Backpacking in Patagonia, Chile-O circuit

In so many ways I am independent but in other ways, I have the desire to be everyone’s younger sister. I love needing to be brave and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Most of all, I genuinely LOVE the wilderness. I’ve been overdue for an opportunity to reunite.

With a milestone birthday on the horizon, I had the excuse to give myself an adventure and I was gonna take it. Going into the wilderness in South America and hiking the O circuit in Patagonia was my tops on my list. It would be my last continent to reach. With Chile’s reputation for safety and the trail well marked (even providing food at some camps), it felt like the right choice.

And holy crap it was!

I faced plenty of challenges and felt stabs of self-doubt along the way. Thoughts of backing out filled my mind the 2 days before the solo trek. I was intimidated by the fierce wind and more scared than I anticipated. I was worried I wasn’t physically up to the challenge. I hadn’t walked 10 miles in a day in years, now I was facing 80 miles in 8 days. Nervously, I packed my borrowed backpack and convinced myself that I just had to do one day and make it to the first campsite. I told myself I could always turn around and hike back out. I’ve always been compelled to throw myself into situations where I have to push myself and grow. I love and value raw experience and even a bad one would be better than none.

So I did it and LOVED it! The emotional shift from the fears and self doubt I had before setting off and the thrill and joy I experienced out there on the trail got me soaring.

The wilderness touches something deep in me. It’s like a second home where I find such peace and reverence. I ended up loving every minute out there! Even when my feet were sore with each step, I was loving it. One night I was so tired after hiking that I couldn’t even find the energy to leave my tent to pee, so giggling at the ridiculousness of it I peed into a ziplock bag in my tent and I was loving it. When I hiked over the rope bridges suspended high over deep ravines alone, I was loving it. When I sat up at night, staring at the unfamiliar stars in the southern hemisphere sky, I was loving it. I was surprised how much I loved it. If you watch the video, it’s pretty much just a bunch of jaw-dropping vistas with me shrieking about how much I am loving this.

If you could choose one place in the world to go on an adventure where and what would you choose? What cravings are calling to you? I’d love to hear.

Warning:::: I curse more than I should. When I am excited I talk like a sailor. Oops.

Whenever I have solo traveled I always meet the coolest people. If you are willing to talk to others you are bound to make some friends. This is kick ass women is Marzena from Poland. She was also doing the O-circuit solo. After the hike she invited me on a road trip with her camper. So fun!

By Maureen Cassidy| December 23rd, 2018|travel|0 Comments

Krista and Betsy’s Memorial Union Wedding

Well, it’s been a ridiculously long time since I wrote a blog, BUT this wedding is a great one to get back into the swing of things!…

An awesome wedding at one of my favorite venues with amazing brides AND Bucky Badger is in attendance?! I guess dreams really do come true. I had a blast at this wedding and am so glad these lovely women were willing to share a bit about their love story, planning process, and wedding with us. From here on out it’s Krista and Betsy providing the words!

Our love story:

We met in August 2012 at the U-Bay rugby fields at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Krista was a senior in college and a back for the UW Women’s Rugby Football Club team, and I (Betsy) was a second-year graduate student and an assistant coach. I was infatuated with Krista at first sight. Being the awkward human that I am (and the fact that I already had a girlfriend!), I made the decision to avoid interacting with Krista at all costs. Krista actually thought I hated her!

Fast forward a few months to the rugby social where I mustered up the (liquid?) courage to talk to Krista. After a fun night of laughing and dancing with friends, we exchanged numbers and have been together ever since. Just kidding. I lost all of my courage and actively avoided Krista for another few months! We finally made it official in March 2013.

When I applied to psychology internships Krista jumped at the chance to move with me . . . . but only after I promised we could get a puppy. Now our family includes a puppy named Scout and a cat named Pickles. In June 2016, Krista popped the question while we were at a Brandi Carlile concert in Nebraska. And now here we are!

Where our wedding was, and how we chose the venue(s):

We got married on the Tripp Deck at the Memorial Union and had our reception in Tripp Commons. We did not even look at other venues and were lucky that the timeline for our wedding fit with the construction schedule and lottery timeline at the Union.

Our favorite part(s) of the wedding:

Pizza and beer on the terrace with friends and family the night before our wedding, our first look, our vows, dancing with friends and family, having Bucky visit our wedding!

What was definitely worth it:

MAUREEN! Our pictures were beautiful and would definitely recommend having her as a photographer (and guest) at your wedding.
Our DJ (Josh and Lane from Kuhl Entertainment)
Spending the money to have a trusted hairstylist and makeup artist travel to Madison from Milwaukee to do the hair of all 16 (!) bridesmaids and both of our moms
Renting the two king suites at the Memorial Union the night before and night of our wedding

What was definitely not worth it:

Worrying too much about where people were seated. Most of our guests spent the night on the dance floor or enjoying the sunset on the Tripp Deck.

Our greatest challenge in planning the wedding:

Starting the planning process when we were living out of state

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because:

When we met with Maureen she instantly made us feel comfortable.

Where we allocated the most funds:

Food/Drinks
Photographer
DJ

The Least Funds:

Cake (we chose a free design)
We opted not to have a videographer

Vendor Shout-outs!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Tripp Deck & Commons at the Memorial Union

Hair: Kara McGrew, Bridget Lindner

Makeup: Jessica Vandervoot

Wedding Dresses: Vera’s in Madison, Wisconsin and Alexandra’s Boutique in Fall River, Massachusetts

Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levkoff

Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Catering & Bar-tending: Wisconsin Union Catering

Officiant: Our Close friend, Amanda Siebert Evenstone

Flowers/Florist: Adore Flowers in Tauranga, New Zealand (owner was related to one of our bridesmaids!)

Invitations: Minted

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography

DJ: Kuhl Entertainment (Lane Alexander and Josh Kuhl)

**Maureen here: Thanks for having me be part of your big day! Love to you both.

By Maureen Cassidy| October 4th, 2018|Uncategorized, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Honeymooning in Costa Rica

Costa Rica captures hearts. Go there, you’ll see what I mean.

We choose Costa Rica for our honeymoon because so many of our friends have gone and LOVED it. So based on an avalanche of glowing recommendations, it was a perfect choice. I asked my trusted friends on where to go and exclusively followed their recommendations (Yeah! no research needed!). My friend Beth recommended Ojo Del Mar in the Osa Peninsula, which as it turns out is a magical place. She had been there on a retreat and raved about the experience. You can swim in the clear blue ocean with no riptide, it’s in the jungle with lots of wildlife. It’s an eco-lodge with gourmet organic food and right by a waterfall. We came to learn much more about what the lodge but this was enough info to book the place and get there…

First stop: Utica and Dominical Beach

A view along the way to the Osa Peninsula.

Ojo Del Mar is an Ecolodge in the Osa Peninsula. This was our private cabana, the Marina.

We live in Wisconsin and when it’s nice out, you’re usually getting eaten by mosquitos. The fact that Costa Rica is not buggy wins major paradise points. We were there just a week in March but we never got bit or bothered by any biting insects. Our Cabana was all open walls but one.

This is the main building called el casa grande, where meals are served and friends are made. It makes an impact on you.

Some beach views from Ojo Del Mar.

The beach line changes a lot with the tide.

Side note to my photography friends: I only brought my Canon 24mm 2.8 & canon 5dii. I bring my old gear and a lightweight lens because I won’t worry about it but next time I travel I plan to bring proper gear. It will be interesting to see the difference.

They have an adorable little pineapple garden that will make you smile.

We saw so many monkeys and birds in this majestic tree.

This Cabana is called Marpache. Each cabana is a built with sustainability practices and are works of art.

I love the unexpected so I guess that’s why I prefer not to plan or have too many expectations on trips. It was really unexpected that we would end up meeting so many great people at the lodge. Neil is an introvert and I would not have guessed that we would have had so many great conversations and some adventures with other folks there. That is one of the benefits of eating together at the lodge. We even became friends with a guy who at the lodge and he spent his day off leading us on a hike to a couple of really nice waterfalls.

Not a big waterfall but you could jump or dive off and float and look at the canopy.

Driving in Costa Rica is exciting AF! You really do want a 4×4 if you plan to explore off the main highways(advice luckily given to us before our trip). Driving through small rivers and up steep twisty gravel roads is pretty common. Luckily, Neil is a professional monster truck driver (and likes to embellish on this blog) had no problem negotiating the roads in our diesel manual trans pickup!

The canopy in Corcovado National park.

Bow ties on grave markers.

We followed a Tapir from the forest to the beach. It’s like some kind of crazy cute micro elephant / pig combo.

Our guide saw a line of turtles and frantically assembled us to try to save them. Sadly it was too hot and too late for most of these guys but we did find 6 live ones and got them into the ocean.

Trips bring you closer together or they can reveal how far you have drifted apart. I am keeping the goal of 2 trips a year together(small weekend ones count). The time together is always so special and needed and I love just hanging out with Neil. I mean, look how cute he is. Neil was a champ the whole trip. Trips for him are out of his comfort zone but they are my 2nd nature. He pushes himself and swallows lots of anxiety feelings (and some pills) but he faces it. I appreciate my homebody husband willingness and courage to venture out.

And even go in a little 12 seater planes that will hop your terrified ass from smaller cities to San Jose.

This is Nico the Co-owner and chef of the eco lodge. She is an awesome bad ass and is really passionate about the environment and her lodge. She takes her self-assigned stewardship to the land to heart. I felt really good ending up here and supporting eco-tourism.

And since we are big weirdos, we leaf you with this.

By Maureen Cassidy| March 20th, 2018|travel|0 Comments

I went into 2017 with new priorities and that change made for the best year in decades. I wanted to change my work-life balance to involve less work and focus more on living life (money is important but so is making time to have fun). I took a gamble and took 1/2 as much work as in previous years and that gave me space to feel myself again and restore a little balance in a crazy, heavy world. So, I let myself have a summer of weekend plans (my first in a decade) and less stress and I allowed joy and lightness to take over. I took vacations with family, went to Africa, got married, got a puppy, got a hot tub, went to music festivals, slept outside more, went to great photography conferences, hosted fun house parties, & I met so many new friends this year that I feel like I belong more to my communities – all of this has been filling me with joy and gratitude!!! In some way, I feel like I reclaimed my life back from being a mother and a business owner. I was able to change things up because I had Neil, my now sexy awesome husband (who’s kind of my ghost writer for these blog posts). With his love and support + half the housework & bills divided, I was able to have less stress and do more cool things. I guess it was just that simple!! Hooray for love!!

I’m so lucky and grateful for the way this year went. I made so many memories that will last forever and make me smile every time I see photos like these.

I’m kind of a weirdo and so are my friends. When we get together, the parties get weird. Go figure.

Our blended family of kids is still in full creative play mode. This was one night they were doing space training in the “water unit”.

We liked the photos of the kids so much, we totally ripped them off.

The weird gene passed on to the next generation.

Neil and I were getting married soon and I had envisioned the 2nd photograph for years for an engagement session. Neil is the funny one who thought it would be best if we wore matching swimsuits. Photoshoots with Neil are the funniest. One of our best friends and most rad photographer Sharon Vanrony documented this glorious event, and the bathtub space training shots too.

Getting married this year was by far one of the biggest highlights and the best day of the year. It was simply pure magic. Click here to see.

Even though I worked less this year, I love my job so much!!

Lessons learned: if you throw a party at your house, skip the confetti.

Photos credits: I appologize for being slow on this and also being disorganized on who took which photo. I am going to come back and revise. Meanwhile, here are some of the photographers who took the party shots at the conferences:

Dave Shay

Daniel Pullen

Ashley Smith

Ilana Natasha- My fellow local Madison wedding photographers and also one of the Best of Madison winners.

Kara Counard-Another wonderfully talented Wisconsin photographer who lives in Door County.

By Maureen Cassidy| January 29th, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Home Sessions! Part 2 of 2

Yay home sessions! This one was extra super-duper special because the little girl, Skyla, had just finished chemo. Needless to say, her family was relieved and celebrating. And the love between them all was palpable. Skyla’s was SO vivacious and lovely- as I think you can see in these pictures. I was so honored to capture these moments. Congrats to their family and please enjoy these pictures.

By Maureen Cassidy| December 13th, 2017|Children photography Madison WI, family photography Madison WI, Photographer Madison Wisconsin|0 Comments

Home Sessions! Part 1 of 2

I mostly do family sessions at parks around Madison, but I also do a home session- where I go to a family’s house and take pictures of their lives. And usually the results are pretty special. I love seeing kids and parents in their element, plus it makes it easier on the kids to take photos at home. Check out these pictures out from 1 such home session and let me know what you think! I’ll post a 2nd home session in a few days :).

By Maureen Cassidy| December 6th, 2017|Children photography Madison WI, family photography Madison WI, Photographer Madison Wisconsin|0 Comments

Marcie & Caleb know how to party! A Lovely Outdoors Wedding + Reception

Our love story: Marcie is from NYC and Caleb is from Wisconsin. We both had lifelong dreams of visiting Iceland. We laid eyes on each other in a hotel lobby in Iceland, and that was it. Both of us never believed in love at first sight or soulmates, but all that changed. We had booked separate trips there, wound up being on the same tour, the same hotel, with our flights leaving minutes apart. We spent the days doing excursions and stayed up all the nights talking. After doing the long distance thing for a few months, Marcie moved to WI.

Venue:Farmin’ Betty’s in Columbus, WI. We really wanted a place where we could have both the ceremony and reception. This barn is gorgeous, and they also have a stunning cocktail hour and lawn game setting! They also allowed us to set up a day before, have the rehearsal, and clean up a day later, which you can’t really find these days. It won our hearts over instantly.

Our favorite part(s) of the wedding: It honestly is just so overwhelming to be surrounded by so much love. We both had many guests travel in from all over the country, so to see everyone mingling, dancing, and enjoying themselves was everything to us.

What was definitely worth it: Having a day of coordinator. We didn’t want to spend money on a planner, but our DOC was a savior! She did everything… and more!

What was definitely not worth it: The stress! I am not a perfectionist, but we did a lot of DIY stuff, and you wind up forming an image in your head of what you want. It’s important to trust in the venue, the DOC, and the other vendors that things will work smoothly. And if they don’t, you won’t even know about it!

Our Planning Guidelines: We did as much as we possibly could in the beginning. We had our vendors booked very quickly after we got engaged. It allowed us to take a break around the holidays and enjoy life without too much stress.

Greatest challenge planning the wedding: Since we did a lot of DIY, many things couldn’t be done until weeks, even days before the wedding. That time was quite stressful for us. It feels like you will never get everything done… but you need to trust when people say “it all comes together in the end, ” because it does.

Resources that helped us along the way: Pinterest, of course!

Advice for other people planning their wedding: The day really does wind up being a complete blur. As 2 people that never wanted to get married, it is very surreal that all your planning is coming together in that moment and that you are surrounded by tons of people that love you. We kept looking around and saying “is this real?” “is this really happening?” “did we just get married?” It’s important to take it all in and breathe…. Oh, and eat! We definitely didn’t eat enough!

Other cool stuff people should know: Caleb is a home brewer who brewed 99% of the beer for the wedding. Our signature drink was an Elska blonde ale (Elska means “love” in Icelandic), and he had a few others brewed for the day. It took him months and months but was more than well worth it. We saved a TON of money by doing that, and our guests loved trying them and loved the personal touch. We bought kegs of other beer just in case anyone wanted something more standard, but they went untapped!

The wedding photos we’re most excited to see: The candids that were taken of us and our guests! I know there will be a lot of smiling and joyful faces.

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because Maureen did our engagement photos, and it was a blast. We both didn’t love the idea of the run of the mill engagement photos, and she was open to all ideas and her input was great! We got to go out, enjoy nature, be ourselves, drink beer, and the pictures came out wonderful! The fact that she is also vivacious and full of life, makes the shoot extremely comfortable and enjoyable. The few wedding photos we have seen so far look stunning! We can’t wait for the full set!!!!

Photographer side note: This Wisconsin wedding was in the fall but it was record-breaking hot & humid! Marcie was the most down to earth bride and decided to not wear her wedding dress after dinner and they quickly moved the dancing from inside the barn to outside on the patio because it was too hot in the barn. They rolled so fluidly when things were not perfect and they didn’t sweat the small stuff or even the big stuff. After the wedding, I told my husband they gave the perfect amount of fucks.

Planned Budget: We honestly didn’t have a set budget. We were realistic about money and saved where we could, hence the tons of DIY stuff we did.

Actual Budget: Would you believe us if we said we didn’t know? I think the venue and all of our vendors equaled about $14,000. All the side stuff was extra.

Where we allocated the most funds and the least funds: The most funds went to renting the venue, but 2nd was catering. We didn’t want to skimp out on the food. The least amount went to flowers. We kept hearing how floral is the most expensive, but ordering them online was such a breeze!

Vendor Shout-outs!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Vintage Fields at Farmin’ Betty’s
Hair and Make up: DIY!
Wedding Dress:Brandi’s Bridal Galleria, Etc.
Bridesmaids Dresses: I allowed the bridesmaids to pick their own, wherever their heart desired!
Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Different pieces came from different places. Men’s Wearhouse and Kohl’s to name a few.
Catering & Bar-tending:Market Street Diner
Officiant: Bill Wenham, a lifelong friend.
Day Of Coordinator: Tabitha Litterals at Eventfuls Wedding Planning & Rentals
Flowers/Florist: All ordered on-line! at www.fiftyflowers.com
Bouquets: I went with a dried bouquet from Dried Flowers Forever, because I couldn’t swallow spending so much on real flowers. I can keep mine forever!
Invitations: DawnMarieCreations82 shop on www.etsy.com.
Dessert:Bloom Bake Shop
Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography
DJ: Brenden Burmeister at Kuhl Entertainment

By Maureen Cassidy| November 20th, 2017|Featured Wedding Photographs Madison WI, Photographer Madison Wisconsin, Uncategorized, Wedding Locations, Wedding Photography Madison WI, Wedding photography WI|0 Comments

Family & Newborn Sessions Highlights

It has been quite some time (at least a year?!) since I last posted family photos that were not of my family. So here’s some- I’m sure you’ve been waiting with bated breath :).

