MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Goodness! It seems like we were just gathered around the table with family celebrating Thanksgiving, and it's already CHRISTMAS EVE!! Even if this year's countdown to Christmas might have been the fastest of all time, we're hoping to slow down enough over the next five days to soak in every belly laugh, conversation, and bear hug that comes our way! :)

On this Christmas Eve morning, our hearts are so full! Holiday tunes are pumping out of the record player, we've been able to wish so many friends a Merry Christmas in PERSON over the last few weeks, and we are smiling from ear to ear over here!

Wishing you a holiday celebration overflowing with laughter, cheer, and memorable moments with the ones you love most!!

Love | Kelsy & Butch (and Parker the Peanut)

images of our little family of three captured by our dear friend laura ivanova

FEATURED ON STYLE ME PRETTY | ELKHART LAKE WEDDING

WAHOO!!! We've had smiles on our faces since yesterday morning because Andrea & Eric's beautiful Elkhart Lake wedding at The Osthoff Resort is featured on Style Me Pretty! These two spent SO much time planning & preparing for their wedding day with Jayne Weddings, and we couldn't be more thrilled to see their images shared with the world today! Be sure to head on over to SMP to read about the inspiration behind Andy & Eric's wedding and hear the wonderful advice they have for other couples as their own wedding approaches! :)

Love | Kelsy & Butch

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! :)

SNOWY FARM ENGAGEMENT | RACHEL & GARY!!

Our connection to Rachel goes back quite a few years, but we didn't have the pleasure of meeting her in person until Gary proposed and they reached out to us for their photography! What we knew of Rachel can be summarized as follows: gorgeous, wine lover, photographer, stylish, fun, and compassionate. Yes, all of those attributes were gathered from her instagrams!! ;) So you can easily understand why the two of us jumped out of our chairs when we received a message from her & Gary with news of their engagement!! After a Skype date that truly felt like the four of us were out on a double date, we dove right into planning their engagement session! Early on in their wedding planning, Rach & Gar considered having their wedding on the beautiful farm you see above. The property has been in Gary's family forever and from the rolling landscape to the charming red barn, it's a scene that just begs to be photographed. After much deliberation they found another lovely place to celebrate their wedding day, but Gary's Grandparents' farm was the PERFECT spot for their engagement session!!

We always love photographing couples in meaningful locations and spent weeks looking forward to this session!! Rachel & Gary put so much thought and planning into what they wanted to incorporate in their images, and we had countless emails bouncing back as they continued to plan & decide on outfits. Don't you just love their style!? Rachel & Gary's picnic scene was made even more special by the wine Rachel brought back from Italy five years ago, a blanket that her parents got in Greece, and each of their favorite Cafe Latte treats! :)

What happened on the day of their engagement session can honestly only be described as an experience. The wind chill was maybe a degree or two above zero, but between the four of us our spirits were full of laughter and warmth!! Walking the hillside, we made our way around the farm where we did backflips over the rolling hills and twisty trees that we thought were transplanted from California! If we're being honest, these two deserve an award for managing to make single digit temperatures look like they were on an adorable date in Ireland.

Rachel & Gary! Thank you two SO much for inviting us out to the farm and into your lives during such an exciting time!! We truly feel lucky to have been chosen as your photographers and can't wait to photograph your wedding day next September!

Love | Kelsy & Butch

All images captured on film with Contax 645 on Fuji 400H. 

THE GREAT TREE HUNT OF 2013

After a Thanksgiving filled with family time and the best comfort food, the day presented itself to us. It was nearly 40 degrees, a light dusting of snow brightened the neighborhood, the sun was shining, and we knew that it was THE day to go Christmas tree hunting!! This is easily one of our very favorite parts of the year, and it probably didn't hurt that we had JUST watched Christmas Vacation the night before (note: Butch's Bears hat). Especially with Parker along, he makes everything so much more fun and meaningful!! As we wandered through rows of perfectly imperfect trees of all varietals, Parker was blissfully busy doing super-sprints up and down each aisle with the most joyful look on his little face. :) A few polaroids and Parker photo shoots later, we crossed over into Frasier Fir land and found "the one"! The evening that followed included: spinning records, sipping wine, singing, playing frisbee in the house, and letting Parker sniff each ornament before it went onto the tree. Just our kind of night :)

We hope your holiday season is off to a festive start as well!!

Love | Kelsy & Butch