and Matt’s wedding reception.  Before you can ask… no, Leah and Matt had NO idea that the marching band would be showing up.  Let me tell/show you the story of their night:

First, around 7:30, we started hearing something over the reception music.  

 

This this walked in:

The crowd went wild! The director started telling a story that led to the groom and several of his buddies being asked to sing a song to the bride.  No, it wasn’t planned!

Then the director requested that the bride come direct the band.  Apparently she was in the band at one point… or maybe she was a student conductor.  I’m not quite sure how that worked!

Then the band played a polka.  Good times were had by all…

I’d like to give a HUGE thanks to Luke who assisted me for the first time at this wedding.  He took this last picture of the band, and also a few in the slideshow.  Hopefully you’ll be seeing more pictures from him before he moves away!

Anyway, Leah and Matt- thanks again for choosing me as your photographer.  It was a gorgeous day, and so much fun!  Plus, your family was the easiest I’ve ever worked with to get formal pictures done quickly and painlessly.  And lastly, the church was so beautiful and light!  It was one of the best churches I’ve worked in!  What a great day.  :)

Here is your slideshow, and the rest will be posted to the website in a few weeks.  Enjoy!

Michele and Jason’s Wedding at Justin Trails

At the Bridal Expo last January, I met Michele and Jason.  Right away I knew that would be a fun couple, and their excitement was contagious.  And, of course, one of the best ways to charm me is when a couple picks their wedding day based on my availability.  When Michele said they’d pick whatever day worked for me, I knew they’d be one of my favorite couples!  :)

Anyway, they planned their wedding from Colorado with the help of family and friends.  All I can say is, “WOW!” The details, personalization, and location were just perfect.  Seriously.  Here are my top 10 favorite things about Jason and Michele’s wedding:

1) Everyone at the wedding had a bell.  Either a jingle bell or a bell like you’d see in a bell choir.  Instead of music to walk in to, each member of the wedding party and the parents had a bell in a certain tone. The officiant asked everyone to affirm Jason and Michele’s decision to marry, and everyone had to ring their bells.   It was enchanting. 

2) Instead of having a “bride’s bouquet”, she and Jason collected a flower from the entire bridal party- this represented the love and support that all of them have given to the couple over the years.

3) Their wedding program was a small booklet that contained, among other things, the “Story of Us” that chronicled their lives, including travels through India, China, Cambodia, and Thailand.  It also had recipes for their dessert table.  More on dessert later.

4) The location, Justin Trails, was near Sparta, Wisconsin.  It’s beautiful there, and the Inn was absolutely amazing!

5) Their family and friends were SO nice and welcoming!  And everybody was happy.  All day.  Even in spite of a 20 degree temperature change from afternoon to evening.  Yes, we could see our breath because it was so cold!

6) Their guest book was a quilt that Michele made.  They asked guests to sign it, and the wedding party dipped their hands in paint so they could personalize the quilt with a handprint.  From what I hear, it’s a blessing/symbol of luck in one of the countries they visited.  

7) Instead of a wedding cake, they asked their family and friends to make favorite desserts.  These were then spread out on a table… Mmm!  I snuck a marshmallow/chocolate cookie.  That is the bestest cookie I have ever had!

8 ) They cared so much about recycling and being “green” that they went to a local football game in Colorado and collected the plastic beer cups that just get thrown away.  They used these at their wedding.   Interesting, and really darn smart!

9) Michele had her mom’s wedding dress in the same room she was getting ready in.  She even tried in on for us!  How cool is that?  And all her jewelry/accessories had a neat story about it.

10) Any wedding program that has the sentences “Groom learns Bride is tough and Bride reminded that Groom is crazy” and “…Couple has to change plans and return to Bangkok, Thailand for Bride’s rabies shots” has got to be a good indication of a fun wedding!  And it was!

Okay, enough words.  I know you came here for the pictures.  Here are a couple favorites:

 

 

 

 

            

 

 

And now for the slideshow:

Announcing the WINNERS of the Giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered the Images of Distinction 2nd Annual Wedding Photography Giveaway.  There were quite a few entries, and some great stories.  The judges have voted and the results are in!

The decision was tough.  Contestants this year were from Wisconsin, South Carolina, Texas, and California.  They were still in school, military veterans, volunteers, and news anchors.  We saw funny stories, sad stories, and very genuine stories. 

Knowing how hard it was to choose among all the great entries, I’m proud to announce the winners!  Rebecca and John will be getting married in La Crosse, Wisconsin next summer and have won a free “Silver” package from Images of Distinction.  Here is an excerpt from her entry, and one of the reasons the judges found them to be so sweet and genuine:

 

“About a month into our relationship I was about to head to Germany for a three week student exchange program, when John decided it would be too hard to spend three weeks apart. Three days before I had to leave, John decided he was going to find some way to come too… Somehow he planned the same trip it took me months to plan in three days. It was on that trip that I truly fell in love with him, and I know he truly fell in love with me”

And here they are!