I do wish for every family to have 1 family session done (with any photographer- not the mom!) while their kids are still young. Professional photography creates sentimental artwork that your family will treasure more and more as time goes on. Anywho- enjoy the photos- and the life!

Maureen Cassidy is a Madison wedding photographer, Madison family photographer & Madison boudoir photographer who loves capturing connections, love and beauty in Wisconsin and around the world. If you would like to send her a message contact her {here}.

By Maureen Cassidy| October 4th, 2017|Children photography Madison WI, family photography Madison WI|0 Comments

I got married!

Our wedding day came together beautifully. I mean, it was perfect. It was so much better than we could’ve ever imagined or planned for ourselves.

Neil and I both wanted an easy, low key wedding. Neil being more introverted and shy had requested a small and simple ceremony. He would have been fine with a quick visit to the courthouse but I wanted a bit more. We had already planned this trip to Isle Royale with our friends and the island holds such a place in our hearts that it was easy to decide to get married in such a magical place.

…And what we got was epic and absolutely one of the best days in my life.

I’m pretty bad when it comes to planning events. I prefer spontaneity and winging it, which doesn’t really make for a beautiful and well-sorted wedding. I mean, you’d think I would be able to plan out a wedding, I’ve been shooting weddings since 2008 and I have well over 200 weddings under my belt. I see first hand how much hard work and coordination goes into putting together a beautiful wedding every time I shoot one.

So we had some loose plans for how we wanted the day to go but we’re really lucky that our dear friends & children all joined in and gave us such a memorable wedding day. To top it off, one of my closest friends of 20 years, the lovely and talented Amie Heeter, (with help from the jack of all trades Beth Campbell) photographed the whole day and she nailed it! They took all these awesome photos in this post.

It started off in the best way, sleeping in till 9:30am. When I got up, I thought it would be funny if I wore my white bathing suit and pranced around the majestic shore of Lake Superior like the weirdo I am.

When I came back to the house, our kids had made us breakfast. How sweet is that??!

I took a morning swim with my friends in lake superior. I can’t express just how profoundly beautiful Isle Royale National Park is. If you’re looking for a place to spend some time away from everything and be overcome by the majesty of raw nature, it’s hard to beat

Neil spent some time sitting on the rocks working on his vows and came back to the house to write them down (and let me tell ya, this guy can write some vows).

wedding_photography_Madison-WI-outside-wedding-off-beat-bride

We started to get ready about an hour before the ceremony. Bridget, my 11-year-old step daughter did all of our hair, the kids picked bouquets and my girlfriends Gini and Beth even picked me a gorgeous bouquet of wildflowers which was an awesome surprise! We hiked about 1/2 mile down the trail dancing and singing to the ceremony site. I was beaming with a grin ear to ear.

The traditional pee in the woods before the wedding ceremony.

Neil is so ready to do this!

Our dear friend Kerry Martin had crafted a wonderful ceremony with lots of laughter, poems, and my personal fav, surprises. Each person with us added their own touch and said a few words of love and encouragement which made the whole rag-tag ceremony incredibly moving. I teared up countless times and my heart felt like it could explode but I was never nervous, stressed or anxious and neither was Neil, which says a lot more. It was all the good stuff with no fuss.

Our kids did an adorable song and dance from the book ‘Personal Penguin’ by Sandra Boynton.

Awwwww, I love this guy so much!

Neil’s loving and humorous vows.

My friends know me and surprised us by lifting us both.

Neil took it gracefully AF. I gave him a wedding wedgie because I could.

Our friend Mark and his daughters.

Reverend Kerry and his dear daughter Wren.

The gang, except Amie Heeter because she was taking it. We did miss our families and other close friends but we held them in our hearts all day.

I asked the kids to wait for us to all jump in, but they couldn’t wait. I just adore this photo that Beth captured.

Neil’s turn to take the plunge into the straight up cold waters of Lake Superior.

But first, a make out because that is mostly all I want to do.

Amie Heeter (the photographer), we were a 2 person trail crew for many years at this park.

Our friend Andy Miller (The wonderful guy with a knack for planning and organization who you always want to have on a trip) cooked a feast for everyone and then we moved to the camp fire for a dance party.

He is mine!

The rest is just too good to share online, but many times that night I was in awe from how great the dance party was and the whole day. I went to bed so happy next to my husband! The next day we all rested and prepped our camp gear for our first family backpacking trip. Not your normal honeymoon material and believe me it was no honeymoon! But it felt good to go on an adventure as an “official” family.

By Maureen Cassidy| August 13th, 2017|Wedding photography WI|0 Comments

I am getting married!!

I AM GETTING MARRIED!!

Neil and I like and appreciate the weird and wanted to add comedy to our engagement photos, for no reasons other than for fun. We both love to laugh and don’t take ourselves too seriously. Hey, why not be weird?

We’ve been together almost 4 years and it has been just the absolute best! I am crazy in love with this man and we have such a beautiful and fun partnership. We are getting married in a couple of weeks at one of our favorite places, Isle Royale. There will be lots and lots of swimming that day because isn’t that part of just a perfect summer day? Our wedding is going to be off beat, low key and hopefully a little bit weird, so these photos fit the bill pretty well.

I can’t wait to marry this awesome guy!!

I asked just the right photo friend, Sharon of SV heart photography to help execute this idea (that Neil had and later regretted. Or maybe he really did love it!) Sharon is a close friend and I always love her humor and her photos! Check out her work!

sv-heart-photography-maureen-cassidyphotogrpahy

By Maureen Cassidy| July 15th, 2017|Engagement and Proposal Photography Madison WI, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Morocco

As soon as I could get away with taking an adventure as a kid, I did. When I was 16, I flew solo to Mexico city to visit a childhood friend. Toward the end of that summer I also rode my bike across 3 states with another adventure seeking fellow teenager. I was hooked. By 20 I had been to 5 continents (including Antarctica!), but I had not gotten to Africa yet.

I’ve always dreamed of Africa being the ultimate mother land to explore and have an adventure in. I really want to go to deeper into Africa someday but when the chance to go to Morocco came up, I knew I had to take it. I booked my ticket the week before I left so I didn’t’ have much time to plan or prepare for the trip (and well, that isn’t my style anyways). I personally hate researching anything so ‘seat of the pants’ style travel plans suit me well. I bought the lonely planet guide and asked people for advice through facebook. There were 2 main suggestions, the desert, and Marrakesh. I got to both and more.

Market in Marrakesh

I don’t get to travel often but when I go I am soooooooooooo freaking happy. I love the unknown, I love foreign lands, and I even love being on my own. So I really just went for it in the town square. I held snakes, monkeys, birds, danced with strangers, took photos, ate and drank the food.

After a couple days in the city, I joined a tour group to head to the desert. I booked it through my hostel in Marrakesh. The Sahara desert is a long 12 hour ride by car but along the way, we stopped at really interesting places. First a view of the Atlas Mountains.

Next, the town of Aït Benhaddou which was the city of Yunki in the game of thrones, Season 3!!

I wanted to see how easy it was to climb the palm tree, easy peasy.

street photography morocco destination wedding photographer photography guides, tree climbing

We got to the desert a couple of hours before sunset. Each person got to (had to?) ride a camel which was soooooooooo amusing! If you’ve never tried it, take it from me, the process of getting on or off a camel it is really hard. They are laying down when you get on and at first, you get launched forward and then a quick backwards jarring motion. It feels like a roller coaster. A furry, spitting, totally lovable roller coaster. Riding is a camel is so uncomfortable. Even more so for the men and I freaking loved it. The guys were moaning and screaming, some were begging just to walk but the guides didn’t care. When else are the table turned when it comes to our jun?. Everyone felt bruised on their butts after the hour ride but still, everyone loved it. The desert is just so beautiful and mesmerizing. We rode to a desert camp for an overnight.

I was ecstatic to be in a foreign land, immersed in such a peaceful beauty. It has all the things I love about nature – expansiveness, beauty, peacefulness and it was so completely foreign so I was so happy! I don’t hold back and I soon realized I could leave the group and go gallivanting on my own, so I did. I ran down dunes, danced, mediated, took photos and I walked for hours barefoot. I wish I could have stayed for days in the desert. If anyone wants to do this trip I recommend booking your trip from Marrakesh and heading to Merzouga(the desert) vs booking online. It’s much cheaper and you can stay as many days in the desert as you want. There seems to always be room in the vans to head back to Marrakesh or head to a new destination, Fez. The desert camp provided a mattress and blankets and you could choose to sleep in a tent or outside which almost everyone in our group did. I didn’t want to even try to head to sleep til 4am then I slept til 6am and then headed up the dune for sunrise. After that was a 12 hour ride back to Marrakech. I took a sleeping aid and slept most of the way. -Travel tip-bring a sleep aid!

street photography morocco destination wedding photographer photography guides, travel photography

photo of our desert camp.

This camel could drink out of a water bottle!

After the desert, I flew to Tangier

I met my friend there and then we went to the blue city called Chefchaoun. Which is the city everyone in Morocco talks about and it’s absolutely a must-see.

It was so picturesque and easy to navigate + I love blue, it’s my favorite color.

street photography morocco destination wedding photographer photography guides, chefchaouen, blue city

A photo of my friends that I got to hang out with in Northern Morocco and whmo were the reason I went to Morocco.

How I felt most of the trip!

street photography morocco destination wedding photographer photography guides, travel photography, sahara desert

By Maureen Cassidy| May 2nd, 2017|Destination, Wedding Locations|0 Comments

Spring Mini Session Event

Spring Mini Session

Our mini sessions are short and sweet!

Each session is approx. 15 minutes and will provide you with an affordable, easy way to get stunning professional photographs of the family you love!

A $99 deposit, which serves as your session fee, is all you need to reserve your session with Maureen.

After your session, you will be able to customize your experience with 3 portraits collections.

Limited sessions available, so book now!!!

A few important reminders

Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early to navigate parking and be ready for your session time. After don’t forget to gently wipe your child’s face before you leave the car.

If you are running late, please text me at 608-358-2871. These sessions are stacked so if you are late you lose that amount of time.

Maximize your session

What to wear

The beautiful Arboretum will provide a background with luscious spring green colors and magnolia trees in white and pink blossoms.

Plan your favorite comfortable and casual outfits with colors that blend well together.
Avoid clothing with graphics and without wording or logos.
Layering and accessories always photograph well and add dimension.

And please avoid wearing white as a main outfit color: it really does not photograph well.

What to expect

Our session will be playful! We start with a few posed photos and lead into a play session; where I encourage you to play with your kids!

The time together will go by really fast but you will be amazed at how many playful and fun portraits I can capture: family, your children, them individually, and even you as a couple.

If you want more time to play or want to bring the Grandparents along, you have the option to book extra time and have a back to back slot, that doubles your time behind my camera.

This is also suggested if you or your child is camera shy or really struggles with getting their picture taken.

When you book, make sure to add ” Extra time”, and be ready to have double the fun.

Tips for your session

Come 15 minutes early. When you arrive at the Arboretum Visitor Center, I will likely already be in the garden area, so my assistant will greet you and bring you to me. Parents: if you have a child, make sure their face is clean and wipe down really well: it’s hard to remove dirt in photoshop, especially around the nose.

Be relaxed and happy. I know it can be stressful but the best thing you can do is smile at the camera and let me focus on capturing their attention and personality.

Add more time if you don’t want to feel rushed or if you would like more variety from our session.

After your session

You will receive an online password protected gallery with your digital proofs.

You will use this gallery to select and order your favorites from the collections.

Are you ready to have fun with Maureen?

father son madison-family-photographer-outdoors natural-family-candid

family fall photos-madison-family-photographer-

spring mini session for family photos natural outside photography

spring mini session for family photos natural outside nature

spring mini session for family photos natural outside

spring mini session for family photos natural outside uw arb

spring mini session for family photos natural outside artisitic

Location

Collections

PREMIER

Complete Digital collection

Fully edited & Full resolution

$379

DELUXE

Choice of 10 favorite images

Fully edited & Full resolution

$249

CLASSIC

Choice of 3 favorite images

Fully edited & Full resolution

$179

Don't want to feel rushed?

Book a back to back session for $50

BOOK NOW

Ready to Book. Reserve your session now for only $99.

Limited Session times available so don’t miss this opportunity to play in the magnolias.

By Maureen Cassidy| March 15th, 2017|family photography Madison WI, Photographer Madison Wisconsin, Pregnancy Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

my family life 2016

I live a really good life and I am so grateful for all of it. In 2016 Neil and I bought a beautiful old house and blended our families together. We both thought it would be more challenging but it’s mostly been smooth sailing. We had Tim Fitch come over one August day to take photos! Tim is super talented and really doesn’t direct but just lets everyone do what they do and captures the moments brilliantly! As you will see, he is king at taking candids! Other highlights were Neil’s sister’s wedding, a big family trip to Zion National park, my family from Philadelphia visiting me here in Madison, a friend vacation to Idaho and my dear father’s surprise 80th birthday party. I took my favorite photo of 2016 there – a 100% sentimental capture of my dad’s happiest smile with his tongue poking out on one side. My dad is a quiet guy and I have only seen this most joyous grin a few times in my life. This photo of my dad (with almost all of his grandkids) makes me so happy, I already have it framed in my bedroom! It reminds me why I love photography so much!

I am really looking forward to 2017! I only took 10 weddings (last year I had 31!). I plan to do more family photography and boudoir. AND I plan to do shit on weekends! For the past 6 summers, I haven’t had much of a summer. I plan to go to festivals, camp as much as I can, as many lazy mornings as I can get and just be more present for my family life. So if you’ve been thinking about getting family photos taken, you should please contact me!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you in 2017!

ps. Most of these photos are mine but some are not. Here is a list of photographers whose photographs I am using in the post. Lily Chou of Wild about you Photography. She has mad skills and the fun dance shots are hers from attending Mystic Photography Seminar. Other photos besides Tim Fitch are Amie Heeter, Sharon from SV heart photography, Nikki Hansen, other family members and strangers.

These next set are from TIM FITCH PHOTOGRAPHY! He is king of “day in the life photos”. Pure documentary style!

I got 3 big trips with my family this year. I am so happy my sisters are good planners! Thanks Kathy and Donna for planning wonderful trips!

Then I got a friend vacation in Idaho! It was perfect! Hiking, hot spring, friends, fires, guitars…no kids!

Just a few from Megan and Tony’s wedding.

My Dad’s surprise 80th birthday.

Favorite photo of 2016.

By Maureen Cassidy| December 28th, 2016|Children photography Madison WI, family photography Madison WI, Photographer Madison Wisconsin, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Best of 2015 weddings photography

Vote for your favorite photo in the comments at the bottom of this page.

Contest Details:

When voting, please write the number of the photo you are voting for and why you like it.

The number is UNDER the photo.

1 vote per person.

Prize: Photo with the most votes gets $300 credit for a session or product.

Deadline: Contest ends January 12th 2016

Winner will be announced on my FB page so you should stop over and LIKE it! Click HERE.

1.Megan & Jason’s winter wedding at the Delafield Hotel

2. Brenda & John’s Valentine wedding in Madison

3. Hollie & Arthur’s π day wedding in Janesville

4. Amber & Eric’s spring wedding at Holy Wisdom Monastery

5. Janine & John’s Destination wedding at Yellowstone National Park

6. Sophie and RJ’s Monona Terrace wedding

7. Emily and Andrew’s Lake Geneva wedding

8. Anke & Evan’s Olbrich Gardens wedding

9. Sarah and Nick’s Eastside Club wedding

10. Elsa and Stuart’s barn wedding

11. Patrick and Jonah’s St. Paul wedding

12. Kristin & Steve’s Olin Park wedding

13. Kelly & Ryan’s Majestic Theatre wedding

14. Whitney & Hicham’s backyard wedding in the UP

15. Becky and Jake’s Monona Terrace wedding

16. Carolyn and Eric’s Olin Park wedding

17. Lindsey and RJ’s outdoor wedding at Justin Trails

18. Anna & Ross’s Wisconsin Dells wedding

19. Julie & Juanjo’s wedding at Lussier

20. Cindy & Eric’s backyard wedding in Verona

21. Maria & Kevin’s backyard barn wedding

22. Karen & Tim’s Olbrich Gardens wedding

23. Lisa & Ryan’s Bergamot wedding in Oregon, Wisconsin

24. Britta and Brandon’s backyard wedding

25. Megan & Tom’s Madison Children’s Museum wedding

26. Tiffany & Kevin’s Madison Club wedding

27. Tracey and Doug’s winter barn wedding at Harvest Moon Pond

28. Brittany & Kevin’s wedding at the Harvest Moon Pond Barn

29. Deanna & John’s wedding at Sugarland Barn

Get your voting on!

I loved shooting weddings in 2015. I had 3 destination weddings, 4 backyard weddings (I love this new trend!), and the other 22 weddings were at stellar Madison area venues. Each year I love my job more and more and I am so grateful to have the honor to document the union of 2 people. It fills my heart with joy to witness all the love that fills a wedding. It’s a lot of fun and hard work which I love! Thank you to all my couples of 2015!! Big thanks to Sarah Maughan and Katarina Kobor for helping with the back-end work! And to my awesome 2nd shooters Patricia Espedal, Amie Heeter, Nikki Hansen & Neil Thompson for assisting at weddings!

Much Love, Maureen

To see past best of 2014 weddings click here.

