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

Sunny with blue skies above, the weather matched Peter and Rachel’s personalities to perfectly compliment their wedding day.

The two started their day off by getting ready with friends, and then prepared themselves for their first look of one another prior to saying their vows. Rachel walked through the dappled sunlight, veil shimmering, and Peter turned to see his bride – the two hugged, kissed and a few tears sneaked out as well as their emotions flowed freely.

Soon, it was time for their ceremony, and they and their bridal party walked down the Caras Park stairs to stand in front of their friends and family and share their love with one another. A soft breeze played with Rachel’s veil, and Peter couldn’t stop sneaking peeks and smiles at his beautiful bride.

Voices quavered as they spoke their vows to one another and their friends and family cheered as the two embraced in a long first kiss as husband and wife.

Dining, toasts and cake-cutting soon followed, as did plenty of fun-filled dancing – what a wonderful way to celebrate such a special occasion!

Rachel and Peter – what an absolute treat it was to photograph for you. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – thank you so much for inviting me into such a special moment in your lives – you two and your friends and family were so much fun to work with, and I wish you all the best in your future together! You’re starting it off right in the Caribbean! ;)

Vendors:
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Caras Park Pavillion, Missoula, Montana
Flowers: from Albertson’s; arranged by “L Design” and the father of the bride
Cake Artist: Caroline
DJ: Wapikiya Records, Missoula, Montana
Hair and Makeup Artist: Rachelle Cowart at All that Jazz Salon, Missoula, Montana
Wedding Dress: from David’s Bridal
Men’s Suits: from Rococo Bridal, Missoula, Montana
Table Linens: Accents Event Decor, Missoula, Montana

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

Cheers!

-Kristine

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It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for Ellen and Jeff’s wedding day celebration – after days and days of rain, the sun decided to grace us with its presence and showcase Missoula in all its sunny splendor. Smiles, laughter and hugs abounded as everyone readied themselves for the big day.

Ellen and Jeff’s first look was incredibly sweet and full of emotion, and their ceremony treated everyone to some “scene stealers” by their dog, McKinley, and their adorable daughter, Audrey, as they walked down the aisle. Laughter, tears and many, many smiles were highlights, and afterwards guests were treated to delicious appetizers as well as a tasty meal.

Ellen surprised Jeff with a Seahawks design on their cake, and Jeff surprised Ellen with a last minute cake smash to the face after initially leading everyone into thinking he’d play nice. :)

Spirited dancing continued into the evening as the sun sneaked behind the mountain tops, and punctuated the end to a perfect day.

Ellen and Jeff – thank you SO much for inviting me into such a special day in your lives – I was so honored to be your photographer and had an absolute blast working with you, your families and friends. Here’s to many happy years together and lots of visits to Montana, too. :)

Wedding Vendors:
Venue: The Keep, Missoula, Montana
Hair and Makeup: Boom Swagger Salon, Missoula, Montana
Flowers: Monaco Flowers, Missoula, Montana
Cake: Bernice’s Bakery, Missoula, Montana
DJ: Zootown DJ, Missoula, Montana
Wedding and Bridesmaid Dresses: from house of Brides; wedding dress Allure style 8862
Men’s Suits: My Sister’s Closet, Missoula, Montana
Archway, Tulle, Candleholders and Linen Overlays: from Oh So Chic Boutique, Missoula, Montana
Ceremony Chairs: Eastgate Rental, Missoula, Montana

On the docket: weddings and portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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When Starr called me up to ask me about photographing her intimate wedding Memorial Day weekend, I just knew I’d have a blast working with her and her fiancé (now husband!) Ian. She has such a positive, happy energy and it just radiated on her wedding day. She said her vows in the twinkling lights of the Missoula Children’s Theater and then she, Ian and I took a walk through the woods to make some fun portraits outdoors after the ceremony.

It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for these images – sunny and gorgeous! As we were heading back to our respective vehicles, Starr proposed the idea of an impromptu rock the dress session. And who would I be to say no to a fun idea like that? So we all rolled up our pants (and wedding dress!), and waded into the extremely chilly water to make some fun, memorable images. We were all laughing pretty hard, and I think our smiles were about ready to jump off our faces – such a blast! We even had a bit of a crowd greet us after we took our frozen selves out of the water to dry off a bit.

Thank you again, Starr and Ian! It was such a treat to document such a special day in your lives, and so nice to meet your family. Congratulations again!

On the docket: weddings and portraits! Stay posted, folks! Blog posts are coming your way, fast and furious! :)

Cheers!

-Kristine

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I was messing around in my garden this morning, giving myself a bit of flower time on the Friday before wedding season starts up again in full swing, and I came across this tiny treasure. And by tiny, I’m talking TINY tiny. As in maybe a quarter of an inch. I’m so thankful I didn’t crush this little beauty, and immediately ran smiling to get my camera.

So here you go – happy Friday!