 

 

To everyone that entered, thank you!  It was difficult for all the judges and myself narrow it down to the top three, much less the winners!  To Rebecca and John, congratulations! I’m looking forward to working with you next year.

My first “Trash The Dress” Session!

A few weeks ago I received a call from Angela and Ben.  They had just been married and weren’t crazy about their wedding pictures, so they wondered if we could go out somewhere around the Wisconsin Dells to do a portrait session.  They just wanted some pictures in their wedding clothes that were “frame-worthy” to put on their walls.

SO… we met at Devil’s Lake State Park yesterday.  I have to tell you that Angela and Ben had some funny looks since they were hiking around in a wedding dress and suit! But it was sure fun!  This was the first time I brought my husband (also named Ben) to a shoot, and he had a blast.  And he even got some really great pictures.  A few of them made it into the slideshow!

Anyway, we hiked up the hill, taking pictures along the way (when we were winded!), some more at the top, and then headed back down.  We found an awesome stone culvert, fun spots in the woods and the railroad tracks, and then my favorite: the LAKE!  Yes, it was late September, but that didn’t stop these troopers from hopping in!  And, of course, being the dedicated photographer that I am, I hopped in too.  :)  The water wasn’t so bad once you got used to it.

Angela and Ben, thanks for calling me to do this session with you.  It was so much fun, and I hope to be doing more of these sessions in the future.  Here are my three favorite shots of the day:

 

 

And here is your slideshow!

 

 

Last of all, this is just for those of you who may be curious what will happen to your dress after one of these sessions:

 

Jessica and Greg’s hill-top wedding in Fountain City

This weekend was Jessica and Greg’s wedding.  So far, they win the award for the most easy-going couple yet.  They gave me free reign to do pretty much anything!  The ceremony was at a small church high on the hill in Fountain City, and the reception was at the Hilltop Banquet Hall.  The views at both places were absolutely amazing!  

Their theme was so fun, too!  It was a fall theme with lots of pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, pine cones, deer antlers, and hay bales.  In fact, I can honestly say this was the first time I’ve seen any of those items inside a church!  It was all pulled together so nicely, and I know for a fact that Greg helped plan some of these details.  That was a nice surprise.

And the kids… I lost count after about 20.  There were more kids at this wedding than I’ve ever seen before!  They were all so cute, too.  A couple of them decided to get crazy with the decorations, and started carving pumpkins, right in the middle of the reception!  That gave me a pretty good laugh.

 

Anyway, Jessica and Greg, thanks for letting me share your big day.  Here is your preview:

Engagement photos in the Boonies: Amanda and Ross

Note to self: When someone says, “Hey, let’s get pictures out at the land”, that means I NEED to bring good walking shoes. Not slip-ons.  Um, yeah.

 

Today I was lucky enough to go on a marathon hike photo shoot with Amanda and Ross in La Farge, Wisconsin.  If you aren’t familiar with the bubbling metropolis of La Farge, it’s a cute little town about 30-ish minutes from La Crosse.  Anyway, we met up and did our first couple pictures right in town. We made it quick and headed out to the land for more pictures.  

Here is my favorite shot of the day:

Here are three more of my favorites: 

And here is your official preview:

 

I’m looking forward to your wedding in Viroqua next year!

Pang and Cheng’s wedding, by Photographer Sean

This past year has been so crazy-busy that I’ve recently had to add more people to the team at Images of Distinction.  So if you’ve attended a wedding in the last couple months, you may have seen Sean, Kelly, Jen, or Liz… I’ll write more about that later, and you may even see future blog posts from a few of them.

But anyway, Sean is a hugely talented photographer and photo editor in Madison that has come onboard to help out with some of the weddings this year and next.  Up till now, he’d only done some photo editing for me, but just over a week ago, he shot his first wedding for Images of Distinction.  

Pang and Cheng were married at Allen Centennial Gardens in Madison, and took pictures downtown at the Capitol and Terrace.  Even though Sean was the primary shooter there, I can tell it was beautiful!  He’s still editing the majority of the pictures, but I did convince him to send enough for a preview for the happy couple, who have been anxiously waiting!  Pang told me today that she’s a faithful reader of this blog, so I can’t disappoint her!  Here is my favorite shot of the day:

 

 

My  next favorite shot of the day is this one… it just seems so happy and relaxed!  

 

 

And last but not least, Pang and Cheng, here is your slideshow preview… Enjoy!

Danielle’s Day at the Lake

This post is a bit overdue, since I was actually on vacation in the middle of August.  It’s just been SO busy!  With a wedding in Madison last weekend, and two weddings the weekend before, I barely have time to think these days!

My darling sister has been patiently waiting for me to post some pictures from our trip.  Since it was an unofficial girl’s week, we had a blast swimming, going up to Madeline Island and Bayfield, and traipsing around Hayward.  We got some really fun pictures.

 

Here is the first set.  Danielle is the daughter of a friend of my Mom’s.  She and her dad visited us at the cabin for an afternoon.  Isn’t she gorgeous?  WIth that great smile and curly hair, she’s definitely going to be a handful for her daddy in a few years!

 

Coming soon: vacation pictures!