By Maureen Cassidy| January 6th, 2016|Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

my life in 2015

Recap of 2015

Life continues to be really good to me. My daughters are the delightful ages of 7&9 and are really great people to be around. They get along with unusual ease for siblings and there is a lot of harmony and fun in our home. I feel fortunate that my kids really get to be kids. And lucky for me they are really good kids! As you will see there is lots of play and not taking ourselves too seriously! The year was sprinkled with fun trips with Neil. A huge highlight was shooting a wedding at Yellowstone National Park then backpacking in the wilderness. Being in nature is where my heart and soul feel most at home! Canoeing along the Wisconsin river is my favorite pass time in this great state of Wisconsin. I highly recommend it!!! I am starting out with high hopes for 2016 with planning to work less and play/hangout more with my kids and friends/family. I really really love my work but my goal for 2016 is work less. I have blocked off a bunch of weekends to take trips with my loved ones. Plus my big news is Neil and I are buying a home together on the east side of Madison! Picture is at the end of the post. We will move in April to a full house of 4 kids!

My laptop fell this summer and I lost some personal photos (always back up) so there are no pics of my parents and few from our trip to philly. Sorry mom and dad! Thanks to all my friends and family and my most amazing man Neil. You all make my life so rich and filled with countless smiles!

I hope everyone’s 2016 is filled love and peace in your heart and mind!

Maureen

By Maureen Cassidy| December 31st, 2015|family photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Dylan’s Wedding Proposal to Allie at Picnic Point in Madison WI

The backstory

Allie and I met in high school when we had a few classes together. We liked each other as teenagers but were nervous about admitting it. I finally worked up enough courage to ask Allie out on a date and we’ve been together ever since. Our love has taken us from high school to college at UW to post-college life. We’ve been together seven and a half years now. They’ve been the best years of our lives and we’re looking forward to what the future holds for us.

Planning the proposal

Every fall Allie and I love to take walks through the parks and around Madison’s lakes and really take in the colors of the season. When it came to deciding when and how to propose to Allie, I knew I wanted to incorporate our love for fall and one of our favorite spots in Madison, Picnic Point.

How I decided to have the proposal photographed

Allie had previously mentioned to me that she would love to have someone capture the moment during a proposal. Luckily for us, Maureen was able to capture our proposal. Besides being beyond excited and surprised that I popped the question, Allie was shocked that Maureen had secretly photographed the proposal for us. After working with Maureen and seeing the look that Allie gets in her eyes when she looks at the photographs, I know that I could not have asked for a better photographer in Maureen. The feeling I get when I see the photographs is indescribable and I’m so glad that we will always have these photos to remind us of this special moment in our lives!

By Maureen Cassidy| December 10th, 2015|Engagement and Proposal Photography Madison WI, Engagements, Photographer Madison Wisconsin|0 Comments

Maureen Cassidy Photography is in the Huffington Post!

Exciting news: Huffington Post recently posted 26 Snowy Wedding Photos that Capture the Romance of Winter…and we made the list! Hooray! Check it out and thanks everyone for your support!

By Maureen Cassidy| December 9th, 2015|Photographer Madison Wisconsin, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Britta and Brandon’s Backyard Wedding

Where our wedding was, and how we chose the venue(s)

Brandon and I are both originally from Beaver Dam, WI, where most of our family still lives. After toying around with the idea of a destination wedding or something closer to our home in Minneapolis, we realized what was most important to us was to be surrounded by family for our wedding. We were enjoying a post-engagement celebratory drink with my parents when my dad offered to host our wedding in my parents’ backyard. I instantly burst into tears! We were so touched by their offer and knew a backyard wedding would allow us to have the intimate celebration we envisioned.

Our favorite part(s) of the wedding

It was so fun to share the places where Brandon and I grew up together, became friends, and eventually fell in love with friends from near and far alongside our families. The most perfect moment to us was walking into the tent as husband and wife for the first time and seeing all of our loved ones faces smiling back at us.

Planning an at-home wedding definitely added a lot of work during the wedding planning process, but looking around on our wedding day and realizing how much love our friends and families poured into making it happen was incredible. My parents spent months planning lighting schemes, planting schedules, tent placement, and brunch menus to transform their home into a wedding venue. My sister Cobby handcrafted hundreds of paper flowers to create a “WELCOME” sculpture guiding our guests to the reception.

So many personal touches – My Grandpa Ken helped our dads string the hundreds of lights and paper lanterns in the tent, hand-lettered every sign in the yard, and scoured eBay for our vintage ski guestbook. The centerpieces filled beautiful hobnail vases my Grandma Becky had searched out for us as soon as we announced our engagement – we missed her and Brandon’s Grandma Paula but felt their presence in so many ways. Brandon’s family hosted a rehearsal night bonfire BBQ to kick off the weekend, and the wedding night escape to my aunt’s candlelit lake cottage was icing on top.

I could go on forever! (we borrowed golf carts to help guests up the hilly yard! our next-door-neighbors lit the candles before dinner!) Every detail was perfect and we couldn’t have made any of it happen without these incredible people.

What was definitely worth it

Keeping the guest list to a size that matched “personal and intimate” was really tough, but we were really happy that we felt like we had a fun memory to share with every guest. We ended up with around 130 guests, and it was fabulous to feel like we had a little time with everyone.

Oh, and the dress. Worth. It.

What was definitely not worth it

It was all worth it! Honestly we have no regrets. Maybe worrying so much about the weather – that wasn’t worth it!

Our Planning Guidelines

“Keep it simple, keep it personal” – I have the tendency to over-research and over-plan. I tried hard to stay focused on our vision and limit myself to a few really great options before making a decision. Also, I told myself that if it wasn’t important when my mom got married, it can’t be that important. Pinterest, magazines, and the internet have turned wedding planning into this crazy thing that you could spend every waking moment on. We aimed to be more minimalist.

Greatest challenge planning the wedding

We basically built our venue from scratch and did not hire a day-of coordinator, so I was very nervous about day-of logistics throughout the wedding planning process. There are so many things you don’t think about at first: who will receive deliveries while my family is gone taking pictures, who will manage ice/garbage/etc. how do we light the tent, who will refill the generator for the tent (?!!).

With so many variables, I relied on choosing vendors who are known for being flexible and creating a VERY detailed plan that was scheduled in 15 minute increments. I shared my color-coded wedding planning spreadsheet with everyone who helped out with the wedding, fully knowing the day wouldn’t go 100% “to plan” but that at least the many pairs of helping hands would be on the same page. That spreadsheet turned into a family joke, and we never did end up with a great Plan B for the weather!

Resources that helped us along the way

I used the checklist from TheKnot.com to keep me on track overall – but I would definitely recommend that brides pick and choose which “to do’s” really matter to them (no dance lessons for us!). Word of mouth in a town like Beaver Dam goes a long way – I chose my amazing DJ (Sound Effects DJ) through family friends, and I got a lot of help choosing a salon and stylist. Our wonderful florist Gene, from Beaver Floral, is a family friend and gave us invaluable assistance along the way.

The wedding photos we’re most excited to see

The group shot! Maureen was so accommodating of our crazy idea to try and get a photo of all of our guests together. Everyone was really cooperative and we are so excited to have a memento of the entire party. Maureen also snagged us at the perfect moment to take a few photos together in the “glow’ of the sun setting. We saw some sneak peeks and can’t wait to see the magic!

Advice for other people planning their wedding

Decide what is really important to you and forget the rest. I really wanted both Brandon and I to enjoy the experience of planning our wedding, and to look back on the wedding day as special, outrageously fun, and full of love. Putting my foot down for gray tablecloths instead of white ones didn’t meet that criteria of “important” – making that distinction early on helped keep me sane and the budget reasonable!

Other cool stuff people should know

We asked the pastor who had married my parents to officiate our wedding ceremony, and we were so honored he agreed to perform the service. The ceremony was touching, just the right amount of funny, and he started the entire evening off with so much meaning.
Instead of serving traditional cake or dessert, we used personal-sized cakes at each table to display the table numbers. A note told the guests to dig in whenever they would like – and they totally did! Watching our friends mingle as they bartered for more cake was a hilarious memory from dinner.
The selfie stick that my sister brought out for the dance deserves an honorable mention…we spent hours on our honeymoon flight laughing over the shenanigans captured in the candid snaps!

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because

Maureen is so friendly and laid back, and she immediately hit it off with me and my sister the first time we met her. We knew she would fit right in with our fun-loving families. She takes the most beautiful outdoor photos, which was also a priority. We were prepared for anything as far as hosting an outdoor wedding, and we knew we could count on Maureen to capture beautiful moments, rain or shine.

Where we allocated the most funds

Food & drink, photos!

Where we allocated the least funds

No upfront venue costs! We saved by buying our own alcohol. We kept “extras” pretty simple (DJ provided ceremony music, we decided against any rentals for decorations).

Vendors!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: my parents’ home in Beaver Dam, WI

Hair: MCV Salon in Sun Prairie, WI- Absolutely loved my braided crown and wavy wedding hair – Brides, ask for Kristin!

Make up: my sister and her date Anthony

Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier from Ultimate Bride in Chicago, IL – Wonderful personal service!

Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale from Bella Bridesmaid in Excelsior, MN

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Groom’s suit – Nordstrom Custom Fit; Groomsmen’s suits – Men’s Warehouse

Catering & Bar-tending: Upstairs Downstairs Catering in Madison, WI- Amazing service- they kept everyone fed and happy!

Rentals: Modern Rentals in Ripon, WI

Officiant: Pastor Garrett Kamerling (retired) – It was such an honor to have a trusted family advisor and officiant bless our day.

Flowers: Gene’s Beaver Floral in Beaver Dam, WI- Gene was wonderful, he created the most gorgeous floral centerpieces and arrangements and even straightened my dress as I walked down the aisle!

Invitations: Minted – loved the pre-printed guest addresses!

Dessert: 8 inch cakes from Rechek’s Food Pride in Beaver Dam, WI – were the perfect centerpiece decorated with flowers from Beaver Floral and handmade table numbers

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography – Maureen was wonderful with our guests and created the most beautiful visual story of our day!

Videographer: Tommy Schmidt (skishowtom@gmail.com) – Tommy captured our day exactly as we had asked him to – we are so grateful to be able to relive our wedding!

DJ: Sound Effects DJ in Beaver Dam, WI – Chad played at least 3 encores when our guests couldn’t get enough of the dance floor! He was the best!

By Maureen Cassidy| December 2nd, 2015|Backyard Wedding, Wedding Locations, Wedding Photography Madison WI, Wedding photography WI|0 Comments

Cat & Cassidy’s Picnic Point Proposal

madison wi engagement & wedding photography

The backstory

We met in college at a 90’s party. Cassidy was dressed as Baby Spice and I had acid wash jeans on. Interestingly, we grew up in the same town in New Jersey. Our parent’s houses are only a mile away. We went to the same middle school together two years apart but never met. From there, we followed each other to Boston, Atlanta, and then New York before finally settling in Madison this summer for Cassidy to start medical school. I think I knew marriage was imminent when we shared a 200 square foot efficiency apartment in Manhattan and came out liking each other even more than we did when we moved in.

Planning the proposal

I had the ring made over the summer, but I knew that I wanted a fall proposal. Fall is when we met and has always been our favorite season. I considered a few outdoor locations but ultimately decided on Picnic Point. I liked that I could reserve a fire pit to create our own space in a public area. My grandparents went to UW and I grew up hearing about walks to the point.

How I decided to have the proposal photographed

I wanted to strike the balance between it being a private moment for just us and being able to share it with our families and friends. We just moved to Madison from the East coast and are both close to our families; I wanted them to be able to experience the moment with us from far away. I absolutely love the pictures! Looking at them brings me back to how I felt in the exact moment– the nervous energy leading up to the proposal and the elation following the “yes”. I never want to forget how it felt!

By Maureen Cassidy| November 13th, 2015|Engagement and Proposal Photography Madison WI, Engagements, Photographer Madison Wisconsin, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Maria & Kevin’s Backyard Barn Wedding

Where our wedding was, and how we chose the venue(s):

Our wedding was at our farm outside of Columbus, WI. We purchased a small farm almost 2 years ago and the barn was in amazing shape. It’s over 100 years old!

Our favorite part(s) of the wedding:

My nephew Tyler who is 19, sang and played acoustic guitar during our ceremony. Almost every single song he learned was recorded before he was born. When Kevin walked down the aisle with his parents, Tyler played, ‘Holding out for a Hero’, by Bonnie Tyler. He did AMAZING. Kevin is a HUGE Footloose fan. This song was appropriate for so many reasons!

Kevin and I also wrote our own vows. It was so touching to be able to express our vows from the heart.

What was definitely worth it:

Having it at our place. The photos and memories from that day mean so much more knowing it was in our backyard.

Greatest challenge planning the wedding:

We are SO GLAD we had our wedding on our farm BUT living at the same place as the venue could sometimes be a challenge. We wanted to constantly ‘do things’ in preparation. I am a sprinter and this was more of a marathon…I probably swept the barn 20 times before the actual day J.

Resources that helped us along the way:

Pinterest and Etsy! I would find things I liked on both sites and then bring these ideas to my dad. He played a HUGE role in helping us construct a lot of our décor. I would tell him what I liked and he would build it. He actually built the bar in the barn out of old barn wood.

Advice for other people planning their wedding:

The day will go by so quickly. Try to enjoy every moment! Don’t stress, everything will get taken care of.

Other cool stuff people should know:

My dad and I made all of the decorations. He trimmed birch trees, placed them in corners of the barn and we strung clear lights on them. He found an oak tree already down. He trimmed it to be the base of our cake. He spent a lot of time stringing lights and hanging material on scaffolding.

We purchased our centerpiece flowers from a vendor at the Sun Prairie Farmer’s Market the morning of our wedding.

The wedding photos we’re most excited to see:

There was so much going on that day, we are excited to see our guests engaging with each other. We know there were bits we missed and we can’t wait to see what was captured in the photos!

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because:

We met with Maureen in January and immediately felt comfortable with her. She had only one day open in September, our date. It was meant to be! She has such amazing energy, we knew she would be able to capture our day perfectly. And when she confirmed she would climb the barn banisters if needed, we knew she was our photographer! The day of our wedding, she was so much fun!

Vendors!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: our home

Hair: Bfix Salon in Madison, WI

Make up: My sister and I did ours together

Wedding Dress: I found my dress online. It was from a boutique in NYC and had been a mannequin sample.

Bridesmaid Dress: www.modcloth.com

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Everyone picked their own

Catering: Eldorado Grill provided our dinner with smoked brisket and mashed potatoes

Bar-tending: We had kegged cocktails provided by Dlux. Old-fashions were on tap!

Rentals (tents, chairs, linens, etc.): Event Essentials

Officiant: Rev. Rita Erickson from Tomah, WI. She was great!

Wedding planner: Kevin and Maria 🙂

Flowers/Florist: Wild Apples Floral in Baraboo, WI

Invitations: Maria made them. She has a design background.

Dessert: Market Street Diner did our wedding cake along with rustic pies, pumpkin and s’mores bars.

Basset Street Brunch Club provided us with donuts. Guests were encouraged to take them home for breakfast the next day. Flavors included Maple Bacon (yesss!), Oreo-Crusted and Sprinkled.

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography

Bands: During cocktail hour, the No Name String Band: Midwestern new-time string band.

Our dance was The Rusty Hearts: electrified, stringified and countrified music.

Both bands fit our theme quite well. In fact the Rusty Hearts even countrified some songs from the 80s and learned how to play ‘My Maria’.

By Maureen Cassidy| November 10th, 2015|Backyard Wedding, Featured Wedding Photographs Madison WI, Photographer Madison Wisconsin, Wedding Locations, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Kelly & Ryan’s Majestic Theatre Wedding

Where our wedding was, and how we chose the venue(s):

Majestic Theatre. We wanted a venue that was unique to Madison and near the capitol area. We fell in love with the Majestic and loved the idea of a theater wedding. The event coordinator, Jenni, was a big part of the decision as well, and she was a huge help for planning and running the big day!

Our favorite part(s) of the wedding:

Having all of our family and friends present to share the big day! We loved our beautiful, unique venue – the most positive feedback from our guests was about the theatre. The florist was amazing and came up with arrangements that were exactly what Kelly was picturing. The caterer did a great job, and we loved our cupcakes. We loved working with Maureen – she did an amazing job making sure we got all of the pictures we wanted, and the photos were beautiful! It was hard to pick our favorites because they were all great.

What was definitely worth it:

The venue! It was beautiful, unique, and so much fun.

Greatest challenge planning the wedding:

Busy work schedules. Kelly is a veterinarian and was working long hours, so a large amount of planning was packed into her days off.

Resources that helped us along the way:

The Knot was very helpful for planning seating arrangements and had a nice checklist

Advice for other people planning their wedding:

It’s very helpful to have someone coordinating the day, whether it’s an event coordinator for your venue or a wedding planner. It lets you focus on sitting back and enjoying the day! Don’t get caught up in small details and remember that even if everything isn’t perfect, the day will be beautiful. Make sure you love your photographer!

Other cool stuff people should know:

Ryan is an industrial designer at Trek, and he used his artistic talent for multiple parts of the wedding. He designed Kelly’s engagement ring and wedding band in SolidWorks, and he made his own wedding band using a billet rod of titanium from Trek Bicycles. He also designed the save-the-dates, invites, and programs.

The wedding photos we were most excited to see:

First look pictures; wedding party photos! We drove around Madison in a limo bus to some of our favorite Madison locations (Olin Park, Memorial Union Terrace).

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because:

We liked her aesthetic and energy, and we clicked well after meeting with her. Also, some of Ryan’s coworkers had used Maureen Cassidy Photography for their weddings and they were happy with their experience.

