Artistic & Unique Wedding Photography Madison Wisconsin & Destination Photographer

April 10, 2013

Emma & Ian’s Madison Wedding at Bellini

Downtown Madison is such a lovely location for a winter wedding. Why? Because even the lack of greenery and warmth can’t stop the Capitol from being its beautiful self. Emma & Ian got married in November downtown at the Madison Capitol Building, among friends & family that had flown in from everywhere. Barely a handful were from Wisconsin, but everyone had a glorious day celebrating the bride & groom! Their reception at Bellini Italian Restaurant was gorgeous, as well. Their bold wedding colors really brightened up the historic-style space. Starting with her bright shoes!!

I loved the bodice of Emma’s dress. So beaded and beautiful!

The bride was surrounded by friendship. LOVE.

These little moments are my favorite things to shoot:

I adore weddings in the beautiful Senate Parlor.

Aaaaah that dome!

I quickly caught this passionate kiss just post-ceremony. I love love love these little moments!

Weren’t these colors gorgeous?? Orange orchids really brightened up the day!

These GIANT floral pieces really made an impact- it’s tough to fill such a grand space!

These personalized bracelets were one of the prettiest bridesmaid gifts I’ve seen, and they matched the dresses perfectly.

EVERY time I shoot at the Capitol, my challenge to myself is to find a new angle. It’s getting tough after 4 years of shooting in Madison, but I still find something new at most of my shoots!

COLORS. I love color…

Carl’s Cake!! My favorite!!

I thought that this was one of the most creative guest book ideas I’ve seen in a long time! What do you think?

To Emma & Ian- I hope you are enjoying your beautiful album! We had such a lovely day with you guys. Thank you for brightening up my winter season!

by Mandie Haberman

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March 26, 2013

Rio & Tim’s Halloween Wedding Downtown Madison – Wisconsin Wedding Photographers

I feel like a traitor admitting this, but even as a Madisonian I do not often do much for Halloween. Yes, yes, I know- home of the awesome State Street Halloween festivities and I stay home? Yes I do! But…not last year! Last Halloween I got to hang out with Rio & Tim as they celebrated their wedding with family and friends. I must say- costume weddings are SO MUCH FUN! And so laid-back and easy. Because their ceremony had happened a year earlier, we got together for some portraits before their party started. We revisited Monona Terrace, where they said their vows in 2011. After that, it was all par-tay!

I LOVED Rio’s costume- totally custom-made. Tim was a dashing Sherlock Holmes, but sadly his original (also custom-made) costume didn’t arrive on time. Boooooo! (as in thumbs down, not as in ghostly greeting) …but it was all good.

The reception and party were at the Concourse Hotel. The purple uplighting and the fabulous carved pumpkins were such appropriate decor!

Mmmmm, Carl’s Cake…. Love Carl’s Cake!

All of their goodies looked delicious, but my favorite details were the POP ROCKS (throwback!) and the little cakes with “bloody” glass shards in them. How clever!

The costumes were all so fabulous that I was thrilled they chose our photo booth to capture them all!

To Rio & Tim- THANK YOU for getting me out of the house for Halloween last year. It was a blast to celebrate with you guys!

Posted in Weddings Tags: Costume weddings, Halloween weddings, madison wedding photographers, WI wedding photographers

by Mandie Haberman

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March 25, 2013

Rachel & Richard’s Wedding at Holy Wisdom Monastery & the Edgewater – Madison Wedding Photographers

Here we go, rolling back once again to last October. As spring makes its SLOWEST appearance ever, I’m dreaming of warmer days that we left behind in fall! Who else is excited for spring?

Rachel & Richard were just about the sweetest people you’d ever meet, so spending their wedding day with them was such a gift. They are quiet and reserved, but full of love that poured out among all their family and friends. The setting for their ceremony – Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton – was just beautiful, and I was grateful that they didn’t mind tramping through the slightly damp fall foliage for some lovely scenic shots.

This beautiful wall of windows overlooks the hill on which the monastery is perched.

Such bright colors! LOVE!

Cute little ones can’t help but steal the show, huh?

Madison wedding photographers Holy Wisdom Monastery

It is such a beautiful view on the top of this hill- if you live around Madison, you really must see it! Gorgeous even when it’s overcast.

Fall weddings in Wisconsin wedding photographers

Rachel was a glowing bride.

And then there was cake… And dancing!

And heartfelt speeches that evoked laughter.

One of my favorite local DJ’s, Josh of B Kuhl Entertainment, kept the party going and did a great job with the touching anniversary dance.

To Rachel & Richard, thank you so much for selecting me to spend your special day with you. It was beautiful!

Posted in Weddings Tags: Edgewater Hotel Wedding Reception, fall wedding in Wisconsin, Holy Wisdom Monastery wedding, Madison photographers, madison wedding photographers, Middleton wedding photographers, Purple wedding color, wisconsin wedding photography

by Mandie Haberman

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March 20, 2013

Kathy & Steve’s Fall Wedding at the Madison Club – Madison Photographer

Although most of the weddings I photograph require 8-10 hours of coverage, there is the occasional smaller event that slips onto my calendar. I just love intimate weddings! On a fall day last year, Kathy and Steve gathered their families and very best friends at the Madison Club downtown to witness and celebrate their marriage. It was such a fun day! Easy, casual, and all about family. With a beautiful setting to top it all off, they had the perfect small wedding.

