West Bend, Wisconsin Wedding Photographer | Elderberry Manor Wedding Photos & Outdoor Wedding Inspiration

Can you share the details of your proposal story—who was involved, what happened, where it took place, and when it all unfolded?

In 2023, Eric and I were in Destin Florida on vacation for Thanksgiving with his family (his parents, 4 brothers, and one brothers girlfriend, now his fiance). They were planning on doing family photos in the morning. I had suggested that Eric and I get a few “couple photos” together after their family pictures, using his dad’s nice camera, since we didn’t have any “fancy” pictures together. I had even coordinated my outfit with Eric’s so we would match for our pictures. Little did I know that this was going to be the perfect opportunity for Eric to propose. I slept in too late for the morning of the pictures and was planning to finish getting ready while Eric and his brothers got some family pictures together with their parents, but Eric told me WE were going to do our couples photos first and then the family pictures would be AFTER. I had to hustle to get ready and get to the beach so the family photos wouldn’t be too late. I grabbed two Oreos for breakfast and headed downstairs, hand in hand, with Eric. On the short walk to the beach, Eric had his dad down there waiting for us. We got to the beach, saw his dad further down the beach to our left and started waking that way. I had the tiniest thought cross my mind “Is he going to propose now?” So I put my phone in his backpack, just in case. (Because I couldn’t be holding my phone if he proposed!) I pulled Eric away from the ocean, towards the direction his dad was standing and said, “Lets go this way.” Eric pulled me back towards the water and said, “No, lets go this way.” I was wondering why he was so insistent on being by the water instead of going over by his dad, who had the camera in hand, but I followed him. He stopped to look out over the water and I started talking about how the sky looked kinda dark, how I hoped it didn’t rain right now because I had felt a rain drop. He said, “Well I better do this now then.” And handed me a small piece of paper. While I read the front of the little note, he grab the ring out of his backpack, threw the backpack off to the side so it wouldn’t be in the shot, and knelt on the ground. I turned the little note around and read “Will you marry me?” And I looked up from the paper and there he was, kneeling in front of me, ring in hand. I think he asked if I would marry him? I said yes at some point while jumping up and down and squealing with excitement. It took a minute or two of hugging and kissing and jumping around before we remembered to actually put the ring on. That is the story of our engagement—an Oreo-breakfast beach day in November in Florida.

How did your family and friends contribute to making your wedding day special?

Our friends and family were the reason we decided to have a traditional wedding instead of a destination wedding or elopement. We wanted to share our most important day with the people we love most! It was such a blessing to have them there to celebrate with us and Carley was able to capture many of them throughout the wedding; we love having pictures of our friends and family dancing with us!

How did Carley contribute to making your wedding day stress-free and enjoyable?

Carley was amazing- she helped me with my dress while walking to different photo locations, she helped position the train and flowers so they looked great in the photos and she did a fantastic job of reading the room and noting other important guests and gettin their reactions to special moments throughout the night especially during dancing and speeches. She captured every important moment without us even knowing she was right there getting all the best shots.

What was your favorite moment from your wedding day?
Sunset photos - the sun peaked out right at the end of our couples photos and the pictures were AMAZING! Picturesque and beautiful dreamy photos that perfectly capture how the wedding day will forever be remembered in our minds.

Can you share a memorable story from your wedding day?
One memorable moment I have is during our sunset couple portrait photos. It was a bit cloudy at first, Carley was giving us prompts for pictures. And I felt something warm on the right side of my body, so I turned to look and there was the sun—bright orange and red, glowing from a curtain of grey clouds. “Eric. Look at the sky.” It was a beautiful moment where the sun came out for the pictures I was looking forward to the most. That moment of the sun shining on us, looking at my husband on our wedding day—that will forever be in my mind as one of my favorite memories. The sunset pictures Carley took are some of our absolute favorites!!

How did you feel when you first saw your wedding photos?

I felt so happy and overwhelmed with excitement and tears. The pictures turned out beautifully! There were so many sweet shots of moments where we were able to stop and look at each persons different reactions, as well as seeing our own reactions to speeches, first dances, vows, etc.

How did your wedding photography experience make you feel, and what stood out to you about the process?

Our wedding photography experience was awesome. We felt understood by Carley. We never felt any hesitation to talk things out with her, or ask her questions. Her expertise really shone through at our wedding- wrangling large numbers of people for group photos, working with our strict timeline, and getting shots of friends and family throughout the night really highlighted her calm and organized approach.

Do you have any shoutouts or thank yous for family, friends, or vendors?

Elderberry Manor did a FANTASTIC job. They were the best venue—they set up the reception, ceremony, and coffee bar areas, helped with serving food, cleared plates once dinner was done, restocked the dessert table, scooped ice cream, and helped with the sparkler sendoff. They did all the work so we could just enjoy our night with friends and family! We highly recommend Elderberry Manor for anyone looking for a wedding venue. And of course, Carley, our photographer was an absolute joy to work with! She did a phenomenal job of working quickly and efficiently within our timeline to get the most beautiful photos that we can enjoy for the rest of our lives. She did a wonderful job of capturing the emotions of the day and we absolutely love our wedding album! We would highly recommend Carley to anyone looking for a wedding photographer!