Adventures in Iowa

This past weekend our friends John and Sara (they also happen to be our wedding photographers) were married in Iowa. J and I made the 4 1/2 hour drive and let me tell you, it was an adventure.

We left Saturday morning and were making great time. We only got sorta lost one time, and it only cost us about 10 minutes. We even had time to stop at a place called Hucklberry's in Okoboji to buy a souvenir for J's dad(who collects rocks).


So we roll in to Storm Lake around 2:15pm and we are supposed to be picked up by the shuttle at 3:15 (the venue was about half an hour away from the hotel). So J and I figure we're in great shape, we swing in to a Subway to get a quick bite to eat before getting ready. Worst Subway experience EVER! Apparently they had chopped up onions just before we got there.....everyone's eyes were burning. It was so bad, I seriously felt like I was going blind. To top it off, it took 20 minutes to get our subs...not because there was a line but because the workers were that slow. It was unreal.

We finally roll in to the hotel at 2:50, so we have a good 25 minutes to eat and get ready...which should be fine. I forgot to mention that most of (well, now we know all of) the other wedding guests were staying at different hotel about a mile down the road. The shuttle was to pick them up at 3:15 and then come to get us afterward...but our stop was a last minute addition so we weren't sure if it would be coming or not, which wasn't a big deal because if it didn't we could catch the 4:15 shuttle at the other hotel. Anyways, J and I are scrambling to get ready when a wave of panic rushes over me.................I don't have my make up. I had showered before we left that morning but didn't bother drying my hair or putting on make up....I had my straightener to do my hair but my make up was no where in sight. Shit. With 20 minutes until the shuttle comes I fly out the door and run to Walgreen which, thank the Lord, was right across the street from the hotel. $50 later and I had some new, really crappy make up. Yes, $50 for crappy make up. I can't even tell you how pissed I was, and still am. I get back to the hotel right at 3:15, so I send J down to wait for the shuttle with instructions to call me when it gets there. Of course in my mad rush I didn't pay too close of attention to what I was buying and it turns out I buy foundation that's about three shades too dark for me and the "gray" eyeshadow I bought looks a lot more bright blue when it's on your face. Basically, I looked like a clown.

I meet J down in the parking lot to wait for the shuttle, after about 20 minute we figure it's not coming. We have time to kill and we don't want to have our car at the other hotel so we decide to walk. In the heat. On the side of road. Not the best idea. But, we made it there, a little sweatier than when we left. And we had a few minutes to cool off before the next shuttle came. Thankfully we were on the shuttle with John and Sara's WONDERFUL neighbors (follow Britni's blog: Britni's Beginings) and they were smart enough to bring a cooler and were nice enough to offer us a beer. After a crazy and kind of stressful day everything was behind us once we saw those blue mountains.


By the time we had reached Prairie Peddler everything was behind us. It was absolutely beautiful!




They had this adorable Lemonade stand where guests could serve themselves lemonade and iced tea before the ceremony:


5pm came quickly and it was time for John and Sara to get married!!!



It was a beautiful day and a beautiful ceremony and I'm so glad we got to be a part of it. I cried like a baby, each wedding closer to ours I cry more and more (BB-I'm going to be a hot mess at yours, just warning you).

Sara had thought of every little detail and it was what made this wedding truly amazing!

Home made pies for dessert:


ADORABLE centerpieces (each table was different):


Sweetheart table:


Dance floor!


Some of you may wonder...."what does a wedding photographer do about a wedding photographer for her own wedding? Well, I'll tell you! She invites all her friends and has 9 photographers!

It was incredible. There were giant cameras everywhere. It was like the paparazzi. I can't wait to see Sara's pictures because I know there's going to be a ton of them and they are going to be amazing!

Once the sun went down there was dancing, karaoke and a fireworks show!!!




Quick side story...on the shuttle ride back to the hotels I got to meet a blog follower! It was my first "blog sighting" and I felt sooooo cool! :) I promised this awesome lady (thanks for sharing your beer cup) that I would give her a shout out! So.....HEY HEY, "B Giving!" Thanks for reading the blog and thanks for recognizing me!

We had an absolute blast!
To John and Sara-
Thank you so much for including us in your big day! We had an amazing time! All the hard work you put in to the wedding paid off and everything was truly magical!
CONGRATS! We love you guys!


Sunday on our way home we decided to stop in Jackson, MN where my dad was born and lived until he was 10. I had only ever driven through the little town and since we weren't in a rush to get home we decided to take a little tour of where my dad grew up.


The house he grew up in:


And, I got to go meet my grandpa! My dad's dad Donald, passed away when my dad was 7 years old, so obviously, I never got a chance to meet him. When I found out he was buried in the cemetery in Jackson I really wanted to stop. It took J and I a long time to find his sight, but thanks to some help from my dad and grandma we were able to find him.

(sorry for the white out...gotta protect myself)
It was a very bittersweet moment finding the headstone of my grandpa. Part of me felt so sad that my grandma, dad, aunt and uncle lost him so young and that I never got a chance to meet him. And, it was very strange seeing my last name on a headstone. But, the other part of me felt so happy and proud that I was able to stop and see him and pay respects. I felt so much love for J during that time because he wasn't going to give up and leave until we found my grandpa and because I couldn't imagine losing him. The whole experience was pretty cool and pretty powerful. I'm so glad we stopped.

It was another fabulous weekend in the books!