Vendors:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Majestic Theatre

Hair & Make-up: Elevation Salon & Spa

Wedding Dress: Vera’s House of Bridals

Bridesmaids Dresses: Brandi’s Bridal Galleria

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Warehouse

Catering: Blue Plate Catering

Bartending:Majestic Theatre

Officiant: Fred-Allen Self

Flowers/Florist: Daffodil Parker

Invitations: Designed by Ryan Callahan, printed using Badger Graphics

Dessert: Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography & Nikki Hansen

DJ: Double Platinum DJ

By Maureen Cassidy| October 9th, 2015|Uncategorized, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Our Stunning Backyard Wedding in the Northwoods

Where our wedding was, and how we chose the venue(s):

Our wedding was at the Mother-of-the-Bride’s cabin located on Rice Lake in Upper Michigan. The rustic beauty of the cabin and the lake made it an easy choice for our wedding venue. The cabin also had a special significance for both of us, as Hicham spent the summer of 2014 helping build the cabin from the ground up and I was also helping out the day the foundation was laid.

Our favorite part(s) of the wedding:

The first look – after a lot of anticipation and a bit of stress, it was such a relief to finally share a quiet moment with each other and hold one other close. The rest of the day went by as such a whirlwind. Looking back, walking together for our first look in the beautiful north woods of the Keweenaw definitely stands out.

Also, being reunited with our friends and family. One of the hardest parts of living abroad is being so far away from all these amazing people. It was the first opportunity many friends had to meet each other, and for others it was the first time Hicham and I had seen them in years. It was very special reuniting to celebrate our love with everyone.

What was definitely worth it:

The flowers: After a lot of hunting, my Mom found a small farm (Rock River Farm) in the U.P. that sells fresh flowers at a really good rate. A few weeks before the wedding, we drove out and met with the owner, Shailah, who is absolutely amazing! She was really accommodating and the flowers were beautiful. For the big day, Shailah made my bouquet, the floral crown for my hair, the two arrangements on the archway, and we had over 400 fresh cut flowers all for a very affordable price.

What was definitely not worth it:

Too many small details: A few weeks before the wedding, when I was home from abroad for the first time in months, I went a little detail-happy during a few shopping trips to the craft stores. There were a lot of little decorations that didn’t end up being used or put up because we ran out of time to set them up! I spent a lot of time stressing about little details and in the end they didn’t matter much. If you’re doing a DIY wedding, I would recommend sticking to a few must-haves and ditching the rest of the little details!

Our Planning Guidelines:

We live abroad, so our biggest planning guideline was that we had to be able to plan it from afar. We had a lot of help, particularly from my family, with contacting vendors and getting the cabin ready for the big day. I was also lucky that a lot of my close girlfriends were already married, which means that I had a lot of advice and tips for DIY wedding planning (lucky me!).

My Dad gave us a great piece of advice that became our other main guideline: figure out what is worth doing yourself and what is worth delegating or hiring someone to do. This mantra was super helpful when deciding when to find a vendor and what to tackle on our own. Sometimes, it’s totally worth it to hire some help!

Greatest challenge planning the wedding:

Living abroad! Although a lot of things could be organized by email and online, there were some things that just had to wait until we were back in the Midwest. We were lucky that we had 3 weeks off in the States before the wedding. Those three weeks were spent helping finish the cabin (the frame was constructed in 2014, but the entire interior, exterior and landscaping was done from May-July 2015!) and finalizing all the other last minute things, including having my wedding band made. That said, we did what we could and tried our best not to stress out about the things we couldn’t get to before the wedding.

Resources that helped us along the way:

As mentioned, we had a lot of help along the way, from my parents and from a number of our friends including Kim (our Officiant), Nicky (who made our amazing cake and cupcakes), the entire bridal party and family members (who helped with wedding set-up), and the whole work crew that helped finish the cabin on time. Pinterest was another key resource to gather ideas and inspiration for our own DIY wedding.

Personal Vows:

I, (Hicham/Whitney), take you (Hicham/Whitney), to be my lawful wedded (husband/wife), my partner in life and my one true love.

I give to you in the presence of our loved ones as witness,

My promise to love you without reservation,

To trust and honor you through times of good health and bad, and times of joy and sorrow.

I promise to comfort you in times of distress,

And to encourage you to achieve all of your goals.

I will grow with you in mind and spirit,

Always be open and honest with you,

And will love you, today, tomorrow and always.

No matter where in the world we are,

My home will always be wherever I am with you.

Advice for other people planning their wedding:

Don’t stress the small stuff and remember that things have a way of coming together in the end! The other most important thing is to have fun, because the day will fly by! The day after the wedding, Hicham and I both said, “We want to do it all over again, it went by too fast!”

The wedding photos we’re most excited to see:

The first look photos! Whitney is also pretty excited to see the photos of the keg stands (which she missed out on and only found out about later on in the night)!

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because:

We were referred to Maureen by Natural Intuition Photography, who had done our engagement photos (but was booked our wedding weekend). As soon as I looked at Maureen’s website, I knew that her style was a good fit for us! Maureen and I emailed and chatted on Skype a few times in the months before the wedding and Maureen is so easy to work with. She has such a great spirit and a natural calm about her that we didn’t even stress at all about the photography. The day of the wedding Maureen (and her second shooter) were amazing – they worked so quickly and quietly that we sometimes forgot they were there! Our guests loved them and so did we!

Wedding Vendors:

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Private residence on Rice Lake in Upper Michigan

Hair: Regis Salon

Make up: I did my own!

Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero

Bridesmaids Dresses: Each bridesmaide chose her own dress.

Groom: Custom-made in Lebanon

Catering: Kanga’s Catering

Bar-tending: We did our own alcohol and had our friends Sherri and Tim help serve!

Rentals (tents, chairs, linens, etc.): UP Event Rentals

Officiant: Our lovely friend, Kim Hodges

Wedding planner: Us!

Flowers/Florist: Rock River Farm near Marquette, MI

Invitations: Betty Lu Designs

Dessert: Another lovely friend, Nicky Gagnon Outinen

Wedding Bands:

His – from a jeweler in Hicham’s home town of Tyre, Lebanon

Hers – custom-made by Thomas Dailing at Lee Ayers Jewelers of Stevens Point, WI

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography & Amie Heeter 2nd shooting

By Maureen Cassidy| October 1st, 2015|Backyard Wedding, Featured Wedding Photographs Madison WI, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Summer Family and Newborn Sessions in Sweet Madison, Part 2!

Hey all!

Here’s installation #2 of Family and Newborn session highlights for the past couple of months.

I hope you enjoy and that you can feel and see the love these families have for each other! Please scroll through at the bottom to see Installation #1 from a few days ago!

**Also, if anyone is really wanting to schedule a family or newborn session this fall, I only have a few spots left- please sign up soon!

By Maureen Cassidy| September 25th, 2015|Children photography Madison WI, family photography Madison WI, Newborn Photography, Photographer Madison Wisconsin, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Summer Family & Newborn Sessions in Sweet Madison, Wisconsin, Part 1

I’m sure this has been the same for a lot of people but dang (!) this summer has been busy! As such, I haven’t done much in the way of social media updates. But here is a post of some Family and Newborn session highlights from the past couple of months. It’ll be split into 2 parts because there are soooo many photos to share. This is installation #1.

Also, here’s a list of My Top 4 Reasons Why I Love Photographing Family and Newborn Sessions:

1) Continuity. Some of the families below I had the honor of taking pictures for the couple’s wedding, then newborn photos, then family photos. This is the type of photographer I strive to be: one you can (and want to!) call back year after year for all those special moments in a family’s history. I love this because I get to build relationships, see how the kids (and parents) have changed over time, and I think this relationship building allows me to capture more natural shots.

2) I am a kid at heart. The things that I consider my best qualities are those that we also cherish in children: I am light-hearted, fun loving, and happy to play. So doing family sessions gives me a great chance to do my job (photography) while also being myself and hanging out with the kind of people I act like most (kids!).

3) Summer fun! I get to take pictures, mostly outdoors, in great weather, in a beautiful part of the country- yea southern Wisconsin!

4) Seeing how LOVED children are. These parents are exceptional- and it’s a good reminder for me of how amazingly difficult and incredibly rewarding it can be to raise children. My goal is to capture this love and a family’s happiness in photos.

I hope you enjoy!

By Maureen Cassidy| September 23rd, 2015|Children photography Madison WI, family photography Madison WI, Newborn Photography, Photographer Madison Wisconsin|0 Comments

Elsa and Stuart’s Barn Wedding

Our love story:

Stuart and I met through a mutual friend while we were both living in Boise, Idaho. We also both happened to work at the same hospital. I was a relatively new nurse working the night shift and just trying not to kill anyone. Stuart was an experienced tech in the ER. He was kind enough to offer up his veins to let me practice my IV skills on him (very brave), so I knew he was pretty special. We bonded over stories about crazy patients and gruesome injuries (as most people in the medical profession do).

Where our wedding was, and how we chose the venue(s):

We got married at Country Pleasures Bed & Breakfast in Cashton, WI. We first heard about the venue at a wedding show in Madison. We were thinking about doing a barn wedding, and the pictures we saw of this venue were beautiful. We decided to make the 2 hour drive for a visit on a subzero February day during a snowstorm. Not ideal. We had to do a lot of visualizing during the tour because the entire property was blanketed in snow. But even in the snow, the barn was beautiful. The owners, Mary Lou and Jim, were beyond fantastic. We loved the venue, but Mary Lou and Jim were honestly a big part of the reason we decided to get married there. They went above-and-beyond, especially during the weekend of our wedding. They helped us set up, celebrate, and clean up. They even offered to drive 40 minutes each way to pick up pizza for us the night before the wedding. Amazing. We also liked the fact that we could rent the venue for the entire weekend, and were able to have our close friends and family stay at the bed and breakfast with us. Plus, the barn has a bowling alley. How could we say no to that?

The wedding photos we’re most excited to see:

The first look photos, ceremony photos, and the photos we did at sunset!

Our favorite part(s) of the wedding:

Walking down the aisle and standing at the altar were probably my favorite parts. We had a slight music snafu, so none of the songs we had agonized for hours about were played during the ceremony. I remember thinking it was going to be awkward walking down the aisle with no music, but instead I found it incredibly peaceful. And even though we were standing in front of all our family and friends, I really felt like it was just Stuart and me. It was perfect. I also loved the first look. It was so nice to have a little alone time before the wedding.

What was definitely worth it:

The venue, photographer, and desserts. We were able to have a whole weekend to celebrate with our family and friends at the bed and breakfast. Setting up the day before, bowling in the barn, and enjoying the wonderful homemade breakfast with everyone the morning of the wedding are some of my favorite memories.

What was definitely not worth it:

The stress. Seriously. I had nightmares for months leading up to the wedding because I was worried I would forget something. I don’t really know if it’s possible to plan a wedding without stress. But if it is, I highly recommend it.

Our Planning Guidelines:

The main thing we tried to remember was the fact that this was a celebration of love. The people we invited are the people we love and the people who love us. Would they notice if the centerpieces weren’t perfect or if we did a buffet instead of a plated meal? Maybe, but who cares. In the end, we just wanted to plan a nice party for all our friends and family to share with us.

Greatest challenge planning the wedding:

Not comparing everything we were doing to something we saw on Pinterest or in wedding magazines. It was easy to fall into that trap and get discouraged. Often it was Stuart who would remind me that no, our wedding wasn’t going to look like the one I had just pinned. But that’s a good thing. Our wedding was our wedding. It was us.

Resources that helped us along the way:

I may have just gotten done explaining how evil Pinterest is, but I really don’t think we could have planned our wedding without it. It’s a necessary evil in this day and age. I also really liked www.apracticalwedding.com. They have great articles and how-to’s. From how to create a seating chart to how to mix your own wedding cocktails and how much booze to buy.

Advice for other people planning their wedding:

Plan the wedding you want, not the one everyone else wants. Don’t do something just because you feel people “expect it”. It’s your wedding, you get to say what happens. Also, on the day of the wedding, delegate and let someone else handle the stress.

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because:

We loved the photos we saw on Maureen’s website. Once we met with Maureen, the decision was easy. She’s so down-to-earth and easy to work with. She put us at ease during our engagement shoot while we were awkwardly posing, pretending to meow like our cat. She also offered us beer when we first met with her, so I’m pretty sure Stuart was sold then.

Vendors!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Country Pleasures Bed & Breakfast

Hair & Make-up: Cura Salon

Wedding Dress: Vera’s House of Bridals

Bridesmaids Dresses: Wtoo (purchased from various websites)

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Macy’s, Banana Republic, Ties.com

Catering & Bar-tending: Famous Dave’s of La Crosse. My dad and uncle mixed big batches of cocktails for our self-serve bar. We bought all our wine, beer, and liquor from Steves’ in Madison. They were super helpful!

Rentals (tents, chairs, linens, etc.): Nelson Agri-Center

Officiant: Sheila Roehl (Rose Weddings)

Flowers/Florist: Sunborn Gardens. They made all our bouquets and boutineers and provided us with buckets of mixed seasonal flowers that we arranged for centerpieces.

Invitations: Designed by bride, printed at StudentPrint

Dessert: Batch Bakehouse

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography

DJ: Perfect Night DJ

By Maureen Cassidy| August 26th, 2015|Wedding Photography Madison WI, Wedding photography WI|0 Comments

Emily & Andrew’s Lake Geneva Wedding

The love story

Our love story goes all the way back to 5th Grade! Andrew and I first met when he moved down the street from me. We became friends right away that summer and spent most of our free time playing games with our siblings and neighborhood. We stayed close through out Senior year of high school, when we started dating. Unfortunately, it didn’t last too long and I (yes, I, Emily!) broke up with Andrew after a few months. After that I had to work really hard to get our friendship back….but eventually it happened. Andrew and I continued to get together during breaks from school and always kept in touch while we were busy at college. We went out together with a couple of friends for New Years Eve 2011. Andrew went around the party telling people that we were engaged…even though we weren’t even dating! We started officially dated in March 2012, when I lived in Milwaukee and Andrew lived in Lake Mills. Our schedules were hectic, so we were lucky to see each other once a week. In August 2013, Andrew made me a homemade Italian dinner, then asked to go outside and take pictures with his new camera. While we were mid-picture, Andrew got down on one knee and proposed. Where our wedding was, and how we chose the venue

Our wedding was at the Grand Geneva in Lake Geneva, WI. We chose the venue because we wanted a place where we could have both the ceremony and the reception. The outdoor ceremony location was gorgeous, as was the ballroom we chose.

Our favorite parts of the wedding

It’s so hard to pick! Obviously “I do,” was one favorite. Another favorite was taking pictures. Andrew’s favorite part was taking group photos and mine was our first look and pictures together. Another one of my favorites was the sermon during the ceremony. Our Pastor made it funny, relatable, truthful and tied it all together with our faith. Lastly, the dance! It was so fun to let loose and dance with everyone that came to celebrate with us!

What was definitely worth it

The Venue, Photographer and DJ. Those were the things the meant the most to us. We wanted the space to create an event we would remember and always love. We wanted a photographer that would photograph the wedding and our guests the way we remembered them instead of staging everything. And we wanted a DJ that would help make the ceremony and reception flow and play music that we could dance to.

Greatest challenge planning the wedding

Decision making! There are soooo many decisions to make, it gets overwhelming and that takes the fun away.
Resources that helped us along the way

The Knot app for my iPhone. It gave me rough deadlines for when certain things should be done.

Advice for other people planning their wedding

Don’t stress about anything on the day of your wedding. It’s not worth it. The day is going to be as perfect as it can be with or without you stressing. The wedding photos we’re most excited to see

Our night photos! We told Maureen we wanted Sunset photos, but there wasn’t much of a sunset. So Maureen came up with another idea of taking night photos and using street lights, fountain lights etc. We are beyond excited to see them.

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because

Maureen came as a recommendation from our DJ, Milwaukee Airwaves, but we chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because we LOVED ALL of the photos we saw from previous weddings. When we met with her for the first time, it felt like we already knew her. She is so comfortable and easy to be around; her energy is contagious and she was always coming up with different ideas. Vendors

Ceremony Venue: Fairview- Grand Geneva

Reception Venue: Evergreen Ballroom- Grand Geneva

Hair: Grand Geneva Salon and Spa

Make up: Grand Geneva Salon and Spa

Wedding Dress: Bliss Bridal and Alterations done by Bridals by Joyce

Bridesmaids Dresses: Nordstrom

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Officiant: Pastor Clark (our highschool teacher and close friend)

Wedding coordinator: Kate from Grand Geneva

Flowers/Florist: GiaBella Flowers

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography & Rejoy photography 2nd shooting

DJ: Milwaukee Airwaves (they were awesome!)

By Maureen Cassidy| July 8th, 2015|Wedding Photography Madison WI, Wedding photography WI|0 Comments

Sophie and RJ’s Romantic Rooftop Wedding at the Monona Terrace

right after first kiss newlyweds picture

The love story:

RJ and I met and started dating during college (in the Fall of 2008). RJ worked as the theater manager at the Orpheum theater in Madison and I worked as a waitress at the restaurant that was in the theater’s lobby. I thought he was cute, but I remember thinking that there was no way he’d be interested since I thought he was way older than me (surprise: he wasn’t, we are the same age). Also, I was a clumsy waitress, and one night when he was working I dropped a HUGE tray full of dirty dishes right in front of him. After that I was always pretty embarrassed in front of him. But one night, I was working a cocktail shift and he was working the late night movies. There was a big party going on so people were only interested in going to the bar, so RJ and I both had a lot of downtime. We started chatting, realized we had a ton in common, and hit it off. We ended up hanging out in the box office for hours and making tons of popcorn after midnight for all the party guests. We both hung out way past our shifts so we could keep chatting with each other. From there we started seeing each other outside of work and going on dates, and the rest is history :).

beautiful bride black and white wedding photo

Where our wedding was, and how we chose the venue(s):

The wedding was at Monona Terrace in Madison. We visited a few different venues in Madison, but we were pretty sure we wanted it there, and once we toured the rooftop and community terrace, we both fell in love with the location and knew we wanted to get married there. Monona Terrace is only about a block away from our first apartment together, and we used to hang out on it’s roof terrace in college and read or play cribbage together. We loved the idea of a ceremony outside on a rooftop. Plus the unique and modern architecture coupled with all the beautiful plants in the building made it an easy decision for us. It definitely fit our personalities.

