Author: Stephanie Marie

  • Jordan + Blake | Downtown Iowa City Engagment Session || Quad Cities Wedding Photographer

    Jordan + Blake | Downtown Iowa City Engagment Session || Quad Cities Wedding Photographer

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    Jordan and Blake don’t have an overly romantic or crazy first date story, but it’s their story, which makes it special regardless! Blake reached out to Jordan on Facebook when he found out through a mutual friend that Jordan was single. They’d never met and didn’t know much about each other, but went on their first date in October of 2015. Jordan says she is always fashionably late, and due to some road construction she was late for their date – but Blake didn’t mind, and finds it funny that she is still that way to this day! They went to Iowa River Power Company and talked all night, and it was instant chemistry!

    Fast forward to exactly two years later, on October 14th, 2017. Jordan and Blake went to meet his family for a birthday dinner at Iowa River Power Company when Blake’s brother said he was running late. They decided to kill some time and take a walk on the bridge next to the restaurant, when Blake got down on one knee and proposed to Jordan. Even better was that both sets of parents were watching from the window of the restaurant! Jordan was beyond surprised and impressed that she didn’t catch on to him. According to Jordan, it was truly one of the best moments to this date.

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  • Zach + Stephanie Tanner | Celebration Farm Wedding Highlights || Solon, Iowa Wedding Photographer

    Zach + Stephanie Tanner | Celebration Farm Wedding Highlights || Solon, Iowa Wedding Photographer

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    See Zach and Stephanie’s Colony Pumpkin Patch engagement session here!

    Photographer – Stephanie Marie Photography

    Dress –  Brides by Jessa

    Shoes – Gordman’s

    Tux – Kohl’s and Amazon

    Flowers – E’s Floral, Solon, IA

    Venues – Celebration Farm

    Catering –  Ruzicka’s, Solon, IA

    Cake –  Tip Top Cakes

    Music /DJ – Jolene/Ashley

    Hair – Megan Erenberger

    Makeup – Samantha Price

    Rings – Riddle’s Jewelry

    Bridesmaids dresses –  Jcpenney’s

    Groomsmen apparel – Amazon

    Wedding day Hashtag – #BecomingZTanners #ItsTannerTime

    Wedding colors – Lavender, light pink, light green, silver

  • Sam + Cale | Bright, Fun Coralville Engagement Session || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    Sam + Cale | Bright, Fun Coralville Engagement Session || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

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    Sam is from small town Solon, Iowa, but was living in Chicago in 2016 when she and Cale first met. They met through Sam’s best friend, but Sam was not interested in a relationship at that time. In early 2017 she moved back home, and they all started hanging out a lot. One of those times, Sam and Cale found themselves talking about anything and everything, and realized they had a lot in common. Sam says that from that day on, they were pretty much inseperable.

    In February of 2018, Sam and Cale went out for a family dinner celebrating her mom and his dad’s birthdays – or so she thought! It was the perfect cover up for Cale to pop the question, and took Sam completely by surprise. Wedding plans began soon thereafter, and the two of them got married at Palmer House Stable in Sam’s hometown of Solon, Iowa in August of 2018. 

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  • Maddie Take 1 | West High School Senior || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    Maddie Take 1 | West High School Senior || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    It was so exciting to photograph Maddie – we got along so well (she’s laid back and no-fuss, just like me!) and it was a blast searching for cool spots around downtown Iowa City with her and her mom!  We ended up doing more than one senior session.  She wanted to be able to glam up for one and be more herself for another.  I can’t wait to show you her other session!!

  • Alex + Bobby | Fall and Winter Engagement Sessions || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    Alex + Bobby | Fall and Winter Engagement Sessions || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

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    A classic college love story – girl meets boy in a college bar, and the rest is history! Bobby came to the University of Iowa from the East Coast for wrestling and Alex was finishing up nursing school, and thanks to several mutual friends and Iowa City being Alex’s hometown, the couple kept running in to each other. They met at Sports Column in downtown Iowa City, hit it off, and dated for over 4 years before getting engaged.

    Every summer the couple would go back to the East Coast since Bobby is from Delaware. They went to their favorite restaurant – Sunset Grille in Ocean City, Maryland – and after dinner decided to take a walk by the water like they always do. Bobby tricked Alex in to trying to take a picture with him, and when she turned around, he was on one knee proposing. Even better, Bobby’s dad had pulled up and recorded the whole thing! According to Alex, she knew the day was coming since they’d been dating for over 4 years, but she was still so surprised in the moment!

