The perfect spot for a hike in the woods or a climb to a mountain peak can also be the perfect spot for your wedding. Yosemite National Park’s captivating landscape offers waterfalls, mighty California trees, and snow-capped mountains. Yosemite’s inspirational scenery is a beautiful place to elope. Most of the National Parks allow elopements and ceremonies to take place within their boundaries, but many of them have rules/suggestions when it comes to getting married in their specific park. 

To elope in Yosemite National Park, a special use permit must be secured first.

For an epic view that will take your breath away, look no further than the Grand Canyon National Park for a massive backdrop for your elopement. This vast setting has inspired many with its natural beauty that can be seen from a space shuttle; but this place is quite peaceful despite all the publicity, and could be the perfect majestic location for your elopement. Most of the National Parks allow elopements and ceremonies to take place within their boundaries, but many of them have rules/suggestions when it comes to getting married in their specific park. 

The Grand Canyon is no exception.

After a rainy morning, Olivia and Laura started their engagement session with KLEM Studios. Olivia and Laura knew they wanted to have their engagement photos taken in an outdoor space that had a wonderful water feature. I suggested the ever-beautiful Fonferek’s Glen just on the outskirts of Green Bay. The park has fields, a lovely waterfall, a creek that runs through it, and it’s a picturesque place to explore, especially on a warm sunny day. Olivia and Laura happened to pick the very first day of Pride Month for their engagement session. We were so happy to celebrate their love and freedom to love one another. The sun began poking through the clouds and gave way to a beautiful warm and glowing late afternoon.

The decision behind committing to Whole 30 came from my realization that I had picked up some unhealthy habits when it came to eating. I had a bit of a sugar and carbohydrate addiction, but also for years I had stomach and digestive issues. I wanted to see if I could clear some of that up just by choosing smarter foods rather than this being some sort of medical condition. I had done some brief work with my doctor and had some gastro-intestinal testing, but I just wasn’t satisfied with the answers. Those are part of the reason why I wanted to do embark on this journey. I roped Andy into doing this with me, so we did it together!

Utah is a vastly beautiful state with so many different backdrops and charming places to consider for your elopement. It’s one of my favorite places to travel and vacation to—not to mention capture in a photo. Utah is a great place to elope or to renew vows. Here are my top five places to elope in Utah.

To start, Arches National Park is one of Utah’s most popular national parks and a stunning area to elope. Delicate Arch is the most famous feature, and looks spectacular during sunset. Located in southern Utah, Arches National Park isn’t far from the cute town of Moab, which has the hookups for hair, makeup, and floral arrangements for your elopement.

On the warmest spring day, Stephanie and Alex‘s closest family and friends gathered at St. John’s Church to witness them say I do. The sun shone brightly, filling the church with light. Before the ceremony, Stephanie and Alex shared a moment holding hands around the corner so that they wouldn’t see each other but would still be able to feel one another. They hand  wrote letters to one another filled with sweet words of love and happiness. Both her eyes filled with tears, and Alex was especially touched as he opened Stephanie‘s gift of a small pin with photos of his grandparents who’ve passed.

Bryce Canyon National Park provides a phenomenal backdrop for any elopement. From the captivating calcareous rock, to the famous Bryce Amphitheater, this National Park is a staple of Utah, and will definitely make your elopement seem right out of a fairytale. Most of the National Parks allow elopements and ceremonies to take place within their boundaries, but many of them have rules/suggestions when it comes to getting married in their specific park.

To elope in Bryce Canyon National Park, a special use permit must be secured first.

A lot of people contribute to an unforgettable wedding day. When yours is over, you can show your appreciation by taking time to write personal thank you notes. Far from an obsolete tradition, this gesture communicates love and gratitude to the many individuals who played a party in your celebration. To create meaningful thank you cards, follow the tips below.

Have you heard? We’ve got something pretty cool going on here in Green Bay, and it’s making waves. The second Tuesday of every month, a group of creative business owners gathers together at a local business in the Green Bay area and talks about different topics that relate to running a business and living a well-balanced life. What is this magical, mystery group? Why, the Rising Tide Society of course! The Rising Tide Society is a community for creative business owners with chapters all across the country. It began in 2015 in only 12 cities (Green Bay was one of the first!) as a way for local creatives to learn from one another, network, and grow themselves and their businesses.

Your wedding day should be about what you want to experience. It is a chance for you to be selfish and put your thoughts, your desires, and your needs first. Because your wedding day is truly a reflection of what you and your significant other share.

I invite you to create a day that’s centered on your relationship. This can incorporate different things you and your fiancé are interested in, such as my fellow craft beer lovers! Your ceremony could be at a brewery or incorporate special beers at your wedding; things like that. Or, if you’re a little more alternative, you could incorporate non-traditional wedding colors.

