Laura & Ben

{married 05.20.11}

Sweet family. Close relationships. Family traditions. Beautiful couple.

Beautiful day.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Laura & Ben over the past year as well as their family & what a sweet sweet family they are.

As a mother myself I could appreciate how close they are as a family & that shows in everything that they do & that they prepared for in this wedding day.

I love documenting events like that, the love that they all shared was just so evident in the everything they did, the people that were there & in Laura & Ben.

They had a late afternoon/early evening ceremony @ St. William Catholic Church, which BTW photographers if you are looking for a beautiful {read well-lit} Catholic Church, St. William is the place to be.

We had a short time for portraits in between but we rocked it out & so did the weather.

We made it to the reception shortly after for Laura & Ben to kick off their celebration.

Only one word describes the reception room : WOWzers.

It was a photographers dream.

Thanks for allowing us to share in your special day L & B and enjoy your sneak peek!

{s. natale}

| be sure to scroll to the bottom for the vendor list & links to their websites |

The girls were practicing “Teach me how to Bucky” for the reception

Getting all “glitterfied” before the wedding {is that a word?}

Lauras dress was a surprise to everyone, even the Bridesmaids.

This image was part of the reaction the first time they saw Laura, all dressed up on her wedding day.

The absolutely stunning bride, Laura.  Yes honey, you were having a wonderful “lash day”

Look @ these fabulous shoes?

I believe they were in the middle of making their “fancy” face

Sisters, a few moments before the ceremony

There are no words to describe how much I love the next few images

{note : Ben & Laura did not see other prior to the wedding, these were their first few moments}

A moment during the ceremony

Rings on their getaway car {thanks Michelle b. for this lovely shot}

The AMAZING cake table

The BEAUTIFUL head table

L & B’s first dance

Images from their 3D slideshow

Mother & Father of the Bride

The beautiful Mother of the Groom

Laura & Ben’s Wedding Vendors

Ceremony  | St. William Catholic Church, Janesville Wisconsin

Reception Venue | Holiday Inn Express, Janesville Wisconsin

Flowers/Decorations | Brad @ Floral Expressions

DJ | Austin with Jukebox Bandstand

Videographer | Frogman Productions

Photographer | Natale Photography

If you liked Laura & Ben’s wedding BLOG post be sure to leave us some comment love

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Derek & Nikki

{engaged}

Wedding | October, 15, 2011

L.U.C.K.Y. in love.

We just kept hitting the jackpot during our e-sesh in Milwaukee last week.

light. location. love. sweet beautiful adorable couple.

We started out @ Miller Park & started shooting inside, asked around a bit to see if we could get in & shoot in the stadium & kept getting the run around by the ladies in the gift store.  We asked someone out in the hallway & eventually we were let into the private little patio from T.G.I.Fridays.  It was perfect.  But that was not good enough for us, we still wanted the seats.  So we walked around to the side by the Ticket Booth & a couple of doors happened to be opened & so we went it.  {of course, right?}  Well right there, with ZERO baracades was the entrance to the lower level seats.  Perfect.  Thanks much Miller Park, ‘ppreciate it.

We managed to get some beautiful light & hit some pretty great spots, but we weren’t selfish.  We got in & out before security was called.

“Oh sorry mr. security guard sir, we didn’t realize…”

We headed down to the 5th ward, downtown Milwaukee.  I had a few possible options in mind, but was going to make the judgement call once we got down there & I could check out the light, buildings, etc.  And then boom, I turned the corner & it was like a vision.  I pulled in, looked for a “No Trespassing” sign, didn’t see one & put the swagger wagon in park.  Heck YES.

This was an old abandon warehouse-type.  Beautiful light. So many little nooks to tuck in & shoot at.

Anyhoo it was simply fabulous as was Derek & Nikki!

They were very up for anything & it was great exploring with them & finding the perfect spots for their session.

D & N are having a wedding in Beloit/Janesville this fall & I can’t wait to document that for them.

They are so adorably in love & it was so much fun to capture that for them!

Enjoy the sneak peeks!

{s. natale}

Heather & Nick

{wedding date : october, 22 2011}

Finally, after many weather related reschedules we were able to do H & N’s engagement session in Madison, Wisconsin.

I’m SO glad we waited it out for nicer weather.

We started near Olin Park & ended up downtown Madison.

Heather & Nick I had a great time with you both, you make stellar animal noises & look forward to photographing your wedding this fall.

{s. natale}

Making animal noises, a favorite past time for H & N

I love love love {triple love} the way Nick looks @ Heather.

So. Dang. Sweet.

The story behind this next image.

Nick’s nickname for Heather is Nala from the Lion King. She came along for the ride

Karen & Will

{Wedding Date : July 30, 2011}

I spent the morning with Karen & Will last week for their engagement session downtown Fort Atkinson where they spent their first few dates.

I’ve known Karen now for a few years, we were in a MOPS group together & I’m so excited to see her this happy.

She & Will are just absolutely adorable together & it was so much fun to photograph the love that they share.

I look forward to shooting their wedding later this summer.

Enjoy the Sneak Peeks K & W.

{s. Natale}

*BLOG CONTEST REMINDER*

Leave a comment for Karen & Will to win a $50 studio credit & at the same time your entered to win a $50 studio credit as well.

Contest Information :

If a client {Bridal or Portrait} get 15+ comments on their BLOG post they will receive a $50 studio credit toward their print order or wedding album.

ALSO….

I will randomly pick one winner from the comments that are left on the BLOG & they will ALSO get a $50 studio credit.

So to summarize :

Go to the BLOG, share the love, leave a comment or two, win free stuff & help my clients get free stuff too. Pretty simple really.

