Kristine Paulsen Photography – Lifestyle Portraits, Editorial and Wedding Photography in Missoula Montana

Jean and Nick share a mutual love for each other, and a mutual love of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. In fact, they got to know one another over a pb & j sandwich at a camp at which they both worked, and they made sure to incorporate all of their favorite things during their beautiful wedding day at the Double Arrow Lodge in Seeley Lake, Montana. From personalized dice for guests to a unique cake topper (made by Nick!) celebrating their fondness for the character Cthulhu from one of their favorite books, their wedding day was uniquely them.

There were a few tears, lots of laughter and plenty of fun to be had. Guests enjoyed a scrumptious dinner, games in the golden sunlight, and lively camp dances late into the evening. Such a fun day filled with many great memories!

Thank you so much, Jean and Nick, for inviting me into your most special of days! Here’s to peanut butter and jelly forever! :)

Vendor Information:
Venue and Catering: Double Arrow Lodge, Seeley Lake, MT
Flowers: Habitat Floral and Events, Missoula, MT
Cake: Bernice’s Bakery, Missoula, MT

On the docket: weddings galore and portraits galore! Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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There wasn’t a cloud in Montana’s big sky as Katherine and Mike prepared for their Montana ranch wedding out in Huson. In between having makeup and hair perfected, and donning tuxes just-so, Mike and Katherine stole moments to write each other sweet little love notes, delivered by dear friends.

The day was hot and breezy (very different from their engagement session!), and family and friends buzzed with happiness, much as the bees did around the wildflower bouquets.

Katherine and Mike’s loyal dog, Buck, also made an appearance at their wedding as “ring bearer” and looked mighty content as he sat by his masters on their most important of days.

Guests enjoyed a delicious dinner, champagne and cake, and dancing began as the sun turned golden, and continued as the stars twinkled amidst the bright streak of the Milky Way in the night sky.

What a magical day, Katherine and Mike! Thank you again for having me photograph such a very, very special time in your lives – it was an absolute pleasure, and I had a wonderful time getting to know your family and friends. Cheers to you in your new lives together!

Vendor Information:
Venue: Private Ranch, Huson, MT
Designer and Florist: Katalin Green, Bozeman, MT; and the mother of the bride, Connie
Caterer: Two Sisters Catering, Missoula, MT
Rentals: Celebrate Events and Party Rentals, Whitefish, MT
Cake Baker: Margaret Ambrose-Barton, Missoula, MT
Officiant: Reverend John S. Byerly
DJ: Joe’s Mobile DJ Service, Bozeman, MT
Transportation: Hellgate Transportation, Missoula, MT

On the docket: portraits, weddings, and more weddings!

Cheers!

-Kristine

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Everything about John and Lisa’s wedding at the Slack House homestead, which is owned by The Teller (a nonprofit wildlife conservation organization that owns 1,200 acres of wildlife preserve in the Bitterroot Valley), shouted their personalities – fun, beautiful and full of charm.

From their hand-painted signs to the chalkboard menus to the strings of engagement photos posted around the property, John and Lisa’s joy was ever-present. Their gorgeous, sun-dappled ceremony under two gigantic willows was filled with personal touches, heartfelt vows they wrote themselves, and a very moving reading by Lisa’s sister Caroline. (It’s ok Caroline, I don’t think there was a dry eye present, mine included!)

Family and friends took in a delicious dinner, followed by an amazing rainbow and an even more stunning sunset. The party moved into the hayloft of the barn and people danced so hard and with such gusto to the tunes of the Whiskey Rebellion band, that the floor bounced!

John stole the show with a surprise Elvis song for Lisa, and rocked the mic to the cheers of everyone present. Dancing continued into the night, the barn bathed in the light of a full moon, music streaming out into the night air.

John and Lisa – I can’t say enough about you two. You are amazing people, such a fabulous couple, with THE most awesome family and friends, and I sincerely wish you all the best in your lives together. It’s been an absolute honor to get to know you and photograph such a special moment in your lives. Thank you SO much for having me be a part of your day. And, if ever you would like, let’s grab a beer or two some time. :)

Vendor Information:
Venue: The Slack House Homestead owned by The Teller, Corvallis, MT
Hair and Makeup: Megan Buxton
Flowers: Habitat Floral, Missoula, MT
Catering: All Events Catering, Missoula, MT
Cake: Bernice’s Bakery, Missoula, MT
Band: The Whiskey Rebellion, Missoula, MT
(Lisa, can you fill in the blanks of the vendors whose info I’m unsure of? Also, if I’ve left anyone out, please let me know so I can give them credit. Thanks!)

On the docket: weddings and portraits!

Cheers!

-Kristine

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I met up with Chris and Kelcy a day after their gorgeous Missoula wedding for their super fun trash the dress/rock the dress session. It was roasting hot, but we all had a blast making some really fun images of the two of them doing something they mutually dig – jeeping! I hadn’t ever been in a jeep before (I know, I know…I’m a woman of small, deceptively tough cars) and I’ve got to say, it was definitely a good time! We also made some stunning non-jeeping images of the two of them, and Chris definitely won the award for best veil assistant ever. With a veil as long as Kelcy’s, it liked to grab onto twigs and such, and Chris was always there to help her out. :)

Thanks again, you two! What a fun session! You rocked it!

On the docket: weddings and portraits and weddings galore!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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Three words to describe James and Kristina’s wedding: heartfelt. gorgeous. party!

There were tears and smiles, laughter and hugs – Kristina and James’s wedding had it all. The rain even held off for their gorgeous outdoor ceremony on the lawn of the Tarkio River Lodge in Tarkio, MT. Everyone’s crossed fingers must have helped!

