Ava & Daniel | Wisconsin War Memorial Wedding Photography

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Ava & Daniel are old souls who found each other early in life. They met in high school and have the photos to prove it, photos that made an appearance at their summer wedding at Milwaukee’s War Memorial. Their day was sentimental and romantic and sweet and just so very them that I came away feeling like I had been invited to be a part of not just their wedding day, but also their past, their love story and the story of their families. Danny is a firefighter from a family of firefighters and Ava is teacher of children. Those facts alone start to hint at how these two are good people in the Good People sense of the phrase. But their coolness goes beyond just their jobs; they approach life (and wedding planning) in their own relaxed, it-will-be-perfect-because-its-ours kind of way that was a joy to photograph.

A few things about their colorful, peacock-flecked day I have to share: They were married on Friday the 13th and they decide to celebrate superstitions on their centerpieces with explanations of long held but not oft understood old wives tales and sayings. I loved their chalkboards handmade from collected bottles and how they honored their families. Missing loved ones made appearances in photos and lockets, in speeches and in spaces left vacant as in the case of Danny’s brother who would have been standing beside him all day but was instead serving his country overseas. Minutes before their first look a summer storm parked itself over the lakefront and left just as quickly as it had come. It knocked down chairs and threatened to move the festivities indoors but the sun came out and set the day to rights. It was, by all accounts a decidedly lovely affair – superstitions and all.