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

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

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!

The whole wedding had some neat details.  From the individual cakes on each table to the personalized wedding quilt to the Redneck Express Party Bus, it was a unique experience.  In fact, I got a pretty darn cool picture of their transportation.  Yes, you are seeing it correctly… that is rays of light surrounding the party bus.  It’s almost like the skies opened up and smiled on the Redneck Express!  (Okay, I’ll stop with the cheesy jokes!)

But seriously, this is one of my favorite pictures of the day… 

Angela and Brian, thank you for letting Images of Distinction share your wedding day.  Congratulations!

I don’t have any of Sean’s photos for the preview yet (those should be coming in the next week or two), but in spite of that, I had a tough time deciding which photos to use!  Check it out for yourself: 

And here is their slideshow!

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:

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.

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:

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:

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!

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!

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!

They wanted pictures at a few locations, and rented a party bus to take us around town.  That was a lot of fun!  We did pictures at the Capitol and Allen Centennial Gardens.  Their ceremony was actually IN the Capitol, in the Assembly Chambers.  Talk about a gorgeous room!  I walked in and decided I was in Photographer’s Heaven, if there is such a place!  One of my new favorite pictures is this one, taken just after the ceremony:

At the entrance to the Assembly Chambers

I mean, just look at this photo of their ceremony!  It doesn’t get much more awesome than that!

Ceremony

And then, to top it all off, they had my favorite cake in the whole world for dessert.  Did I mention I absolutely LOVE Carl’s Cakes?  That’s who made my wedding cake, and who I requested for my birthday cake this year.  Love it.  Apparently the groom loved it too.  He licked the plate, proof is below.  :)

Carl's Cakes has this effect on me, too.

Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of other fun things.  The wedding party stopped by the Essen Haus for a “boot” of beer.  There was a certain mishap involving me and the “boot” that shall remain unspecified.  There were the German guys who serenaded both Megan and Keith, and his mom.  Only they serenaded them in German with a hardy drinking song.  Anyway…

Megan and Keith, thank you for a great day!  Your preview is below.  Congratulations!

This year Ainsley and Travis were the lucky recipients of the free package… I can’t wait to see who will win for next year! We had about 20 entries last time.  Let’s have over 40 this time!  Tell your friends!  The grand prize includes a free Silver Wedding Package, as described on my website, www.iodphotography.com.

To enter, please email your entry to rebecca@iodphotography.com. Please send the following in your email: your full names and wedding date, wedding and reception location, an interesting story about the two of you as a couple, what makes your wedding unique and personalized, and a photo of the two of you together.

The contest begins September 1, 2008 and ends September 30, 2008 at midnight. Winning couple(s) will be announced no later than October 5, 2008. 

Here are the rules:
1) The wedding must take place during 2009.
2) The winners are not required to purchase anything. However, if they desire, they can upgrade the package or add additional products use the grand prize as an $800 credit towards the balance.
3) The location can be nearly anywhere in the world (we love to travel!), but modest travel fees will apply to locations over 60 miles from my home in southwestern Wisconsin.
4) One entry per couple
5) Entries missing information or photo will be disqualified
6) Photo submitted will be posted on the blog when winners are announced.
7) If selected as the winner, your photos may be used for promotional purposes by Images of Distinction
8 ) Grand prize has no cash value and may not be transferred
9) Additional prizes be awarded at the discretion of Images of Distinction
10) Judging panel will include previous clients, photographers and assistants of IOD Photography, as well as a few family members and friends of IOD.

11) Sorry, current customers of Images of Distinction are not eligible for the giveaway.

Between the ceremony and reception, we headed out to Matt’s family’s farm for a photo session.  The sun was pretty bright, but we got some fun pictures with the tractor, old hog barn, and more.  What do you all think?