This big, beautiful life offers us so many opportunities, it can be hard to know which ones to take when they come our way. Then, there are times when we need to create our own opportunities. I did this when I started KLEM Studios, breathing life into what was little more than a bubbling hobby mixed with a college graphic design project. Now, I’m excited to announce the newest baby I’m bringing into the world: Wild Klementine.

Wild Klementine was born from a multi passionate lifestyle, blending a love of travel, food, and drink. As the sister business to KLEM Studios, it will still be very photography-focused, specializing in landscape photography, travel photography, and food and beverage photography.

There are some places in this world that are filled with jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring beauty. Here in the United States, we’re lucky enough to have thousands of beautiful landscapes to explore, some of them in our own backyards. But some of them steal our hearts and lure us back time and time again, always soothing our souls and quieting our minds. Zion National Park is one of these places.

The red canyon walls tower above the Virgin River and the charming town of Springdale, Utah. Zion is an outdoor Lover's Paradise, offering everything from hiking to Camping to rock climbing and more.

After nine years together, Brandon and Calie became husband and wife on a cold November day at the Schauer Arts Center near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As they stood on the theater stage, reading their hand-written vows in front of all of their loved ones, Brandon and Calie shared how much the past nine years had meant to each of them and what they learned along the way. Their wonderful wedding party stood on each side of them, bringing amazing color to the room with their outfits of purple and lime green. Cheers filled the room as their officiant declared them husband and wife.

Andrea and Jordan knew they wanted to create a fall engagement session that would capture their deep, exuberant love for one another. They had met at work, fell hard for one another, and Jordan’s proposal followed soon after. Self-proclaimed “weirdo goofballs”, these two are constantly smiling and making each other laugh. During their fall engagement session at UWGB, they talked about when they first knew they loved each other, and how excited they were to have recently moved into their new home. Andrea and Jordan strolled hand-in-hand along the trails in the UWGB arboretum, snuggling close as the yellow and orange leaves floated past them.

When planning your own event, you are required to wear A LOT of hats. There are so many components of an event that you are constantly juggling from vendors to your clients, budgets and beyond. So what’s most important?

Prioritizing what needs to be done can help you when things get tough. Having a clear list to refer back to when chaos sinks in will help keep you focused and eliminate event planning stress. Even if chaos never hits (and I hope it doesn’t!) there are still so many little tasks to keep track of. The “to do list” can be daunting but if you prioritize your tasks you will be ahead of the game.

Melissa had always dreamed of saying, “I do!” in a castle. Living in lower Michigan, she didn’t think that would be possible, until she came across Castle Farms in Charlevoix. It was the absolute perfect venue, and the canvas on which she could create the perfect wedding day.

Melissa and Kirk’s love story has been evolving for a number of years. They met, briefly dated, went their separate ways, and then found their way back to each other. They realized how great they were together, and the beautiful family they could have together.

Friends, 2018 has come to a close, and what a year it was. 21 weddings. 9 engagement sessions. 20 boudoir sessions. 29 other sessions. Not to mention all of the amazing memories with friends and family. I think it’s safe to say that 2018 was the best year of my life thus far. There are so many incredible people that made this year one for the record books, and I just want to say thank you:

Andy, you are my love and my best friend. I am so freaking excited to spend the rest of my life with you, to snuggle our puppies together, and to always adventure together while loving each other deeply and honestly. I love you to the mountains and back.

Charlotte and Logan love to adventure together. Whether they’re walking their dogs, exploring new places, or trying new beers together, life is always exciting when they’re holding each other’s hand. They’re currently planning their next adventure: an amazing wedding day. Logan proposed to Charlotte on a snowy winter day just over a year ago. He pulled out all the right stops, using a dog tag on their fur baby’s collar to pop the question while Charlotte’s sister photographed the whole event. Charlotte of course said, “Yes!”

Annalisha and Rob know how incredibly important family is. It's the centerstone to everything they've built, and it was the focal point of the wedding day they created. Bringing together their two families (they have SIX children total!) was their goal, and they did just that in such a beautiful manner. They exchanged vows at the Medina Wedding Chapel under a handmade birch arbor. Their unity ceremony brought together not only Annalisha and Rob, but their six children as well, creating a sand artwork piece with different colored sand for each person.

There are some people in this world that are just made to be together for the rest of their lives. If you’ve ever spent time with Megan and Alex, you’ve experience just how perfectly these two fit together. I’ve had the pleasure of being friends with Megan since high school when we were in choir together (#nerdsunite!). She is a sweet soul with an amazing personality that could charm the birds out of the trees. It would take an equally incredible person to steal her heart.

Enter Alex.

Dave reached out to me with his fall proposal plans a few weeks before he and his girlfriend of three years, Lauren, were going to be in Green Bay. They live in Chicago, but Lauren had visited Wisconsin often with family and friends while she was growing up. She loves this area, and Dave wanted to include this special place in his plan. Lauren thought they were going to be celebrating her new job with the weekend getaway, but Dave had more elaborate ideas. Dave knew that he wanted to propose at the Green Bay Botanical Garden in the Stumpf Belvedere.

The waves of Lake Michigan crashed along the exposed cliffs at Cave Point County Park. A slight in the air, making brilliant fall colors even more pronounced. Johanna and Aaron wound their way through the trees and along the rocky shore, laughing as they walked. They had gotten engaged in Door County in January, and the area had captivated them so much that they returned for their engagement session.

Johanna and Aaron met on an online dating site, and they had instant chemistry.

It was a truly magical day when Iris and Floyd got married at Sepia Chapel on a crisp November afternoon. They took the phrase “magic is in the air” and brought it to a whole new level. You see, when Iris and Floyd began dreaming up their perfect wedding day, they knew that it had to be an elegant Harry Potter-themed event. And boy, did they knock it out of the park! I'm a bit of a Potterhead myself, so I was blown away by all the detail and thought that these two put into their fall wedding plans.

I believe that in life, almost everything happens for a reason. There have been so many beautiful things that have happened in this lifetime, and I enjoy looking back and seeing where it may have all started and how we got to where we are. I met Trevor and Allison in Zion National Park completely by chance. My dad and I were on a road trip that I had planned to scope out some great landscape photography opportunities for my second business, Wild Klementine. We had planned to camp for most of the time even though late fall can be very chilly in Colorado and Utah, but we spontaneously decided to spend one night at the Driftwood Lodge near Zion National Park.

Mother nature had saved up her energy and waited to release an explosion of color for Charlotte and Jeremy‘s wedding day. The first weekend in October proved to be stunning, crisp, and just slightly overcast; it was the perfect fall day for Charlotte and Jeremy to say “I do.”

As the ladies begin to dress at Green Bay Botanical Gardens, Charlotte left and admitted she was a little nervous. She was helped into her stunning Mori Lee gown by her mom and sisters. Flanked on each side by her favorite ladies, the girls clutched their stunning fall bouquets and escorted Charlotte to the beautiful garden ceremony site where the incredible couple would say I do.

Mairee quietly adjusted her jewelry in the dressing room mirror, gently tweaking and primping her dress as she nervously waited for her cue to walk down the aisle. Her father's steady arm guided her down the aisle toward the love of her life. Ryan couldn't take his eyes off his bride. She was simply stunning. Her Converse -clad feet gently padded down the aisle as she met her groom at the altar. Mairee and Ryan's ceremony at the Bridal Chapel was intimate, heartfelt, and personal. American Sign Language interpreters assisted with the ceremony and wedding day festivities for their hearing-impaired loved ones, a cause near and dear to Mairee and Ryan's hearts.

For those of you that have met my better half, Andy, you know that he's a pretty humble guy. He doesn't enjoy a lot of attention, so I'm can imagine how much he’s cringing knowing that I put this blog post out there.  He doesn't feel the need to do anything out of the ordinary for his birthday, and he certainly doesn't want all eyes on him for any occasion. However, seeing as this man has committed to spending the rest of his life with me, you know damn well that I'm going to celebrate this guy!

Twice now, we've spent the Day of Andrews birth together, which seems so miniscule compared to the number of things that this guy does that are worth celebrating.

On a gloriously sunny fall day, Valerie bounce excitedly around the barn apartment at the Barnsite Retreat and Event Center. She was surrounded by the most wonderful ladies, getting ready to celebrate the best day of her life. She was completely in her element, getting pampered and excitedly sharing details about the day ahead. Outside the barn, groom-to-be Dylan relaxed with his groomsmen and the dads, waiting until the moment he would get to see Valerie at their First Look.

Something that a bride never wants to hear on her wedding day: there’s rain in the forecast. Amanda and Jake were preparing for the worst but hoping for the best for their outdoor wedding ceremony and reception. As we got closer to the ceremony time, Amanda slipped into her gorgeous gown (designed by Essence of Australia), and the clouds grew lighter and lighter. Amanda tiptoed out of the bridal prep area, sharing a First Look with her father, and then with Jake. As Jake turned to face Amanda for the first time, a hint of sunshine broke through the clouds. Not a drop of rain fell that day.

Mairee and Ryan first met at Festival Foods, where they both work. Their first conversation took place in the break room, where they were reading and doing homework. They continued to flirt and cross paths, until eventually they were inseparable. I think it’s safe to say they found the pot of gold that lies under the Festival Foods rainbow ;)

Mairee and Ryan chose to celebrate their engagement by strolling through the Green Bay Botanical Gardens on a glorious evening just before sunset.