Elkhart Lake Wedding | Rachel & Chris

Kelsy & Butch McCartney February 25, 2016

Rachel & Chris are one of the most welcoming and down to earth couples we've had the privilege of photographing. They met when they were young teenagers on a swim team, and without knowing, always had a crush on each other. When they both ended up attending the University of Illinois, Rachel & Chris started dating during during freshman year and have been together ever since. Their long-distance relationship endured semesters abroad, deployments to Afghanistan, and moves to New Mexico and Italy – where they currently live! Chris is in the US Air Force, and he & Rachel planned their Wisconsin wedding from afar.

The Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake was a perfect 'winter wonderland' scene for Rachel & Chris on their wedding day. The chilly air came straight from the Arctic Circle this particular Saturday, but no one noticed – smiles and happy tears were on every face in the house! Rachel & Chris' wedding was elegant and classic, with navy & gold laced throughout their celebration. After getting ready in a luminous, light-filled suite, Rachel & Chris shared a beautiful 'first look' before braving the outdoors for a few snowy portraits. Their loving family and wedding party joined them, then it was time to head to Sheboygan for their ceremony at St. Mark Lutheran Church. They were pronounced husband & wife, hugged every one of their guests, and soaked in a few moments as Newlyweds before heading back to enjoy their reception in a beautiful new addition at The Osthoff!

Rachel & Chris, thank you for choosing us to photograph your elegant wedding celebration! We're so happy for the two of you and are STILL talking about how every one of your family members + guests was so friendly to us throughout the day. We honestly felt like we were part of your wedding, and cannot thank you enough!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

Elkhart Lake Wedding Photography captured with Contax 645, Pentax 67, Rolleiflex 3.5c and Nikon F100 on Portra 400, Portra 800, Ilford XP2, and Ilford 3200 film.

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Published: Martha Stewart Weddings

Kelsy & Butch McCartney February 9, 2016

Where do we begin? Perhaps with how lucky we are to have been the photographers for Libby & Allen! They might actually hold the record for couple on our calendar for the longest amount of time. They booked us about two years before their wedding actually happened! Needless to say we looked forward to their wedding day for a LONG time. And wow did they plan the ULTIMATE wedding at the Milwaukee Art Museum. You can read all about it in Libby's own words on Martha Stewart Weddings, but these two had their FIRST DATE at the Milwaukee Art Museum, got ENGAGED there, and even had their WEDDING at the Milwaukee Art Museum! True romantics!

Which brings us to their feature on Martha Stewart Weddings website. AHHHHH!!!! Since we dove full-time our photography business 7 years ago, seeing our work featured on Martha has been a big goal of ours. And it's Libby & Allen's personalized, charming style that sparked Martha Stewart's interest!! We could gush on and on about their details, but please, do yourself a favor and head over to Martha's site and take a look for yourself. We'll never forget the reply we received from an editor minutes after submitting this wedding: "How Fun!" AHHH! Pinch us!!

Libby & Allen, we love you two to pieces and are so happy your wedding will inspire countless brides & grooms! Thank you for inviting us into your amazing celebration!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

PS: After viewing Libby & Allen's feature on Martha Stewart Weddings, take a peek at their entire wedding day here!

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Milwaukee Art Museum Wedding | Libby & Allen

Kelsy & Butch McCartney February 9, 2016

Oh how much we adore these two! We've had Libby & Allen's wedding day on our calendar for over TWO years! From the moment Libby got in touch with us about being her and Allen's wedding photographers we knew we were going to fall in love with them! Their story is adorable, and seeing them together is even more adorable!

Even though we had talked, emailed & snapped each other endlessly, the first time we actually met in person was their engagement session along the Mississippi River near Prescott, Wisconsin. Put simply, they are SO easy to photograph. They're best friends and their love for one another was bursting in front of our cameras. From then on, their wedding day at the Milwaukee Art Museum could not get here soon enough!

The white canvas of the museum complimented Libby & Allen's sense of amazing style beautifully. And seriously, those Louboutins were meant to be worn in that venue and on Libby's feet! The Art Museum holds special meaning to Libby & Allen as that's where they went on their first date and on the day Allen proposed. Since they became engaged, the two of them collected vintage tea pots for their centerpieces to be filled with lilacs and spring blooms by Libby's Aunt. And did we mention Libby's mom, Kris, created the most gorgeous table linens as well as the bridesmaid dresses and Libby's sparkly reception dress & veil!

As if we didn't have enough beauty on their wedding day, mother nature rolled in the perfect shade of fog that was thick enough to get lost in the sea of white! It was as if it was Libby, Allen, & their family and friends had the museum all to themselves and downtown Milwaukee was nowhere to be found (or seen)!

Libby & Allen, we adore you two, wish you were our neighbors, and are bursting with happiness that you now call each other husband & wife! Thank you for trusting us to document your marriage that was years-in-the-planning! Our hearts are full when we look at your photographs and how HAPPY the two of you were on your perfect day in Milwaukee :)

Love, Kelsy & Butch

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Milwaukee Art Museum photos captured on film with Contax 645, Pentax 67 and Nikon F100 with Fuji Pro 400H, Ilford 3200 and TriX 400; developed & scanned by Fast Foto & Digital.

Winter Family Portraits | Tyler, Amanda & Carson

Kelsy & Butch McCartney February 5, 2016

These three will forever be among our favorite faces to have in front of our cameras!! We've had the pleasure of photographing Tyler & Amanda before and, now that they have this adorable little one, we were thrilled to plan a session in Wisconsin's beautiful snowy Northwoods on our family's land. It was THE most perfect winter day: 35 degrees, full sun, and branches of pine trees were hanging on tight to brand new snow! Not to mention Carson was FULL of smiles and we had so much fun capturing them all!! We could have photographed his cuteness all day long and, if we're being honest, we already miss him! :) Seeing Tyler & Amanda go from boyfriend & girlfriend to fiancé & fiancée then husband & wife and, now, Mom & Dad, has been so wonderful and we couldn't adore their little Carson James more!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

Winter family portraits in Wisconsin captured with Contax 645 and Pentax 67 on Portra 400 film.

Snowy Wausau Engagement | Bria & Aaron

Kelsy & Butch McCartney January 29, 2016

Bria and Aaron's engagement session fell on one of the chillier winter days in Wisconsin. With their giant smiles and Bria's contagious laughter, the -225 degree wind chill didn't stand a chance! ;) After photos at one of our favorite venues in town, the Rothschild Pavilion, we were made our way to a beautiful barn property. Their dogs joined us for a few photos, the light was gorgeous, and Bria & Aaron were adorable together in front of our cameras! These two live in Madison where they are finishing medical/veterinarian school, and we cannot wait for their wedding this July at Sentry World in Stevens Point!! :)

Love, Kelsy & Butch