Kristina’s dog, Huckleberry, even joined in the ceremony and had a great time watching James dip Kristina in their first kiss as newlyweds.

The couple’s friends and family had a blast celebrating with Kristina and James, and tore it up on the dance floor, courtesy of some rockin’ tunes by the Whiskey Rebellion. (Seriously – these folks know how to get down! The barn floor was bouncing!)

And James, to top off the night, performed a garter toss performance that is one for the ages – he danced, he teased, he became a ninja (those tux ties can really come in handy), and he stealthily pulled the garter off with just his teeth before making the day of a young man in the group of single guys.

Seriously, you two – I had such a wonderful time photographing your wedding, and I don’t think I stopped smiling ’til the next morning. Thank you so much for the opportunity to document such joy!

Here’s to a long life together full of happiness, love and your wonderful sense of humor!

Vendor Information:

Venue: Tarkio River Lodge, Tarkio, MT
Hair: Studio Metro, Missoula, MT
Bouquets: Habitat Floral, Missoula, MT
Catering: Bravo Catering, Missoula, MT
Cake: Made by the groom’s sister (am I correct?)
Ceremony Music: The Cat and the Fiddle, Missoula, MT
Reception Music: The Whiskey Rebellion, Missoula, MT

If I left anyone out, please let me know – thank you!

On the docket: more weddings! Stay tuned!

Cheers!

-Kristine

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I love color unabashedly. If you follow my work, it’s probably fairly obvious how much I love color. I love it even more so when it grows wild and oh-so-incredibly-beautifully. Seriously – it’s amazing what our world gives us to feast our eyes upon. So, today’s Wordless Wednesday comes from a recent mountaintop stroll of mine:

{Nature’s Paint Palette – A Study in Wildflowers}

On the docket: weddings and engagement sessions! Yippee!

Cheers!

-Kristine

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What a crazy spring we’ve been having! Makes for some cool photo ops, though!

{Daffodils in the Snow}

On the docket: portrait sessions!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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The title of the post is a lyric from Diana Krall’s song, Autumn Leaves. I think it’s fitting. Isn’t is just absolutely gorgeous this autumn? I’m so glad we’re having a real one as opposed to last year’s cold shock for the poor trees.

Anyway, it’s been a busy past few weeks – lots of design work (albums, cards, ads, etc.) and event photography, which has been fun. I love design, so it’s kind of a treat to get to spend time working on this aspect of my business. By the way, if you’re interested in cards and/or albums in time for Christmas, please let me know as soon as you can since printing deadlines are just around the corner. (Early November for albums!) And I also need some time to design your album for you, too. :)

But, to the photos: I took a few moments today to take advantage of the beautiful, diffused light we’re getting from these gorgeous gray clouds and made some images of the autumn leaves around where I work. Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. Hands down. I can’t get enough of the colors, the aromas and the light. Mmmmm, happiness!

To purchase prints or wall art of any of these photos (as well as many others that have been featured on the blog in past posts), please visit this web page. (Link will open in a new window.)

On the docket: new products, family and engagement sessions!

Cheers!

-Kristine

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A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to have bunches of rhubarb just beckoning me to make a pie. So I did! I’m fairly certain that strawberry-rhubarb pie is one of man’s best inventions and I’m slightly….no….strike that – seriously addicted to this sweet and tart treat.

One of these days I’m going to have a rhubarb plant of my own – it’s been a goal of mine for years and years. Until then, I like the stalks that can be found at Missoula’s local farmers’ markets.

Anyway, again, I don’t have the recipe right in front of me, but it’s a basic fruit pie recipe using a little flour for thickening as well as cinnamon for spicing it up. I like to use less sugar than called for because I’m a fan of the rhubarb’s tartness, plus I also like to pair the pie with ice cream!

Here are some photos of one of my favorite desserts!

This is a photo prior to baking and before I covered it with a crumb topping. Yum!

On the docket: a darling 5-year anniversary session in Wisconsin, and a steamy boudoir/just because session – oh what fun! Stay posted for the pics!

Cheers!

-Kristine

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A couple weeks ago I felt the urge to bake again, so I carved out some time, grabbed some beauuutiful peaches and made a rustic peach tart. Peaches are just completely irresistible to me – both in flavor and in photography – so I thought I’d share some photos of their perfection, as well as a rough recipe (since I don’t have it in front of me). Enjoy!

Rustic Peach Tart

Ingredients:

7 or 8 medium peaches, sliced and pitted
Pie dough recipe
Flour
Ground ginger
Ground nutmeg
Sugar

Directions:

Slice your peaches. In a medium bowl (not including peaches at this point) add enough flour, sugar and spices to coat peaches upon tossing. (Sorry – I’ve got the amounts, but the recipe isn’t in front of me at the moment.) Generally it’s about 2/3 c. flour (I think), about 1 tsp. ginger and 1/2 or 1/4 tsp. nutmeg. You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on how sweet the peaches are.

Add the peaches to the flour mixture and toss to coat.

Place your prepared pie dough (you can use either store bought or homemade – mine was homemade) on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Put the peaches in the center of the pie dough and fold up the edges around the peaches into a sort of octagonal shape. Pie dough will not cover the top of the peaches. Brush exposed dough with water and sprinkle sugar on the dough.

Place uncooked tart in oven at 350 degrees (I’m guessing here) until tart is lightly browned and bubbly in the center. Remove and cool on a rack. Cut and serve! Delicious, fast and easy!

Yum yum! On the docket – another of my favorite recipes – strawberry rhubarb pie, as well as a beautiful photo session for a couple’s five-year anniversary – photos taken in Wisconsin!

Cheers!

-Kristine

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