A Dousman House Wedding // Mr. and Mrs. Kostek!

Brian and Laura are clients of mine who live and work in China, therefore, much of our relationship was built via e-mail and skype until a week before their wedding, when we finally got the opportunity to meet one another for their engagement session. I had already known from the first phone call with Laura that I just adored these two, but getting to know them in person was truly such a pleasure. Their wedding took place in Laura's hometown of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, which is a tiny, historic, town along the river. Since this was technically a destination wedding for us, we traveled down the night before, which allowed us the chance to get to know their friends and family more as well. By the end of the weekend, I felt like we had made some really great friendships - especially with Laura and Brian. During their engagement session, I asked each of them what it was that they loved so much about one another. Laura's answer was pretty awesome. She said, "Brian is so great, because he allows our relationship to be really multifaceted.  He can be with me at a big professional work event and in the same day sit on the couch with me to watch a movie. I appreciate him just being able to be with me, no matter what the day holds." I personally think that these are great words to live by in any relationship, but after being with this couple the entire weekend, Laura was absolutely right. These two support and love each other - and also don't hesitate to have a ton of joking and fun in the meantime!

One of the funnest parts of the wedding was the venue, which took place at the Historic Dousman House. A fun fact about Laura is that during high school, she use to be a tour guide on one of the other historic properties called the Villa Louis. Normally, photographers are not allowed in the house to take photos at all, but we were allowed access to capture a few stunning moments of the couple in this gorgeous space.

Congratulations to Laura and Brian on a fantastic celebration!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Jaeger!

Jodi and Brandon are awesome. This couple met at a wedding, when Brandon simply offered Jodi his jacket on a cool night. He likes to say, "And that was that, we have been together ever since." The thing I love most about Brandon and Jodi is just how connected they are. Their wedding day was incredibly emotional - and in the best way possible. Tears of joy were flowing from the couple, their friends and family - and Brandon couldn't have been more proud to call Jodi his wife. They literally had THE PERFECT day, in terms of weather, which was inspiring in itself. Everything on their day went off without a hitch and I simply couldn't be happier for these two! A special than you goes out to Sarah Trotter at Lasting Impressions Weddings for their day-of work and to Molly's Flower Studio for the gorgeous florals - and last, but not least, to Cakewalk for the (totally awesome) cakes that night!

Congratulations to Jodi and Brandon on getting married! Cheers to you two and many more to come!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Stolp!

Jordan and Steph are a couple who are incredibly thoughtful. Not only to each other, but also to their family and friends. On their wedding day, the two kept sending one another little cards and gifts, but they also had a very special surprise for one of their friends. Cassie, who was a Matron of Honor and Billy, who was an usher, are about the have their first child - a little girl in which they have named Willow. In an routine doctors appointment a few months ago, Cassie and Billy learned that baby Willow had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome...or basically an underdeveloped left half of her heart. Steph and Jordan have always been incredibly close to their nieces and nephews and so this news inspired them to especially incorporate baby Willow into their day. On both the bride and her matron-of-honor's bouquet, there was a charm of a Willow tree. It was a simple gesture, but one that was incredibly thoughtful to their friends, especially on such a big day. It was meant to celebrate the life to come, which when is there a better time to celebrate new beginnings, other than a wedding? Steph and Jordan's wedding took place in my hometown of Owatonna and we had an absolutely blast with this bunch! There were lots of touching moments throughout the day, and here are just a few!  

Congratulations to Jordan and Steph on their gorgeous wedding! We are SO happy to have been a part of, yet again, another family event!  To make a donation to Baby Willow's journey, visit the Caring Bridge site here!

LOVEe

Lynn and Pete // The American Wedding // Part 2

The second half of Lynn and Pete's wedding day was a smashing success. Their traditional Vietnamese wedding was followed up by a Catholic ceremony and a full-on American wedding. For the reception, they invited their guests to Windows on Minnesota to enjoy the spectacular views of Minneapolis. This part of the day was so much fun, because once all of the ceremonial obligations were fulfilled, it was time to party. I particularly enjoyed a moment, while riding in the limo, belting out music that might constitute as guilty pleasures for most of us! (You know, the Backstreet Boys, maybe a little N'SYNC, mixed with some Micheal Jackson...). Lynn and Pete's wedding just happen to fall on the night of the Aquatennial in Minneapolis, so there was a fireworks display, which I like to think was especially for them!

