Rachel + Dane’s Door County Northern Haus Engagement Session
Rachel and Dane decided to take the weekend to get away, spend some time in gorgeous Door County with their daughter, baby Riley, relax…and do some wedding planning! This was actually exciting and stress-free for Rachel and Dane. We met at Northern Haus in Sister Bay, where Rachel and Dane saw their wedding venue for the first time. Owners, Sara and Nick at Northern Haus are incredibly warm and inviting, going above and beyond when it comes to hospitality and making sure their clients have everything they need. We are on each other’s preferred vendor lists, and I just adore working with them; they are amazing, and Rachel and Dane are in good hands!
The ever-accommodating Northern Haus let us do hair and makeup prep onsite, Makeup by Claudia doing a phenomenal job highlighting Rachel’s natural beauty, her clothing picked out from Target, matching with Dane’s outfit. While we prepped, Rachel and Dane shared their passions for traveling, experiencing different cultures, and for Rachel, empowering women to find themselves again—all of which I can strongly relate to. Dane works as a recruiter for an accounting firm, and Rachel is an online health and fitness coach, both dreaming of one day working remotely and traveling the world together.
Rachel and Dane were excited to have fun together during the beautiful weekend. They are passionate about their daughter, Riley, who is a happy, smiley baby, and when she wasn’t grinning and giggling during the session, she was contentedly sleeping, which made for great mom and dad adult time. Laughing, kissing, and being close with each other during the session, Rachel and Dane reminisced about their first date at Fuji, a sushi and hibachi restaurant, where they were both incredibly nervous. Having only hung out with friends in a group, their first date alone together in June 2018, felt a little awkward—they remember the tension being real! Rachel loves sushi and asking questions, so once Dane had answered a few and they were sharing food, the conversation flowed. They laughed and smiled the rest of the night getting to know one another.
Under a bit of cloud cover outside Northern Haus for some photos, Rachel and Dane could just be adults in a relationship during their session, which is so important for parents to remember. Before they had their beautiful child, they were individuals on their own journey, and often that individual identity gets lost, because (rightly so) parents put their children first, and they associate as parents rather than just Rachel and Dane—who they are at the core. It was a beautiful chance for both of these things to be happening during Rachel and Dane’s session. And Northern Haus has so many different backdrop options that even in the winter chill, we were able to take advantage of amazing spots for photos.
Loving wine, we made sure to enjoy a Rosé while chatting about Rachel and Dane’s favorite wine from Lautenbach’s Orchard and Winery in Fish Creek, the traditional Door County lingonberry wine. Savoring the wine and taking more engagement photos, I asked when they knew they were the one for each other. Rachel responded immediately remembering the first night Dane hung out with her and a group of people from work. Rachel was impressed with Dane and how much he looked after her well-being, that she knew he was the one for her. After spending every waking and non-waking moment for a month together without getting sick of each other’s presence, Dane knew there was something special.
Rachel and Dane have an amazing story, and their proposal story is no different. Dane wanted it to be a magical night full of surprises that their daughter Riley could participate in as well. Dane announced to Rachel that he would be taking her and Riley out to dinner that Friday—and it was about time. As new parents, busy with work, it goes without saying Rachel and Dane hadn’t spent quality time together in awhile. Finding out Dane had reservations at Jonathan’s, a local steak house, Rachel thought, oh wow! Her mind wondered how expensive the bill might be, but Dane reassured her that they deserved to enjoy a fancy meal. After ordering cocktails at dinner that Friday, the waitress came back instead with a bottle of wine. Rachel was about to say something about the mix up when she noticed the wine bottle had their picture on it and an inscription saying, “Rachel, will you marry me? Forever yours, Dane.” In shock, Rachel turned to Dane kneeling and with a ring in his hand! Dane patiently waited for an answer, but all Rachel could say in her shock was to ask if the situation was real. It was very real, and Rachel eventually said yes! To celebrate, Dane and Rachel enjoyed becoming newly engaged with wine, a delicious meal, and their daughter by their side.
We made the short drive from Northern Haus to Skip Stone Coffee Roasters in Sister Bay. This adorable coffee shop is actually owned by the same people who own the Wild Tomato Pizzeria (in my opinion, one of the best pizzerias in the state of Wisconsin!), and was the perfect second location for our photo session. Rachel and Dane thought back to that Friday night becoming engaged, while we took some pictures.
We continued down by the Sister Bay Marina, incorporating the gorgeous backdrop that Door County has to offer. The waves rolled in over the breakwater, boats rocking gently from side to side as Rachel and Dane cozied up to one another. We were really fixated on food and how we were going to make that happen at this point, that when we wrapped up our session, we all drove into Egg Harbor and enjoyed pizza at Wild Tomato’s new establishment joined with One Barrel Brewing Company! I love hanging out with my clients. Capturing meaningful photos that Rachel and Dane can cherish and look back to for years to come is only one aspect of being a photographer that I love. I am able to make friends with a lot of amazing people on their wedding journey.
Catching the end of the Packer game, we were able to talk about their honeymoon planned for out west where they could spend time alone being outdoors, hiking, and experiencing some of the best spots the western United States has to offer. Rachel and Dane are excited to take a vacation doing the things they love to celebrate their marriage and being adults—so little Riley is going to be well cared for and looked after while Rachel and Dane are on their honeymoon.
We are so excited to see Rachel and Dane again for their fall wedding in Door County at the Northern Haus! Thank you for allowing me to partake in this beautiful milestone in your life, spend time with you and Riley, and hike all over Door County taking pictures and enjoying food and wine with you.
Much love and appreciation,
Kate