It’s important to dream big and set goals for yourself and your relationship. I have my goals posted in various places around the house and my office as reminders and little pieces of encouragement to stay motivated to reach those goals. I find that setting goals and having something that we’re working towards makes what you’re trying to obtain just a little more tangible.

Goals are an important piece to a healthy relationship. And there are two parts to this: yourself, and your relationship. By setting goals for ourselves, we still get to obtain some of that individualism that is so important in a relationship.

Eloping is beautiful for a wedding day that focuses on the two of you, what’s important to you, and what makes the two of you special. Rather than focus on tradition and big wedding plans, eloping can incorporate things you really want and enjoy, whether you love hiking, being outside, or have family land. Often, the wedding is tailored towards family or friends, rather than what’s important to you. That’s why I encourage eloping: an opportunity to actually create a wedding day that means something to you. Just because you want to elope, doesn’t mean you have to go really far away—especially on a limited budget.

When you get engaged, you may think that you know everything about your partner (spoiler, you probably don’t). You may have had a lot of important conversations already while you were dating, but there are some key conversations that I believe should be had before you get married. These conversations will make sure that you’re both on the same page, and address any areas that you have differing thoughts on ahead of time. They’re supportive, they’re thought-provoking, and they’re meant to make sure you have a long, healthy, and happy relationship.

I recommend approaching these conversations in a comfortable, non-threatening manner.

The majestic landscape of Olympic National Park encompasses not only a breathtaking coastline, but a beautiful backdrop of trees and mountains as well. Beaches dotting the Pacific coastline make the most astonishing destination to make your wedding day even more magical. Most of the National Parks allow elopements and ceremonies to take place within their boundaries, but many of them have rules/suggestions when it comes to getting married in their specific park.

To elope in Olympic National Park, a special use permit must be secured first. The permit itself is $50, and the application for the permit can be found here.

One of the growing trends I’m noticing as a wedding photographer is the popularity of an unplugged wedding ceremony. Honestly, I am LOVING this. An unplugged wedding ceremony is a ceremony where the couple ask their guests to not use their phones or cameras to take photos during the ceremony. Many couples will create a cute sign, or have their officiant say something before the bride walks down the aisle to get everyone on board with this request.

I believe an unplugged wedding is incredibly important for a few reasons:

Okay, so I know that just last week, I shared a big announcement with you all (you can read all about the here), but I’ve got another exciting piece I’ve been cooking up for a couple months now. I’ve created a community called the KLEM Klub for people who are truly dedicated to celebrating and cultivating love in their lives and their relationships.

As a wedding photographer, I bear witness to so many amazing relationships and I get to experience first hand what makes those relationships work. Seeing people so deeply in love and working to grow their relationship is incredibly inspiring.

We’re all familiar with Wedding Planners and the full-planning services that they provide, but what happens when a couple enjoys the planning process and wants to do it themselves? What happens when that same couple wants to hand off the stress to someone else on their big day, in hopes of being fully present and not having to worry about the day-of details?

A Day-of Wedding Coordinator happens.

I work with a TON of wedding vendors throughout the year, and I've hand-selected the vendors I feature on my Preferred Vendor list.

Many of my couples are getting married for the first time and trying to figure out the ropes of a wedding all on their own. It can be a bit confusing and overwhelming at times. You search Pinterest for the perfect ideas, and then after looking for hours, you feel completely uninspired and like your dream day is just unattainable. Sound familiar? I'm here to tell you your dream wedding day IS possible and WILL happen and to offer an industry insider's perspective. Sometimes the victories are found in accomplishing the little things, like figuring out what you'll do for your Unity Ceremony if you choose to have one.

I totally get it, wedding planning can be a stressful time for couples, complicated all the more when you can’t agree on something. Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in the whole planning process that we forget to love each other. The main thing is to remember why you’re having this wedding in the first place: you want to spend the rest of your lives together. In the end, it’s not about the flower arrangements or cake flavors. It’s about your love and commitment to each other. Below, we’ve compiled a list of ways for you to continue loving your fiancé through all the planning madness and to make sure he or she feels it:

You know the gist of how your wedding day is going to go. Bride walks down the aisle, possibly guided by her father. Vows are exchanged, a reading or two thrown into the mix, then they kiss and walk back down the aisle as husband and wife. Most of us can even recite the vows by heart. For better or worse, richer or poorer, etc. While there’s nothing wrong with the normal ceremony and all its cherished traditions, some couples want to mix it up a bit. We’ve put together some ideas to take your ceremony from a bit personalized to one your guests will never forget!