I fell in love with this silly monkey lamp- perfect for the flower girls’ little green poufs!

The focus was on family, and there were so many children at the wedding. Loved seeing all their smiley faces!

Kathy’s two sons walked her down the aisle.

Steve’s daughter gave such a heartwarming speech at the end- loved this moment. Totally made me tear up.

Wedding photographers Madison Club Wisconsin

Thank you, Kathy & Steve, for sharing your family’s celebration with me!

Posted in Weddings Tags: Fall Weddings, Intimate family wedding, Madison Club Wedding, madison wedding photographers, The Madison Club, wedding photography, Wisconsin wedding photographers

by Mandie Haberman

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January 27, 2013

Love In The Brew City: Heidi & Ryan’s Milwaukee Engagement Adventure

If you’ve chatted with me about wedding photography coverage, you know that I believe in the engagement session. It’s about so much more than the photographs! Think about it: we photographers are the vendors who will be by your side during your entire wedding day. Heck, I’ll be there to watch the bride strip down to her undies and put on a dress. We’re like velcro on brides & grooms. Since we’ll practically be just as present as your parents and your BFF’s on the big day, don’t you want to get to know us a bit?

We’re working on pricing for a brand new style of engagement session. It’s a 5 hour session in any location of your choice. It includes styling guidance, detailed location planning, and even your very own theme. It give us more than ample time to bond and have FUN! Oh, and you also get a variety of amazing photos. Bonus, right?? Because hanging out with Nick & I is worth the price alone.

We test-drove this session with Heidi & Ryan, who loved the experience. We cannot WAIT to shoot their wedding in Bloomington, IL this September! It’s gonna be a HOOT! Enjoy your blog post, you two brew-city lovebirds!!

It was a tad icy, but we braved it for this gorgeous location.

What a sky we got! Lucky ducks!

Milwaukee winter engagement photographers

Wisconsin engagement portrait photography

I must admit, as a Madison resident I sure do love me some Calatrava.

Ryan is an architect, and he & I totally jive on the architecture thing.

Our night stroll along the Riverwalk was coooooold, but so worth it.

Congratulations, guys- cannot wait for the big day! <3

Posted in Engagements Tags: downtown Milwaukee at night, Engagement session adventure, madison wedding photographers, Milwaukee engagement portraits, Milwaukee wedding photographers, Winter engagement session

by Mandie Haberman

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January 22, 2013

Jessica & Matt’s Madison Monona Terrace Wedding

Sitting here in Wisconsin on a horribly freezing, single-digits type of winter day, I’m thankful for my warm office. I’m also remembering Jessica & Matt’s October wedding day and wondering “how in the WORLD did we think it was cold THAT DAY?” Their wedding day was a lovely, yet chilly, fall day with colors still on the leaves and tons of love in the air. I’d definitely take that crisp fall day over what we’ve got now- anytime! I’ve had so much fun working with this pair. Not only did we have a blast on their engagement session and snag a bunch of wonderful shots on their wedding day, but we got together yet again just a couple days into their wedded bliss to explore Devil’s Lake for another portrait session. FUN!

So many colors in this wedding day- I loved the Asian feel of these gold shoes on this red & gold fabric.

The guys made use of the hotel’s putt-putt green before heading off to the ceremony.

Getting ready…

Who knew the yellow trees would compliment the yellow florals perfectly? Love!

royal blue wedding bridesmaid dresses with yellow flowers

Madison WI fall weddings Arboretum portraits photographer

These red bushes are all over Madison during the fall. Gorgeous!

Jessica was a gorgeous bride, don’t you agree??

This twine gave the boutonniere a very natural and rustic feel!

Off to the Memorial Union! So very MADISON!

Something you get on chillier Madison days: a sea of empty sunburst chairs. Any warmer and they’d have been packed!

FUN brides are the best!!

This is my favorite bridal shot of Jessica. Stunning with that yellow in the background!

We visited Olin Park on their engagement, so figured why not add some skyline on the wedding day to match? If you peek in the background, you can see Monona Terrace off to the right, where their reception was just starting to kick off!

The Asian-inspired details set the scene for a big surprise…

Red and yellow wedding flowers Asian details

Jessica entered the reception in a gorgeous, hand-made, traditional Chinese gown! This was a surprise to everyone, even her parents. LOVED it!

Speeches were fun, and drew laughter AND tears.

Carl’s Cakes has my absolute favorite wedding cake flavor, and Jessica & Matt made sure to remind me to grab a piece! In case you’re curious, it’s their white cake with buttercream frosting and apricot-hazelnut filling. It is the perfect cake! It’s sweet but not too sweet, and that buttercream is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. My husband & I had this cake at our wedding and I still get excited every time I hear that the cake is from Carl’s!

Cake hole!

Stay tuned, because soon I’ll post some photos from our Devil’s Lake excursion. In the meantime, Jessica & Matt- thank you for having me as a part of your day. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you guys and I hope we can have more pug dates in the future!