Hawaii. I’m going to let you in on a shocking little secret. Hawaii was actually never on my bucket list. Sure, it sounded great. I thought maybe someday we’d head over there to check it out – especially if it was the last state capitol to cross off our list. But between dreaming about exploring […]

It all started one chilly day last winter. We met Blake at the Botanical Garden to coordinate his sweet proposal to Sarah. Joel and I may have had way too much fun ninja-ing around and playing “innocent” while Blake and Sarah walked toward our secretly planned spot. We celebrated over hot chocolate a few minutes […]

When we woke up on that beautiful September morning, we knew it was going to be an amazing day. Sunshine, just enough crispness in the weather to feel like September, and the wedding of our sweet Shannon & Corey at a super neat vineyard venue! One of the things we loved the most about Shannon […]

These last few weeks have been a little crazy for us! We’ve been traveling to some super amazing places, tasting lots of coffee, and usually on a completely different timezone as most of you (aka our Instagram posts hitting your feed at 1am). For those of you who have been following along on all our […]

“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it.” Isn’t it beautiful to see a garden grow? You take time to prepare the soil with nutrients. The winter-hardened ground is tilled up to create a soft place for the seeds to land. The perfect seed varieties are chosen. Your […]

The day is here. Dress. Shopping. Day! I remember the day I came home with my wedding dress. All of a sudden, I felt like this wedding thing was really happening. When I closed my eyes, I could start to picture it – and it was so real. It’s an amazing experience, that dress shopping […]

Did you suspect that my quirky habit of consuming travel guide books cover-to-cover for months before a trip would turn into a blog post just days before we set out on one of our big world adventures? Me neither. But here I am, thinking about a conversation Joel and I had on our way home […]

It’s all about the cocktail hour on the J&A Blog today! What it is, how to use it, and a fun little gift at the end! Cocktail Hour, as defined by Amber: “A time after the wedding ceremony where guests enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks before entering the formal reception area for a seated meal” […]

It’s going to happen. At some point in your marriage, you’re going to not feel the warm fuzzy feelings. The feelings will border (or deeply plunge) on the I-love-you-but-I-don’t-like-you-right-now kind of sentiment. There’s even a 99.9% chance that at some point in your relationship, you’re going to ask yourself, “Have I made a mistake?” It’s […]

It’s here! Part 2 of our Behind the Scenes series! Part 1 was such a huge hit that we’re sharing just a few more! Flipping through our files of these images has brought back so many amazing memories from the past few years. We love what we do and all the adventures it brings! *When […]

A few weeks ago, I shared some of my favorite images from Jillian + Austin’s Forever Session in Des Moines, Iowa. I said Des Moines, but it was really Des Moines/Pella/fields-in-the-middle-of-nowhere, Iowa. :) And if you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely go check out adorable baby James smiling in front of a classic […]

This is the fifth and final love language in our series on Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages, and it’s perhaps often misunderstood. Women see the words “physical touch” and automatically roll their eyes. “Oh yes. Guys always want us to speak that love language.” But it’s legit – and it means more than […]