Nicole and Chris had a very Madison wedding: Ceremony at the majestic Capitol building, drinks on the UW-Madison terrace, a bridal party stroll down State Street, and a reception at the lakeside Edgewater Hotel. It was a perfect Memorial Day weekend wedding day, and because they had such a tight-knit and fun wedding party, the day flew by.

Nicole was making herself at home backstage in the Legislative chambers. This shot was her sister’s idea and I love how relaxed she looks — at least for this moment.

At the last minute I dashed up to where the Speaker usually presides, and snapped this photo of Nicole coming down the aisle with her parents.

I love this tender moment:

The best man giving the groom a high five after signing the marriage license.

I just turned around and snapped this photo of Nicole’s dad while we were doing the formals. It’s a great expression — equal parts joy and relief.

Nicole had a photo taken of herself on Lincoln’s lap on Bascom Hill on her graduation day and wanted to recreate it after her wedding. I had to include the outtakes — especially the last one.

Sneaked Nicole and Chris out to the lake for a few romantic shots once the dance got started. Thank you so much for including me in your beautiful, intimate day.

Emily and Matt were married at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Baraboo on a gorgeous spring day. I learned from Father Bakke during the ceremony that they met in middle school — isn’t that adorable? — and in the priest’s words, were “crushing on each other” then.

The entire day just felt warm with family and people who loved and supported each other so deeply. I don’t know how else to describe it; it was just a wonderful day to get to be part of. So enjoy.

After the ceremony the group stopped at Monk’s in Lake Delton. Call me crazy, but I think bar shots can be fun. Everyone is relaxed because the ceremony is over and the party is about to start…

and when else can you get a shot like this?

The reception was at the Crystal Room at Buffalo Phil’s in Lake Delton. I really didn’t know what to expect, but it was very antique glam.

Emily and Matt won five dance lessons in a charity auction, and ended up extending them to five months. Long story short: They absolutely killed in their first dance, which included a reenactment of the famous scene from Dirty Dancing. I had “The Time of My Life” stuck in my head for three days, but it was so worth it.

You can’t tell by most of these photos, but Kate and Chris got a pretty miserable day for their engagement session. It was rainy-ish (as in, rainy but not so rainy that we had to cancel), and windy, and nippy. Especially on the shore of Lake Monona, where we didn’t last long.

But we did get some lovely photos in the Memorial Union on the UW-Madison campus, and at Olbrich Gardens, where the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. And Kate and Chris were in great spirits despite the weather… Perhaps they were thinking of their upcoming destination wedding on Sanibel Island in Florida. Congratulations to both of you, and thanks for the fun morning!