Now that you’ve picked a date, a photographer, and probably a venue as well, you can celebrate! Those are some of the toughest decisions in wedding planning that are now crossed off your list. Hooray! On to the fun stuff, like your engagement session.

Budget is often the overriding factor for many wedding ceremony and reception decisions.  If you and your future spouse decide to have alcohol served at your wedding reception, you'll have to choose among having an open bar, a cash bar, or a combination of both.  Here's a pros and cons list for each choice.

It can be hard to brainstorm beautiful places to be the backdrop of your engagement session. Fortunately, here in Green Bay there are a ton of gorgeous, popular engagement session location options. Here are just a few of my favorites:

Winters in Wisconsin sometimes get a bad rap, but they're incredibly beautiful and romantic. Softly falling snow, candlelight, and cooler temperatures are perfect for snuggling and saying, "I do". I had been dreaming of creating a winter wedding styled shoot for about a year.

To many, I wouldn't be considered an expert on love. I'm relatively young, I was previously engaged, and I'm not married. However, I have experienced all kinds of love, and I've witnessed dozens and dozens of inspiring, loving relationships.

Oh, Zion National Park. You captivated my heart years ago and never let go. Perhaps it's your red canyon walls, or your magnificent river, or your charming gateway town of Springdale. Whatever your spell of choice is, it's working.

We are in the heart of engagement season, my friends. It seems like every day, I see a friend showing off her new bling on Facebook or Instagram. I read the other day that 30-40% of proposals take place between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day.

I know it can be stressful picking the images from your wedding or boudoir session that you're going to display throughout your home or put into an album. The task seems daunting--how are you supposed to pick just a hundred of your favorite images from the best day of your life to grace the pages of your wedding album? 

In order to be successful in business and in life, I think it is important to ask ourselves why we do what we do. I believe we should evaluate what it is that drives us, why we wake up each day and make the choices we make, and what gives us joy and a sense of fulfillment. 

There are some couples and love stories that give you warm fuzzy feelings from your head to your toes. As a wedding photographer, if you're lucky, you might get to feel this multiple times in a year. 

I believe that we are put on this Earth to look out for one another, help those in need, and protect this beautiful planet we live on. I believe this so fully that I have built it into my business plan to donate 1% of wedding profits to local charities and various national parks.

Friends, we've come to the end of 2017. Each year, I'm mystified as to where the days went, pages of the calendar flipping by. It seems like just yesterday I was writing about 2016 being the most challenging year of my life, and now here we are. New Year's Eve 2017 is just days away, and it's time to write another Year in Review post. I wanted to close out this year by sharing a bit of myself with you and leave you with a few thoughts. 

The late afternoon sun peeked through tall trees, casting warm, dappled light on the ceremony site Michel and Emmanuel had created for their intimate wedding. Set in the backyard of Michel's childhood home, Michel and Emmanuel surrounded themselves with their closest friends and family as they pledged their lives to one another.

I just love this time of year. Snowflakes float through the air on a regular basis, Christmas lights twinkle through windows, and presents are neatly wrapped under the treat. It's also ENGAGEMENT SEASON!

James Cash Penny said, "Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together."  The past few months, I have been quietly focusing on growth and how to make the KLEM Studios photography experiences bigger and better. 

When I first talked with Valerie about her's and Dylan's wedding plans, my heart started beating faster. She painted a picture of a gorgeous fall engagement session in Door County leading up to their early fall wedding in Kewaunee a year later.

When a couple wants to personalize their engagement session and use locations that mean something to them, it lights up my soul and my inner self does a happy little victory dance. Sure, couples that are in love are going to look great no matter where they decide to stage their engagement session.

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." Helen Keller said these famous words, I'm sure we've all heard them before. As I've gotten older and grown in my business as well, I've learned the truth in that saying. If we aren't taking risks in life, or seeking the unknown, or wandering off the popular path, are we really living? 

After a loss, it can be difficult to traverse the dating world. Many thoughts may go through your head, from wondering if you're being respectful to your deceased loved one, to doubting that you will ever love again. Cindy had experienced tragedy, but found a flicker of hope when she met Stacy. 

When couples ask me for wedding planning advice, I always recommend doing things that will make your wedding uniquely yours.