Half way across the country

Well, one of the weddings that I've anxiously been awaiting has finally happened! I was so excited about the photos I got at the wedding today I'm sitting in the hotel room editing them and creating some so you all can take a peek at things to come.

I flew into Sioux Falls, S. Dakota on Thursday for the wedding of Shandi and Tony. I met Shandi earlier in the year and was quite flattered when she asked me if I would fly to the midwest to photograph her wedding. I COULDN'T WAIT-THIS COUPLE IS SO AWESOME!! Shandi and Tony are both from S. Dakota, so it just made sense that they would get married where all their family and friends live.
I got to meet a lot of the family last night at the rehearsal and the dinner that followed. Shandi and Tony are very fortunate to have as many grandparents as they do-they have so many I lost count today :) The rehearsal dinner was at Tony's parent's house and the dinner was really good. In fact, I tasted some barbeque sauce that was out of this world!!!! It's made in S. Dakota and can only be purchased in a couple select stores, so needless to say I immediately asked Tony's mom where I could get some. I went to the store and bought six bottles--enough to take home for some friends and create a little stash for our kitchen. My daughter Cassie seems to eat just about ANYTHING covered in bbq sauce, so I'm sure she'll be very happy!!



The location of the ceremony was nothing short of spectacular-the Terrace Japanese Gardens. The hidden gem of the area is down below where the ceremony was. We did about 90% of the photos down in this fabulous location.


Although they got married in S. Dakota, Shandi and Tony live in Sac. Even with it being really warm here today, I was telling them how lucky we were not to be back in Ca. because it had been 105 degrees the day before I left!!! Before I leave Monday evening I'm going to get to see even more of this cool city in the morning when I do Tony's sister's high school senior portraits. I'll be venturing around town with Tony's mom and sister and I'm really looking forward to that! Something that I've seen around the downtown area that had me chuckling, and wondering, about were A LOT of little statues--some of them quite bizarre. I'll write what these are all about with some photos in a day or so (I plan on taking some photos of these).
I think one of the things that I have loved so much about this weekend was that every step I have taken has been on new land (well, at least for me). It's so much fun to be in a totally new place and everything I see is so different than I see in California (well, except for the McDonald's, Staples, Dollar Store, and other various chain stores that pop up every now and then-it was nice, however, to see some familiar sites.)
I have never been to this part of the country, so it's been a little bit of an adventure for me. I haven't had much of an opportunity to see as much as I would like, but I'll be driving about an hour and half west tomorrow to visit a cousin. I plan on loading up the cameras and just taking photos along the way--who knows when I'll get back here next. I am so honored that Shandi and Tony invited me into this part of their lives. One of the things that I've had a couple laughs about is that the grandparents just couldn't believe I'd come (in their words) "all the way from California JUST to take pictures". Well of course-who wouldn't want to work with this couple!! They both have incredible families and I hope we all have a chance to work together again...I hear there are a couple family weddings coming up :)
Check back soon for more of their photos and/or an album layout!