Budapest Wedding

Bill and Julcsi got married in Budapest and Jake and I made the trek to celebrate it with them (and continue on a short tour of Europe). Budapest was gorgeous - probably my favorite stop on the trip.

I love traveling because of all of the random facts you learn about a city or culture that you wouldn't have learned otherwise. For example, did you know that Buda and Pest were two separate cities (divided by the Danube) and only became "Budapest" upon construction of a bridge?

I assume Bill and Julcsi will follow the city's lead and, since they united on the river Danube, join names to become Bilcsi.

Look at how happy Bilcsi looks!


Their ceremony was on the river Danube, on the hottest day in the history of weddings. My sweat was sweating. Seriously. In fact, neither of their rings fit due to the heat. But despite the temperature, they exchanged some of the sweetest vows I've ever heard - and in true American fashion Bill read his straight from his iphone.



This was the lovely view from the boat.


The reception was gorgeous as well.



A highlight of the night might have been the toasts. Bill's dad gave a nice, 5-minute toast (including translations). Julcsi's aunt gave a nice, 28-minute toast (detailing the history of the bride's life), which was ultimately cut short by a friend of Julcsi's (see below) breaking into song (the rest of the audience was quick to follow). Apparently toasts aren't common in Hungary.



Julcsi's aunt also made her a traditional Hungarian outfit to wear for part of the reception. It really upped the fun-factor. The minute it came on the singing and clapping and dance-offs began. Their version of the dollar dance included Julci dancing with everyone who stole her away, until Bill finally scooped her up and rescued her.





Jake bought Julcsi a shot of Palenka, a Hungarian alcohol that - in my humble opinion - tasted strongly like rubbing alcohol.



Julcsi's family made all of the desserts and cake for the wedding - and there was nothing "potluck" about it. It was the most extravagant, rum-filled dessert spread I'd ever seen.


At the end of the night Bilcsi presented their parents with roses, as is the Hungarian tradition.



I wish the best to the lovely couple and can't wait for Bilcsi Wedding Part II to take place in the States in a few weeks.

Alicia's Maternity Shots

A few weeks ago I met Alicia and Cory to capture some maternity shots. She was a natural with the camera, and they were such a happy couple--it made my job easy. Here are some of my favorites from the day...















I guess Cory started to feel a bit left out with all of the focus on Alicia's stomach and none on his... :)

Riley & Gracie (sneak peak)

I took some shots of the Donovan's last weekend. They were great sports in the sweltering heat. Here are a few sneak peaks.







Gracie just finished kissing Riley on the cheek. She was fine with it. He was horrified.



And the whole family.

Max & Cole

Meet Max and Cole (again). I also met them last fall. See photos here. I got to hang out with them down by the river for awhile on a Saturday morning. They were quite smiley, and VERY interested in finding the dam. But I was able to sneak a few shots in between running around and curiously staring at the water.

Bridges

I seem to take a lot of photos of bridges.

The MIDDLE of Nowhere.

Great news. I finally made it to the center of the universe. Well, close, anyway. My friends and I drove out (literally to the middle of a cornfield) to find the center of the Northwest Hemisphere. Of the four "centers" two are under water. Clearly, this is a tourist destination drawing throngs of people to central Wisconsin.

Anyway, I was very excited, as you can see...




My friends were also excited...



And later, once we told people about what we had seen, they made more friends. I'm very proud.

Midnight Sky

I'm a stars girl mostly, but sometimes the city skyline can be oh-so-pretty...