Megan and Zac - The White House - Coeur d'Alene, ID

Along the banks of beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene, on a street in the busy tourist city, inside the doors of a charming venue, Megan and Zac wed in front of their family and friends.

Sweet details - including handmade dipped bride and groom pretzel favors and a set of antique glasses - along with the pink lighting and a daintily decorated cake on each table… these set the scene for their celebration of love.

Thank you to the Glassey family for inviting me to be part of this day.

Venue: The White House

And now, I'm happy to share a selection of highlights from Megan and Zac's wedding day:

Welcome, Baby Judah

I spent my evening with one of my best friends and her family, observing as she brought a new life into this world and documenting his birth story.

Little Judah, we are so glad to meet you.

So Long, Summer + Gratitude

The past three months have been crazy-amazing-insightful. I can't think of any other way to describe this summer.

I photographed 5 1/2 weddings (that half represents one elopement party), one engagement session, one grad session, 8 family sessions and one maternity session... in my spare time.

If you didn't know this before, you know now. I have a day job. And I really like it. It's steady and geeky and comfortable.

And photography is not necessarily steady. It is artsy. And it scares me in the sense that it continually pushes me out of my comfort zone.

But, I put myself out there... and some amazing things happened. I captured some of my very favorite photos, met great people and learned so, so, so much.

And now, after that rambling, I'd like to express my gratitude.

I couldn't have gotten through the craziness of this summer without my amazing husband. He drove me to quite a few of those sessions, plugged in my camera batteries the night before and shared his thoughts as I researched business practices.

My talented second-shooters supported me when I needed it the most and lent me their creativity - Elli of Nostalgia Photographics and Cassie with CLK Photography. And special thanks go to Mariah of Mariah Lindsey Photography, who helped me out when I was in a bind. Carly of Carly Bish Photography gave me some powerful insight and responded to at least one, but possibly more, verbose emails.

Most of all, I am exceedingly thankful to the families and couples that chose me to capture a special time in their lives, whether the growth of their children or the day that they joined their lives in marriage. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And to the clients that spread the word to their friends and families, resulting in more word-of-mouth advertising than I ever expected... I am so grateful.

So, goodbye Summer. You were great. And I can't wait to see what you have in store for next year.

A few behind-the-scenes phone shots from this summer

Lisa and Josh - Happily Ever After

“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” - Dr. Seuss

That's a quote with special meaning to Lisa and Josh. And I think it fits them perfectly.

Energetic, youthful and so completely in love, I don't think these two stopped smiling for a minute on their wedding day.

The emotion and joy of the day was palpable. All the little touches - the table for family members that couldn't be there, custom signs, handmade decorations and a cheerful color scheme - set off the gorgeous water view from a friend's backyard.

I found myself tearing up during the toasts, as one of Lisa's big sisters explained her nickname 'Tiny'. Those sweet expressions, evidence of their strong bond, moved me.

There is another reason this day was so exciting for me personally. Lisa's sister Neva is one of my very best friends. Sometimes I pretend we are actually related. And my relationship with her has led to the privilege of photographing this whole family - exciting announcements, cuddly babies and exuberant engagements. I hope to continue capturing these special moments in their lives.

Lisa and Josh, I wish you all the happiness life has to offer in your future together.

Special thanks to Elli with Nostalgia Photographics who second-shot for me. Her enthusiasm and creativity inspire me.

Blog visitors: Please enjoy this glimpse into their wedding day story. Feel free to offer your congratulations in the comments area at the end of the post.