DOOR COUNTY ENGAGEMENT | LILY & NICK

We've known this lovely bride-to-be, Lily, for years and have adored her since day one. She's as sweet and fun as they come, and after photographing her brother's wedding we immediately felt like she was our little sister too. :) Did we mention Lily's Mom was Butch's middle school teacher!? The connections are truly endless in Door County (one of the many things we love about it)!! 

Fast forward to last year when we noticed a certain handsome gentleman, Nick, appearing in photos more & more while Lily's joyful smile was getting brighter & brighter! Of course being the photo goofs that we are, we secretly crossed our fingers that when the time came, we might hear from her with exciting news... and we DID!!! :) 

Lily & Nick's Door County engagement session fell on a beautiful evening in Sister Bay. If we're telling the whole story, storms were looming as we drove over from Wausau but they cleared just in time for us to have a beautiful sunset and romantic evening light... two of our favorite ingredients for a gorgeous engagement session! We started at the most charming coffee shop, Drink Coffee, where Lily & Nick had a giant cookie made with their wedding date. We loved capturing these two on their charming patio in bustling of Sister Bay! Next we made our way to Garden Gables, a stunning wedding venue owned by Lily's brother & his wife. Were we ever lucky photographers to spend time with Lily & Nick around this stunning property (where we had been hoping to photograph for over a year)! Finally, it was only fitting that this picture perfect couple would have a gorgeous sunset over the bay to top off an amazing evening of smiling around the county. :)

Lily & Nick, you could probably tell by the huge smiles on our faces all night, but we are already counting the days until your wedding next September and couldn't be more thankful we'll be there to photograph every moment!!

Love to you both, Kelsy & Butch

Door County Engagement Photography captured with Contax 645 and Pentax 67 on Fuji Pro 400H and Kodak TriX 400, scanned/developed by Fast Foto.

MILWAUKEE ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS | KANOE & MIKE

Kanoe & Mike are two of the sweetest people we recently had the pleasure of photographing and sharing a gorgeous summer evening with. They are warm, easy to talk to, and so natural in front of our cameras! After making our way around Veteran's Park and McKinley Arena, we headed to the restaurant where they first met: Sail Loft. We were blessed with the most beautiful light throughout their entire session and left knowing they let us capture their genuine, authentic selves! Not sure we could hope for any better feeling than that! :)

Just one example of how thoughtful these two are: a couple days after their session, the most thoughtful handwritten thank you note arrived in our mailbox. Kanoe & Mike, we cannot wait to be a part of your wedding day next June! Thank you so much for inviting us into this exciting time in your lives!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

Milwaukee Engagement Photos captured with Contax 645, Pentax 67 and Rolleiflex 3.5c on Fuji Pro 400H, TriX 400 and Ilford 3200 film.

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY IN 2014

When one wedding season wraps up, we can't help but feel a mixture of emotions. We are one part overwhelmingly thankful to have captured so many incredible moments with wonderful couples & their families, and one part sad that our Saturdays will no longer be filled with heartfelt celebrations of love! Each year we are lucky to spend time with couples who cannot wait to become husband and wife, and it is SUCH a breath of fresh air to feel the energy and passion they pour into their wedding day.

2014 weddings continued to blow us away over and over again! Pulling together some of our favorites was no easy task and probably not for the reason you might guess, but because we become so connected to our couples that we are emotionally invested in their moments and, as a result, their images have deep roots in our hearts. So, from our hearts to yours, here is a collection of photographs from this past year that make us feel. After all, wedding days aren't just about pretty pictures and details. They're about genuine emotion and moments that only happen once – the gathering of family and friends and all the special hugs & smiles shared together on an especially beautiful day!!

To each of the couples who invited us into their lives to be a part of your most special days, thank you from the very bottom of our hearts! You are the reason we love what we do!! :)

Love, Kelsy & Butch

Midwest wedding photographs captured on Contax 645, Pentax 67, Hasselblad 500cm, Rolleiflex 3.5c and Nikon F100 film cameras with Fuji Pro 400H, Ilford 3200, HP5, and Portra 400.

ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY IN 2014

Engagement sessions are filled with so much excitement & JOY, and they are such a fun way for us to spend time with our couples while creating really fun portraits together! On wedding days maybe your dress won't allow you to climb up a mountain or run through fields. But your engagement session? All bets are off, it's playtime and there are no rules! :)

Here are a few of our favorites from this past year (okay, more than a few... we love these couples and couldn't choose fewer than 50 images!!). ;) From a giant bluff overlooking the Mississippi and Northwestern's beautiful campus to the beach in Door County, we loved each and every one of these sessions. Here's to amazing upcoming wedding celebrations with these bride and grooms to-be!!!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

Engagement photos captured in the Midwest on film. Cameras used: Contax 645 and Pentax 67. Film used: Fuji Pro 400H, Portra 400, and Ilford 3200.

WINTER ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS | PATTI & DAN!

The snow, the dreamy light – Patti & Dan's engagement session couldn't have been more wonderful! With Patti's parents backyard running into Rib Mountain State Park, it provided an idyllic setting to capture her and Dan together. The four of us hiked into the woods and found sunshine bursting through the snow covered evergreens - the PERFECT spot to cozy up! :) Chilled from the wind on the way in, we found ourselves nice and toasty in the woods. While creating pictures with Patti & Dan they took the opportunity to show just how adorable they are together in front of our cameras! Out of nowhere, Dan scooped Patti up and the smiles and laughter that followed had us smiling from ear to ear! We had SO much fun with these two and we could not WAIT to get their film scans back as soon as we left the session. These two are planning a Wausau wedding next October that we are already looking forward to being a part of!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

Winter engagement photos captured with Contax 645 or Pentax 67 on Fuji Pro 400H.