Ashley and Derek got engaged in a ball pit. Yes, a plasticky, colorful, kid’s ball pit. I don’t know if I’ve heard a more original proposal story, and I wish I’d been there to see it (and take pictures!) I can’t image a more fun and playful atmosphere to pop the question…. Maybe a room filled with balloons? Anyway, if that doesn’t paint the picture of how fun these two were to work with on their wedding day, I’m not sure what will.

Ashley and Derek had their wedding at the Le Meridien Chambers hotel in downtown Minneapolis. I absolutely love taking urban wedding photos downtown, because our city is so colorful. We got some great first look pictures and bridal portraits in front of this bright red brick building, the bride and groom photos are filled with blues, greys and purples from our world famous skyway system, and the wedding party took a quick limo ride over to Loring Park for some group pictures among the green trees and up on the iconic blue and yellow Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge that leads over “spaghetti junction” to the Walker Sculpture Garden.

Ashley and Derek were a blast to work with! They appreciated my approach and attempts at humor…

“Preston is a hoot! He’s so fun to work with. And he comes with his camera bags packed with mini liquor bottles to calm nerves, or in my case, warm me up from the cold!!!” -Ashley

Congratulations Ashley and Derek! Enjoy your wedding photos!

Check out Ashley & Derek’s feature on MN Bride

Wedding planner – Ashley Henry, Simply Elegant  – Minneapolis, MN
Ceremony & reception venue – Le Meridien Chambers Hotel – Minneapolis
Videographer – Jud Nichols
Officiant – Reverand Frank Nelson
Hair & makeup – Lisa Reinhardt
Caterer – Marin Restaurant – Minneapolis
Cake designer – Queen of Cakes – Edina, MN
Decorator – Simply Elegant  – Minneapolis, MN
Florist – Arts & Flowers – St. Louis Park
Dress shop –  Bridal Accents Couture – Burnsville, MN
Dress designer – Anna Maier Couture
Tuxedos – Men’s Wearhouse
Limo – Star Limousine – Eagan, MN
Music – Instant Request
Stationer – Gretchen Berry – Minneapolis, MN
Chairs/linen rentals – Linen Effects – Minneapolis, MN
Jeweler – Knox Jewelers – Minneapolis, MN

Nick’s proposal to Jennifer was the stuff of fairytales.  First she sat down with her future in-laws next to a picturesque pond at their house, where she watched a video Nick had made in secret that would only begin to express what their relationship meant to him. When the video finished, she was led into the backyard where a tent had been adorned with beautiful flowers and lanterns, and inside, there was a card. The card led her to a lake, where the walkway was lined with lanterns. The lanterns led down some stairs and along a dock. The water around the dock was filled with floating candles and lights. At the end of the dock stood Nick, and when Jennifer walked toward him, he got down on one knee and proposed.

Pretty romantic, no? Well the best part was that Nick had also secretly invited Jennifer’s twin sister from New York, and after the newly engaged couple had a few moments to themselves, the whole family came down to the dock to celebrate with them!

I had a blast photographing Nick and Jennifer’s Stillwater wedding.  As you can tell from the story, Nick is quite detail-oriented, and that always makes for some great wedding pictures! The yellow/grey wedding colors added a beautiful splash of color to the overcast day, and the ANTIBOOTH horse mask props were a hit at the wedding dance.  My favorite part of the day, however, had to be the precious moment where the little ring-bearer’s sign fell apart as he ran down the aisle, and I captured the frame-by-frame of his epic fall when he slipped on the pieces that landed right under his feet! Don’t worry, no children were harmed in the making of these wedding pictures…. It was pretty funny, though. 🙂

Ceremony venue – Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church – Maplewood, MN
Reception venue – StoneRigde Golf Club – Stillwater, MN
Hair stylist – Spalon Montage – Woodbury, MN
Makeup artist – BB Makeup – Hudson, WI
Caterer – Danny’s at StoneRidge Golf Club
Florist – Colleen’s Flower Cellar
Wedding gown – Our Shop – Stillwater, MN
Bridesmaids’ dresses – The Wedding Shoppe
Tuxedos – Savvi Formal Wear
Party bus – Premier Transportation
Music – Buuth Entertainment
Jeweler – Gloria’s Jewelry – St. Paul, MN
Late night pizza – Randy’s Premier Pizza – Oakdale, MN

This is officially one of my favorite weddings.  Rachel and Andy are, like, the coolest people ever – they’re stylish, talented, and super fun to be around.  You’re going to love their tasteful and awesome nautical themed wedding decorations, how much fun they so obviously have together, and their little surprise at the end of this post….  Professional wedding photography is absolutely essential for capturing these great moments!

After a steamy bubble bath proposal that they almost couldn’t tell their grandparents about (but did anyway, because like I said, they’re awesome), Rachael and Andy planned to have their wedding at the Lakeside Ballroom in Glenwood, MN.  This wedding venue provided the perfect lighting for MN wedding photography because of its vast open floor plan, huge windows, and beautiful bare rafters throughout the entire space.  Kim of Laurie’s Design provided elegant fabric draping, candles, lighting, and a beautiful chandelier to complete the look.

After the wedding ceremony, Rachael, Andy and their wedding party took a Lady Lakeside Cruise around Lake Minnewaska, courtesy of the Lakeside Ballroom.  Afterwards, Andy surprised his lovely bride by belting out a couple love songs for her at their wedding reception – So Into you by Althanta Rythm Section and What I Like About You by The Romantics – and he was really, really good!  This was easily Rachael’s favorite part of the wedding day…. aside from the little surprise the couple had in store for their friends and family at the end of the night….

Scroll to the bottom to find out the special surprise Rachael and Andy revealed during their wedding reception!!!  Let’s just say they started sharing it by singing “Rachael and Andy sitting in a tree…..”

Wedding planner – Jill Solmonson from Lakeside – Glenwood, MN
Ceremony and Reception venue – Lakeside – Glenwood, MN
Officiant –  Jul Fueling from Celebrations by Jul
Hair stylists – Wendi Gossen and Megan Trautmiller from The Loft Salon – St. Cloud, MN
Makeup – Lynn Gehrke
Caterer – Lakeside – Glenwood, MN
Cake designer – Cold Spring Bakery – Cold Spring, MN
Decorator – Kim from Laurie’s Design
Florist – BlueLilyBridal
Dress – Christina WU gown from Mestads’s Bridal & Formalwear – St. Cloud, MN
Tuxedos – Mestads Bridal & Formalwear – St. Cloud
Party Boat Cruise – Lady Lakeside
Music – Slip Twister
Stationer – Rengel Printing
Sign rentals, Card box, Etc. – Geyer Rental
Jeweler – Scheper’s Jewelers
Special Homebrew Beer – Matt Studer & Colin Klagman

Emily and Joseph met a world away, in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where they both work.  During a romantic vacation in Rome, Joseph bought a beautiful engagement ring from Tiffany&Co (wow!), and proposed to Emily once they were back in Qatar.  The couple planned a small and sweet family wedding on Emily’s uncle’s farm in Pipestone, MN and hired Brovado Weddings to do their wedding photography.  Emily did all the planning – she is an event planner by trade, and it shows!  There were so many gorgeous details incorporated into this wedding day, from the elegant table settings, to bountiful flower arrangements, to Emily’s breathtaking succulent bridal bouquet.  At the end of the night, the whole family lit and released giant floating lanterns.  I had so much fun photographing this beautiful country wedding!

Wedding planner – Emily Kurtin
Ceremony & Reception venue – Fountain Prairie Farm in Pipestone, MN
Officiant – Dr. David Plevak
Hair stylist – Megan Entriger from B.Beautiful Salon – Brookings, SD
Makeup artist – Jodi Hunter from Bombshell Beauty – Sioux Falls, SD
Catering, chairs and tables – Chef Jeni and Company – Sioux Falls, SD
Cake designer – Taylor’d Cakes – Lake Wilson, MN
Florist – Jacki Johnston from Ohhvnlyday
Wedding gown – House of Brides – Chicago, IL
Music – Bruce Hope
Stationer – Bella Figura
Wedding rings – Tiffany&Co

I’ve known Brittney’s family for years.  Her sister Christal’s wedding was one of the first I ever photographed professionally.  These girls have been like family to me, and I am truly honored to have been such a big part of each of their wedding days as their wedding photographer.

For Brittney and John, it was love at first sight. When Brittney’s family brought John to meet her, Brittney remembers laying eyes on him and immediately looking at the floor.  Later, she admitted that it was because she found him incredibly handsome, and she realized she wasn’t wearing any makeup!  It didn’t matter to John, because makeup or not, he was smitten at first glance as well.  Two years later, the couple held their wedding ceremony and reception at the Semple Mansion in Minneapolis, and it was a grand family affair.  Brittney had always loved the elegance of the historic site, and chose white, gold and silver wedding themes to match the venue.  Her favorite part of the day was the intimacy of John’s “first look” at her wearing her wedding gown.  They chose to do it on the main stairway of the mansion, and when John saw her, he couldn’t help but shed some tears as he took her into his arms.  The ceremony and reception flowed smoothly, at least after the part where someone forgot to get Brittney from the bridal suite when it was her turn to walk down the aisle!  But it’s the little things like that that lend some comic relief to a wedding day, and Brittney and John could not have asked for a better one.

For some fun at the reception, Brittney and John booked our ANTIBOOTH photo station!  Scroll to the bottom to see guests having fun with props for these souvenir pictures.  Each guest gets to take home 4×6″ archive quality prints from the wedding.  The Antibooth is always a hit!

Check out Brittney and John’s feature on MN Bride

Ceremony and Reception venue – Semple Mansion
Videographer – Brovado Weddings
Officiant – Pastor Londa Lundstrom Ramsey
Hair & Makeup – MN Bridal Hair & Makeup Artistry
Caterer – Common Roots
Cake designer – Edelweiss Bakery
Florist – Sadie’s Couture Floral & Event Styling
Dress shop – Wedding Shoppe
Bridesmaids dresses – Effie’s Bridal Trunk
Grooms custom made tuxedo – Hammer Made
Groomsmen’s tuxedos – Men’s Wearhouse
Limo – MIK Limo
Music –Bellagala DJs & Event Lighting
Linen rentals – Linen Effects
Jeweler – Wixon Jewelers