    Alex and Bobby got married on September 29th, 2018.

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  • Maggy + Dan | Engagement Session || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    Maggy + Dan | Engagement Session || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

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    Like a lot of couples these days, Maggy and Dan give credit for their relationship to online dating. However, it wasn’t just that easy. Initially Maggy was against the idea of online dating, but after a ton of persistance Maggy’s girlfriends wore her down and she finally let them set up a profile for her. Shortly after setting her up online, she matched with Dan. They texted back and forth for a while and realized that they had a ton in common, so Maggy agreed to a date.

    Their first date wasn’t so smooth, but adorable nonetheless. The restaurant they went to did not have air conditioning and the two of them were sweating profusely – mostly due to no AC, but a little due to their first date nerves. They cooled off on the outdoor patio and Dan took Maggy home. As she went to get out of the car, Dan leaned over for a hug and an attempted kiss and ended up awkwardly kissing her on the cheek. She went inside and was going over the night with her brother when she saw that Dan was calling her and she wasn’t sure why. She answered the phone and Dan told her how he forgot to tell her how beautiful she had looked for their date and apologized for the awkward kiss. Maggy knew right then that they had found a good thing!

    Maggy and Dan hoped to catch some fall colors for their engagement session to help coordinate with their fall wedding!  We weren’t sure if we were going be able to do their session because it was drizzling out, but we made the best of it!!  I couldn’t be more excited for their October 2018 wedding at TPC Deere Run!!!
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  • Erin + Adam = Engaged! | Surprise Rooftop Proposal || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    Erin + Adam = Engaged! | Surprise Rooftop Proposal || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    Who doesn’t love a great proposal story?  HUGE thanks to Casey + Matt Kane with Bright DeSigns for planning and designing this awesome day!  And to How He Asked by The Knot for featuring their adorable story HERE.

    Erin: Adam and I met our senior year of college (2011) at a bar in downtown Iowa City called DC’s. Mutual friends of ours wanted us to meet, so we all planned on going out one night. It was a Friday night and I had just gotten off work. I went straight from work to DC’s, and right when I walked into the bar, our mutual friends ran over to me saying, “We want to introduce you to Adam!” I looked up and saw him walking over to me. I immediately got nervous, but I could tell he was nervous, too. He came up, we shook hands and introduced ourselves. The first thing I noticed was his adorable dimples, huge smile and big brown eyes. When I think back to that night, all I remember is seeing him across the room and how I was drawn to him.Immediately after we met at the bar, I texted my mom that night saying “I just met my future husband.” It was weird but I honestly knew right when I met him. Some people don’t believe in love at first sight.. But that’s just because it’s never happened to them.My favorite quality about Adam is how thoughtful and caring he is. From his family to a patient that he’s known for less than a week [he’s in med school], he treats everyone with the utmost respect and really cares about them. It’s easy to be selfish and do what’s best for yourself. But Adam always considers others in his decisions. He calls his parents every single day and truly loves his family more than anything. I love that about him. On the flip side, he is the goofiest person I know. We are so weird around each other and are always trying to do whatever it takes to make each other laugh. I am more myself around him than anyone else.

    Adam: I first met Erin in the Fall of 2011. My roommate and his then girlfriend (Matt and Casey) went to school with Erin, and for the longest time had been telling me that we needed to meet. One night Matt asked me to go out with him and Casey and said Erin would be there. I had him show me a Facebook picture of her to make sure it was worth my time. We met at DC’s and I could tell we were both nervous and a little shy to meet. I saw how beautiful she was and was immediately attracted to her. I instantly noticed that she looked different from most girls at the bar. She wasn’t all done up looking like a girl hoping to meet a guy. She looked down to earth and naturally pretty. After talking for awhile we hit it off and got along great. I walked her home that night and we exchanged numbers. I knew early on that she was someone that I could spend the rest of my life with. Not only was she absolutely beautiful, but I felt totally comfortable being myself around her. We truly enjoyed each other’s company and constantly made each other laugh. We could talk about anything and shared many values and beliefs. Also, we not only enjoyed one on one time together, but got along with each other’s friends and spent time in groups. Everything felt so perfect from the beginning that I knew she had been hand picked for me. My favorite quality about Erin is that she is a free spirit. She is so creative, motivated and passionate about the things she does and she inspires me every day. I know that she has sacrificed a lot in regards to staying in Iowa City to support me as I finish medical school. I am so thankful for her selflessness and can’t wait to move on to the next chapter so that we can both pursue our dreams, together. Something quirky about Erin that I love is her goofiness. I think it is something that not many people see from her. Nearly every moment we spend together, we spend laughing. We often joke with each other to the point of tears. It brings a smile to my face just typing about it!