Lynn and Pete // A Vietnamese Wedding // Part 1

I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again - I love weddings that embrace cultural traditions from around the world. A wedding is a tradition in itself, but when we experience these ceremonies, and how they are carried out differently around the world, there is so much more richness and history that is incorporated in these events! For Lynn and Pete, this meant embracing their family's traditions and having Vietnamese wedding! These are very family oriented ceremonies, which usually take place in the family homes. There is a processional where the groom, his family and friends bear gifts to give to the bride's family. These gifts signify the wealth that the groom's family will bring to the bride's family. As a big group of close family and friends gather in the home, the incense is lit, the gifts are exchange and the bride makes her first appearance to her groom! Lynn chose a gorgeous Ao Dai to wear for her traditional bridal gown and I thought she looked absolutely stunning! During the ceremony, the families are introduced, prayers are read and best-wishes are given by the guests. It's a very celebratory wedding that seems both elaborate and simple, all at the same time. Either way, it is a rich ceremony that was SO cool for us to document. For this wedding, I decided to separate the images into two posts. So, here are the photographs that I loved from part one of Lynn and Peter's wedding - the Vietnamese ceremony! Congratulations to Lynn and Pete on a gorgeous ceremony! Part 2, featuring their American wedding will be up next!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Siering!

Molly and Patrick had an absolutely fantastic day. As I am photographing a wedding, I always try to wrap my head around that couple's story and find some common theme throughout. For Molly and Patrick, I felt that the theme of their day was all about embracing the elements of surprise. When this couple first booked me for their wedding photography, everything was scheduled to be different. A different day, and different venue and an entirely different time-of-the-year. Life had other things in mind and a few months ago, Molly and Patrick found out they were expecting! With all of the excitement building for the wedding, the couple decided to switch it up and they changed course. A new date was set, the new venue was booked and everyone in their wedding came together to embrace the new direction of the day! Their wedding took place at Aria in Minneapolis and many more surprises happened throughout their day. Molly and her Father danced one of the best first dances I have ever seen. It was SO SO SO fun to watch their energy on the dance floor, especially after her father had just noted in his speech that dancing with his daughter in the kitchen was one of his favorite memories. At the end of the night, the wedding party - and all of the guests - surprised Molly and Patrick with a performance of The Lumineer's Ho Hey song that stole the night! In putting together this blog post, I realized a couple of things. First, Molly and Patrick are a wildly gorgeous couple. Secondly, their wedding is incredibly publish-worthy, so I'm going to keep some of it under-wraps until we submit it. Joan from Ambiente Wedding & Event Planning, along with the team at Arts & Flowers Design Studio transformed the space into an enchanting scene.  But most importantly, there were such great moments that in the images even surprised myself when I go back and look at everything! It is some of these special moments that I chose for this post. It was an absolutely romantic wedding that stole my heart and I hope it does you, too!

Congratulations to Molly and Patrick on your absolutely STUNNING wedding! We are so happy to have been a part of your day and are even more excited for all of the happy moments for your future!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. McDonald!

