Fornear Photo Friday | Patrick & Alyssa's Green Bay, WI Wedding

We got connected with the awesome couple of Patrick & Alyssa through the amazing Offbeat Bride that we are a proud vendor on, we love it and get some pretty amazing couples to work with as a result... we love it and Pat & Alyssa were no exception! 

About a year ago we shot their engagement shoot in Madison, WI were they live and then we shot their wedding in Green Bay, WI were Alyssa grew up and still has family. 

Some of my favorite shots are when couples choose to do a "First Look" shot before the wedding, which Patrick & Alyssa chose to do just outside Pamperin Park's historic Dance Hall stone pavilion. So much emotion and nervous energy always make for some great shots of our couples, like I said, it's my favorite! 

Such a fun and fun loving couple this wedding was a blast to shoot with so much personality. Their I-Do crew was a blast too if you can't tell! (We even will be shooting one of the best men Mike's wedding next fall so we know if that wedding will be anything like this one we will have a great time!) 

The funny face collage was Alyssa's brilliant idea and really helped set the tone for the day in a great way. I love that no one at this wedding took anything to seriously, it was just filled with love and fun all day through. Also notice Alyssa's awesome coral Converse... I think I need a pair just for everyday!

One of everyone's biggest fears for any wedding is almost always the weather. Like most photographers, we are also amateur weather watchers too, monitoring the radar all week before a wedding and especially the day of. On Patrick & Alyssa's wedding day lots of spotty storms were headed our way with them either hitting or missing, no one was quite sure. Thankfully we got lots of outdoor shots before the wedding however the storm picked the most inopportune time to hit... smack dab in the middle of the ceremony! 

This look on Alyssa's face just kills me! The whole crew moved inside to finish the ceremony complete with an unity shandy. Right after this mini storm blew through we we were good to go the rest of the day and night. No matter what I am sure they will never forget this day, the crazy weather and all. 

I know I say it a million times but I love walking away from working with a couple knowing that they are now friends. If we are in Madison we could totally just hang out for a beer... or grab some bibimbap (which we learned at the ceremony is one of Pat & Alyssa's favorites and is one of mine too... at the same restaurant no less!) What a crazy small world we all live in wouldn't you say!?

Credits | Author: Krista, Photography: Fornear Photo, Reception: Pamperin Park Green Bay, WI

Thirsty Thursday | Revolution Brewing, Fistmas Ale

Sticking with the holiday spirit from here on out till the big day next week it's time to talk holiday brews! It's funny how many holiday or winter beers get lumped into the fruity and overly spiced category... now don't get me wrong there are some I really LOVE but if it's not done right they can be downright nasty. 

A few weeks back there was a great blog post titled 7 Great Beers for the Christmas Beer Hater and it really rang true to me! When we were in Chicago a few weeks back we happened to have one of their hometown beers Revolution Brewing's Fistmas Ale on draft while out for dinner and afterword we quickly swiped up a 6pk of this seasonal delight before heading out of town. There is no doubt in my mind Fistmas easily could have been added to the list above for Christmas beer haters. 

This is a fantastic red ale that is slightly hopped with predominant flavor of a nice malty caramel with very subtle hints of orange peel and ginger. I almost hesitate to write the orange and ginger because they are that delicate in this beer you hardly notice them, but in a good way. A mild ABV of 6.1% it's easy to enjoy a few of these and relax for the holidays without being blown away by too much going on in your beer. And I have to mention, how cool is the can art on Fistmas?! I love it... especially while it's hanging out with one of our Christmas nutcrackers!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photograph: Fornear Photo

Turntable Tuesday | Frank Sinatra, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

It's funny but I think sometimes Christmas starts to bring out the vinyl lover in all of us... and I love it! My husband and his family always had records when he was young (though like most everyone as he got older they slowly made their way to crates in the basement only to be rediscovered later). My family never had records to discover them as an adult has been such a wonderful experience for me.

My husband and I both have always been into music but when we first started getting into records heavily a few years ago one of our first purchases on this journey was a vintage Magnavox record cabinet from one of my aunt's Pack Rats Estate Sales including some of the warn vinyl within it. This purchase occurred just before the holidays when we were in the process of purchasing our home and staying with family. Frank Sinatra's Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas was one of those records and once we started playing it everyone loved it and wanted us to keep playing it. Now this album has turned into one of our favorite Christmas records! 

This album is more of a compilation as it is Frank Sinatra and friends... such said friends includes the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and Rosemary Clooney!  Of course I adore the vintage art on the sleeve and label plus it has countless classic holiday favorites like Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, The First Noel, Jingle Bells, Silent Night and more! Do you love playing classic records as much as we no around the holidays?! What is your favorite?

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Fornear Photo Friday | Kaitlin & EJ's Northwoods Winter E-Shoot

Happy Fornear Photo Friday friends! Now that Winter is fully upon us we have several couples this season that are going to brave the elements for some amazing winter engagement photos! Matt and I love shooting these not only because they look awesome but it's a real contrast to our couple's summer or fall wedding photos which makes it a lot of fun. 

