For starters, Alyse wore her TOMS Shoes.  Sweet.  For those of you unfamiliar with the brand, TOMS donates a pair of shoes to an orphan for every pair of shoes purchased.  That simple decision, in itself, speaks volumes about Alyse.  (Stephen and I each have our own pair of TOMS…we highly recommend them!)

Instead of a guestbook, they created a “Wedding Tree” on a large sheet.  Then the guests stamped their thumbprints in green on the tree as “leaves” and signed their names next to their print.  It was adorable!

The ultimate display of their personal choices, would definitely be the location.  They held the wedding and reception at the absolutely incredible Celebration Barn near Solon, one of our very favorite spots.  The Celebration Barn is entirely handcrafted from the ground up.  And, in person, the structure is literally breathtaking.

Alyse and Elliott – Thank you so much for letting us be part of your wedding day.  You are such a wonderful couple and your day was one of the most genuine, personal and fun days we’ve been a part of.  Sam & Stephen

Word on the street:  Elliott is wearing a pair of Hayden Fry’s sunglasses

LOVE the mason jars as favors!

About three years ago, we photographed Jenae & Josh’s wedding in Fort Dodge three years ago.  Joel is Jenae’s little brother and we were absolutely thrilled that we got to travel up there again to photograph Maggie and Joel’s wedding.

Since Maggie and Joel have been together forever, their wedding was huge! It seemed like the entire town of Webster City showed up to help them celebrate their love.

These two make up an incredible couple, inside and out.  Their families and friends are just amazing…a tight knit bunch and we were overjoyed to join into their group of friends for a day!
Maggie is stunning…and Joel was so handsome!

Loved Maggie shoes!

These two are F.U.N.  Lindsay is gorgeous and has the most infectious smile.  She is also one of the sweetest brides in the whole wide world!  Ben is hilarious.  He was quite dashing in his tux and together these two make a perfect couple.

And, I absolutely have to give props to the two groomsmen who gave the most awesome toast ever.  It was complete with a powerpoint presentation, old school photos, hand drawn pictures and stories that left some of us in stitches!

A favorite:

Sneaky, sneaky.

It’s official!

A rad wedding party:

love.

?

Yes, Ben is letting his little brothers fling flaming torches at his head..at his wedding reception!  (FYI, they are professionals.)

Bobbie and Dan love the Hawkeyes.  Their wedding colors were black and yellow (and it turned out so FUN), they took a Hawk bus for transportation and Dan’s one photo request was that we take photos with the HUGE statue of Nile Kinnick out in front of the football stadium.  My husband, Stephen, a diehard Hawk fan himself, loved it!

Bobbie is just about the sweetest person ever!  She was so gorgeous on her wedding day, with a radiant smile and some sassy yellow heels, she was the epitome of classy bride and a big Hawks fan!

Thank you so much for letting us be a part of your wedding!  We think you both have the most kind families and you all were a joy to work with.  Can’t wait to see more of you at Brooke’s wedding next year!

The Heisman:

Months ago, Vieve emailed me a photo of her wedding dress.  The second I saw her dress, my breath caught in my throat and I knew their wedding day was going to be outstanding.  Her.dress.was.gorgeous!  Seriously.  She wins the prize for one of our most unique dresses of the year…and, I personally, would love to wear a dress like this sometime.  (I may already be married but a girl needs to wear a pretty new dress sometimes…even if it would be to prance around the house in!)  Her dress and impeccable style left Stephen and I feeling inspired and we had so much fun creating images with them.

These two were troupers too…because their wedding day was very, very hot…and we went to a number of photo locations…poor Stephen would trail along behind us (he had recently hurt his knee) carrying bags of all of our gear while Vieve, Jim and I kept on keepin on!

But it was all worth it!

Vieve and Jim, you two were so very wonderful to work with!  You are such a fantastic couple and we were very blessed and honored to be part of your wedding.  Enjoy your time in Europe!  Every time I’ve seen a tennis racket lately, I’ve thought of you!  Much love, Sam & Stephen

An absolutely beautiful bride:

About to meet each other…this is Stephen’s shot and I love it to pieces!

Gorgeous flowers by The Empire House

I think this one is so funny!  They’re pointing to graffiti that says “Thug Life.”  Vieve and Jim are just about the farthest thing from “Thugs” as you can get!

One of my favorites:

They met playing tennis…so what could be a better prop than some vintage tennis rackets?!

Deeeelicious cake created by Adam, owner of Tip Top Cakes.

My favorite part of their day was the extraordinary reception.  The Marriott in Coralville was the host and they went all out!  From the top to the bottom, their ballroom was breathtaking.  In addition, their reception was filled with some of our most favorite vendors!  Adam, from Tip Top Cakes, made the most gorgeous, moist and tasty cake we’ve had yet…and we’ve had the opportunity to enjoy a LOT of cake!  And, I cannot forget to mention the flowers…Kath from Racehorse Royalty created striking bouquets and centerpieces.  It was all just so beautiful!

All of these elements helped Laura and Joey have an amazing atmosphere for their wedding.  Their day was elegant, fun and yet still very personal!  Thank you so much for letting us photograph your wedding…we’re so honored you let us be part of your day!

Laura and Joey both got ready at the Marriott.  This provided wonderful backgrounds for our regular “getting ready” shots!

Their daughter, Madison, was the flowergirl…so I just had to get a shot of their shoes together.

Maureen and Cullen had a beautiful, intimate celebration at Old Brick in Iowa City.  And, afterwards, everyone played kick ball!  It rocked my socks off.

These two were made for each other.  From their secret glances to their warm embraces, it was obvious they have a strong connection.

Thank you so much for letting us be a part of your big day!

(Nicole, I agree with you wholeheartedly on the idea of shopping budget = hunting budget!  Now it’s just time to convince Mat!)

*To spice things up a bit, I thought I’d show you some of my favorite pages from their wedding album!  We offer top of the line hand crafted wedding albums.   And they’re completely gorgeous!!!

We’ve been back at it shooting weddings like crazy so keep your eyes out for some new wedding images soon!