Every bride plans her wedding day to be absolutely perfect. This past weekend, Minnesota was hit by a series of storms that took out most of the power in the metro area. On the morning of Ashley and Matt's wedding, they woke up to discover that the salon, their church and their reception venue were all without power. To make matters even trickier, most of the cell towers were down, along with the internet, in most places. For us, as we were traveling to the couple to begin the day, the always quaint and gorgeous city of Wayzata was almost like a ghost town. Everything was shut down and closed, trees were down and as we were driving, we magically received a voicemail, letting us know a new location that had power! It turns out that good ole atlas maps still hold value and we found our way to the wedding! Once we arrived, I was so happy to see Ashley totally chill, getting her hair done and sipping a mimosa...perfect! She said it best herself, "You know, I planned for almost 2 years for this day. I had a plan for rain, for snow and just about every other situation...except for a power outage! Earlier this morning, I was driving with my sister and I thought, 'I could be a bridezilla. I could start freaking out. I could get upset, but there is no point. Power or no power, I'm getting married today and I am SO excited!"  I have always loved Ashley and Matt since the moment I met them - and their families, too! Despite the crazy weather, the day everyone managed with with style and grace and at the end of the day, everything went exactly as planned. The power came on to the church, then the venue and one-by-one, everything started to fall back into place! The incredible team at Mimi Design made the Wayzata Country Club look absolutely gorgeous - and at the end of the day, Ashley and Matt ended up happily married!

Congratulations to Ashley and Matt! We had such an adventure with you all and I'm so happy to have been a part of it!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Williams!

Kaylan and Matt had a fantastic wedding. The vibe was totally chill, the crowd was incredibly fun and the location of their wedding day provided the perfect amount of surprise for their guests! The couple chose the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis to have their wedding and what I personally love about this space is the great architecture and pockets of light that add a little  drama to the photos. Their ceremony took place on the Endless Bridge, which overlooks one of the best skylines that the city as to offer! It was perfectly overcast on this day, so the light was incredibly even and created a beautiful backdrop to be married. All of the guests then moved to the Dowling Studio, which is also known as the 'yellow room'. The light is unique in that space and continued to give gorgeous views of the city.  Just when their guests thought the night couldn't get any better, a secret wall raised up and Kaylan and Matt gave a dramatic entrance to their reception room, which was in a small theater, all decked out in chandeliers. It was dramatic, romantic and the perfect space to throw their party.

Congratulations to Kaylan and Matt! You really did have the BEST day!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Bonfante!

When I sit down to write blog posts about our clients, I try to reflect upon the day and tell a cool little story about the couple, their details and amazing vendors they have booked. However, when it comes to Kate and Juan, I feel like I need to tell the story from the perspective of our team. My assistants this past week were two dudes on our team, Jackson and Ryan. Ryan's been with our crew for 4-5 seasons and Jackson is a newbie (and an awesome one at that.) For the wedding, Juan, our groom, made a special request for us to shoot film images, specifically with a Hasselblad camera. Personally, for me creatively, this was amazing. It's rare that wedding couples make specific requests like this, so it's fun to have the opportunity to seriously shoot film again. Looking through the Hasselblad camera is an entirely different experience, then our fancy digital cameras. The colors look different, the depth of field is different and it just takes me back to why I am a photographer. It was refreshing for me to use that camera throughout the day and it was exciting for Ryan and Jackson to get a feel for it as well! Using film as a medium is just a yummy experience that gets me SO jazzed about creating photographs - and it's also a completely different process than digital. It made me slow down a bit and take it all in. (Though, according to Jackson, I was just 'blowing through the film', which is also kind of true...maybe I was too excited!) Throughout the day, there were various moments that really touched us all and after the wedding, Ryan said to me, "You know, I feel like I was really emotionally invested in today. Like, more than usual." It's true. Kate and Juan have a love that is SO genuine, so pure, so transparent and yet has so much depth to it. They exude a passion with each other, but also a love that extends to their family and friends. I guess I can't really put words to what we felt when we wrapped our shoot, but all of us felt like we had truly been blessed to witness a marriage as strong as Kate and Juan's.

The day was perfect, in it's own way. It was a windy, blustery, chilly day here in Minnesota, but it didn't rain and they light was gorgeous. Since we have had all of this rain here this Spring, the Cherry Blossom trees were in full bloom, along with Kate's favorite flowers, which are Lilacs. Their ceremony took place at the Lake Harriet Band Shell and the reception was at the Walker Art Center. One of my favorite things about their reception was the potted herbs that they used for their centerpieces - what a cool idea for a spring wedding?

                                          

Congratulations to Kate and Juan on their amazing day. Thank you so much for inspiring us! You better believe that the moment we get the film back from the lab, I'll be blogging about that, too!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Friendshuh!

