Last time that I saw Savanna and Zach, we were half frozen and 25% worried the police in Storm Lake were going to tell us we were trespassing on private property…it’s a frequent worry in my line of work, but they paid us no attention while shooting next to the huge pile of logs near a business storefront! They were absolutely perfect in their winter, lakeside engagement session, but it was still nothing compared to how they looked on their wedding day!

Savanna was absolutely stunning in a fitted, sequined gown from Sequins Boutique in Cherokee. But more than just the beautiful gown and tuxes, were the sentimental touches that I was obsessed with throughout the day! I was floored by how many details Savanna thought to include from her family’s history! You will see all the images below, but just to name a few she sewed pieces of fabric reminding her of her Grandfathers into the inside hem of her gown and she carried a handkerchief from her Grandmother on her bouquet. But the most remarkable part, in my opinion, was the fact that she wore her Grandmother’s wedding shoes! They were old and beautifully worn in! When you turned the shoe over to look at the sole, both her Grandmother signed it with her wedding date as well as her mother! Savanna had done the same, so all three had left their marks on the bottom of that shoe and it almost brought me to tears! Savanna will have to correct me if I am wrong with he smudged writing, but these shoes were first worn down the aisle in June of 1954, again in June of 1985, and now in July of 2018. Call me an absolute sap, but this is just the coolest tradition that these ladies have passed down! I wonder how many more times those shoes will make it to the altar!

The other thing that was so unique and stood out to me from other wedding days was how joyful and excited the groom was! Zach absolutely could not stop laughing with his friends, just soaking up the time together and making memories. That is until it came time for the first look, and then he was brought to tears with how pretty his bride looked! He kept staring at her and remarking about how lucky he is! I am absolutely obsessed with this part of my job! Just getting to witness the sweetest, most tender moments between two people on one of the biggest days of their lives! And there I go being sappy again!

I hope Zach and Savanna both loved every minute of their day and I wish I could see the looks on their faces as they see all these images for the first time! Maybe I need to require in my contract that couples record themselves when viewing their blog post and send it to me! That’s the part I miss most – getting to see the reaction!