I love meeting new & fun couples like Jessie & Jon.  Just super cute, fun & up for anything!

We traveled around Janesville to a variety of locations & ended up @ the very famous Frosty Freeze which J & J go to quite often for Ice Cream.  It was very fitting for them!

Thanks for the fun evening & I hope you guys enjoyed the remainder of your vacation!

Enjoy your Sneak Peak!

{s. natale}

$25 for a couch.  Anyone? Anyone?

Loved your shoes Jessie, loved your shoes!

If you have been following Facebook & the BLOG you know we are currently running TWO contests & they are ending on MONDAY MAY 31st 2010

Make sure if you’d like to nominate someone for the love {you} forever session or the destination wedding giveaway to do so prior to Monday!

The winner will be notified by Monday June 7th

Feel free to pass this on & share with friends & family!!

*love {you} forever session contest  (click here to see the previous blog post)

QUICK NOTE:  Many people have asked about these sessions.  Basically they are a session dedicated to couples!!  Long-term couples, married couples, couples celebrating their anniversary {wedding or dating}.  I wanted to offer a session to those couples that maybe wanted to celebrate their relationship, love & have some fun doing so!  You can nominate yourself and/or another couple.

*destination wedding contest click here to see the previous blog post)

Looking forward to the Madison Bridal Fair this coming SUNDAY.   If you are planning a wedding or know someone who is be sure to pass on the information.

Admission is free & there are a lot of great giveaways & vendors that are participating!

2010 is almost fully booked for Natale Photography {1-2 more weddings tops} & we are actively booking for 2011.  Be sure to snag your date before someone else does!

Sunday March 28th, 2010 1-4pm ~ Quality Inn & Suites

Hope to see you there!

Matt & Jacey had a wonderful wedding day in & around Madison.  They were married @ Matt’s parents home in the backyard & it was simply stunning.  From there we traveled around the city to various locations that Jacey had all planned out & we were able to get some amazing shots.  I will note here that J & M opted to see each other prior to the wedding so we were able to get all of the family shots done prior to the wedding which made for a longer & more relaxed time afterwards to be able to stop @ all of these fun places.  I always like to give my couple the options & weigh the Pro & Cons.  But really, when it comes down to it I absolutely LOVE it when they meet ahead of time.

Jacey’s AMAZING gown, was custom made & I loved every tiny detail of it!  Check it out: http://www.availcouture.com

Pretty sure they could not be ANY cuter.

Jacey & Matt = so so cute.

Jacey + Matt + Bridal Party = good. times.

“What was that?  Did you hear that music?  Must be a keg party… Lets go…”

We were welcomed with open arms…

We had to stop by the place that the bride & groom first met, for old times sake.

State St.

The reception was @ the Madison Club.  The light is absolutely RAD.  I love love love love love the Madison Club.

An amazing shot, one of the last of the night.  Shot by my wonderful assistant, Michelle.

Vendors:

Wedding Gown:  Avail Couture

Reception:  The Madison Club of Madison

{stephanie n.}

So part #2 of my new blog is integrating a weekly post {my goal is monday} of random information, links, sources of motivation and/or resources that hopefully will benefit my readers.  Being as though {ideally} I’ll have variety of people viewing this blog, my hope is to break it down like this:

portrait {peeps}

{{resources, articles & information geared towards the modern mommy, family & seniors.}}

Building Blocks for Learning located here in Janesville.  I think they are a great resource for families in the area.  I became acquainted with Kay & Jeanne several years ago when I started buying Thomas the Train items there for Gabriel & loved their selection of toys, books & learning tools for children.

If you haven’t been in to check out their store yet & you live in Janesville, shame on you.  They are located right across the street from the Post Office & next to Walgreens on Milton Ave.   They carry a lot of fantastic educational toys as well as a variety of Melissa & Doug, Thomas the Train, Playmobile & they also offer classes in their activity room.

{Remember to support your local small businesses!}

wedding {peeps}

{{unique ideas, planning websites, vendors & exciting news in the bridal industry for my wedding clients}}

If you are looking for custom Wedding Invitations {that ROCK}, check out The Paper Deli in Middleton Wisconsin.  They are originally from Janesville & recently opened up their retail store on Old Sauk Rd.  They do amazing work:  invitations, programs, thank-you’s & more.

Brian Breezer is the owner & he is great to work with & very creative.

They even carry these (what more could you possibly want):

photo {peeps}

{{resources, motivation & random tidbits for those in the photo industry}}

One thing that I’ve learned over the past few years in this industry is that working with & learning from other photographers is a huge part of the business.  I’ve loved meeting many different photographers from around the country @ different workshops, conventions & seminars.  I think that it is so important to recognize that we all have something to learn & we all have something we can offer.

Recently I was a part of a fantastic program {Foundations of Posing} given by Pierre & Anna from Pierre’s Portrait Art in Madison.  Both Pierre & his wife Anna offered a lot of great knowledge & shared information with a small group of photographers.  We were able to work with each other on a variety of exercises & shoot @ a beautiful location.   We even had an adorable couple who were celebrating 5 years of marriage but were very willing to put on a suit & a wedding dress in order to play “bride & groom” for a bunch of crazy photographers.

Pierre gives back to this industry in many ways & it is photographers like this that allow all of us to grow & learn in our business, improve & then in turn give back to other photographers in the future.  Check out his website & his amazing work!  He also offers a free forum for Wisconsin Photographers (WPPF). Thanks again Pierre & see you Thursday!

Here are a few of the images I took that day:

If there is a topic, question or idea you’d like to see discussed here next week, leave me a comment & I’ll see what I can do

{stephanie n.}