When I first met Ashley and Eddie, the first thing that came to mind was,"Hell, yes." I had been waiting and waaaaaiting for a bad-ass bride. You know, the tattoos, the piercings, the whole bit. Ashley fit the bill perfectly for one of my 'dream' brides, but over the time that I was able to really get to know Ashley, she really blew me away with her real, flawless beauty. She's a girl who will never admit it. She'll say, "I'm a mom to three kids all day, I don't wear makeup!" The truth is, she doesn't need it and I know Eddie, her groom, would agree.  The bad-ass vibe aside, both Ashley and Eddie are two of the sweetest people I have ever met.  The couple has three gorgeous children who also celebrated the occasion and it was clear that they were just as excited for the party as the adults.  Ashley and Eddie had an incredibly special day. The weather (as it has been this entire spring) had been flirting with a thunderstorm all day and just a couple hours before the ceremony did the rain let up. The sun was shining bright during the ceremony and the casual-country reception at Minnetonka Orchards ended up being one of the most beautiful nights of the year thus far. There were lawn games, live music, bonfires, home made desserts from The Country Cake Cupboard, and more. The ladies of MiMi Design put together a gorgeous event for all of the guests (and kids!) to enjoy!

Congratulations to Ashley and Eddie! You absolutely know how to throw a party!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Halland!

Abby and Eric are two people who come from incredible families with strong foundations. On their wedding day, it was simply these family and friends that meant the most to the couple. Abby and Eric  are both the youngest in their families and their wedding party consisted solely of their siblings. Even though both sides have a big age-gap, it was also clear that the siblings had grown closer and closer, the more they grew up and all of the brothers and sisters couldn't have been more thrilled with Abby and Eric getting married. This couple is also one of the sweetest I have ever met. Before their wedding, I was trying to describe Abby and Eric to my assistants for the day, and tell them a bit of their story, and the best words I could find was, "They are honestly just so sweet." Their wedding ceremony took place at the Lakewood Cemetery Chapel, which is one of my personal favorites, because the space is small, intimate and absolutely stunning. The weather on their wedding day was a different story. It was sunny, and windy, then maybe a little cloudy and it even hailed a little bit. Yet, despite all, it turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day.

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Halland! Thank you so much for inviting us to document this day!

LOVEe

Minneapolis Institute of Arts Wedding // Mr. and Mrs. Cadogan!

Allison and Brett have been amazing clients and so much fun to get to know while planning their wedding. I first met Allison when she was a bridesmaid in another wedding I photographed a few years ago and I loved this girl instantly. When her and Brett became engaged, we got together and I found out that we had way more in common than I ever imagined. We all share the same favorite restaurant, the 112 Eatery, we all love our dogs to an enormous degree and last, but not least, we all love to go to happy hour. It turns out that I run into Allison and Brett all over town - and they are just simply 'my people'. It was an honor to be asked to photograph their wedding, years after I initially met Allison, and I am SO happy I was able to do so. It also turns out that this couple has impeccable taste when it came to their wedding. Allison wore a gorgeous Vera Wang dress from L'atelier Couture and their wedding marked the first official wedding event at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Style Architects brought Allison's vision to life and put together a beautiful reception, while Just Bloomed made our jaws drop with the all-white floral theme. Nan Fletcher, one of our favorite makeup artists to work with, made all of the women look so beautiful and the entire day was just a lovely work of art! Oh - and Allison and Brett brought the party and secured local musicians, Roster Mccabe. This band has made its rounds on the local music scene, but rarely will you see them play at weddings. It was SO refreshing and fun...and the dance floor was hoppin'.

Congratulations to Allison and Brett on their absolutely stunning wedding! And this isn't the last we will see of these two...their wedding also marked the first official wedding where Chris can show off his mad-video-skills...stay tuned!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Vaillancourt // Married in Mexico!

