License to Cruise...

Erica and Eric's wedding party stopped for drinks at Anduzzi's before their wedding reception on Friday night. College Ave. was just revving up for it's annual "License to Cruise" car show the night before the famous Octoberfest.

There was a staff photographer from the Post Crescent taking shots... he saw me setting up the wedding party and took a few shots. I am actually surprised the image was published in the paper... I wish I could have sent them the kick butt shot I took!

Enjoy!

Amy Gaerthofner of Ardent Photography photographs a wedding party in front of a vintage Chevy Impala along College Avenue in downtown Appleton during License to Cruise on Friday, September 25, 2009. Post-Crescent photo by Kirk Wagner Kirk Wagner

Image Source

Happy Friday!

I wanted to share a few images of me and my growing belly... and give you a bit of a status on how my pregnancy is going.

I am still feeling great! In fact, I have two weddings to shoot this weekend and my son's 3rd birthday party on Sunday... It should be a whirlwind of a weekend! My ultrasound is in a few weeks, we will find out if we are having a brother or a sister for big-bro Drew.

Side note: I was really sticking it out here, I'm only about 17 weeks in this image... These photos are going to be used in our Holiday cards and I wanted to look a bit farther along than I was. ;-)

This image was taken during our annual fall photo session. This year the Spottswoods took some amazing photos of my family. I'll post more of these fabulous pics closer to the Holidays.

Have a great weekend!

Kirsten & Andrew :: August 15, 2009

Kirsten and Andrew are two busy and successful people who love art, traveling, their families and each other. When I first met them Kirsten was living in Atlanta and Andrew is in medical school in Boston. They decided to have their wedding at one of their favorite places... Andrew's lakeside cottage on Kangaroo Lake in Door County.

Every last thing was perfect. Kirsten designed all of the stationary and paper goods... including custom letterpress invitations. The guests could snuggle up in a purple pashmina or change into pink flip flops for the outdoor reception. There was even a surprise fireworks display overlooking the water.

I have so many favorite images from this wedding! Thank you so much to both Kirsten and Andrew and both of your families for welcoming Ardent Photography into your special day. I am honored to have documented your wedding day.









Kirsten and Andrew planted a Ginkgo tree in honor of their new lives together. The Ginkgo is a the tree known as a symbol of longevity, peace, and hope. I was able to obtain a few leaves from their Ginkgo tree to photograph the other symbols of their union, the rings.



Ceremony & Reception: Groom's Family Cottage, Kangaroo Lake, Door County, WI
Wedding Coordinator: Carrie - Door County Events
Caterer: Not By Bread Alone, Green Bay
Stationary: Kirsten Mohr
DJ: RLR Entertainment / Jeremy Peil
Flowers: Helen Anderson, Door County Flowers
Cake: Bill Fairchild
Ceremony music: Allegro

For more images from Kirsten and Andrew's wedding become a fan of Ardent Photography on Facebook!

View a slideshow from their wedding!

Door County Wedding :: Sneak Peak

There are so many beautiful details from Kirsten and Andrew's August Door County Wedding on at the groom's private residence in Kangaroo Lake, WI. Here is a sneak peak just some of the details from the day...


Full blog post to follow this week!

New... slideshows

Trying out a slideshow featuring photos from Naomi and Ryan's wedding day! Enjoy!

Naomi & Ryan :: August 8, 2009

St. Hedwig's Catholic Church - Milwaukee, WI
The Astor Hotel - Milwaukee, WI


I started my day driving to Milwaukee in pouring rain. The rain was falling so hard I could barely see the road. I was hoping that the rain would stop... I was looking forward to Naomi and Ryan's downtown Milwaukee wedding for quite a while.

Naomi is an Appleton native and Ryan is from Great Britain. The two met and fell in love, traveled the world and became husband and wife. They each have amazing style and personalities. Naomi is a graphic designer and just opened a custom invitation business, while Ryan is the man behind Milwaukee's own Quizmaster. You may remember their engagement session with guest shooters from Every Little Moment Photography in Utah...

Luckily the rain stopped 5 minutes before our coverage time started. We had to dodge a few rain drops in between wedding party photos at the Cudahy building and the Calatrava, but it was well worth it.

Here are my favorites from the day... there are way to many to post in this blog entry. So be sure to check out the Ardent Photography Fan Page on Facebook for more images!





This image is special to me not only because the wedding party looks so fantastic but because both the old and the new art museum's are in the same photo. This wedding party is in essence bridging the old and the new...


The Wedding Horseshoe was a gift from Ryan's family sent as a good luck symbol. Because the horseshoe is "U" shaped, to retain the good luck forever it is essential that the horseshoe is hung by the ribbons and should not be turned upside down or else all the good luck of the marriage may fall out.


I just love this image of the wedding party taken with a fish eye at the Milwaukee Art Museum








Naomi and Ryan rocked the reception at the Astor Hotel with a choreographed first dance. The dance was made even more exciting with the blowing of the HUGE fan that helped keep the hot dance floor cool.


A perfect shot to end the perfect evening. Congratulations Naomi and Ryan!!!


Ceremony: St. Hedwig's Catholic Church
Reception: The Astor Hotel
Invitations: 2 Hearts 1 Design
Entertainment: Tim Dorsey, Dorsey Entertainment

Naomi & Ryan :: August 8, 2009 ~ Sneak Peak

Full blog post with a TON of photos coming soon!

We're expecting...

Our second baby! I'm excited to make this exciting news public! I am currently 15 weeks, and I am due on March 3, 2010, which happens to also be my husband's birth date. So far I'm doing great and have not been feeling any morning sickness.

We are really excited to be using a midwife again. If any of you are prego or thinking of becoming prego soon you should look into alternatives to OBGYN's. Our experience with a midwife is a bit more personal and they less likely to use drugs or any interventions. Another thing I am excited about is using my Hypnobirthing Techniques for a drug free delivery. Now I know what to expect and I know I can do it again.

Enough of the baby talk... what does this mean to you? Well, fortunately I don't have any weddings booked for 2010 until May. I am still booking weddings but I am taking a new approach... I will be able to share this exciting news very soon.

I am excited to continue to offer Unveiled Portraits on a monthly basis and up to 20 Senior sessions.

I hope to post a photo of me and my baby bump soon. Thank you all for your well wishes!