Monday Moments: Amanda and Nate Edition

Posted on June 23, 2008

I’m learning to love Mondays now that I know I get to share some of our favorite weekend moments with our blog readers. This Monday Moments post is dedicated to Nate and Amanda. These two said their vows at a place very familiar to most wedding photographers in Northeast Wisconsin, Green Bay’s Pamperin Park. Pamperin is the place many couples choose for their engagement and wedding pictures. But since Nate and Amanda had both their ceremony and reception at the park, they didn’t have to travel to any additional locations for some great pictures.

Of course with an outdoor wedding ceremony, we were a little nervous about the weather. It rained off and on, but at all the important moments, the skies cleared!

It was SO hard for me to pick just three images to share tonight, but there will be many more to share in a couple of weeks!

The wet weather brought out this guy. Amanda wanted to kiss a toad before kissing her prince.

Speaking of princes, I love this shot of Nate watching Amanda make her way down the aisle. He was so full of emotion. Oh, and that beautiful arbor behind him? Amanda’s Dad built that. How awesome is he?!?!

After the ceremony we took a walk around the park and Karl was excited to play with the reflection in the water.

Nate and Amanda are off enjoying a tropical honeymoon. They’ll come back to lots and lots of wedding photos in a couple of weeks!

Until then, Happy Monday.

Monday Moments: Upper Peninsula Edition

Posted on June 17, 2008

Marquette, MI: Shhh! I know it’s already Tuesday…but Karl and I were traveling this weekend and Monday was all about catching up. So Monday Moments got put on the back burner.

This weekend Karl and I attended a wedding as….gasp….guests! We figured out that this has never happened since we’ve been married. Any wedding we’ve attended we were either photographers or standing up in the ceremony. But not this weekend! Friday afternoon we packed up the car and headed for the Upper Peninsula to watch Karl’s cousin Chris marry his bride Carly. It’s been more than two years since Karl and I handed in our Yooper cards and became Wisconsin residents so we were glad to have the excuse to visit.

Saturday morning before the wedding we decided to take a drive. Guess who we ran into?

How cute are these guys? I love that Mom is *very* aware of our presence but the fawn just wants some lunch. And look at those wobbly Bambi legs!

But the truth is, I am *not* cut out to be a nature photographer. Why?

Bugs! I don’t like them, but apparently they really like me. I am currently covered in bites. Yuck!

After our woodland adventure, we went back to our hotel to shower up and prepare for the wedding. Even though we were there strictly as guests, we couldn’t help taking a few pictures from our pew.

I’m used to being in the balcony for the ceremony, so I was excited to catch this view of dad and bride as they began the walk down the aisle.

Chris was also clearly happy to see his bride!

Married!

Chris and Carly had their reception at this really neat place called Up Front and Company in Downtown Marquette. The room was full of people who came to celebrate the new couple!

Now here’s the big announcement of the day…I don’t think I cried during the father daughter dance! Maybe it’s because I used up my tears during the maid of honor’s toast. What can I say, I’m a sympathy crier. Anyone tears up near me and I have to cry along!

So that concludes this week’s Monday Moments. Karl and I returned to the badger state Sunday night with a cooler full of frozen pasties to remind us of our former home. And of course, a self portrait to remember a great weekend.

Mr. and Mrs. Erik Kelly: Married June 7th, 2008

Posted on June 16, 2008

GREEN BAY, Wis. Erik and Bobbi Jo tied the knot on one of the most coveted days of the 2008 wedding season. 06-07-08 is an easy wedding date to remember, and Bobbi Jo and Erik’s wedding is one Karl and I will not soon forget.

Bobbi Jo made a beautiful bride…and her flowers were pretty fantastic too!

No boys allowed in the room while the girls are getting ready, except for this little guy! He didn’t cry once, and was certainly passed around for lots of cuddles. Too bad I had a camera in my hand the whole time!

This had to be my favorite moment from the ceremony. Right before Bobbi Jo was to walk down the aisle, the flower girl and ring bearer got into an argument. As a result, the flower girl wanted no part of walking down the aisle with her partner and instead clung to the bride leaving the ring bearer in the dust! It was a great ice breaker for what would be a very emotional ceremony at Saint Bernard Parish in Green Bay.

A quiet moment during the ceremony.

Married!

Off to take pictures at Pamprin Park on the double decker bus!

We practiced the dip at their engagement session, so Bobbi Jo and Erik were old pros!

They’re also really good at cuddling up close!

We told the bridal party we were done taking pictures of them, but sometimes I’m sneaky!

Karl is also sneaky, and grabbed this shot of Bobbi Jo taking in the celebration on the double decker en route to the reception at Brett Favre’s Steakhouse.

I loved that their cake fit in so well with the color theme of the wedding, and the signed volleyball was an awesome personal touch.

That Erik must be a pretty funny guy!

So much emotion during the father and daughter dance. And yes, I cried.

But it appears I was in good company.

After the important stuff was over, Dad got comfortable! I think Karl might have been a little jealous.

