Hannah and Tate's Big Day | Decorah Iowa Wedding Photographer

It was supposed to be a rain filled day, but that didn’t stop Hannah and Tate from being all smiles all day long. These two were filled with so much joy the entire day and it SHOWED. Their wedding party and family were also so light hearted and ready to have a great time and celebrate the new Mr. and Mrs. They had me laughing through out the photos, ceremony, and reception!

After lots of prayers and purchasing 12 clear umbrellas (just in case), the weather decided to hold off and they had a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Empty Nest Winery out in Waukon, Iowa. I’m so so so grateful I was able to be a part of Hannah and Tate’s wedding day and so excited to share my personal favorites.

We had time for a first look with Hannah’s bridesmaids as well and it was so fun. I love when the ladies are just as excited to see the bride all done up as the groom is 😊

For their guest book they had an Instax camera and had everyone took a picture and signed next to it. I thought this was such a fun idea and good way to remember everyone on your wedding day!

Hannah and Tate’s wedding day at the Empty Nest Winery was a success and I’m so happy they chose me to be a part of their day! I’ll be returning to Decorah for Randi Kate and Brad’s wedding in December and cannot wait! It is filled with so many beautiful nature spots that I am excited to explore again.

Mayson Rooftop Senior Session | Des Moines Senior Photographer

For the second half of Mayson’s session we went up to one of my favorite downtown spot to catch the sunset in all it’s glory. Her red hair and green jumpsuit were perfect together and giving me total Ariel feels in the best way possible. Mayson was serving me looks the entire time it made my job easy. I snapped away while she glowed. I had a blast with Mayson and can’t wait for all my 2020 senior sessions 🙂 If you still want to schedule your senior photos now is the perfect time to reach out! I’d love to capture your senior year glow.

Emily and Tyler Adventure Session | Des Moines Wedding Photographer

Tyler and Emily have been married 5 years and have 2 kids with one more on the way, but at this session you would have assumed they were newlyweds! The way Tyler sweetly joked and flirted with Emily even had me giggling. What can I say I’m a sap.

Lynda from Lavender Blue Floral provided the florals and decor. She had just broke her foot, but you would have never known. She is a true trooper and total professional who truly loves to create! I totally wanted to steal the rug she provided, but I didn’t 😉 It was just so stinkin cute.

Hair and Makeup was done by Nicole of About Face Beauty. She kept it simple with neutrals and an updo that really highlighted Emily’s natural beauty.

Weddings By Design provided the suspenders, bow tie and vest for Tyler’s look. Guys, if you are on the hunt for a suit or any type of wedding apparel this is the place to look. Melissa will hook you up!

Emily’s dress was from Lulus and was so cute! It tied in perfectly with all the details. So ladies, if you are looking for a dress for engagement photos, an elopement, or just for fun, definitely check out their website.

Enough about the details of the shoot, lets get to the actual photos of these two that have me swooning ❤️

Emily put it best when sharing some of the photos on her own feed, “Pictures of your kids and with your kids are great, but when was the last time you and your husband had pictures taken of just the two of you? This was one of the most fun date nights we’ve had in a while and felt like we were getting married all over again! Even if you don’t do a styled shoot, hire a photographer and go get photos as a couple. You’ll have so much fun and be so glad you did!”

Zach and Tia Proposal | Des Moines Social Club Rooftop Proposal

Zach and Tia have modeled for me in the past, so I was pretty excited when Zach texted me and asked if I was available to photograph the surprise proposal he was planning.

Candles, photos of memories they have together, twinkly lights, the outdoors, and a gorgeous ring what more could a girl dream of? How about a fake pop up art museum event to get her to come without drawing any suspicion and a legit Square Space website just in case she had her doubts. 😉 Talk about going all out! Zach was all about the details while planning and made sure everything was perfect for Tia, which I loved!

Tia was totally taken by surprise and it was so fun to capture their proposal for them on top of Des Moines Social Club. Scroll through to see how surprised and happy they both were ♥️

I was literally grinning behind the camera the entire time and had a blast photographing their proposal. Thank you Zach for trusting me to capture this very special moment for you two. I can’t wait to see these two’s relationship continue to grow. Cheers to Zach and Tia!