I love destination weddings, I mean it - I really, really love them. Every guest at a destination wedding is experiencing a new place, a new space and best of all - they are on vacation. I find that the vibe amongst the couple, their families and their wedding party are more relaxed when everyone is entirely out of their element. For Allison and Beecher, coming to a place where they could get away, relax and be with family and friends was incredibly important to them. They are a bit of a high-profile couple here in Minneapolis, with Allison running Ignite Models Inc. and Beecher going between managing Epic Entertainment and his new event production company, V2 NightLife. These two are incredibly passionate about their work, but wanted to escape for this special occasion. Personally, I've had the pleasure of working with Allison thru her agency over the years, and it was so nice to really get to know the other side of her world. Allison and Beecher have an adorable little girl and another little one on the way. They are amazing parents who have an incredible family behind them and everyone in the room could feel this love at their wedding! It was a pretty impressive turnout - almost 80 guests flew in to witness the wedding and some even came all the way from Iran! Carrie from Pineapple Travel did an amazing job with booking the travel and made everyone feel taken care of. The destination was Los Cabos, Mexico and all of the guests stayed at the Barcelo Los Cabos Palace hotel. The wedding, however, took place at the prestigious Cabo del Sol golf course. The weather was 95 degrees and perfectly sunny for the big day. This wedding meant a lot to me for many reasons, but especially because Allison and Beecher are incredibly connected - and especially with photographers - in the Minneapolis area. They could have literally asked anyone to photograph their wedding, so it was a true honor to be chosen to capture this day. I was also able to fly down my great friend Daniel Chin of Traverse Photography to shoot with me and it was SO much fun to work with him! So, without further adieu, lets officially kick off the 2013 wedding season with a giant blog post...

Congratulations to Allison, Beecher and your new little family! It was such a great weekend, thank you so much for inviting us to document this time in your lives!

LOVEe

Hannah & Matt // A Spontaneous Wedding!

On Friday morning, when I woke up, I had no idea who Hannah and Matt were, nor that I would be taking their wedding photos that day. These spontaneous moments are what I live for and I am SO happy that I was available at the last minute! Hannah and Matt have an incredible story. This past September, they both found their way to Chino Latino on night. Little did they know that their lives would change that night. It was literally love-at-first-sight and just a few short months later, Matt proposed! The couple chose to stick to their 'non-traditional' ways and planned a mini-elopement this past Friday. I asked each of them what they loved so much about the other and Hannah had the perfect, simple answer, " I love the way he loves me." It was SO refreshing to photograph this couple and their non-traditional love. The thing is whether you plan out every last detail for years or whether you wing it, a wedding is a wedding and love is love. That message is the same, no matter how you go about it! We spent an hour together, right before Hannah and Matt went to the courthouse, along with their immediate families, to officially become husband and wife. I couldn't be happier to have been a part of their magical day. It was simple, genuine, authentic and embraced absolutely all the love a wedding day is made of!

Congratulations to Hannah and Matt! I wish you nothing but a life filled with happiness!

Mr. and Mrs. Tosseng!

Krystle and Aaron currently live in nice, warm and sunny Texas. So, when it came to planning their wedding, they loved the idea of coming back home to the Indiana / Chicago area for a winter wedding! The morning of their wedding began with the perfect, light and fluffy snow falling, which was the perfect start to their day! It was almost like a snow globe as we arrived at the church, where Aaron had waited to see his bride until she walked down the aisle! I absolutely loooooove the church these two got married in! There's something about an old, traditional church - and especially in the winter - that is just so romantic. With poinsettias and twinkle lights setting the scene, they tied the knot in front of their closest family and friends! When it came to the portrait session of their day, we took the wedding party to one of Krystle and Aaron's favorite locations - right along the shoreline of Lake Michigan! I must say, everyone in this wedding party were troopers, because the air was SO frigid and cold, and they were brave enough to see it thru to make the couple's day! For us, this marked the last wedding for the 2012 season and it's been one fantastic year of weddings! We now have a break until late April when things start up again for 2013. The night ended with lots of celebration - cheers to marriage, a new year and new adventures!

Congratulations to Aaron and Krystle on their wedding day! We are SO happy for you and all the adventures ahead!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Herskowitz!