This may have been the highlight of the reception for me! You’ve got to love it when a groomsman grabs the mic for Ice Ice Baby!

Bobbi Jo and Erik, Karl and I are honored to have been a part of your day. You guys are great and are surrounded by so much love from your family and friends. It was great to witness!

Your slideshow is here.

You’ll find your gallery here.

Enjoy married life!

Monday Moments: Bobbi Jo and Erik Edition

Posted on June 9, 2008

We’re so excited to kick off a new blog feature. While it takes us a couple of weeks for us to post proofs from our weddings and other sessions, the truth is, Karl and I are both addicted to checking out the shots we got as soon as we get home.

So starting today, I will be blogging some of our favorite moments from our weekend on Monday morning. This time of year that means you’ll be seeing lots of pretty ladies in wedding dresses. Picking our Monday moments will be more of a challenge come January when the wedding season is over and all we do all weekend is stay inside and hide from the snow.

So without further ado, three of my favorite moments from our Saturday spent with Bobbi Jo and Erik Kelly!

So we all know by now that I am a crier.  It doesn’t take much for me to tear up. So watching Bobbi Jo go through so many emotions on her wedding day really touched me. I feel blessed to have witnessed the love she shares with her family and friends.

There were so many beautiful and thoughtful details at this wedding. I love that Bobbi Jo wore her mom’s wedding dress, and had her flower girl’s dress made from the leftover material. I also loved the bright flowers Bobbi Jo chose. We wound up with a pretty dreary day, but it just made those colors pop even more!

These two seriously crack me up! They look so innocent and in love in this picture, but the one I took immediately before it shows Bobbi Jo puckered up for a kiss with Erik turning away. The one right after this one looks like Erik is about to bite off Bobbi Jo’s nose! When I wasn’t crying, I was cracking up!

I can’t wait to share more from this wedding in a couple of weeks!

Congrats again Mr & Mrs Erik Kelly!

Jessica and Mike: Engaged!

Posted on June 8, 2008

Jessica and Mike hit the great weather jackpot for their engagement session! I feel like I always talk about weather in our blog entries, but seriously, this has been one crazy year for weather in Northeast Wisconsin. So we definitely have to celebrate the beautiful days that happen to fall on a weekend. On our way home from this session Karl and I both said we were so glad to have an excuse to be outside!

Jessica and Mike are loyal blog readers and chose downtown Appleton for their engagement session after seeing some of our work from earlier this year. So of course they knew they’d be visiting a couple of familiar locations…

Cool cloud wall? Check!

Fun black and white floor? Check!

And we can’t forget the fun glass wall that casts cool shadows!

The best part of this session, though, was some of the new places we were able to explore together. Jessica and Mike were totally up for anything, and so into each other that I don’t think they really cared about our presence.

Evidence:

Side note: I think I’m starting to love the “almost kissing” shots more than the actual kisses!

When we were setting up this shot, I told Mike his job was to stand back there and check out his hot bride to be. He informed me that’s what he normally does anyway. Yay for capturing real life!

Karl and I were both mesmerized by Jessica’s eyes!

As we were making our way across the campus of Lawrence University, it was really cool to see how things were changing as spring turns to summer, like these trees that weren’t blooming the last time we were around.

I whipped out the *go go gadget zoom lens* for a little fun on the footbridge! And yes, I did get some strange looks from those in the cars driving under the bridge!

Jessica and Mike, Karl and I are so excited for your wedding next month. It really sounds like it’s going to be a beautiful event joining two great people and their families!

Enjoy your slideshow here and your gallery here.

We’ll see you next month!

Up next: Bobbi Jo and Erik are married!

Jessica and Jim: Engaged!

Posted on June 1, 2008

How much do we love the later sunset that comes along with summer? A few more hours of daylight allowed us to meet up with Jessica and Jim on Tuesday night at the Gardens of the Fox Cities at Memorial Park in Appleton. We pretty much had the gardens to ourselves!

I’m not kidding when I say Karl has been envisioning this shot since we first visited the gardens almost two years ago! Tuesday he finally had some willing subjects.

As for me, I like to envision beautiful sessions with perfect light. Like this…

Jessica’s ring was definitely sparkling in the evening light! (Oh and check out the tulip making a cameo in this shot!)

Back to Karl again, and his love of leading lines…

Me, I’m big on the grooms to be who have the “deep in thought” look…

We took a few minutes to split these lovebirds up and do some individual shots, again with some pretty light.

After sufficient couple time, we worked with the guy who stole the show…

You love that face right? It’s possible that I had to resort to promising imaginary treats to get this guy to pay attention. I’m so mean!

So I had this idea for a shot. Cute pooch in the foreground, cute couple in the background. We encountered a bit of a problem when the dog was more interested in what was going on behind him.

There we go! Much better right?

Jessica and Jim, I’m so glad we were able to work out our schedules for a shoot at the gardens. It was great to get to know you both a little more. Now we can’t wait for the wedding!

Enjoy your slideshow here.

Your gallery can be found here.

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