Mac and Daiya + Goat Cheese Recipe | Dairy Free Recipe

Months ago I posted a picture of my dairy free mac and cheese dinner on my Instagram story and have consistently gotten requests for the recipe since. It took me more than a hand full of attempts to master the cheese sauce, which gave me a real run for my money. Literally I couldn’t get the sauce to thicken. I finally cracked the delicious code and want to share it with the whole world. 😉

Now I can’t take all the credit for this recipe. The original recipe is from Genius Kitchen. I took this recipe tweaked it to make it dairy free + more creamy, because the creamier the better.

For all you dairy doubters, husband requests this dish. He isn’t dairy free and makes it very clear he prefers real cheese.

Lastly, a disclaimer to my fellow lactose intolerant peeps. After a few times of eating this recipe I noticed my stomach was a little upset. Naturally I turned to Google and turns out your body can develop an intolerance to goat milk as well. So, if you feel a little sick after eating it cut down the amount of goat cheese you put in and or try substituting it with a vegan cream or more shredded cheese instead. And let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients

4 oz container of Garlic & Herb Goat Cheese

1 1/2 cups of Daiya Mozzarella Shredded Cheese

1/2 container of Shell Macaroni Noddles

3 tablespoons of Butter

3 tablespoons of Flour

1 1/2 cups of Dairy Free Almond Milk

Pepper (for seasoning)

Breadcrumbs (I specifically use this kind because others have dairy in it)

9” x 9” pan

Extra Virgin Olive Oil/Spray

For a little extra goodness add little smokies, or your favorite meat. If you do add little smokies, try dipping the final result in barbecue sauce (Cookies is our current fav brand because it has the least amount of sugar in it). It’s a very tasty addition.

Prep Time

First Timer: 40 minutes (because trying new things always takes longer)

Knows Your Way Around the Kitchen: 30 minutes

Seasoned Pro: 20 minutes

Cook Time

30-45 minutes depending on how new your oven is.

Directions

First things first, boil some water for the noodles. Get a large pot and fill it at least half full and turn the burner to high. If you are including meat, you’ll also want to get out a pan/pot for the meat now. I like to cook the smokies in water over medium heat the whole time prep time.

Next, we are going to start the cheese sauce base.

Get out a small pot and melt 3 tablespoons of butter on low heat. When it starts to sizzle add in the flour, one tablespoon at a time (3 total), stir and repeat. Once all the flour is mixed in, cook it for an additional minute. After this it should look like a paste.

The water might be boiling at this point. If it is, dump at least half the box of shells in and cook them for how ever long the box tells you to. That box knows it’s stuff. Usually it’s 10-12 minutes. If you want leftover noddles or are really hungry, add in 3/4 of the box.

Now is also a good time to preheat your oven. Set it to 350 degrees and it should be ready when you are finishing up prep.

Back to the paste we go!

Add in 1 cup of milk if you want the mac and cheese to be more dry, 2 cups if you want it real gooey. We tend to like it in the middle and use 1 and a half cups of milk. This next step is key to getting creamy and not runny cheese sauce. Add in 1/4 cup of milk at a time. Stir in the milk and continue to stir for at least 1 minute before adding the next 1/4 cup. Once you’ve added in all the milk, if you notice it is still too runny try adding in another tablespoon of butter and flour. At this point the mix should be able to coat the back of a spoon. This is also the perfect time to add in pepper for seasoning.

Add in 3/4 of the goat cheese and let it melt. You may have to break it apart with your spoon in order to help the melting process. Once it is melted, add in 1 cup of shredded cheese. Let the cheese melt for 2 minutes (It should be nice and gooey at this point). Congrats, your cheese sauce is officially ready!

Your shells should be done right about now as well. Drain them and spray/rub the pan with olive oil or spray.

For the best and even cheesiness put down a layer of shells and then add a layer of cheese and meat. Sprinkle in more shredded cheese and bread crumbs to really get the party going. Repeat this until the pan is full. Usually we do this twice or three times before the pan is full.

On the top layer I don’t add more shredded cheese because it tends to get hard, which is a thing with dairy free cheese I’ve yet to master. But if you like your mac and cheese real crispy on the top then put that cheese on the top! Also if you really have a thing for goat cheese crumble up the remaining amount and sprinkle it over the top.

You’re ready to go! Pop your creation into the oven, set your timer to 30 minutes, and once you hear the ding enjoy!

Tag me on social media if you decide to take a wack at this recipe. I’d love to see how it turns out for you/how you make it your own! Happy cooking ☺️