DOOR COUNTY ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS | STEVI & CHARLES!

Although we have pretty much known this day was coming for quite sometime, nothing can replace the realness when your sister calls from Hawaii to tell you that she's engaged! AHH! We can barely contain our excitement! :D Charles had contacted Butch's Dad about a month before he planned to propose to Stevi. We must admit, he planned EVERYTHING out perfectly... Right down to scheduling a trip to visit all of us in Door County right after he planned to ask Stevi for her hand in marriage in HAWAII!! If that isn't cool enough, Charles asked Stevi to marry him in a helicopter! WOW! We of course flipped out, laughed and gave hugs over the phone when we got the call in the middle of the night! The only thing standing in the way of Charles' master plan was a pair of hurricanes headed right for Hawaii – it just so happened that their plane home was scheduled to take off right between the two of them. But, they sailed smoothly all the way to Wisconsin and the celebrating continued! :)

After a FULL day of fun on the pontoon boat in Door County, we asked Stevi and Charles to join us for a few golden hour engagement photos in Butch's & Stevi's parents field. LOVE!

We know these two will plan an amazing wedding day that fits them perfectly and we honestly cannot wait to be there to celebrate with them!!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

All images captured with Contax 645 and Pentax 67 on Fuji Pro 400H.

FAMILY PORTRAITS WAUSAU WI | KELSEY, DAVE & RUBY!

When Kelsey & Dave mentioned they planned to be in Central WI for a visit and were interested in family portraits with their adorable little lady, Ruby Mae, we were ecstatic!! After photographing their absolutely awesome Enchanted Barn wedding just a few years ago, we enjoyed following their adventures in Portland and couldn't wait to meet Miss Ruby in person. Turns out, she's even cuter than we were led to believe by following her parents' sweet #rubymaegram's!! :) Thank you, Kelsey, Dave and Ruby for spending a beautiful afternoon with us in one of our favorite spots in Wausau! We are so happy to have you back in the midwest and look forward to a Red Eye date in our future ;)

Love, Kelsy & Butch

All images captured with Contax 645 and Pentax 67 on Fuji Pro 400H.

BOSTON AREA WEDDING | LYDIA & JON!

We're not sure where to begin as we try to lace together words to match the powerful day that was Lydia & Jon's wedding. Their wedding day was not only a celebration of an all-consuming love, but also a celebration of life and family!

When Lydia & Jon announced their engagement, we have to admit, we did a little bit of a 'happy dance' in the hopes they might think of us to document their wedding celebration. When they did, we were over the moon excited! We planned a Skype date to talk about their hopes for their wedding photos and hear what type of Door County, WI wedding they were planning! Shortly before our Skype date, Lydia emailed to let us know they recently decided to have TWO weddings instead of one! As we continued to read, we discovered that Jon's Dad, Paul, had been battling cancer and, as of very recently, things were not going as they would hope. It was Jon's wish that his Dad would see him marry the woman of his dreams – the woman who he would spend the rest of his life with.

We quickly found ourselves in the air to Boston, almost in disbelief that Lydia & Jon's wedding was just days away. We made the most of our few days in the area before their wedding and, on August 8th, we woke up feeling distinctly honored to capture the incredible day that was ahead of us. Nothing could have prepared us for the emotion we witnessed on this very special day. It was written on everyones faces. Joy. Sadness. Love. Jon brought his dad up the aisle moments before his soon-to-be wife made the same walk with her Dad, and it was as if every emotion was pouring out of his face. Lydia's Dad, Cory, is a Pastor in Door County and his words & wishes couldn't have been more perfect a he gave his daughter away to Jon. This was one of the many personal touches that made Lydia & Jon's wedding so heartfelt and unique to the two of them.

In just a few short months Lydia & Jon planned a day filled with so much thought, you'd think they had been planning for a year! To touch on a few, Lydia's gorgeous dress was custom-made from the same satin that both her Grandmother and her Mom, Darla, wore on their wedding days. The absolutely stunning veil that wrapped Lydia up belonged to Jon's Mom, Kathy. We honestly couldn't get over what a STUNNING bride Lydia was!! Her & Jon's wedding was also made possible by the talent of many family members like the music played during their ceremony and sweet cookie favors awaiting each guest at their dinner table. :)

After lovely words from Cory, Lydia and Jon were ready to share their hand-written vows. Lydia's vows were several pages long and, though she wanted to hold Jon's hand, she also needed one hand to hold the vows and the other to flip through the pages. As if they weren't a cute enough couple already, Jon made this possible by flipping pages for Lydia so that he could hold her hand too! Though very small, this little detail speaks volumes to the "team" that they are.

After portraits in the most romantic evening light followed by especially emotional first dances, Lydia & Jon had a surprise for Paul & Kathy, Jon's parents, during the anniversary dance. They played his parents' wedding song and, as Paul got up to dance with his wife, there were very few dry eyes in the room. This entire day was a beautiful example of the kind of love we all hope for, both from our family members and the person we choose to spend the rest of our lives with.

Lydia and Jon, we honestly cannot thank you enough for choosing us to capture such precious moments with the ones you love!!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

All images captured with Contax 645, Pentax 67 and D800 on Fuji 400H, Tri-X 400, and Delta 3200.

PRITZLAFF MILWAUKEE WEDDING | ANNA & ROB

A love of sailing runs deep in both of their families. So when Anna & Rob became students at UW-Madison, joining the sailing team came naturally! As luck would have it Rob was assigned to sail with Anna; fast forward several years later after dating long-distance, and that nautical theme continued when Rob proposed to Anna at Atwater Beach in Milwaukee. Little did we know when we suggested taking wedding party portraits at that same beach, that it was an absolutely fitting place to visit on their wedding day. :)

As a couple, Anna and Rob are adventurous, charming, warm, and adorable!! Working with Janelle from Evenement Planning, they dreamed up a bright & happy wedding celebration in Milwaukee's Historic Pritzlaff Building. With  joyful yellow blooms from Impressions by Esther in every direction and the amazing David Rothstein Band bringing energy to their dance floor, Anna & Rob's celebration was overflowing with smiles and friends & family who couldn't WAIT to hit the dance floor!!

Anna & Rob,  we enjoyed every minute of your wedding and cannot thank you enough for choosing us to capture your wedding day! We hope you had a wonderful honeymoon and are loving making your new place in NY a "home" as Mr & Mrs :)

Love,

Kelsy & Butch

All images captured with Contax 645, Pentax 67, Hasselblad 500cm, Holga 120N and Nikon F100 on Portra 400, Tri-X 400, and Delta 3200.

CENTRAL WISCONSIN ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS | KELLY & ANDY!

Kelly & Andy made their way to Wausau for their engagement session and after a bit of primping & exploring in our charming downtown, they were ready to be adorable in front of our cameras! :) There's really something about the rain in photos that feels so cozy & romantic, and it didn't stop the four of us for a second! Kelly & Andy are playful & fun and they obviously have a career waiting for them in modeling, if they so choose! We absolutely love the energy they brought to their session and are SO excited for their wedding next June in the Milwaukee area!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

All images captured with Contax 645, Pentax 67 and Hasselblad 500cm on Portra 400 and Delta 3200.