Mike and Melissa are a gorgeous couple. The two live in San Diego and totally have that easy-breezy-California-free look about them. However, when it came to their wedding, they chose to come back to Melissa's home state of Minnesota for an intimate winter wedding! They experienced a true winter day here in Minneapolis, complete with chilly temperatures, a little fog and even a little snow; but despite the dreary looking weather, spirits were high and it really was the perfect day! One of my favorite 'themes' of the day was how much family history they incorporated. For starters, there were family heirlooms everywhere. Melissa's bouquet was filled with broaches from past family members, there were old photographs and even old love letters that her grandparents had written to one another back in the day. Old jewels were worn and Melissa even wore a veil that was passed down from two of her best friends. What I love about this the most is that there was a true presence of SO much love, over time, at their wedding. The idea that love is absolutely timeless, as well as very solid, was a message that was heard loud and clear! Melissa and Mike chose some of Minneapolis's top vendors to bring their romantic visions to life! The Bliss Life was on top of the planning and Carra of La Petite Fleur did a jaw-dropping-job with the florals for the day. (That amazing bouquet took 5 hours and 2 people to assemble!) Linen Effects helped beautify the tables, and The Depot was the perfect venue for such a classic themed wedding. Melissa and Mike were absolutely stunning in their attire and they danced the night away to music by Generation Now DJ's. The fellas over at Copper Clover Films also joined us for their day and we can't wait to see the footage!

Congratulations to Melissa and Mike on your absolutely gorgeous wedding day! We are so happy for you two and this new adventure you are embarking on! You are truly perfect for one another!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Oien!

12/12/12 is a day that Tamara and Russell will never forget and either will I! As a wedding photographer, each and every wedding is very different and special in it's own way. This is the second wedding I've had the pleasure of documenting for the Carlyon family and I found it very refreshing for a few reasons. First, Tamara and Russell spent their money on only things that were a priority to them, such as their flowers (who the mother-of-the-bride did a lovely job arranging the bouquets!), food, and photography. Secondly, they kept the entire day very intimate by only inviting their immediate family to the wedding. And lastly, they totally and completely enjoyed themselves. Tamara and Russell's day was simple, thoughtfully put together and a true reflection of what matters most to them.

If you remember a few weeks back, I traveled with Tamara and her friends to San Francisco to document their bachelorette party. I REALLY love this idea and I think it might be an up-and-coming trend for brides. For Tamara, she had the best of both worlds. A bridal party photo session with her favorite women in her life, along with the small and intimate wedding day. Both were planned to a T, but her and Russell also left enough room to totally go-with-the-flow.

On the wedding day, Russell came and picked up his bride at the salon she was getting ready at. A couple of her friends took some time off of work to be with her during the 'getting ready' part of the day and had lots of laughs together! Before the ceremony, we decided to pop over to Tilia for a quick drink, and about 5 minutes before the ceremony was to begin, we decided to mozy on to the location, which was a little gazebo by Lake Harriett, right in the heart of Minneapolis. Their ceremony was short, sweet and full of love! For the reception, the couple rented out the 110 North Loop Loft and all of the food was catered in by Gastrotruck Catering, which, I must say, was to die for! The venue was set with all of the little DIY details that Tamara, Russell and their families had crafted together and it was simply a gorgeous and perfect venue for this intimate winter wedding!

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Congratulations to Tamara and Russell on their marriage! Thank you SO SO SO much for inviting me along this entire journey with you to document this time in your life. I've loved every second of it!

LOVEe

Destination Bachelorette Party // San Francisco!

