They first met through friends WAY back in the 7th grade. They stayed friends from then on, but life took them along different paths.  That is until years later when their paths would cross again. Brett was on a work trip to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin from Seattle and Nikki decided to drive over from Rochester, Minnesota to meet up with him.

From there, a long time friendship grew into something more despite living across the country from one another. Nikki was in Rochester, MN and Brett was in Seattle.  After several months of constant texting and marathon FaceTime sessions, Nikki took a trip to Seattle for a long weekend ‘first date’ with Brett.  From there, it was only a matter of time before she would make the move out west to be with Brett!

Some time later, the two planned a trip back to where it all began – Lake Geneva, WI. Nikki suspected maybe a proposal could be coming during the trip,  but two days in she sent a text to her best friend and her sister-in-law – sure that if he hadn’t done it by now, he wasn’t going to propose on this trip.  So much to her surprise while laying in a hammock waiting to go on a zip line tour, she turned her head towards Brett and there was a ring in her face.
It was perfect – just the two of them, nothing big and bold, but small and personal. He later told her that he had wanted to take the ring on the zip lines and pop the question as I zip lined towards him, but he was way too nervous to drop the ring on the zip line course!

6 months later, on a chilly fall day the two would say I do at one of the coolest, most intimate, and organically charming days we’ve had the pleasure of capturing – Nikki and Brett said “I do” in front of their nearest and dearest.  This day is going to rock your world on so many levels!  Enjoy a sneak peek of this remarkable day and couple!

Brett is one of those guys you instantly like.  He’s attentive and gracious and all around likable! 

As much as the location was a showstopper, the personal touches that Nikki and Brett added were charming and thoughtful.  Every single detail was well though through and created a warm, beautiful environment. 

This bomber was the backdrop for the wedding ceremony, and was just jaw dropping.  This type of bomber – the TBM-3E Avenger was the type of plane that the late president George H.W. Bush was shot down in while flying over the pacific island of Chichi Jima.  Both of his crew mates died but he released his payload and hit the target before being forced to bail out.

Right after the ceremony, we were able to take a few minutes with the couple outside as the sun set.  It was completely relaxed and fantastic to get to spend time with them at that moment when they could really relax and take in the moment.  And that moment – this is the stuff photographer dreams are made of.  There aren’t many times where the stars all align, but this!  This was everything!

And then – it happened.  They started making wood-fired s’mores and dished out several INSANELY yummy flavors of ice cream.  
Friends, I’m serious here.  This real life happened.  

I just don’t see how anything could be more magical.  Every single part of a perfect wedding day was present at Nikki and Brett’s wedding, but the most important part was what really left us head over heels.  These two are truly in love.  They are a team, best friends, and without a doubt the perfect partner to grow old with.  They are an example to others on what a solid relationship looks like.  Their vows to one another were so deep and kind, the way they look at one another is as if no one else exists, and their care for one another’s happiness is evident in everything they do.
But not only their love for one another, but for their guests and friends is inspiring.  The main thing they wanted was an event that felt cozy, intimate, and made each guest feel welcome and treasured.  And that’s exactly how everyone felt – including the photographers.  You don’t walk away from getting to know Nikki and Brett without feeling like you’ve just made fantastic new friends.  Friends that you’ve known forever and cherish.  We feel so fortunate to have been a part of this incredible day and to know this special couple!  

From the couple:

The most memorable part of the day was our ceremony – it was perfectly awkward and wrong and wonderful: our ring bearer was too sick to even make it, our flower girl went the wrong way down the aisle and then turned around and did her duty, our friend Jared who officiated was nervous and fiddled with the microphone, our friend Stan who played our ceremony music forgot to play the outro song… but through it all, both Brett and I said the vows that we wrote to one another confidently and at the end of it we were married.

Definitely take it all in – you know what they say, “it goes by so fast.”

Try to talk to as many guests as you can before your first dance – it really frees you up to enjoy yourself without having to worry about being rude hosts. And take about 20 minutes after your ceremony to spend with your new spouse and your photographers!! It was so fun for us to grab a drink and head out for a little alone time before the madness of the reception began.

Funniest memory for the day – Probably seeing Karin and Roger freaking out in a great way over our wedding location – it made us both feel so good and confident that our photos would turn out incredible!

Songs – First Dance – Sam Cooke – Nothing Can Change This Love

If you could do it all over, would you change anything?Not a damn thing.

Honeymoon Location – We haven’t gone yet, but planning on New Zealand in the spring!

Other wedding professionals who made the day fantastic – 
Embers Wood Fired Pizza
Sorelle Ice Cream
TKO DJ’s
Wedding Rental on a Budget

And because you just can’t sum up this day in a blog post alone – watch the video below to see more!