LAKESIDE MICHIGAN WEDDING | ANIKA & LYNN

Anika & Lynn's wedding was a perfect example of how, together, friends & family can make anything happen. From the ceramic bears & faux deer heads handmade by Anika's Mom to the men's shotgun shell boutonnieres and a wooden tiki bar, nearly every element of their day was a DIY collaboration!

The morning of their wedding both Anika & Lynn got ready in neighboring homes, all on Duck Lake in Watersmeet, Michigan. With Nola Kahn beautifying Anika, her hair & makeup couldn't have been more stunning, and the bridesmaids sparkled in blush sequins as they helped Anika into her gorgeous dress in a room filled with windows! Just a short walk down a lit trail, their ceremony was set on a peninsula behind Anika's childhood lake house. After a lovely ceremony and sunny receiving line in front of the boat house, guests were welcomed to a fun cocktail hour while we captured Anika & Lynn's portraits just before the evening sun dipped below the tree-line! Add to that some of the best toasts we've ever heard, a jam-packed dance floor, and a grand sparkler exit at the end of the night where Anika & Lynn were whisked off in the back of a 1952 Chevy and you have an amazing, heartfelt wedding celebration!!

Anika & Lynn, we cannot thank you enough for choosing us to be a part of your wedding celebration! We wish the two of you endless years of happiness, joy, adventure, and trips back to Duck Lake to cheers in the very spot where you said your vows :)

Love, Kelsy & Butch

All images captured with Contax 645, Pentax 67, Nikon F100, Holga 120 and D800 on Fuji 400H, Tri-X 400, and Delta 3200.

Flowers: Randy from Evolutions in Design | Paper Products: Remember Me Stationary | DJ: Fabulux Entertainment | Videographers: One Fine Day Productions | Bride's Dress: Rinini, from Bella Bianca | Bride's Shoes: Stuart Weitzman | Bridesmaid Dresses: Fifth Avenue Showstoppwer Dress by Badgley Mischka

WISCONSIN ANNIVERSARY PORTRAITS | WHITNEY & MIKE

Whitney & Mike are approaching their second wedding anniversary (this November!), and what better way to plan an early celebration than with a road trip across the Midwest?? We were so thankful that Whitney & Mike planned to include a visit to Wausau in their travels so that we could spend a gorgeous evening getting to know each other and capturing their love!

Just a few months after these two got married Mike was deployed, so now that he's home they are adorable "newlyweds" all over again and our cameras loved them for it. :) Whitney is a photographer as well in their home of Minot, ND, and both she and Mike seemed so comfortable being in front of the camera. We explored one of our favorite little gems in all of Central Wisconsin and, when the session ended, we both found ourselves wishing that Whitney and Mike lived closer so the four of us could have double dates together!!

Thank you two SO much for choosing us for this session – we so enjoyed spending time with you and hope you have a wonderful anniversary in just a couple months!

Love, Kelsy & Butch

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

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.