My name is Keri, and I love stories! Not just reading stories, but listening to stories, re-telling stories, and photographing stories: love stories like yours! And the great thing about photos, is that each and every photo has its own little story.
Do you even print your photos anymore? Or do you have 20,000 digital copies stored on a cloud somewhere like I do? Seriously, over 20,000! Well, my family used to have boxes and boxes of photos laying around, and we would sort through these boxes at almost every family gathering. My mom and dad, my twin sister, and my two brothers and I would sit around our round kitchen table; we would take out these boxes and look at all the pictures! We’d laugh, we’d cry, and we’d share so many meaningful conversations. I LOVED the stories that went along with these boxes of photos, and that is a huge reason why I always have a camera in my hands! I never want to miss capturing a memory.
So how did I get into wedding photography? Well, first of all, weddings have been a part of my life since I was a baby! My mother and grandmother were both professional cake decorators and seamstresses! Every Saturday I’d go with them and watch them set up their tower of cakes and deliver miniature bride’s dresses! Second of all, I was taking pictures all the time… and people noticed! In 2011, my co-worker Patti asked me if I would be willing to take photos at her daughter Julie’s wedding! I excitedly said, “YES!” and couldn’t wait for that day to come! As soon as the hustle and bustle of that wedding day began, my love for weddings, art (I graduated college with an art teaching degree), and photography came together and it was clear that I was meant to be a wedding photographer! I loved every second of that day, especially all the beautiful details and the authentic emotional moments! And the people! Oh my goodness… the people are my most favorite part of a wedding day: meeting you and your family, hearing all the stories from your bridesmaids and groomsmen on how you met, watching your friends and family let loose out on the dance floor, and seeing you both hold back tears while waiting to see each other for the first time!
Your wedding day has so many treasurable moments that you will want to remember, and I enjoy capturing those memories! Searching for these moments on a wedding day is actually one of my favorite things to do because of my own personal wedding experience. When looking for vendors for my wedding, I didn’t put a whole lot of thought into what I’d actually want photographed. In the end, I decided to have the photographer ONLY take formal photos after the ceremony. I didn’t have the photographer take any pre or post-ceremony photos. Sadly, I don’t fully remember what I was feeling putting on my dress for the first time, or what my dad looked like when he saw me for the first time, or how big of a smile I had on my face during my first dance with my husband, because I don’t have any photos of those moments to help jog my memory. And, while I have great formal photos of Craig and I, and our families, I didn’t have any photos of the moments that really mattered to me. It’s incredibly important for me to stay alert to all that is happening on your wedding day so I can capture the moments that will really matter to you—ones that you might miss because you are somewhere else having a special moment of your own! I genuinely want you to look at the photos from your wedding and remember every wonderful moment that happened. I want the photos to tell your wedding day love story!
My love story began when I met my husband-to-be while running cross country in high school in 1992! It took him eight years to propose, and when he finally did… my wedding day couldn’t come fast enough! He was my best friend, and still is today! I was fortunate to have married him in 2001, and we now have three children-all three years apart! Our oldest is a boy and the other two are girls! We love being outdoors to camp, bike, and swim. We play all sorts of sports, listen to all types of music, and participate in trivia contests! In the summer of 2018, we traveled 4,284.7 miles to and from Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park and have so many spectacular stories to share!
I grew up in a tiny northern Wisconsin town called Withee, and appreciate the small things in life, like the smell of fresh cut grass, the sound of crickets chirping as I look into the starry sky, and the warmth of a burning campfire (with a beer in hand)! I cheer loud (SERIOUSLY LOUD) and proud for my Green Bay Packers, and joyfully sing the wrong words to almost every song on the radio. I have also trained for and participated in three Olympic distance triathlons! I’ve been professionally photographing weddings and families since 2011 while being a stay-at-home mom, and have loved every second of it!
I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to use my gifts to capture moments that will last a lifetime. I’d love to join you for a cup of coffee or a coke sometime–my treat–and can’t wait to hear your love story!
