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

Talk about a perfect Montana day for Megin and Seth’s wedding! Everyone was treated to a bluebird day, the sun shined brilliantly over the mountaintops in the Bitterroot, and didn’t sink behind them again until late in the long June evening.

Megin readied herself in the upstairs of the main house, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves, and pausing here and there to peek out the window as guests arrived.

Family and friends rested on hay bales as they waited for the grand entrance of the bridal party, and were treated to an adorable petal-scattering by the two flower girls. Megin made the long walk to the aisle on the arm of her father, beaming the entire way. The ceremony was short and sweet as the two spoke their vows beneath an arch fashioned by Megin’s grandfather, and guests cheered for the new couple as they walked down the aisle together as husband and wife.

Decorative mason jars served as vessels for cool lemonade, iced tea, beer and wine, and guests mingled over a tasty dinner as the sun crept across the sky. Personal touches punctuated the entire decor – from fun pictures of Seth and Megin to a vintage trunk for gifts.

A lively cake cutting soon followed, as did dancing among twinkle lights as the sun dipped behind the mountain tops.

Megin and Seth – thank you again for inviting me into your day! What a great time being able to document your wedding for you. Here’s to many, many happy years together celebrating sun, fun and lots of love!

Vendors:
Venue: Private residence, Stevensville, Montana
Florist: Pam from Flower Happy, Hamilton, Montana
Makeup Artist: Brittany Brennan from BoHo Boutique, Hamilton, Montana
Hair Artist: Val Wood from Jan’s Salon, Hamilton, Montana
Wedding Dress: A Maggie Sottero design from Beautiful Weddings, Missoula, Montana
Cake: made by the bride’s aunt
DJ: ?
Men’s Suits: Serendipity Lane, Hamilton, Montana

On the docket: weddings, portraits and more weddings! Don’t miss out!

P.S. I’m currently booking 2014 weddings, and I still have even a few openings for 2013 weddings if you’re still looking for a photographer. :)

Cheers,

-Kristine

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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 was a bit of a drizzly day when I met up with Taylor for her headshot session, but that certainly didn’t dampen her spirits or the sheer brightness and fun of her shoot. Taylor is currently touring as an actor with the Missoula Children’s Theater in the south east and wanted to update her headshots and website to reflect a more “quirky/comedic” look as she put it. So we went for bright, colorful and fun and I’d say it was a smashing success!

Taylor, thanks again for having me make these images for you – it was so great working with you! Have fun down south!

On the docket: weddings, portraits, and more weddings! Don’t miss out!

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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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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Braylon and I had a great time roaming around downtown Missoula the other day for his Class of 2013 senior pictures with sunglasses, earphones and longboard in tow. Braylon is a big fan of folfing and tries to go as often as he can, he loves pretty much any kind of music, and he hopes to pursue a pharmacy tech degree.

Braylon, keep up your cheery attitude, and I can assure you that you’ll go far! Thanks again for a great shoot – you were so much fun to work with! And congrats again on graduation! :)

On the docket: portraits, weddings and video! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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Hi all! Keep your eyes open for the newest set of Recessionista ads featuring local Black Coffee Roasting Co. businessmen who are proud to shop at the Missoula YWCA‘s Secret Seconds thrift stores and show off their Recessionist-o chic side! We had a great time shooting these images, and I had so much fun designing the ads – thanks again for helping such a worthy cause.

And YOU can help too – pop on in to a store, get yourself some new-to-you duds, and do the YWCA a favor, too! All sales at YWCA Secret Seconds help women and children in crisis, including the YWCA’s domestic violence shelter.

On the docket: portraits and weddings – stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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I joined Claire and her yoga instructor, Amanda, the other day for a fun photo session featuring some of the poses Claire has been practicing – and wow! I’m impressed. These ladies brought out the beauty and serenity that is yoga, and I had such a lovely time documenting their dedication and love for this art.

Thank you again, ladies, for inviting me to photograph something that is so special to you both. Let’s do it again soon. And next time I’m wearing yoga pants, too. :)

On the docket: more portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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It was a bit of a dreary, overcast day when Brin, Amelia and Leah all met up with me for their model shoot. But we definitely made the most of it (they rocked their shoots!) and the sun even peeked out once or twice for us, too.

Thank you again, ladies, for doing such a great job on a chilly day in such a short period of time – you all just worked that camera! :)

On the docket: portraits and more portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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