Ashley and Arun’s love is something special.

There is something special about a simple wedding. I’m not sure whether it’s the lack of material distractions, the personal nature of the ceremony, or vulnerability of allowing your relationship to truly be the centerpiece of the celebration. Maybe it’s all of the above. What I do know is that Ashley and Arun felt no pull toward extravagance in order to proclaim their love. That is what I love about them, they don’t stress the little stuff, they remain focused on what really matters: each other.

A short wedding in the Hennepin County Justice Center and a small reception at their apartment in Uptown, Minnesota, provided lots of opportunity for the bride and groom to pay attention to each other and the people that love them the most. Ashley and Arun’s wedding day will forever be memorable because they took the time to make memories, and they let me capture them, in classic Minneapolis settings. The bride and groom wanted great pictures of the day, and they got them- against the Minneapolis skyline from the Stone Arch Bridge and on the gorgeous green bank of Lake Calhoun. I had so much fun photographing them in these locations with my Zeiss lens, which allowed both the couple and the beautiful scenery to be highlighted.

However, these gorgeous backgrounds didn’t stand a chance against Ashley and Arun’s love for each other, which always stole the spotlight. As Ashley recalls her favorite moment of the entire day, it becomes even more clear how genuine their love for each other is. It was right as she reached the floor of the courtroom that they were soon to be married in. She was waiting in the elevator lobby while Arun was instructed to walk towards a window at the end of the hall, understanding that he would soon see his future wife in her wedding dress for the first time. He still couldn’t see her, but she could see him, and the huge glowing grin on his face. I don’t believe that grin will be fading anytime soon, Ashley. Your wedding was authentic, beautiful, and overflowing with love- I felt lucky to be able to capture it.

Ceremony Venue – Hennepin County Family Justice Center – Minneapolis, MN
Hair and Makeup – Blowdry! Blowdry Bar – Minneapolis, MN
Caterer – Darbar Indian Restaurant – Minneapolis, MN
Dress – French Connection – Hollis, NY 

Angela is my cousin, and I really didn’t want to photograph her wedding. Not because I don’t love her. I love her so much that I would rather have attended her wedding than have worked at it. But she didn’t take no for an answer, and we made a deal—I would shoot the wedding preparation and ceremony, but put my camera away for the reception (and let my team take over) so I could celebrate with her and the rest of our family. This arrangement and the entire day ended up being perfect.

Luckily there is no shortage of gorgeous backdrops for the gorgeous couple to capture each moment of their wedding day within the bounds of Stillwater, MN. Even the condo where the bridal party got ready had best view of downtown Stillwater I had ever seen. All of the big and little moments seemed to hold equal importance and beauty.

Both the bride and groom said that their favorite memory was the first look.

I get why; it was a rollercoaster of emotions, in the best way. The two greeted each other with huge smiles, which turned into tears (mostly from Marco), and then back to smiles again. What is even sweeter about their first look is that Angela’s father and Marco almost had identical reactions to seeing her for the first time, both clearly so overwhelmed by how beautiful she was and how much they love her.

From the first look, to beautiful outdoor ceremony at the Trellis, and finally the reception at the Stone Ridge Golf Course — tears and laughter continued to persist as a common theme. Especially when Angela’s father, my uncle, stood up to give the father of the bride speech. I’m not going to lie — I was terrified for Angela.  I had no idea what he was going to say, or how he was going to embarrass her, and then he went on to give the best speech I had ever heard. He had the entire audience, including myself, laughing and crying and laughing again. It was so special to be a part of and attend your wedding day. Congratulations Angela and Marco! You can never have too much laughter or too many joyful tears.

Ceremony Venue – The Trellis – Stillwater, MN
Reception Venue – Stone Ridge Golf Club – Stillwater, MN
Hair Stylist – Creative Beaute Agency – Minnetonka, MN
Caterer – Danny’s Bar and Grill – Stillwater, MN
Cake Designer – Dorothy Ann Bakery – St. Paul, MN
Florist – Colleen’s Flower Cellar – St. Paul, MN
Dress Shop – The Wedding Shoppe – St. Paul, MN
Tuxedos –Heimies Haberdashery – St. Paul, MN
Party Bus Company – Stillwater Trolley – Stillwater, MN
DJ – Aaron’s Anytime DJ
Stationer – Paper Rock Scissor – Minneapolis, MN
Chair, Table and Tent Rental – Rustic Elegance – Woodbury, MN
Jeweler – Continental Diamond – St. Louis Park, MN
Dress Alterations – Louise Marie Weddings – St. Louis Park, MN

Jaime and Michael had a unique wedding day. However, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Jaime and Michael is not the details of their wedding, but the details of their relationship that made their love for each other so special. It was just so obvious how focused the two were on one another. The entire day all Michael could think about was Jaime. There have been few grooms who asked me, “When can I see her?” as many times as he did leading up to their first look. Making it the best and the worst moment of the day for him. The worst because he had to wait any amount of time for it to occur, and the best because when the moment finally came, the satisfaction of seeing his beautiful bride-to-be was so sweet. From that moment on, it was clear that Jaime would be the highlight of Michael’s day, and the highlight of his life.

Following the outdoor ceremony on the steps of the Gale Mansion is when their wedding day became less of a typical fairytale story and more of their personal version of happily ever after. Before the couple could have their first dance, Jaime was hit with heatstroke. Without hesitation Michael ditched the reception and joined her on the couch of the Gale Mansion. I remained at the reception to capture the guests still celebrating the marriage of the now bedridden newlyweds. Before I left, I went to speak with Jaime and Michael one more time. I knew that because they were with each other, they were still enjoying their wedding day as much as they would have had Jaime been able to dance amongst her family and friends. But I did not want the night or their photo experience to end in this way. I didn’t feel right, and they agreed with me.

A couple weeks later, the couple put their wedding attire back on and we headed to an empty ballroom at the Hilton Minneapolis in downtown. There we shot their “alternate ending,” of the couple having their first dance, just the two of them. Congratulations Jaime and Michael. Your wedding day and your love is one that I won’t soon forget.

Ceremony and Reception Venue – Gale Mansion –  Minneapolis, MN
Hair Stylist – Evolution Experience Hair Culture – Minneapolis, MN
Makeup Artist – Creative Beaute Agency – Minnetonka, MN
Florist – Floral’s by Claire – Eagen, MN
Dress Shop – Brides of France Consignment – Edina, MN
Tuxedos – Savvi Formalwear
Party Bus Company – Eclipse Global Transportation   – Minneapolis, MN
DJ – Instant Request DJ Entertainment – Bloomington, MN
Stationer – Minted
Jeweler – Wedding Day
Bridesmaids Dresses – Bill Levkoff  

Brian beaming at Allie as they share a moment together on their wedding day.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of getting to know the Stillman family quite well. I worked with Allie’s sister, Lauren, to shoot her wedding and family portraits in Hawaii in addition to shooting their mother’s wedding, also located in breathtaking Hawaii. I’m honored to have gotten so close to the Stillman family, a family that is such a joy to be around. This past August, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with the Stillman family once again to shoot Allie and Brian’s special day and create their wedding video.

Allie and Brian had an intimate ceremony at the Loring Pasta Bar followed by a large reception at the McNamara Alumni Center. While working with Allie and Brian I could just tell that they are a perfect match for one another. Both of them are extremely grounded and know exactly who they are, and that they work incredibly well together. They could hardly wait to tie the knot and start their lives together. In fact, starting a family is next on their list!

This Jewish wedding was such a blast to shoot, and McNamara was the perfect reception venue for photos. The venue is surrounded by spectacular outdoor photo opportunities that created a beautiful backdrop to capture Allie and Brian’s special love. With natural light filling the inside of the venue, I was able to capture incredible photos of the endless laughter and dancing that filled the night. One of my favorite parts of the night was when Allie and Brian went out onto the dance floor with the horse head props from the photo station we had set up. Getting up to the upper levels of the Center to shoot photos is one of my favorite things, and using a tilt shift lens I was able to get incredible photos that I have never seen done there before.

When we took the couple outside for their closing sequence of the wedding video, I captured the most amazing lightning strike in the background when they kissed, further proof that this couple’s love is electric. Mazel Tov, Allie and Brian! I can’t wait to see where your life together takes you.

Wedding Coordinator – Magical Memories
Ceremony Venue and Ceremony Caterer – Loring Pasta Bar – Minneapolis, MN
Reception Venue – MacNamara Alumni Center – Minneapolis, MN
Videographer – Brovado Weddings – Minneapolis, MN
Reception Caterer and Cake – D’Amico and Sons – Minneapolis, MN
Florist and Decorator – Richfield Flowers and Events – Richfield, MN
Dress Shop – Brides of France Consignment – Edina, MN
Dress Designer – La Sposa
Menswear – JoS. A. Bank Clothiers
Band – Bluewater Kings Band
Stationer – Forever Fiances
Jeweler – Continental Diamond
Shoes – Nike 
Music – Lake String Quartet
Accommodations – The Commons Hotel – Minneapolis, MN

 

Mary and Jake’s wedding was in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. As for most out of state weddings, I flew in the night before and photographed their rehearsal dinner. This I love because I am able to spend time with the couple and their family before the big day. I had a ton of fun getting to know their family and more about Mary and Jake. I learned that the gorgeous couple had first met at a Comic-Con convention. It all made sense once I saw their character-inspired cake toppers.

Mary and Jake have a unique and beautiful story, and their wedding was the same. They established a perfect balance between classic elegance and their own personalities, and weaved this aesthetic throughout the entire day. For example, the comic-style cake toppers amongst a room of lux crystal décor, the bright pink converse worn by all the beautiful bridesmaids, and Mary’s flower headband, which perfectly accented her flowing gown. The design and style of their wedding was so representative of who they were, I had to make sure their wedding pictures were as well. We made sure to never let it get too serious as we were taking photos at the Iowa State Capitol building. The time was filled with silliness, laughter, and honest smiles. The pictures turned out amazing.

There was one specific moment that really set Mary and Jake apart from any other couple I had shot before. At their reception, there was a net full of pink and blue balloons hanging above the hardwood dance floor. As the couple began their first dance the net was released and balloons softly floated and bounced around them. I had never seen anything like it before. The release created awesome pictures and set the tone for an exciting night full of dancing, and a little bit of balloon popping.

Mary and Jake’s wedding was a joy to attend because it was so “them.”

Ceremony venue — Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Church — Ankeny, IA
Reception venue — Embassy Suites — Des Moines, IA
Videographer — Harding Videography
Officiant — Father Steve Orr
Hair stylist — Salon W — Des Moines, IA
Makeup artist — Salon W
Cake designer — Glorious Desserts — Des Moines, IA
Decorator — Bella Flora — Urbandale, IA
Florist — Bella Flora
Dress shop — Schaffers — West Des Moines, IA
Tuxedos — Schaffers
Limo service — NPI Limo — Des Moines, IA
Music — Steve’s Mobile Music — Ames, IA
Jeweler — Jewelry by Johan (groom’s wedding ring) — Oakdale, MN
Jeweler — Jared (bride’s engagement ring)
Jeweler — Hellzburg (bride’s wedding ring)