Our favorite part(s) of the wedding:

Probably the unique wedding ceremony and the fact that it was written 100% for us. We love that our officiant Owen knows us so well and wrote such a beautiful ceremony that fit our personalities exactly. We loved that it incorporated our beer unity ceremony, our own written vows, and also acknowledged my mom and RJs dad, both who passed away last year.

bride and groom from above madison wi picture

Our Planning Guidelines:

Stay true to our personalities and keep it simple.

Greatest challenge planning the wedding:

My family is Jewish, RJ’s family is Catholic and Protestant. Neither RJ nor I are very religious ourselves. So it was hard at times to balance all of that and still make everyone happy. Ultimately though, it was our wedding and we wanted it to fit our personalities while respecting our families’ traditions.

Personal vows:

Sophie’s Vows:

RJ, I choose you, today and every day, to be my husband, my companion, my soul mate, and my best friend for as long as I live. You have shown me what true, unconditional love feels like, and for that I can never thank you enough. I love so many things about you: I love how you actually cry when you laugh really hard; I love the concentration on your face as you work in the kitchen making delicious meals to share with the people you care about; I love how you warm up my feet when they feel like ice, and how you tuck me in and snuggle up with extra blankets to keep me warm, even when you’re already sweating; I love how much you love your family, and how excited you get as you watch your nieces grow up; I love your determination, self-motivation, and willpower to achieve and surpass every personal and professional goal you set for yourself. You inspire me on a daily basis to be the best version of myself that I can be, and I am so proud to be yours. For these, and so many more reasons, I promise to be faithful to you, support you, and trust in you completely. I promise to listen to you with compassion and understanding, and speak to you with encouragement and honesty. I promise to put your needs before my own, and to be sensitive to your goals and aspirations. I promise to experience all that life has to offer with you, and to turn the mundane into unique and fun-filled adventures for us, together. I promise to work at our love and always make you the first priority in my life. For the rest of my life, RJ, I promise to be the best to and for you as you have been the best man, the only man for me. I love you with my whole heart, and I promise I always will.

RJ’s Vows:

Sophie, from the moment we met here in Madison, just a few blocks from where we stand, you have been my friend, my voice of reason, my partner in crime, my taste tester, my sous chef, my accountant, my guiding light and my rock. Being back in Madison here today, reminds me just how far we have come, how much we have been through and how much we have changed. But even more striking than the differences I see, are the things I love about you that have remained steadfast after all of these years. Your cute smile, your amazing energy, your tenacious spirit, your disdain for scary movies and, of course, your affinity for turtles. Those unwavering quirks and qualities are exactly what make me so excited to enjoy, love and explore life with you. Through our journey together, no matter where in the world life takes us, I promise to be the best husband I can be, to make you laugh when you are down, to help and support you to reach anything you want in life- whether it is a life long dream or a glass on the top shelf, to always kill it in the kitchen as your Chef Boy RJ, to still listen to you even when the game is on (playoffs excluded), to grow old with you, but never grow up, and to unconditionally love and support you through good times and bad, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health from this day forward, forever and ever.

Resources that helped us along the way:

Making google docs for EVERYTHING and sharing them so everyone was always on the same page.

Advice for other people planning their wedding:

Make decisions and stick to them. There’s no point in going back and forth and changing your mind about everything a million and a half times. We made quick and efficient decisions and it made planning so much easier. I loved how involved RJ was in the planning. It’s easy as a bride to take over all the planning, but I’m really glad I didn’t. RJ and I did get mad at each other and stressed over stupid things sometimes, but overall, I’m really happy that we shared the planning.

Where we allocated the most and the least funds:

Most funds were given to food, alcohol, and photographer.

Least funds were for the centerpieces. We made all the centerpieces because I love DIY projects. We made all the cupcake stands and used string balls instead of spending a ton of money on floral arrangements for each table.

groomsmen and bridal party reception fun

The wedding photos we’re most excited to see:

All of them!!! I can’t wait to see the photos from the first look and the mini-session with just RJ and me. I can’t wait to see the photos with my bridesmaids and the ceremony photos too! I’m excited for the getting ready photos and sunset photos and photos of guests and ahhhh just everything! So yea, all of them! I’m just so excited to be able to re-live the wedding again through all the photos!

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because:

RJ works at a photography studio and he did a ton of research to choose his top 5 favorite photographers in the Madison area. Then, he had the creative director and lead photographers at the studio all vet all his top choices by writing pros and cons about the photographers’ portfolios. They all loved Maureen’s portfolio and website, and after RJ had a quick first call with her, we knew, without a doubt, that she was the one!

madison wi natural family and wedding photo

madison wedding photography monona terrace

Vendors:

Ceremony Venue: Monona Terrace Rooftop

Reception Venue: Monona Terrace (Community Terrace Room)

Hair & Make-up: Brideheads

Wedding Dress: The Wedding Shoppe (in St. Paul, MN)

Bridesmaids Dresses: Donna Morgan at Nordstrom

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Amelishan

Catering & Bar-tending:Monona Terrace

Officiant: Owen Pratt

Flowers/Florist: Abundance Acres

Invitations: Minted.com

Dessert: Cupcakes from Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery (they were amazing and the baker worked with us to make 4 unique cupcake flavors)

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography

DJ: Milwaukee Airwaves

By Maureen Cassidy| June 27th, 2015|Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Amber and Eric’s Elegant Springtime Wedding at Holy Wisdom Monastary

How we met:

We first met in the military. We met in Student Flight, a military prep program for basic training. So, we were 18 years old and we had our minds focused on other things like trying to figure out right from left while marching (Amber still struggles with this). We didn’t talk when we first met, but knew of each other. Amber really wasn’t happy when she saw him later when they were both doing training in Texas and she waved and he didn’t wave back (she still hasn’t let this go). Years later (6 to be exact), we finally had our first real conversation, it was a group conversation, but one nonetheless. That was while we were waiting to get a plane for a work trip to Key West. It took sometime for Eric to realize how interested I was but once he figured it out we were set.

Where we got hitched, and how we chose the venue:

Our wedding reception was at Lake Windsor Golf Course. We chose it because of the wonderful onsite coordinator, gorgeous windows with a great view and ease of access (parking was one of our biggest concerns).

Personal touches we added to make the wedding ours:

There were so many! We cut down a branch from a tree in our front yard to make the table numbers and name holders. We had an untraditional reading at our ceremony that meant a lot to the both of us (we love dogs), “How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog” by Taylor Mali. We opted to have the officiant create a personalized message for us. He asked each of us questions separately and then incorporated them into this message, neither of us knew what the other had said until the ceremony.
Our favorite part of the whole dang wedding:

Eric– Amber walking down the aisle.

Amber- The First Look. It calmed my nerves for the rest of the day!

Our personal vows:

Neither of us are fans of public speaking, but we really wanted personal vows. We decided on a set of our officiant’s prewritten vows that felt right for us.

“From this moment,

I, Eric, take you, Amber,

as my wife forever and always

I pledge to honor you

encourage you, and support you

through our walk together.

When our way becomes difficult,

I promise to stand by you

and uplift you,

so that through our union

we accomplish more

than we could alone,

I promise to work at our love

and always make you

a priority in my life.

With every beat of my heart,

I will love you.

This is my solemn vow.”

father giving away the bride wedding pic

Most enjoyable part of planning the wedding:

Eric- all the food! (ie. food testings, bridal shows, cake testing).

Amber- I enjoyed how involved Eric was in all the planning. We did about 95% of the planning together and by ourselves.

Greatest challenge planning the wedding:

Dealing with all the options! For every little decision there were hundreds of options or more. Once we made a decision about one thing we HAD to stop looking or we’d change our minds again.

clouds sky bride groom natural wedding picture

just married wedding photo outside natural

natural light filled outdoor wedding couple photo

just married rings outside natural wedding photo

trees grass bride groom outside photo wi

Resources that helped us along the way:

Pinterest, Etsy and Google. We actually found our amazing officiant from a Google search!

Advice to others planning their wedding:

Prioritize what is important to the both of you and spend more time and energy on those things. A day-of coordinator really helps make things run smoothly. She took care of all the little hiccups. As far as we know everything went as planned and perfect, and that’s how we want to remember our wedding day. At the reception, step back, just the two of you and admire all your hard work and that everyone is there for you. Take it all it, it goes by so fast!

The wedding photos we’re most excited to see:

Eric- Amber walking down the aisle and our photos right after the ceremony just the two of us.

Amber- All of them! Especially the sunset pictures, all the pressure was off and I could relax.

first dance madison wi wedding photography

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because:

We first met her at a bridal show before we even had a wedding date. Months later we had picked a date and attended a few more bridal shows. We met many more photographers, but we kept thinking back to Maureen. Her energy and positive attitude were so memorable and contagious. Our decision was made, we had to pick Maureen otherwise we knew we’d regret it.

Vendors!

Ceremony Venue: Holy Wisdom Monastery

Reception Venue: Lake Windsor Golf Course

Hair: Kim Kucksdorf from Allure Hair Design (Stevens Point, WI)

Make up: Colleen Feucht from About Face

Wedding Dress: Brides Across America (A wonderful organization that gives a military bride a free wedding dress. My dress will be donated back to them, so another bride can enjoy her special day in it!)

Bridesmaids Dresses: Nordstrom

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Nedrobo’s

Officiant: Chris Truitt from You had me at I Do

Wedding planner: Kayla Ann Coordinates

Flowers/Florist: Prairie Flowers and Gifts

Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas

Dessert: Carl’s Cakes

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography, 2nd shooter: Patricia at ReJoy Photography

DJ: Music For You

By Maureen Cassidy| June 3rd, 2015|Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Featured on A Practical Wedding

Last summer I photographed a super fun and unique wedding at the Madison Children’s Museum. As sometimes happens, I never got to blogging it (until now!).

Lucky for me the bride submitted their wedding to her favorite wedding site A Practical Wedding. Check it out! It really has so many awesome resources and I really love her write-up on their wedding!!
The link for the featured blog post on A Practical wedding is {here}

By Maureen Cassidy| May 28th, 2015|Featured Wedding Photographs Madison WI, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Winter Wisconsin Wedding on π day

Hollie & Arthur

Wisconsin wedding on π day

They had their fun wedding on ∏ (pie) day. They guys are as unique as landing a Saturday wedding on 3.14.15 and I mean that as the highest of compliments! Their Wisconsin Wedding was on a warm sunny March day. When I asked Hollie how they meet her first sentence was the best(!!!)- “We met through friends, but thought each other was weird.”

I really want to leave it there but their story obviously continued! They met a few other times through mutual friends and started thinking that each other was potentially not weird-in-a-bad-way when they went to a Marilyn Manson concert together. Then, Arthur found Hollie on match.com and asked for a date. Hollie says “I wasn’t keen on the idea, but went anyway. Our first date was full of delicious New Orleans food and drinks and we’ve been connected ever since…”

Where was your wedding and how did you choose the venue(s)?

We got married at First Lutheran Church (where my mom is happily employed!) and chose the Janesville Country Club because it has the best food and service in Janesville! The JCC was a no-hassle location–their event planner is experienced, had good ideas, and was always available for questions.

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

Standing at the altar! It was so hard NOT to turn around and wave at all of our family and friends in the audience.

What personal touches did you add to the wedding to make it your own?

I wore two dresses that were given to me. My ceremony dress was given to me by my mother-in-law. My mom and her cousins worked to alter the dress to make it fit perfectly! My reception dress was inspired by a photo from Pinterest. My best friend’s mom used the picture to design and sew me the perfect dancing dress!

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

I loved planning an event with my husband. We’ve never done this before and so it was a fun challenge to make sure that our event choices reflected the new “us”.

What was your greatest challenge in planning your wedding? What did you feel least prepared for?

Since I plan events every year for my job, I felt that planning a wedding was a routine task. It was hard for me to be patient while family and friends went along with this journey and made suggestions that I had already thought about and made decisions on.

What advice do you have for people planning a wedding?

Be sure to take an hour+ on your wedding day just with your new spouse to take photos together! It’s romantic and fun!

Which moment(s) are/were you most excited to see in your wedding photos?

Candid photos!

Why did you choose Maureen Cassidy Photography?

Maureen was recommended to us from another photographer. Her online portfolio looked awesome and she had a really fun personality. It was easy to choose Maureen!

Vendors!

Ceremony Venue: First Lutheran Church

Reception Venue: The Janesville Country Club

Hair: Stacy Jersild, owner of Hello, Beautiful

Make up: My Aunt Karen

Wedding Dress: Ceremony dress: borrowed from my mother-in-law, Reception dress: made my Lisa Pettera (friend)

Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Self selected, undershirt from Express

Catering, Bar-tending, & Desserts: The Janesville Country Club

Officiant: Pastor Jim Melvin of First Lutheran Church

Flowers/Florist: Floral Expressions

Invitations: Minted.com

Photography:Maureen Cassidy Photography and 2nd shooting Rejoy Photography

Videographer: Family Friend

DJ: Terry at Jukebox Bandstand

By Maureen Cassidy| May 14th, 2015|Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Megan & Jason’s Wisconsin Winter Wedding

Where were your wedding and reception and how did you choose the venue(s)?

Our wedding ceremony was at Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish in North Lake, WI and our reception was at The Delafield Hotel in Delafield. We chose our church because it reminded Megan of the church she grew up going to. It’s cozy and beautiful. It really made our ceremony feel intimate and personal.

We picked the Delafield Hotel because of its old world/antique charm. Also, the on-staff wedding planner, Erin, was phenomenal to work with and she made planning our wedding reception so easy.

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

Off the top of my head, my favorite memory was how awesome our dance floor was! There was NEVER a dull moment and everyone looked like they were having a blast!

What personal touches did you add to the wedding to make it your own?

We chose vendors who knew us personally and could customize their services to us. Our priest has been a friend of Megan’s since Kindergarten; our DJ was a friend of Megan’s from high school; Maureen has been our buddy/coach/photographer for a few years (and for many more to come)! We picked our favorite colors to decorate with and to base our floral choices around. We decided to have a bean bag toss game instead of glass-clinking as it’s one of our favorite tailgate games. The game had the logo of the gymnastics academy where we coach together on display. Jason also made a fantastic slideshow of photos of each of us growing up, us together, and our favorite people!

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

Megan most enjoyed that we were able to work together as a team to make decisions. It wasn’t always easy, but we always figured out how to make a decision we were both excited about. It bonded us and brought us closer together.

So stinkin’ sweet- I love it when grooms want to take their own pictures of the beautiful bride!

What was your greatest challenge in planning your wedding? What did you feel least prepared for?

Wedding planning wasn’t too tough at all for us. We were extremely lucky. I would have to say that I felt least prepared for how difficult it was to try and see and speak to all of our wedding guests. I wish the night could have lasted longer so I could have connected with everyone!

What resources (blogs, friends, websites) helped you in planning your wedding?

I glanced at Pinterest to get some ideas, but not too closely. Pinterest pressure is a real thing! Etsy, however, became my best friend. I got lots of ideas from the site and found some great deals, too! Plus, I loved that most of the items I shopped for were handmade. I used theknot.com for the checklist. It helped me prioritize the order of our ‘to do’ list.

These ladies are some of Megan and Jason’s students so I did some fun shots of them at the venue.

What advice do you have for people planning a wedding?

Don’t be afraid to break the rules. While we followed many of the wedding traditions out there, you definitely don’t have to. Your wedding should reflect YOU!

Which moment(s) are/were you most excited to see in your wedding photos?

I’m most excited to see the moments that we were unaware Maureen captured! Candid photos are my favorite!

Why did you choose Maureen Cassidy Photography?

Because she RULES! DUH!

Wisconsin Wedding Vendors!

Ceremony Venue: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish

Reception Venue: The Delafield Hotel

Hair & Make-up: Creative Flair Salon

Wedding Dress: Brandi’s Bridal

Bridesmaids Dresses: The Wedding Shoppe

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Catering & Bar-tending: The Delafield Hotel

Officiant: Fr. Jacob Strand

Wedding planner: Erin Neureuther (with The Delafield Hotel)

Flowers/Florist: Waukesha Floral & Greenhouse

Invitations: Minuteman Press (formerly R.B.’s Printing, INC)

Dessert (cake and such!): Our cake was from Piggly Wiggly

Photography- Maureen Cassidy Photography Like there would be anyone else?? 😉 & 2nd shooting-Sarah Maughan of Urban Anchor Photography

DJ: We used Sound By Design for our DJ and lighting services.

By Maureen Cassidy| April 24th, 2015|Photographer Madison Wisconsin, Uncategorized, Wedding Photography Madison WI, Wedding photography WI|0 Comments

Winter Wedding at the Barn at the Harvest Moon Pond

I love photographing weddings!

Every wedding I feel like I love it more. I love witnessing and documenting the joys, passions and expressions of each couple. For this winter wedding, Tracey and Doug made my job so crazy easy! Tracey has an awesome smile and is one of those full-of-life people in a perfect way! Doug is so tender, loving and free with his expression of love. The whole day you could just tell that these guys hit the jackpot with each other.

Their wedding was in January (oddly there was no snow) at one of my favorite barn wedding venues: The Barn at Harvest Moon Pond.

Where was your wedding and how did you choose the venue?

We chose The Barn at the Harvest Moon Pond. We were both looking for a country setting and loved the idea of an old barn. The Barn at the Harvest Moon Pond was perfect. It had a huge fireplace as you enter the barn and chandeliers with large timbers. We were able to have the ceremony up stairs in the hay loft and reception downstairs. The owners, Gary and Renee are great people and easy to work with.

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

We had so many great moments it’s hard to narrow it down to a few. Some of the highlights included my eighty one year old Cowboy Dad walking me down the aisle, taking pictures on the ice (harvest moon pond), Doug and I scooping out ice-cream to the kids, carriage ride, seeing everyone with cowboy hats on, intimate ceremony with Doug and I giving out communion, vows, awesome music and serenade from the band at the end of the night

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

We enjoyed all of it! We had fun being creative and letting the ideas flow. This allowed us to think outside the box, like when Doug suggested cowboy hats for everyone, I was thrilled. Then we went to work on how we could get hats that were nice, yet reasonable cost wise. We took chances like ordering off the web. It wasn’t always perfect, but we rolled with the errors and didn’t lose sight of the big picture which was to create a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

What was your greatest challenge in planning your wedding? What did you feel least prepared for?

Since we planned this in three and half months, we should answer “everything”! But, the most difficult part was ordering the food. We had Eldorado Grill for our caterer and they were fantastic. The food was fabulous and we heard about it weeks later. The difficult part was ordering since on our buffet line we wanted to provide lots of variety with several entree options. However, we also didn’t want to end up with triple the food. In the end, we calculated spot on and we were really relived the left overs were not coming on the honeymoon. Burritos don’t travel well.

Which moment(s) are/were you most excited to see in your wedding photos?

We are excited to see our “first look” and the one’s taken while we were on the ice in our dress shoes! We’re also looking forward to pics of us scooping out ice-cream to kids. Plus the pic of our guests in the moment having fun!

What personal touches did you add to the wedding to make it your own?

We wanted to make our wedding a fun and relaxed environment, but we also wanted to have a level of elegance. Doug made the wedding arch and we decorated it with garland. The tables were decorated with white table cloths, candles, evergreens and each table had a chocolate cake. We also gave out cowboy hats to start the party. By choosing the barn, our ceremony was incredibly intimate which seems unlikely given we had 200 guests. Our Pastor told our love story and we chose vows that reflected how we felt. We had live music which included Chris Hanson for ceremony music and a live band, The Mighty Wheelhouse for the reception. We had carriage rides available for our guests and bean bag toss at reception.

What resources (blogs, friends, websites) helped you in planning your wedding?

Pinterest became our obsession and our favorite “go to place” to see how it had been done by others. We also asked our friends and photographer for ideas. One common question we’d ask is, “what’s the one thing you would change about your wedding?” The answer we most often received was, “I wish we would have hired a better photographer or videographer”. We took steps to be sure we were in good hands.

What advice do you have for people planning a wedding?

Be true to who you are. Choose things that make you happy and represent you. Make the day about your love for each other and the love you have for others. Choose quality people you believe will carry out your vision and ones you have confidence in. We found we gave a bit of direction, showed our trust in them and let them lead. By showing our gratitude we were thrilled at how generous they were with their talents. Our band, Wheelhouse serenaded us one the dance floor, our cake people delivered 25 + cakes when typically they don’t deliver, our pastor came back early from vacation to marry us and we could go on and on. Everyone was so very generous it felt like even the vendors were all just friends celebrating the day with us.

Why did you choose Maureen Cassidy Photography?

We wanted the best! Maureen has the technical capability and creative side we fell in love with. She is an artist and uses her talent to capture the beauty in and around her. Her motto is, “always make everything fun”. Now we can say in hindsight her motto was just as important as her technical skill. We had a blast Maureen. Thanks for increasing our “fun factor” on our big day.

Ceremony & Reception Venue: The barn at the harvest moon pond

Hair and Make up: Daisy Quintal, Union Hair Salon

Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal

Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: The Men’s Warehouse

Catering: Eldorado Grill

Bar-tending: Catered Cocktails

Rentals (tents, chairs, linens, etc.):none

Officiant: Pastor David Dragseth from Lake Park Lutheran Church in Milwaukee

Wedding planner: none

Flowers/Florist: Daffodil Parker

Invitations: Online at Mixbook

Dessert (cake and such!): Miller and Sons in Verona.

Photography– Maureen Cassidy Photography & 2nd shooting with Patricia from Rejoy Photography

Videographer: One Fine Day

Ceremony Music: Chris Hanson of the Chris Hanson Band

DJ and/or band:The Mighty Wheelhouse Band

Horse and Carriage: Cinderella Carriage

Favors: Cowboy Hats

Honeymoon: Puerto Rico and island, Vieques – highly recommend!

By Maureen Cassidy| February 26th, 2015|Barn at the Harvest Moon Pond, Featured Wedding Photographs Madison WI, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Best of Madison 2015 winner for photography

Yippie!

Maureen Cassidy Photography is a BEST OF MADISON winner!

Check out all the awesome winners

[here]

By Maureen Cassidy| February 26th, 2015|Engagement and Proposal Photography Madison WI, family photography Madison WI, Featured Wedding Photographs Madison WI, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Contest winners for Weddings, Families, Newborn and Maternity

Here are the 3 contest winners from this year Best of 2014

Best of Wedding 2014

Sara and Josh-See more of their awesome backyard wedding here

Best of Families 2014

Angela & Ben & the sweet Avalyn

Best of Maternity & Newborn 2014

Amanda-Phil + 2 twins and a new baby brother!!

2014 was a great year for me!

I photographed 25 weddings, 56 family/children/sessions, 21 maternity/newborn sessions & 30 boudoir sessions.

Special thanks so my 2nd shooters & photo editor Sarah from Urban Anchor Photography.

My friend Kat who helps me blog!

And my sweet loving boyfriend Neil who makes my life happier and keeps me filled with love and smiles!

My goal for 2015 is to have a wedding each month! So far I need to book a wedding in November 2015 & December 2015. I already have 20 weddings for 2015. 2 of them destination weddings and maybe one more to come. Maybe just maybe! I will book a destination wedding in Nov or Dec some place warm and tropical!!

I always striving to better my work and I am attending an elite and stellar workshop lead by top wedding photographers Todd Laffler who won 70 fearless photography awards, Brian Callaway who has won 18 fearless photography awards and his amazingly creative wife Allison Callaway who has received 25 fearless photography awards.

I am also doing some mentoring this year with Kirsten Lewis who is a crazy amazing family photography and wedding photography!!

I love my work and I am grateful that I get to photograph love and connection between people. It’s amazing witnessing such joy either at a wedding or family/newborn shoot…

Boudoir photography continues to be one of passions. I really love working with women and photographing their beauty. I get to be more creative in boudoir vs the rest of everything else I photograph simply because I can pose people. Kids are not going to sit still and wait for me to find the light or their best side…

It uses a different part of myself plus I LOVE seeing women feel good about their selves and it makes a killer gift!

Thank you Madison for continuing to welcome and accept me into your community! I am excited for 2015.

By Maureen Cassidy| January 30th, 2015|Children photography Madison WI, family photography Madison WI, Photographer Madison Wisconsin, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Weddings Weddings Weddings! Best of 2014 Contest

Vote for your favorite photo in the FB comments at the bottom of this page.

Contest Details:

When voting, please write the number of the photo you are voting for and why you like it.
The number is UNDER the photo.
1 vote per person.

Prize: Photo with the most votes gets $250 credit for a session or product.

Deadline: Contest ends January 23th 2015

Thanks! Winner will be announced on my FB page so you should stop over and LIKE it! Click HERE.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

By Maureen Cassidy| January 16th, 2015|Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Madison Area Family/Children Photography

The best of 2014 family photography contest is still going on. You can go vote for your favorite: Here

Selecting only one photo for the contest was a hard task. So I put together a compilation of other great ones through the year. Just for fun!
I hope you enjoy viewing these family photos!
Thank to all the families who have hired me! I am a lucky lady to be able to photograph such love and connections!!

By Maureen Cassidy| January 13th, 2015|family photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Best of 2014 Family Photography for Madison, WI + End of Year Contest!

Vote for your favorite photo in the FB comments at the bottom of this page.

Below are 56 photos to choose from for my 2014 Family Photography contest (and maybe I forgot some?-let me know if I did!).

Contest Details:

When voting, please write the number of the photo you are voting for and why you like it.
The number is UNDER the photo.
1 vote per person.

Prize: Photo with the most votes gets $100 credit for a session or product.

Deadline: Contest ends January 12th 2015

Thanks! Winner will be announced on my FB page so you should stop over and LIKE it! Click HERE.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

By Maureen Cassidy| January 9th, 2015|Children photography Madison WI, family photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Boudoir Photography in Madison Wisconsin {boudoir mini sessions}

Boudoir photography is my specialty. I really think it’s where I shine most. I LOVE shooting weddings and families but I love the art of boudoir photography.
To photograph women and have them LOVE their images (their bodies) is no short order. I love that each of woman I have photographed in a boudoir session have loved the results! It’s an amazing present and a great thing to do for yourself.

I know it’s huge venture to try a boudoir session so I offer this great offer to help you take the chance!

By Maureen Cassidy| January 7th, 2015|Boudoir Photographer Madison WI|0 Comments

Best of 2014 {my life}

2014 was a great year! My daughters are 6 & 8 (which I consider their golden years) and are so fun and loving towards both me and each other. We have it pretty sweet, and I’m blessed to have a really wonderful family! My family even went on a cruise together this year- which was a big highlight for all of us. Even though I live far from my sisters and parents we all see each other throughout the year. My sister Donna had a 3rd open adoption go through so I have a new niece in my life!! (She is in the newborn photos).

I also have a super stellar (& adorable) boyfriend Neil. He is the best!! He photographed some weddings with me and we went on some great adventures together in 2014. He is an incredibly supportive partner + he can handle me! I love the friends I have and the people in this town that I get to interact with. I know I’m a people person but Madison is filled with such great people. I swear, I have not met an asshole here yet and I’ve been here almost 5 years! I love it here. Besides the bitter cold it’s perfect.

Notice other photographers in here? Hell yeah!!! That is one of the gems for me in Madison. Some of my closest friends are the other rocking photographers in Madison. Everyone is so nice to each other and we are a community and help each other and have a lot of fun together. We get to share what we have learned, critique our work, be back up for each other, brainstorm ideas, joke around, go dancing, 2nd shoot for each other, watch each others pets…

Special thanks to the 2nd shooters from 2014 who took all the photos of me shooting weddings. Patricia Espedal from rejoy photography, Sharon for SV heart photography, Laura Zastrow from Laura Zastrow photography, Amie Heeter, Nikki Hanson and Neil Thompson!

By Maureen Cassidy| January 6th, 2015|family photography Madison WI, Photographer Madison Wisconsin|0 Comments

Best of 2014 Maternity & Newborn Photography in Madison Wisconsin

End of the year contest for Newborn and Maternity sessions!

Vote for your favorite photo in the FB comments.

Write the number you are voting for and why you like it in the FB comments. {The number is UNDER the photo}

1 vote per person.

Photo with the most votes gets $100 credit for a session or product.

Contest ends January 9th 2015

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

*Missed #21 the original post. If I missed any others let me know!

Here are some more pictures from these sessions because it was hard to choose just 1 image to showcase.

*let me know if you had a maternity or newborn session in 2014 but your images is missing.

By Maureen Cassidy| January 2nd, 2015|Newborn Photography, Pregnancy Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Engagement session in Madison Wisconsin {one of the best places on earth}

These guys were so fun, relaxed and quirky which might be the easiest combination of traits to photograph. I laughed more in this session than think I should of for a cold, cloudy day in late December in Madison.

By Maureen Cassidy| December 29th, 2014|Engagements|0 Comments

Published in the Huffington Post

Exciting news for me today! I got published in in the Huffington post in their wedding section. The article was on their favorite winter romantic photographs.

Check it out here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Here is the photo they chose.

By Maureen Cassidy| December 26th, 2014|Engagements, Featured Wedding Photographs Madison WI|0 Comments

Sweet Sugarland Barn Wedding in Arena Wisconsin

I first photographed a wedding at Sugarland during my first photography season in Madison in 2011. It was a complete dream come to true me then. The rolling hills, the beautiful trees and the land seemed foster reverence in the same way old churches often make you feel. It left a great impression on me and I was so excited to come back and photograph another wedding there. Charles and Katia’s wedding was beautiful and meaningful. They are a lovely down to earth couple who were able to pull of an intimate wedding on a Monday in October!

In their words: We met at an anti-war meeting on UMass campus in 2007. Charles was speaking about sexism in the Vietnam Antiwar movement. Katia thought that he was alright.

After a year of being close friends we started dating in the summer of 2008.

Where was your wedding and how did you choose the venue(s)?

Our wedding was at a farm in Arena, WI called Sugarland. It’s operated by the folks who run The Old Feed Mill in Mazomanie, WI.

We moved to Madison together from New England four years ago. When we were discussing what kind of wedding we envisioned for ourselves we really wanted it to be a reflection of us as a couple, and of what our life in Madison has been like. We felt that picking the right venue was a really important piece of that puzzle. It’s also worth noting that we knew from the outset that we wanted to get married during our favorite season, Fall, and that our venue would, ideally, allow us to incorporate the smells, tastes, and colors of Autumn.

What personal touches did you add to the wedding to make it your own?

I think, more than anything, we wanted the entire wedding to feel like our own. That was my biggest anxiety, that it would feel impersonal or that after all the planning and expense (and AMAZING generosity of our friends and families) that we wouldn’t actually enjoy the wedding itself, like a crying kid at her own birthday party. Luckily, that didn’t happen.

Our officiant is a close friend of my family, who knows us as a couple. This really helped with personalizing the ceremony. We decided to use Humanist language, we incorporated Russian Orthodox and Celtic traditions to feel continuity with our families’ heritage… We stood on the same cloth that three generations of my family have been married on.

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

It’s hard to pick… Charles says, “My favorite moment was seeing my beautiful bride for the first time.”

We were really blown away by the toasts our friends and family made during dinner. We didn’t know who was going to speak because we had left organizing the lineup to our Best Man, Joe. We did ask him to solicit speeches from the women in our wedding party and families, specifically. Oddly, I think women’s voices sometimes get left out of the celebration and that would be bizarre.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE wedding ceremonies!!! It’s such a beautiful reason for people to come together; to witness and celebrate in ceremony two people making a life long commitment of love and partnership. I know I’m a hopeless romantic but I just find the ceremony (and marriage) beautiful and touching. I have documented many weddings and I see the challenges couples face with making a wedding ceremony moving and powerful. Many times my couples are shy or don’t want a big to-do and would prefer to have the ceremony be quick (and hopefully painless). Even then, I still see the beauty and meaning woven into the fabric of each ceremony as each couple takes the leap, vowing their lives together.

Admittedly I love being carried away with all of the guests witnessing this union – to feel the couples love and to see their collective personality and to believe in their love that could last a lifetime. One window into the love at the heart of a wedding is in the readings that a couple chooses. So I thought I should start asking for them to share.

I loved their readings and I’m so grateful that they shared them with us. I posted some here and at the end of the photos.

We are all a little weird

And life’s a little weird,

And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours,

We join up with them and fall in

Mutual weirdness and call it LOVE.

— Sometimes attributed to Dr. Seuss (read by Ginny Lyons, Mother of the Groom)

What was your greatest challenge in planning your wedding? What did you feel least prepared for?

I was least prepared for some of the personal dynamics to be kind of stressful. We’ve been together for almost seven years, so we didn’t anticipate drama and tension that’s probably a natural part of, not only blending families, but the financial and personal stress of planning a big(ish) event.

Otherwise, it’s hard to stop planning. We had a small, rustic wedding – we had to be careful about not taking on too many DIY projects. After a year of planning, I was burnt out by the time our wonderful friends and family arrived from out-of-state and I didn’t really have the energy to direct them well. Luckily, our helpers were self-directed and wonderful and made the race to the finish line a lot of fun.

What resources (blogs, friends, websites) helped you in planning your wedding?

We hired Jayme Galanos at Beyond Elegant Events (B.E.E.) to help us with Day Of coordination. I strongly recommend this if you have A-Type personalities in the mix. It allowed some of our key players to relax and enjoy the big day. Additionally, our Best Woman, Sophia, works at a wedding venue so she was a valuable resource for answering vendors’ questions.

We used The Knot’s wedding website as well as their planning binder. Our families and wedding party are scattered all over the country so we got multiple binders so we could literally be on the same page.

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

Charles says, “Food.”

Planning the wedding put us in closer contact with many friends and family members. Bringing all these beloved people closer to us was the best part of planning the wedding. I started having weekly phone calls with the wedding party… long email chains with family friends. It’s been really nice to feel close to people you don’t always know how to reach out to.

What advice do you have for people planning a wedding?

Don’t spend too much money on flowers. Do your toasts during the meal. Don’t ask your wedding party to spend crazy money on their apparel, that’s no fun for anyone.

If you had an unlimited budget or could simply redo your wedding day, would you have done anything differently?

Yes and no. We got married on Monday, which was a stroke of brilliance and a blessing in many ways. Many vendors and venues that would have otherwise been booked were available to us, and often at a discounted rate. This was great. That said, it wasn’t really our first choice.

Why did you choose Maureen Cassidy Photography?

Maureen was recommended to us by beyond elegant events because she was, “Kooky and had great energy.” That sounded like a good fit. When we met with Maureen she made us feel confident that she understood our priorities and style.

Posed pictures were really important to my mother, but we wanted to feel relaxed and natural. We wanted to find a photographer who could capture candid moments and make us feel at ease when taking the posed pictures. Maureen was definitely the right person.

Any funny moments to share?

Maureen was a wild woman, she was practically hanging off the rafters during the reception to take photos.

What readings did you have at your wedding?

I will love you as a drawer loves a secret compartment,

and as a secret compartment loves a secret,

and as a secret loves to make a person gasp,

and as a gasping person loves a glass of brandy to calm their nerves,

and as a glass of brandy loves to shatter on the floor,

and as the noise of glass shattering loves to make everyone else gasp,

and as someone else gasping loves a nearby desk to lean against,

even if leaning against it presses a lever that loves to open a drawer and reveal a secret compartment.

I will love you until all such compartments are opened and discovered,

and until all secrets have gone gasping into the world.

I will love you until all the codes and hearts have been broken and until every anagram and egg has been unscrambled.