    How He Asked:  My proposal preparation began in my head about one year ago. We have always known that we would get married in 2018 after I graduated school, so the proposal was inevitable. However, I knew it was very important to both of us that she be surprised. It was always my dream to propose and be able to surprise her with our family and close friends.

    Since our relationship began, we have remained very close with our family and friends. They have been so supportive and it only made sense for them to be there to celebrate with us. I requested the help from Casey and Matt Kane (Bright Designs by the Kane’s) and they were SO helpful. Casey called around Iowa City to find the perfect location for the proposal.

    She found the rooftop at Film Scene in downtown Iowa City and it was perfect. She also was able to recommend Stephanie Marie Photography to capture the proposal! I rented a limo to pick us up after the proposal with our families aboard. Then I rented out the party room at Moonrakers downtown Iowa City to surprise her with several of our close friends. Everything worked out so great and it was truly a perfect evening!

     

  • Granddaddy + Nana | Dancing in the Studio || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    Granddaddy + Nana | Dancing in the Studio || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    As a kid, I used to fly out to visit my grandparents in Colorado every summer.  Of course back then I took it for granted – I wasn’t a huge fan of having to learn how to iron clothes, set the dinner table correctly, or get my hair curled and wear nice outfits for church every Sunday to mingle with the elder folks.  (These were all things my Nana insisted I learn how to do.)  But as I grew older, (notice how I didn’t say grow ‘up’ – that will never happen) I realized how helpful these things were.  When I joined the military I already knew how to iron my uniform.  Now that I’m a wedding photographer I’m thankful I know how reception table settings are set appropriately.   But I’m still trying to get the hang of curling my hair – it only happens about once a year. The biggest things I took away from visiting my grandparents was that I didn’t have to fear traveling by myself, meeting new people (even if they’re older) is fun, and DANG if my Granddaddy didn’t work hard.  He left at the crack of dawn for work and came home to dinner on the table. (We’re still working on that, aren’t we, honey?)

    Once of the most vivid memories I’ve had with my Granddaddy is when he came to my BMT graduation from the Air Force in Texas.  I remember walking with my flight to meet our family members and when he saw me and we locked eyes, he cried.  It’s the first time I ever saw him cry and it was because he was truly proud of me.  My Granddaddy retired from the Army years ago.  He joined the military when it was just the Army Air Corps before it broke into two separate entities – the Army and Air Force.  Coincidentally, he was in Okinawa, Japan at the start of WWII.  He was just 25 years old – the same age as I was when I lived in Okinawa as part of the Air Force.  It’s funny how life paths took us to the same overseas location.

    For the most part my grandparents have lived in other states.  Until late last year they moved to Iowa from Alabama.  Both in their 90’s, I had them come visit my house and tour my studio.  I’ll never forget the look on Granddaddy’s face when he saw my studio – I asked what he thought and he said, “This is great!  I’m proud of you.” in his charming southern accent.

    Although I was nervous to ask them to take their photos, I did anyway.  Years ago my grandparents were told that they looked better when they didn’t show their teeth when they smile… but I told them otherwise.  I turned on Pandora’s 1920’s Car Chase Radio and the first song that came on was the Andrews Sisters’ Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.  Their faces lit up and I asked them to dance.  With a little hop in their step, they did.

    Shortly after this day, my Nana had a stroke and was in a rehabilitation center for quite a while.  I was so sad that my Granddaddy and her were separated for so long – and I didn’t want to post these in fear something terrible was going to happen or she didn’t get better.  But all is good!  She’s back with my Granddaddy and I’m so excited to share these with you.

    I’ll never regret asking to take these pictures.

     

     

    Stephanie Marie Photography | Iowa City Wedding Photographer | North Liberty Studio 

  • Trevor | West High School Senior || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    Trevor | West High School Senior || Iowa City Wedding Photographer

    Trever is a senior at Iowa City West High this year and is a HUGE fan of playing baseball.  When I asked him where he wanted to go after he graduated, he said he’d love to go anywhere where he can play the game.  We ventured downtown Iowa City for his senior session and we really had a blast!  I love photographing senior guys – they’re so laid back!  And it’s alway fun when the mom’s tag along (Hi Roma!).  I love watching them interact and make their sons laugh. 🙂

     

    Iowa City High School Senior photographer | http://www.stephaniemarie.com/gallery/high-school-seniors/