And here’s an image to give you an idea of just how teensy this little guy was. :)

On the docket: weddings and portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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Spring is one of my absolute favorite times of the year (although I admit I think I say that about every season). There’s something just so exhilarating about watching new leaves form, seeing colors pop, enjoying softly falling rain and the intoxicating scents that emerge from the earth and fragrant flowers. I love it all.

The past couple months have been exceptionally busy for me, moreso than usual, mainly because I moved into a new house (my first time as a homeowner – so exciting!), I’ve been finishing up my semester teaching as an adjunct professor at the School of Journalism at the University of Montana, and somewhere in between I’m trying to get work done, unpack boxes, and set up house. So it’s been flying by.

Which is why when I took my camera out this morning to wander my backyard and photograph my flowers and such, I remembered just how nice it was to take a moment and breathe. Simply breathe. And be happy. And enjoy that intoxicating lilac scent that I now get to have in my very own backyard.

Simple pleasures, but wonderful ones.

So take a moment, open your eyes to the good things around you, and steal a great big breath and think about what makes you smile. Happy spring, everybody!

On the docket: weddings are coming soon!!!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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I am a self-professed color, texture and light addict. So when I got to really emphasize these three favorite things in my photos with Healy, Holly and Carson, I was pretty darn stoked. Yellow, BAM! Purple red and black, BAM! Groovy corrugated metal, BAM BAM! Pretty light, OH MY! Suffice it to say that I was one happy photographer. Not to mention that all three of them were so much fun to work with – what a great day! Thanks H, H and C – way to work it for the camera! ;)

On the docket: senior portraits!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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Maddy and Carson and I got together the other day (along with some other models who will be featured soon) to take advantage of the spring-like weather and have fun shooting. And have fun we did! SUCH a blast! These are just a sampling of images from Maddy’s and Carson’s various shoots that day – Maddy’s off to Italy soon! Bon voyage, Maddy, and thanks again for rocking your images. :) Carson, you totally killed it, too. Such intensity in these images – I love it.

On the docket: portraits! Stay tuned! And if you like what you see here, don’t forget to subscribe to updates from my blog and share my Facebook page. Thanks in advance!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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It was a lovely December day to meet up with Jessica for her model session – and the sun even peeked out for us, too! We had a great time making these images, and even though it was sometimes difficult for Jessica to keep her eyes open in such bright sunlight, she was beyond fantastic. And it was so worth it – I mean – seriously. Look at her eyes in the light…they’re incredible!

Thanks again, Jessica, for doing such a fabulous job on your shoot! What a wonderful time! :) And first, a little “promo” video of sorts for her – let’s just say we had a lot of fun on this shoot. :)

On the docket: portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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Winter in Glacier is….simply breathtakingly, jaw-droppingly, make-you-weak-in-the-knees GORGEOUS. Beth and Andy’s Christmas-time wedding day in West Glacier at the Belton Chalet was no exception. From the fresh snowfall that morning to the rustic charm of the chalet, to the mountains enveloped in fog…..their day. was. INCREDIBLE. In every way.

We all had such a blast visiting Lake McDonald, and even though it was pretty dang chilly, that didn’t hinder Beth and Andy and their wedding party from being troopers and making some really fun photos. Beth’s reaction to the scenery at the lake when we initially arrived was pretty priceless – I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a bride so excited to do her photos! Love it! :)

We all returned to the warmth of the chalet, and soon Beth was walking down the aisle on her father’s arm. The fire crackled as friends and family smiled listening to Beth and Andy vow their love to one another. Everyone gave their blessings to the couple and the ceremony was closed with Beth and Andy and their guests all singing along to Be Thou My Vision, played by an instrumental trio made up of Beth’s friends.

As the snow fell outside guests mingled, laughed and snacked on hors d’oeuvres before sitting down to dinner, and later everyone sipped on champagne (kiddos had fun with their cider), and enjoyed a rousing game of pub trivia with the questions being written with Beth and Andy’s backgrounds in mind.

Beth and Andy – where do I begin? It is a complete understatement to say just how beautiful and touching your wedding was, and how honored I am to have documented it for you. Thank you so much for inviting me into such a special day in you and your family’s lives – here’s to many more adventures in Glacier for you both!

Vendors:
Venue: The Belton Chalet, West Glacier, Montana
Hair and Makeup Artist: Mirabelle Salon, Kalispell, Montana
Wedding Dress: Beautiful Weddings, Missoula, Montana
Officiant: Pastor Reiner

On the docket: engagement sessions and portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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What is it about winter that is just so darn romantic? The magic of the falling snow? The soft needles on the trees? The urge to want to cuddle with the one you love after spending a glorious day outside in the cold? I’m not sure, but there’s just something about winter that’s truly special.

And Brianne and Colin certainly epitomized that in their engagement session! We had SO much fun on their New Years Day shoot, despite the rather chilly temperatures and the challenges of walking through snow in slippery-soled shoes. I swear, we were laughing the entire time and my face hurt after our session because I had been smiling so much. That’s always a great problem to have. :)

Brianne and Colin, thank you so much for such a fun session – I can’t wait to photograph your wedding! We’re going to have such a great time, and just think – it’ll be warmer then! :)

On the docket: portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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