One of our winter engagement shoots from last year was Kaitlin & EJ's (who have since gotten married this past October and you will probably see soon here too!) Shooting at Kaitlin's family's cabin located in Three Lakes, Wisconsin we hung out with both Kaitlin and EJ entire families that were all there spending the holidays together. We sipped hot chocolate, old fashioneds and road on backs of snowmobiles across the frozen lake to one of our shooting locations... it was a blast!

We love working with our couples coming up with creative shots for their engagement and wedding sessions and Kaitlin & EJ thought of tons of great winter wonderland ideas including the sweet little Chapel in the Woods. 

We couldn't have been more excited as to how beautiful these photos turned out that we couldn't not share them. In a few short weeks now that we have tons of snow up here in the Northwoods and the snowmobile trails officially open for the year this afternoon, we will start our winter engagement season so I know I will have many more great shoots like this to share!

Credits | Author: Krista, Photography: Fornear Photo

Thirsty Thursday | Allagash, Black Ale

After reading a post made Stouts & Stilettos made on Facebook about the 12 Bucket List Breweries Everyone Should Visit I realized I had a beer in the fridge from one of said breweries.... Allagash's Black Ale! Until now sadly I don't think I have even had a beer from Allagash... thank God for our travels, yah!

After cracking open the Black we could smell the aroma of how awesome it was going to be and boy did it NOT disappoint! Such a unique Belgian Style Stout it has the amazing chocolate, caramel and roasted flavor you would expect from a stout and the distinct sweetness of a Belgian... it was amazing!

Such a small bottle of the Black packs a punch at 7.5%. After trying this I can't wait until I can get my hands on much more Allagash and I am certainly going to have to add this Maine brewery to my must visit brewery bucket list starting now! 

Credits | Author: Krista & Photograph: Fornear Photo

Turntable Tuesday | The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour

I am sort of surprised now that I realize it, but this is actually my first Beatles post. My very first Turntable Tuesday post was on one of George Harrison's solo albums but I have never done a "Beatles" album... well now I will have! As many of you know, sadly yesterday December 8th was the 34th anniversary of John Lennon's death and just two weeks ago was the 13th anniversary of George Harrison's.

Slowly we have been building our Beatles collection and when my husband came across an Original Master Recording of the Magical Mystery tour a few months ago it was a no brainer to swipe it up. Over the winter when we were in Vegas we went and saw Beatle's Love at the Mirage and if you haven't seen it.... WOW! I know this might sound corny but it was like a religious experience. The show was emotional, beautiful and amazing in every single way. So many of the songs featured where from the Magical Mystery Tour now that I think back on it. 

Countless hits from this 1967 album include songs every single person probably knows like Magical Mystery Tour, Penny Lane, Hello Goodbye, All You Need Is Love, Baby You're A Rich Man, I Am The Walrus and my personal all time favorite I remember as a child from the Beatles cartoons (do you remember those too?!) was Strawberry Fields Forever. 

Playing this album in the Original Master Recording format is like listening to a clean brand new record, it's so awesome. Venture back and give this one a spin!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Fornear Photo Friday | Liz & Paul's Northwoods Wedding

WOW, I can't believe the amazing year that Fornear Photo has had, it's almost hard to believe the 2014 season is almost over! We have just one wedding yet to shoot left (plus several engagements) for the year (including this weekend in Chicago actually) but I can't get over how many awesome brides and grooms we have worked with. Honestly, we are beyond lucky!

One of the countless awesome couples we worked with were Liz & Paul! We met through our love for craft beer at a beer festival (as did they themselves too and we even shot their engagement shoot at the location they met!) Like almost all of our clients I am now happy and proud to not only call them clients but friends for life!

Their wedding took place at Black Bear Lodge in St.Germain, Wisconsin here in the Northwoods. So much thought went into their rustic wedding from the loon cake toppers to the sapling wedding favors, it was beautiful!

The guys were decked out in their finest bowties and the gals wore lovely shades of peach and coral. Surrounded by family, friends and craft beer Liz and Paul were married among the pine overlooking Little St.Germain Lake. We stayed into the night where awesome bites were served including Wisconsin cheese, beer, cocktails and laughs were all shared as well as some sweet dance moves by all on the dance floor!

Getting to know Liz & Paul is to know how much they truly are madly in love with each other and are really meant to be... it was a pleasure getting to be part of their special day!

Credits | Author: Krista, Photography: Fornear Photo, Reception: Black Bear Lodge, Catering: Jessica's Cucina, Cake: Pam Pearsall, DJ: High Volume Entertainment, Dress: Desiree by Christos, Shoes: Soludos, Veil: Custom made by Hazel Faire, Headpiece: Ashlee's Headpieces, Bowties: The Tie Bar, Flowers: arranged by the bride from Lori's Flower Cottage