— Lemony Snicket (read by Kelly McDonough, Mother of the Bride)

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.

“Pooh?” he whispered.

“Yes, Piglet?”

“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand.

“I just wanted to be sure of you.”

______

“How do you spell ‘love’?” asked Piglet

“You don’t spell it, you feel it,” said Pooh

— A.A. Milne (read by Denis Chernyshov, Father of the Bride)

Awesome Wisconsin Vendors that helped make this wedding day extra great.

Ceremony Venue: Sugarland http://sugarland-weddings.com/

Hair: Hair Excellence http://www.hairexcellence.net/

Make up: I did it myself

Wedding Dress: Saja http://www.sajawedding.com/index.html

Bridesmaids Dresses: ModCloth http://www.modcloth.com/

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse and Macy’s

Catering & Bar-tending: The Old Feed Mill http://oldfeedmill.com/

Rentals (tents, chairs, linens, etc.): A La Crate http://alacratevintage.com/

Officiant: Rev. Maddie Sifantus

Wedding planner: Jayme Galanos “Beyond Elegance Events” http://www.beyondelegantevents.com/

Flowers/Florist: Daffodil Parker http://www.daffodilparker.com/

Invitations: Minted.com http://www.minted.com/

Dessert (cake and such!): Cupcakes A-Go-Go http://www.cupcakesagogo.com/

Photography- Maureen Cassidy Photography http://maureencassidyphotography.com/

DJ and/or band: MidWest Sound http://www.midwestsoundwi.com/

Favors: http://www.cbmaplefarm.com/wedding-favors.htm

Honeymoon: DisneyWorld

By Maureen Cassidy| December 23rd, 2014|Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Marie and Adam’s Capitol Wedding in Madison, Wisconsin

I love the story of how this couple met! Marie and Adam both graduated from the University of Wisconsin from the same graduate program. On graduation day, they sat next to each other by chance and started talking. Fast forward a few years and they ended up getting married!

Their wedding took place on an ideal October day. The bride and groom created a super family-centric wedding, full of considerations for their guests. They had photo booths, great music, pastries for dessert, and an amazing array of organic food choices. Everything in this wedding was kept local to Madison, which worked beautifully for this young couple. Enjoy the pictures!

By Maureen Cassidy| December 22nd, 2014|Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Kelly and Matt’s University Club Wedding in Madison, WI

This was a beautiful gathering of family and friends, and here is what stood out to me about Kelly and Matt’s wedding:

They were so vibrant and adventurous while getting their wedding photos taken (such as dancing under pine trees!).
Close-knit, talented, and creative family, who contributed greatly to the natural and charming decorations.
Smorgasbord of delicious, organic dishes.
They added vegetables to the bouquets!!!

Where was your wedding and how did you choose the venue(s)?

After our engagement we took a tour of Madison venues. After viewing 6 locations in one day my mom mentioned the University Club; we are glad she did! The warm wood and chandelier glow reminded us of cabins and restaurants up north. We knew our family and friends would feel welcomed in the University Club space.

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

Trespassing in the neighbor’s yard to have our first look under the property line trees!

What personal touches did you add to the wedding to make it your own?

I studied Nutrition and Matt is a Chef. We spend the majority of our time cooking together and highlighted this passion by adding artichokes, cabbage, kale, pears, rosemary, and sage to our wedding flowers and decorations. Our whole family contributed their energy to make the wedding special. My mom, Julie, designed the table center pieces. My mother-in-law, Patty, printed family wedding photos, made a birch branch wish tree, a birch card box, and a framed photo for our groom’s dinner. My father-in-law, Jim, cut, stained, and wood burned our birch cake stand, table numbers, and cake topper. My sister, Amanda, water colored and designed our programs and menus. My Aunt Cathy made invitations, thank you cards, and pew bows for the ceremony. My Aunt Julie created our picture slideshow.

What readings did you have at your wedding?

Our friend Ann Smith read a passage from the book Anam Cara that focused on the celebration of our lives together.

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

Making the invitations and monitoring the response cards was both the most enjoyable and the most challenging part of planning our wedding. The invitations were designed by myself and my Aunt Cathy during a Spring weekend at our cabin. We then enlisted my mom and sister for a crafts assembly line. This happened more than once- they deserve multiple thank you cards!

What advice do you have for people planning a wedding?

Delegate! Accept the offers of your friends and family. Let go of the details and allow others to add creativity to your vision. Using my guidelines, themes, and colors, my friends and family made the majority of the DIY crafts.

Any funny moments to share?

My father, Tom, made a gutsy and endearing gesture to welcome Matt to the family. He presented Matt with a Bears jersey during his toast, amidst a sea of Viking and Packer fans. The crowd reaction was explosive, the family members from Illinois cheered, but they were outnumbered by the boos and shouting of all the rest.

If you had an unlimited budget or could simply redo your wedding day, would you have done anything differently?

If given an unlimited budget we would have sprung for a live trio to play Gypsy Jazz during our cocktail hour.

Why did you choose Maureen Cassidy Photography?

Maureen goes above and beyond to get the perfect shot, literally. She climbed a pine tree to capture our first moments together before the ceremony. A combination of our dance lessons and her photography skills created one of my favorite photos. Maureen‘s work does not include filters or editing tricks. Her photos are crisp, lively, and captured the moments exactly as I remember. Maureen is the photographer who will make you laugh even as you’re sweating in a field in your layered dress and full tuxedo.

Vendors!

Ceremony Venue: First Presbyterian Church, Waunakee

Reception Venue: The University Club

Hair: The Premiere of Windsor

Make up: Mary Kay

Wedding Dress: Allure, The Wedding Shoppe

Bridesmaids Dresses: Kennedy Blue, The Wedding Shoppe

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Savvi, Minneapolis, MN

Catering & Bar-tending: The University Club Staff

Officiant: Pastor Kirk Morledge

Flowers: Klein’s Floral

Invitations: My Aunt!

Dessert: Craig’s Cakes

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography & the great Rejoy Photography 2nd shooting for me

DJ and/or band: Jukebox Bandstand

Favors: Donation to Youth Farms, Minneapolis, MN

Honeymoon: San Francisco, CA

By Maureen Cassidy| December 17th, 2014|Featured Wedding Photographs Madison WI, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Casey & Becky’s Wedding at Elkhart Lake

This wedding was a BLAST. Becky and Casey are a sweet and loving couple who know how to have fun and throw a party. I really felt like everyone there was having the times of their lives. I have to say that Casey was one of the kindest, most considerate grooms I have worked with. He was looking out for everyone the whole night, on HIS wedding night! If their wedding was any indication of their future together, Casey and Becky will be living it up and taking care of each other for years and years to come. Special thanks to Amie Heeter for 2nd shooting!

Casey & Becky’s Proposal:

Casey and Becky got engaged on Christmas morning, 2013. Becky searched the Christmas tree for the traditional pickle ornament while Casey pretended to (but really he wanted Becky to find it). Becky found not only the ornament, but also an engagement ring hanging on it.

Where was your wedding and how did you choose the venue(s)?

Our ceremony was at Trinity Lutheran Church in Kiel and the reception was at Victorian Village Resort in Elkhart Lake, WI. We absolutely love Elkhart Lake. It’s so pretty, with small town charm and the most beautiful, crystal clear lake. For us, it was the perfect place to be for our wedding day!

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

My favorite part of planning was getting together with my bridesmaids and family to do it. Dress shopping with the girls was so fun, and each time we would talk over wedding plans it got me more and more excited for the big day.

What was your greatest challenge in planning your wedding? What did you feel least prepared for?

The greatest challenge was planning the wedding apart from Casey. He was not always able to talk, or be a part of certain decisions because he was in Spain for the vast majority of the planning process. I can be very indecisive about things, and I didn’t like committing to decisions without him to confirm with. In the end though, both of us were very happy with everything and it all worked out perfectly!

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

We both had the same response for this one: seeing each other for the first time while walking down the aisle- indescribable feeling!

What advice do you have for people planning a wedding?

I think that the best advice that I got while planning my wedding was that no matter how planned or focused you are on little things, be sure to soak everything in on the actual wedding day with no worries. I tried not to worry about anything that day and to just enjoy every moment, because all the planning was done. It was the best feeling to be surrounded by people that we love.

What resources (blogs, friends, websites) helped you in planning your wedding?

Pinterest, The Knot, my bridesmaids, my matron of honor (who has been through wedding planning before), and both my parents and Casey’s parents were all very helpful.

Which moment(s) are/were you most excited to see in your wedding photos?

Our wedding party actually had a lot of fun taking pictures together, and we are excited to see the pictures of the group. We also can’t wait to see pictures of people at the reception and things that we may have missed in the amazing whirlwind of the evening.

Any funny moments to share?

There were so many funny moments! Quite honestly, the bridal party had so much fun taking pictures. Some of our friends told me that usually taking pictures was the most boring part for them, but that taking pictures for our wedding was super funny. Thanks Maureen and Amie for fitting right in with everyone and making it even more fun! Also, singing and hanging out on the bus was super fun.

What personal touches did you add to the wedding to make it your own?

I’ve been known to be a little bit of a picture person (I have photos and frames all over). So Casey and his brother hung up a little picture clothesline at the reception. It had a ton of pictures on it of the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and us. All the decorations at the reception had touches of us in them and we had so much fun putting them up together and doing all of that ourselves.

Casey and Becky met while bartending at this bar! During the reception they served shots together from behind the bar.

If you had an unlimited budget or could simply redo your wedding day, would you have done anything differently?

We honestly wouldn’t change a thing. However, if we had an unlimited budget we probably would have had a videographer as well.

Why did you choose Maureen Cassidy Photography?

We found Maureen online and liked her portfolio. After meeting her and having her take our engagement pictures we were so happy and relieved that we chose Maureen for our wedding. Not only is her work amazing and speaks for itself with the emotions that she captures, she makes everything more fun!

Dancing at this wedding was sooooo fun. When I left the wedding, the maid of honor picked me up and all the bridesmaids circled around us doing crazy awesome dance moves. These people seriously know how to throw a party!

Vendors!:

Ceremony Venue: Trinity Lutheran Church (Kiel, WI)

Reception Venue: Victorian Village Resort (Elkhart Lake, WI)

Hair: Matron of Honor: Heidi Tschudy (works at Image By Design in Kiel, WI)

Make up: Bridesmaid: Alisa Burgo (works at Johnathan Breitung Salon & Luxury Spa in Chicago)

Wedding Dress: Brandi’s Bridal Galleri a (New Glarus, WI)

Bridesmaids Dresses: Vera’s House of Bridals (Madison, WI)

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Catering & Bar-tending: Victorian Village Resort

Officiant: David Laabs

Flowers/Florist: Jesse’s Flowers & Gifts (Kiel, WI)

Invitations: DIY (had help from my mom and mother-in-law!)

Dessert (cake and such!): DIY (my dad and mother-in-law made all of the desserts. I decorated the cake and cupcake with my mom.)

Photography- Maureen Cassidy Photography

DJ and/or band: Chuck from Disc Jockeys Now

Musicians: Jon Laabs (ceremony vocalist), Sharon Laabs (ceremony pianist)

By Maureen Cassidy| December 11th, 2014|Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Bruce & Sean’s Wedding (& 20th Anniversary Celebration!) at Capitol Theater

Bruce & Sean’s wedding was incredibly elegant and unique- they totally changed the traditional order of events, which I haven’t seen before (and I’ve seen a lot as a wedding photographer!). First they had cocktail hour, and that segued naturally into dinner. After dinner was the wedding ceremony, for which guests gathered around the couple in a semi-circle. After the short and sweet ceremony (complete with a french horn performance and beautiful readings), Bruce and Sean immediately had their first dance! Then alllllll the dancing happened! It felt like an efficient and thoughtful use of both space and time.

Where was your wedding?

At the Capitol Theater in the Overture Center

What were your deciding factors in choosing your venue(s)?

Quite honestly, there weren’t many venues available by the time we started looking. Nevertheless, when we walked in to the theater we knew it was where we wanted to have our celebration anyway. It’s not an easy venue to get, as stage productions get priority, but it was worth the patience and the work. On the night of the event we even heard from Madison residents that they didn’t know the venue existed! I think everybody felt it was a very cool space to enter after having cocktails in the lobby.

When I can, I try to do something different and funny!

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

Just before the first photographs. Bruce and I used a dressing room backstage at the theater to put on our tuxes, and it was a nice quiet time for us together as a couple before the festivities got under way.

Any funny moments to share?

After I (Sean) said my vows, Bruce started his vows with “Likewise I’m sure.” Maybe you had to be there but it was funny then. There was also a spontaneous group hug on the dance floor at the end of the last dance, all the last people in a big hug in the center of the stage with Bruce and me in the middle.

Did you write personal vows?

We did write our own vows, individually, and as it turns out there was a fair amount of similarity in what we wrote.

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

We had a lot of fun thinking about what our guests would enjoy and remember, which also allowed us to not worry too much about little details (I’m told people remember the emotions and general vibe of the night, and forget about things like the food and flowers).

What was your greatest challenge in planning your wedding? What did you feel least prepared for?

We weren’t doing a traditional wedding: it was a cross between a wedding and a 20^th anniversary celebration, which allowed us the freedom to create the evening and ceremony that we wanted. This also presented a challenge in that we couldn’t just rely on whatever is considered traditional. As for being unprepared, I felt a little overwhelmed as guests started to arrive for the cocktail hour. A good friend told us to do our best to greet people and mingle, but then to stop doing that at some point and just enjoy the evening. It was great advice.

What resources helped you in planning your wedding? (blogs, websites, magazines, planners, friends, wedding shows, etc.)

We asked married friends for occasional advice, spent some time on Pinterest, and then relied significantly on our wedding planner Rachel Best.

Do you have any advice for people planning a wedding?

Do what you can to enjoy the entire process, have fun, relax, and make sure that as a couple you are communicating well throughout. Day of, don’t worry about little things, have fun and feel the love.

Which moment(s) are you most excited to see in your wedding photos?

We are excited to see friends and family who didn’t know each other before the weekend enjoying themselves together. It makes sense that if we love all these people they might get along, but it was truly magical to see all the random fun and friendships forming that night.

Why did you choose Maureen Cassidy Photography?

We chose her based on her portfolio, and the way you could see the joy in people’s faces in her photos.

Vendors!

Venue- Capitol Theater-overture center

Catering & Bar-tending- Fresco

Rentals (tents, chairs, linens, etc.)- A La Crate & Event Essentials

Officiant- Family friend

Wedding planner- Rachel Best

Photography- Maureen Cassidy Photography & Rejoy Photography & Anya Wait Photography– (Thanks Anya for the up high shots!!)

DJ and/or band- Juke Box Band Stand

Musicians- Family friend

Photobooth- Traveling photobooth

Favors- DB Chocolates

Flowers: Metcalfe’s and Sentry

Invitations: Sarah B

Cake: Craig’s Cake Shop

By Maureen Cassidy| December 2nd, 2014|Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Lauren & Tim’s Backyard Wedding in Madison

Lauren and Tim are two super down-to-earth, fun-loving people, and they managed to pull off the most complete outdoors wedding I have seen. No dance tent! No dance floor! No indoor facility! Straight up dancing outside in the grass under the stars!* I was so impressed by their simple (but beautiful) family-centered wedding and reception. They did SO much of the work for their wedding- Lauren’s mom made the wedding dress and one of the bridesmaid’s dresses, Lauren and Tim made the desserts and a lot of the alcohol, did the decorating themselves, and they made the invitations.

They were so excited to be getting married to each other. Their love for each other was clear in a sweet, no-holding-back, smiles-as-wide-as-your-face kind of way- just check out some of the photos below for proof on that!

*For those DIY types out there interested in having a completely outdoors wedding, I will say that they did have 2 small tents set-up: one with a cocktail lounge area, and one with seating for the older guests.

Where was your wedding?

Our amazing family friends offered us the use of their 8 acre backyard!!!

What were your deciding factors in choosing your venue(s)?

Tim and I really wanted to get married in a personal setting. We had been joking about throwing the wedding in our very small backyard. We really just didn’t want to get married somewhere that felt too formal.

Three days after Tim and I got engaged we had dinner with our dear family friends. When we told them about our engagement they immediately offered us their backyard for our wedding! How perfect!!!

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

Being done with the planning and getting to actually experience the wedding day!

What was your greatest challenge in planning your wedding? What did you feel least prepared for?

Haha…probably everything! I honestly never had big dreams of my wedding day, so figuring out exactly what Tim and I wanted took time. Thank goodness my mom kept encouraging us to “keep planning!” I’m not sure it would have been planned otherwise!

bride walking down aisle at outdoor wedding in friends backyard

This smile is amazing! Lauren was so expressive and enthusiastic all day.

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

Lauren: It was such a sweet feeling to walk down to the ceremony with my dad and see our family and friends smiling back at us. Then turning the corner to go down the aisle and seeing Tim waiting at the end was just an amazing, indescribable feeling. Two of the most heartwarming minutes of my life! So that stands out from the wedding, and of course, dancing under the stars.

Tim: The paper lanterns at night among the trees. I remember walking down through the trees and seeing everyone dancing down by the tents and wondering how we pulled this off :).

Any funny moments to share?

We planned the entire wedding outside! We knew it was a big risk, but also knew we would regret not trying to have an outdoor wedding. The weather was starting to look questionable in the afternoon, but the sun was shining for the ceremony and we danced under the stars!!! And then at 10pm…the rain came! Most of the yard turned into a giant mud pit!

If you had an unlimited budget or simply could redo your wedding day, would you have done anything differently?

Since we planned the wedding ourselves, and a lot of it was DIY, we would have hired a day-of wedding coordinator.

How did you calm your wedding day nerves?

I was strangely calm the day of the wedding! The day before the wedding? I was a bit less calm! While we were on the way to the rehearsal dinner, my sister (luckily) started making a list of things we needed to do on the morning of the wedding. I’m not sure why that calmed me, but it did the trick. Thank god for sisters!

Why did you choose Maureen Cassidy Photography?

We found Maureen through Paulius of Queens and Hearts Photography. He told us she was “99% rock’n’roll!” How could we turn that down?! We instantly loved the emotion Maureen captures in her pictures! They just seem so real. And when we met Maureen, her energy was contagious! We booked immediately!

Which moment(s) are/were you most excited to see in your wedding photos?

All of them! The day flew by and I can’t wait to re-live it by looking at the pictures!

Vendor Shout-outs!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Private residence

Hair & Make-up: Nicole from Bang Salon

Wedding Dress: Made by Lauren’s mom

Bridesmaids Dresses: One by Lauren’s mom, one from J. Crew

Groom’s Attire: Suit from Jos. A. Bank

Catering & Bartending: Wood fired pizza from La Fortuna, appetizers from Metcalfe’s Market, Beer/Wine from Steve’s Liquor, bottled cocktails made by us

Bartenders & Servers: Catered Cocktails

Rentals (tents, chairs, linens, etc.): Event Essentials for tents, chairs, and tables; Bucky’s Portable Restrooms for bathrooms; all linens and tableware were purchased by us

Officiant: Tim’s aunt and uncle

Flowers/Florist: Garden Laurels by Sager

Invitations: Designed by Lauren and printed through CatPrint

Dessert (cake and such!): Ice cream made by Lauren & cheese cake made by Tim

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography

DJ: Bride’s co-worker

Musicians: Ceremony music by Alexis Carreon

Honeymoon: Cirali, Turkey

By Maureen Cassidy| November 20th, 2014|Backyard Wedding, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Allison & Jason’s Bayfield Wedding

Allison and Jason’s wedding was such a treat for me. 1. Allison & Jason and their families and friends are so wonderful. 2. They got married along the shores of Lake Superior (which is by far my favorite lake!) 3. I love destination weddings (even if they are only 6 hours from my place) 4. I got to photograph this wedding with the love of my life, Neil (and he did so great)!

Where was your wedding?

Bayfield, WI!

What were your deciding factors in choosing your venue(s)?

We really wanted a place where all of our guests could spend the weekend together, enjoying and exploring a destination that has come to mean a lot to us. Our other goal was a casual, flexible location where our guests could easily walk from their lodging to the event venues.

What was your greatest challenge in planning your wedding? What did you feel least prepared for?

Since we wanted a venue where we could choose our own caterer and stock our own bar, we had a lot of little details to coordinate and numbers to come up with that sometimes presented a challenge. Fortunately we had many friends, family and vendors that were happy to offer advice along the way. The only thing we could have been a little more prepared for was the reception timeline being more structured- we did not have a day-of coordinator, so all things considered, things went very smoothly!

What resources helped you in planning your wedding? (blogs, websites, magazines, friends, wedding shows, etc.)

We used a couple websites (weddinggawker, offbeat bride), but mostly our great vendors and friends provided the most help.

How did you calm your wedding day nerves?

We really treated it like any other day- getting up, having coffee together…then the set-up and semi-madness began, so we were really too busy to get nervous! It helps to have calming people around you during the day too- and people willing to help out wherever needed.

Do you have any advice for people planning a wedding?
Don’t be constrained by tradition- I truly think people will be okay with whatever unique things you want to incorporate into your day. People will appreciate a wedding that reflects your personalities and life.

Took the opportunity to do an environmental portrait!

Which moment(s) are/were you most excited to see in your wedding photos?

Since Maureen was doing some cool ‘artsy’ stuff with us before the ceremony, we’re excited to see those shots, along with ones of our guests at the ceremony.

This shot is for Jason!

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

If we hadn’t been planning a wedding, we never would have had the opportunity to meet so many talented, gracious vendors from both Madison and Bayfield.

Did you write your own vows?

We did decide to write our own vows, which we kept a secret until the ceremony. I think a lot of people thought we did write them together, because they reflected so many of the same ideas- our chance re-meeting in a coffee shop (we knew each other in college but hadn’t seen each other for many years), our hopes for our future together, and the many ways we complement each other.

Why did you choose Maureen Cassidy Photography?

While looking for a photographer, we were hoping to find someone familiar with Bayfield that was more into capturing unscripted moments than posed ones. Maureen fit those criteria, plus we felt like we’d known Maureen for years the minute we met.

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

That’s a hard one to narrow down, so here are a few memories that really stood out: reading our personal vows during the ceremony (we didn’t share them ahead of time), listening to the touching wedding message our officiant (Allison’s Godfather) prepared, and the awesome toasts/speeches at the reception.

Any funny moments to share?

Nothing outrageously funny, but there was a moment we thought the father/daughter dance might not happen, as Allison’s father was a bit busy handing out the special cigars he had ordered. Eventually he was tracked down for the dance, and did get to enjoy his cigars afterwards!

If you had an unlimited budget or simply could redo your wedding day, would you have done anything differently?

I suppose that with an unlimited budget we could have hired a band vs. a DJ, but people were on the dance floor until 1am, so I think we did okay in that respect! Otherwise everything was pretty perfect in our eyes.

Vendor Shout-outs!

Ceremony Venue: Bayfield Memorial Park

Reception Venue: Bayfield Lakeside Pavilion

Hair: Nicole Glaza (friend of the bride & groom who works at Cinema Studio in Madison)

Make up: Nicole Glaza

Wedding Dress: Monica Freng (of Monirose)

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Macy’s

Catering & Bar-tending: Good Thyme (Washburn, WI)

Rentals (tents, chairs, linens, etc.): London Road Rentals (Duluth, MN)

Officiant: Tom Foltz (family friend and Godfather of the bride)

Wedding planner: Allison & Jason, friends, family , and vendors

Flowers/Florist: purchased boxes of fresh perennials from Hauser’s Superior View Farm in Bayfield and our friends/family arranged them

Invitations: Jill Koskelin of Etikette (Middleton, WI)

Dessert (cake and such!): Coco Bakery (Washburn, WI)

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography + her amazing, awesome, wonderful boyfriend Neil Thompson

DJ: Sounds Unlimited (Duluth, MN)

Musicians: Ric Gillman (acoustic guitar during ceremony)

Favors: personalized cups from Discount Mugs

Honeymoon: Australia and New Zealand

By Maureen Cassidy| November 12th, 2014|Uncategorized, Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

Anna & Mathias’ DIY Wedding

I was so impressed by how much work Anna and Mathias did for their own wedding- from the wedding favors(clippings from a plant that has sentimental value to them), to having a friend officiate for them, to writing their vows, to making a playlist and having a relative as their DJ, to the bridal party doing their own hair and make-up, to the groom’s recipe for dinner- this couple knows how to Do It Yourself- and in style! Special thanks to Patricia from Rejoy Photography who has 2nd shot for me most of this year.

A partially cautionary word about DIY weddings from the Bride

You will want to pull your hair out at times, especially planning a larger wedding. BUT when you look back at your wedding, the things that turned out best will be the things you did yourself. A lot of people told us how they could tell how much work we put into the wedding and how they loved how personal it all was (especially our DIY ceremony). In the end, all the hard work was worth it. We definitely saved a lot of money doing it ourselves, too. We still went over budget though!

How Anna & Mathias Met

Mathias and I met when I was walking home from a party with Sophie, my best friend (and maid of honor!). She knew Mathias, and stopped to say hi. Mathias offered to walk us the rest of the way home and asked me for my number when we got to my place. He called me for a couple months to hang out before we actually did–he worked third shift and always called late which I initially misinterpreted as a booty call (haha!). When we finally did hang out, it was sparks and fireworks right away. We went to James Madison Park, across from my apartment, for our first “date”, and have been together since that night in July 2009.

All Their Wedding Deets

Where was your wedding?

At the Double Days in Cottage Grove– don’t go there! The owner managed to insult every single one of our guests and was very unprofessional.

What were your deciding factors in choosing your venue(s)?

We both have really big families so we needed to find a place that could hold them all! We wanted somewhere we could do the ceremony and the reception in the same place and not have our guests travel anymore than they already were to share our day.

What resources helped you in planning your wedding? (blogs, websites, magazines, friends, wedding shows, etc.)

I used my matron of honor a lot for advice on how to do things since she had been through this all before. I picked up a wedding planner and guide, but didn’t really use it. My matron of honor gave me a binder to use and I organized all of our wedding related things in there. I don’t know how we would have pulled it all off without all the help from our friends and family. We are so grateful!

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

My dad crying– I had only seen him cry one other time in my life. Also, Mathias dancing all night like a maniac, I couldn’t keep up with him! He was doing dance moves I had never seen before. He must have been saving them for our wedding :-).

Did you write your own vows?

Yes, Mathias can’t find the ones he wrote! But mine were: Mathias, when I look back and see how far we have come in the last 5 years, it makes me excited to see what the rest of our lives together will look like. I am excited to see how we will grow and learn together, how we will laugh and cry together, how we will wrinkle and age together. I vow to be your partner for life, to be there for all the adventures life presents us, I vow to lift you up when you are down, I vow to stand by your side in good times and in bad, I vow to love you madly and unconditionally for the rest of my life.

Any funny moments to share?
When I tried to put Mathias’ wedding ring on and it got stuck on his knuckle! I said I would marry him if I “could just get it over your knuckle”.

Do you have any advice for people planning a wedding?

Write your own vows, it’s easier than you think. You already know why you are getting married and what your future spouse means to you. It makes your ceremony so much more personal. Also, look at your wedding day like this–the main goal of the day is to marry the love of your life, everything else is a bonus. Don’t forget the big picture and accept that something will go wrong no matter how much you have planned. Make sure to soak as much in as you can, the day will go by in a blur!

If you had an unlimited budget or simply could redo your wedding day, would you have done anything differently?

Not sure we would change anything except the venue we used. Everything else was so beautiful and exactly how I pictured it in my mind.

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

The most enjoyable part of planning the wedding was how close it made us with those we were planning with and getting to know Mathias’ large family- we both felt so much love and acceptance from them.

What was your greatest challenge in planning your wedding? What did you feel least prepared for?

We were not prepared for how fast our wedding day would go. I remember looking at the clock after dinner and thinking, “Really?! Our wedding day is almost over already?!”

madison weding candids of family bride and groom kiss at toast creative photography

wedding first dance in madison romantic photograph of bride and groom

wedding dip at reception after first dance

Why did you choose Maureen Cassidy Photography?

We chose Maureen because we loved her photos right away, she has a way of capturing natural moments. I liked that her work didn’t seem posed or too formal. It looked like fun!

How did you calm your wedding day nerves?

I practiced deep breathing! I was told by some of our guests they heard me deep breathing into the microphone a few times. I was sooooo nervous.

Which moment(s) are/were you most excited to see in your wedding photos?

All of them! The day went by so fast that I need to see pictures just to make sure it all happened.

Vendor Shout-outs!

Ceremony Venue: Double Days in Cottage Grove, WI

Hair: My friend Amber came to the house on the morning of our wedding and did my hair and all the bridesmaids’ hair.

Make up: The girls did their own makeup, my maid of honor did mine.

Wedding Dress: I found my wedding dress at West Towne Mall in Madison for $350 at Cache.

Bridesmaids Dresses: Custom made by Charissa Goerge at toFREEyourSTYLE from Etsy. This lady was awesome!!

Groom & Groomsmen Attire: The guys all went together to get suits from Burlington Coat Factory. Mathias got his suit from JC Penney.

Catering & Bar-tending: Catering was done by Banzo of Madison, WI. Mathias worked there before he got into his electrical apprenticeship and wanted to use them for our wedding. They made Mathias’ fajita recipe for our wedding, it was super delicious and super personal.

Officiant: Our friend got ordained so that he could marry us.

Flowers/Florist: Hyvee Madison East

Invitations: DIY! From a template I found online.

Dessert (cake and such!): Hyvee Madison East

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography & Rejoy Photography

Videographer: A few people in our wedding party set up a camera to record our ceremony.

DJ and/or band: We made our own playlist and had our Uncle Dave manning the station all night.

Favors: We took clippings from our purple heart plants at home and painted mini-pots to put them in. We wanted our favors to be something we made ourselves.

Honeymoon: Mathias took us to Chula Vista for the weekend and it was a blast! Planning a longer honeymoon next year- to someplace warm!

By Maureen Cassidy| November 4th, 2014|Wedding Photography Madison WI|0 Comments

In so many ways I am independent but in other ways, I have the desire to be everyone’s younger sister. I love needing to be brave and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Most of all, I genuinely LOVE the wilderness. I’ve been overdue for an opportunity to reunite.

And holy crap it was!

So I did it and LOVED it! The emotional shift from the fears and self doubt I had before setting off and the thrill and joy I experienced out there on the trail got me soaring.

If you could choose one place in the world to go on an adventure where and what would you choose? What cravings are calling to you? I’d love to hear.

Warning:::: I curse more than I should. When I am excited I talk like a sailor. Oops.

Whenever I have solo traveled I always meet the coolest people. If you are willing to talk to others you are bound to make some friends. This is kick ass women is Marzena from Poland. She was also doing the O-circuit solo. After the hike she invited me on a road trip with her camper. So fun!

Well, it’s been a ridiculously long time since I wrote a blog, BUT this wedding is a great one to get back into the swing of things!…

Our love story:

Where our wedding was, and how we chose the venue(s):

We got married on the Tripp Deck at the Memorial Union and had our reception in Tripp Commons. We did not even look at other venues and were lucky that the timeline for our wedding fit with the construction schedule and lottery timeline at the Union.

Our favorite part(s) of the wedding:

Pizza and beer on the terrace with friends and family the night before our wedding, our first look, our vows, dancing with friends and family, having Bucky visit our wedding!

What was definitely worth it:

MAUREEN! Our pictures were beautiful and would definitely recommend having her as a photographer (and guest) at your wedding.

Our DJ (Josh and Lane from Kuhl Entertainment)

Spending the money to have a trusted hairstylist and makeup artist travel to Madison from Milwaukee to do the hair of all 16 (!) bridesmaids and both of our moms

Renting the two king suites at the Memorial Union the night before and night of our wedding

What was definitely not worth it:

Worrying too much about where people were seated. Most of our guests spent the night on the dance floor or enjoying the sunset on the Tripp Deck.

Our greatest challenge in planning the wedding:

Starting the planning process when we were living out of state

We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because:

When we met with Maureen she instantly made us feel comfortable.

Where we allocated the most funds:

Food/Drinks

Photographer

DJ

The Least Funds:

Cake (we chose a free design)

We opted not to have a videographer

Vendor Shout-outs!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Tripp Deck & Commons at the Memorial Union

Hair: Kara McGrew, Bridget Lindner

Makeup: Jessica Vandervoot

Wedding Dresses: Vera’s in Madison, Wisconsin and Alexandra’s Boutique in Fall River, Massachusetts

Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levkoff

Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Catering & Bar-tending: Wisconsin Union Catering

Officiant: Our Close friend, Amanda Siebert Evenstone

Flowers/Florist: Adore Flowers in Tauranga, New Zealand (owner was related to one of our bridesmaids!)

Invitations: Minted

Dessert: Carl’s Cakes

Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography

DJ: Kuhl Entertainment (Lane Alexander and Josh Kuhl)

**Maureen here: Thanks for having me be part of your big day! Love to you both.

Costa Rica captures hearts. Go there, you’ll see what I mean.

First stop: Utica and Dominical Beach

A view along the way to the Osa Peninsula.

Ojo Del Mar is an Ecolodge in the Osa Peninsula. This was our private cabana, the Marina.

We live in Wisconsin and when it’s nice out, you’re usually getting eaten by mosquitos. The fact that Costa Rica is not buggy wins major paradise points. We were there just a week in March but we never got bit or bothered by any biting insects. Our Cabana was all open walls but one.

This is the main building called el casa grande, where meals are served and friends are made. It makes an impact on you.

Some beach views from Ojo Del Mar.

The beach line changes a lot with the tide.

Side note to my photography friends: I only brought my Canon 24mm 2.8 & canon 5dii. I bring my old gear and a lightweight lens because I won’t worry about it but next time I travel I plan to bring proper gear. It will be interesting to see the difference.

They have an adorable little pineapple garden that will make you smile.

We saw so many monkeys and birds in this majestic tree.

This Cabana is called Marpache. Each cabana is a built with sustainability practices and are works of art.

Not a big waterfall but you could jump or dive off and float and look at the canopy.

The canopy in Corcovado National park.

Bow ties on grave markers.

We followed a Tapir from the forest to the beach. It’s like some kind of crazy cute micro elephant / pig combo.

Our guide saw a line of turtles and frantically assembled us to try to save them. Sadly it was too hot and too late for most of these guys but we did find 6 live ones and got them into the ocean.

And even go in a little 12 seater planes that will hop your terrified ass from smaller cities to San Jose.

This is Nico the Co-owner and chef of the eco lodge. She is an awesome bad ass and is really passionate about the environment and her lodge. She takes her self-assigned stewardship to the land to heart. I felt really good ending up here and supporting eco-tourism.

And since we are big weirdos, we leaf you with this.

I AM GETTING MARRIED!!

Spring Mini Session

Our mini sessions are short and sweet!

Each session is approx. 15 minutes and will provide you with an affordable, easy way to get stunning professional photographs of the family you love!

A $99 deposit, which serves as your session fee, is all you need to reserve your session with Maureen.

After your session, you will be able to customize your experience with 3 portraits collections.

Limited sessions available, so book now!!!

A few important reminders

Maximize your session

The beautiful Arboretum will provide a background with luscious spring green colors and magnolia trees in white and pink blossoms.

Plan your favorite comfortable and casual outfits with colors that blend well together.

Avoid clothing with graphics and without wording or logos.

Layering and accessories always photograph well and add dimension.

And please avoid wearing white as a main outfit color: it really does not photograph well.

You will receive an online password protected gallery with your digital proofs.