Wausau Studio Portraits | Tara

There are some people who simply have style. Tara Sparbel is one of them :) She visited our studio earlier this month and we shared the most carefree, inspiring and FUN afternoon together!

The moment Tara arrived she was all smiles and filled with contagious energy. We adore and feed off of people who have her kind of spunk! As soon as Tara hit the glistening silver backdrop in her flowy skirt, crop top and purple lips, the party started... and it easily could have lasted all day long!!

Tara, thank you so much for entrusting us to capture your sweet personality. You are beautiful inside and out!! Oh, and Parker also thanks you for the treats, and the pets, and for letting him crash a few photos ;)

xoxo, Kelsy & Butch

Winter Portraits in WI | Laura, Todor & Cali

Goodness, have we ever been MIA on the blogging front these last few months! We have so many wonderful fall/winter sessions to share with you all, starting with this one with three of our favorites!! :) Laura & Todor are two of the kindest, funnest, and most awesome people to hang out with -- both with and without cameras! We like to think of Laura Ivanova as our personal photographer and have been very lucky to have her photograph the three of us on countless occasions, all of which we are beyond thankful for!! She has the ability to capture us (and all of her clients!!) like no one else, and has even photographed several of our family member's wedding celebrations. This time, we couldn't wait to get Laura, her husband Todor and their sweet pup Cali in front of our cameras!! Having gotten together with them for mini vacations in Door County, we were thrilled when they visited us in Wausau last winter! Of course, the day we decide to swap photo sessions it was approximately -20 with the wind chill, but we shared smiles, lots of laughs, and battled the crisp air in true Midwestern fashion. :) 

Giant hugs to the three of you and thank you so much for entrusting us to photograph your sweet family! Now, start house hunting in Wausau and let's plan our next DoorCo getaway! ;)

xoxo, Kelsy & Butch (& Parker the Peanut)

Winter portraits in WI captured with Contax 645 and Pentax 67 on Fuji Pro 400H film. Scanned by Fast Foto.

San Francisco & Sonoma Travel Photos

We recently realized we always prioritize weddings and portraits on our blog and aren't the best at sharing our travel photos. One of our goals for this year is to change that! :) So, let's start with sunny California! 

Last spring we traveled to CA for Butch's sister's wedding. We had the best time exploring San Francisco with his family before heading south for the wedding!! After a day in the city and a day spent wiggling our way north to visit a few wineries, we fell in love with the bay area's contagious energy and natural beauty. It's safe to say we're ready to move to CA any day now. ;) Just kidding, we really loved it but will have to simply keep vacationing there to get our fill!! 

Love, Kelsy & Butch

San Francisco & Winery Photography captured with Contax 645, Nikon F100 and Pentax 67 on Fuji Pro 400H and Portra 400 film.

Elkhart Lake Wedding | Rachel & Chris

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.

Getting Ready & Wedding Reception: The Osthoff Resort  |  Ceremony: St. Mark Lutheran Church, Sheboygan  |  Makeup Artist: Meg Griffin  |  Hair Stylist: Aspira Spa at The Osthoff Resort  |  Florist: The Osthoff in Bloom, Victoria  |  Officiant: Rev. Andrew Koschmann  |  Cake Artist: Bettersweet Bakery  |  DJ: Michael Barger  |  Paper Goods: Wedding Paper Divas, Parker Myers  |  Bride's Jewelry: Her Grandmother's ring  |  Bride's Gown: Enzoani Isla Dress from Crystal Bride, Geneva IL  |  Bride's Veil: Her Mother's  |  Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka  |  Bridesmaid Dresses: Bill Levkoff from Crystal Bride  |  Men's Tuxes: Vera Wang from Mens Wearhouse  |  Welcome Bag: Made by Bride's Mom

Published: Martha Stewart Weddings

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!