Main Street America Lives Here

I arrived in West Bend, WI yesterday and was surprised with a heat wave that rivals New Orleans’ summers. After a mediocre experience with Dollar Car Rental I was on my way to meet a friend of the bride. I couldn’t have felt more welcomed by Nicki + Patrick when I showed up at their home in Milwaukee…I truly felt like I was back in the south…heat + hospitality. The three of us went out to dinner…tomorrow at the wedding I’ll have to pester them for the name of the restaurant because it was DELISH!!! I had the duck tacos and I must say, the black beans and fruit salsa were to die for! Anywho, dinner was accompanied with drinks…and drinks were accompanied with AMAZING conversation. It’s not often you meet people for the first time and talk as if you’ve known each other for years. That was just the atmosphere that Nicki + Patrick had painted for me. The great evening was topped off with a sweet treat and some vinyl tunes…then a bid farewell. While my arrival and dinner story is totally unrelated to the photos in this post…I had to show my gratitude to my awesome host and hostess!

With the awesome start to my trip in mind I woke up this morning determined to find three things: great coffee, a tasty meal, and beautiful locations to shoot this weekend. I found the first two in one place: Grasshopper Restaurant on Main Street. I never made it to the park…well, because I was distracted with the absolute cuteness of this part of West Bend. It was straight out of a storybook! Cute restaurants, locally owned shops, and unrecognizable business names…YES! It really wasn’t necessary to go to the park to find pretty places to shoot anyways…they were already all around me! Every trip I took out today took me to a country road with amazing green fields, tall trees, and my favorite so far…STUNNING, golden grasses (maybe wheat???). I really hope there is time to take Amy + Tait to one of these places for some Bride + Groom portraits…they will just be so perfect for her dress!!!!

A few pictures…since I am a photographer: