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

Butch Photographs Kelsy | Pentax 6x7

Hello! Butch here. It's no secret that my favorite subject to photograph happens to share a house with me... But since Parker wasn't available for a spontaneous photo session, Kelsy quickly jumped at the opportunity (Buh! dum! dum!). Kidding! I got a new camera (since the Contax 645 seems to always be attached to Kelsy's hands) and couldn't wait to test it out. I definitely begged my lovely wife (and partner in photography everything), Kelsy, if she would model for me :) We added a Pentax 6x7 camera to the lineup and we couldn't be more excited about it! We'll be hitting the weight room a bit harder in the coming days to make sure we don't wear out on a wedding day. This camera is a beast! We've only run a few rolls of film through it, but it's quickly becoming my favorite! ... Sorry Hasselblad!

PFISTER MILWAUKEE WEDDING | JESS & DOM

Gold, red & blue. Charming Milwaukee streets. Sparkle as far as the eye could see. Guests that had traveled to Wisconsin from all around the country (& beyond) to celebrate the cutest couple imaginable! These words don't come close to describing how incredible Jess & Dom's wedding day was!!

The moment we arrived, Jess was a bundle of energy and nothing but GIANT smiles. Surrounded by her lovely bridesmaids all wearing monogramed "getting ready" shirts, they chatted, laughed, and had their makeup done in a plush suite at The Pfister Hotel. After a beautiful ceremony at The Cathedral of St. John, Jess & Dom joyfully exited the church through an Arch of Swords provided by Dom's Marine friends on sword detail - such a grand moment!

The feeling of romance grew exponentially throughout the day. Rain filled the skies, and we were so thankful when it took a most timely pause just as Jess, Dom and their wedding party gathered between a line of trees. A scene that was as grand as Jess & Dom's hearts are big! When we arrived at the Pfister we took one more walk through the city just as the street lights were starting to take over. Traffic paused while Dom escorted his beautiful new bride across the street, and we almost felt like just watching them - it was truly a movie scene from the early 20th century!! Our hearts were so full while taking pictures of these two. :)

Just like every part of Jess & Dom's wedding day leading up to this point, their reception was grand. The warmth of the Pfister along with the magical touch of Janelle from Événement Planning was simply perfect. Seeing Jess & Dom in the balcony as their guests entered -- they had Christmas morning written all over their faces!! With dancing in between each course, great toasts, cheers, and laughter, the celebratory spirit of all of their guests filled the ballroom and then some! We feel truly honored to have captured every moment of this beautiful fête!

Love | Kelsy & Butch

PS! We had the opportunity to do a fun little experiment and would like to share. During Jess & Dom's wedding we brought along an extra 35mm camera, loaded it up with Delta 3200, and spread one roll out over the entire day. Come see Jess & Dom's Pfister wedding on one roll of film! :)

DOOR COUNTY ON FILM

Butch grew up in Door County and we always love our trips back to visit, whether it is to photograph some of our awesome clients or to enjoy a bottle of amazing wine & cookout on the Green Egg with Butch's parents! No matter the occasion that brings us back, it is usually a mix of work and play which we LOVE! Just last month we had a weekend off - slightly crazy for October, but we were determined to make the most of it and enjoy every second! :) After chatting with Anna, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to plan a weekend in Door County. Originally the two of us & our cute lumberjack husbands planned to do a bit of fall camping, but the weather forecast kindly suggested we would have a more comfortable weekend if we were to stay at Butch's parents' house ;) And so we did! The result was a weekend of non-stop playtime with coffee dates, grilling salmon & steaks, hiking along the beach of Newport State Park on a perfect fall day, being spoiled with massive breakfasts, and enjoying one final bonfire of the season complete with s'mores. We had the best time and really couldn't be more grateful for a sweet clients who turn into two of your favorite friends!

Cheers & happy weekend to you! Here's a look back at one of our favorites :)

Love | K&B

// Film: Fuji Pro 400H // Camera: Hasselblad 500cm // + instagrams!

…of course we couldn't hike along a beautiful beach without capturing it on our iPhones too!! here are just a few instagrams from our weekend away :)

WE LOVE FALL | CENTRAL WISCONSIN

For the first time in a few years, we can truly say that we maximized every ounce of Wisconsin's beautiful autumn!! It's not quite over yet, but the leaves were being swept from the streets in our neighborhood today which really only means one thing...they're making room for -- dare we say -- snow! Truly though, when we think about the last month we can't help but smile.  A trip to Bayfield, so much fall color, new chili recipe's, watching Parker bounce around in leaf piles five times his size, butternut squash risotto (yum!), a few extra afternoon coffee's, dream book writing on an inspired Sunday, fall pontooning & picnicking in Door County, taking entirely too many pictures of Parker, a weekend away with friends for some much needed relaxation & laughter, sessions in dreamy colorful spots (hello Chicago skyline + Grandma's property!), yummy birthday cupcakes, and SO much more!! Without further ado, here's a little peek at our fall -- we hope yours has been just as lovely & yummy!! :) Love | K&B

// Film: Fuji Pro 400H // Camera: Contax 645 on a lovely fall day // + instagrams!

...and a few instagrams to splash even more fall color onto this post!! our favorite, of course,  being the "flying Parker" photo ;)