When Tamara and Russell first booked me for their wedding photography, their plan was to have a destination wedding in the Caribbean. However, as the planning went on, they realized that a big wedding was simply just not them. So, they scrapped their plan and are now having a very intimate winter wedding here in Minnesota! First, I have to say that I absolutely love that this couple switched gears and are really having a wedding that they feels suits them, instead of what 'they think they should do.' It's very refreshing! However, when all is said and done, it was still incredibly important to include some of her favorite ladies in the wedding festivities! What Tamara decided to do is, in my opinion, going to be a big trend amongst brides. She invited me along to her bachelorette party, had her ladies bring their bridesmaid dresses and had a photo shoot in one of the coolest cities in the country - San Francisco! Our shoot was the perfect activity to do on this trip and it was also super fun for the girls to get all dressed up, have a session and a night-on-the-town afterwards! The next day, we continued the party and headed to Sonoma's Wine Country to tour and taste various vineyards along the way! What I love about this is many things. It was purposeful and a great excuse to simply take photos. It was definitely more casual, since it wasn't the actual wedding day and everyone was able to experience an amazing trip together - and have it documented as well! It was also great for Tamara, because she is incredibly close with all of these women. Some of them are sisters, others are friends from high school and college - and she even surprised her mother with a ticket out to join them! Overall, the weekend was an adventure and a true celebration among these women to 'send off' their friend to be married!

Congratulations to Tamara on being such a trendsetter and doing exactly what makes you happy! I am SO excited for your wedding day!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Smith!

Angela and Phil were not just getting married, they were officially embarking on a new chapter in their lives and joining together their families! During their ceremony, they brought up all of their children and included them to be just as much of a part in their marriage than the couple themselves. It was a very touching moment and one that I'm sure all of the kids will remember for their lifetime! Angela and Phil's wedding was a celebration of life, happiness and family. We had so much fun with them and our team of vendors on this day! Sarah Trotter of Lasting Impressions Weddings and Events, along with Sadie's Floral brought together a 'blingin'' space, which is absolutely Angela's style! Everything was bedazzled and sparkled! The event took place at WINDOWS on Minnesota and the lights of the city were simply gorgeous that night!

Congratulations to Angela, Phil and their new family on getting married! We were so happy to be a part of it!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Siedband // Part 2

I began Part 1 of Jacey and Aaron's blog feature by saying that there were two beautiful elements to this wedding; the honest moments and gorgeous details. Today's post is all about the absolutely stunning details. Jacey and Aaron made a good move in the beginning of planning their wedding. They hired the best. In fact, during the dance, I asked the father-of-the-bride how the day had been for him and he said, " This has been absolutely spectacular. We hired the best and this is just stunning." Stunning, indeed. First off, Jacey chose a stunning Vera Wang dress from L'atelier Couture Bridal. It's one of those dresses that was a show-stopper and I personally love the fact that is a blush color! Yes, her dress made a statement, but it also tied in perfectly to the color scheme and theme of their wedding. Jacey wanted things romantic. Very, very romantic. Aaron is a musician and cared greatly about the music and overall guest experience. To make all of this happen, they worked with the lovely ladies over at Amy Zaroff Events + Design, who brought together some absolutely amazing details. Zaroff and her crew hired the best vendors to pull Jacey and Aaron's event together! Richfield Flowers and Events transformed The Depot with their gorgeous arrangements, BeEvents brought in some amazing chandeliers, and Linen Effects collaborated with Wild Flower Linens to create some stunning cashmere table runners and custom chair covers! The talented artists at Gateaux created a gorgeous cake and Cocoa & Fig rocked another dessert bar, complete with little Minnesota's & Illinois on-a-stick! (Jacey and Aaron reside in Chicago.)  Last, but not least, there was the band. Jacey and Aaron literally hired the best wedding band in the country, Starlight Orchestras. Valerie, the leader of the band, and her crew absolutely brought the house down with a night filled with amazing tunes!

One thing I absolutely loved about this reception was that it was a progressive dinner through out the entire night. The guests didn't just sit down for a couple of hours for dinner, but rather between courses, the Starlight Orchestra kept the party going with dancing and music in between! I loved this pace of a reception, because there was something always going on. The entertainment was endless.

I always commend clients who hire a team to produce their weddings. First, they are trusting the best-of-the-best to bring their day to life and when you give us artists that freedom, it works wonders! I also love this sense of collaboration among vendors, because we're all doing exactly what we do best and when all of that comes together, you are left with the most magical experience! Because they were in such great hands, Jacey and Aaron were able to entirely relax and enjoy their day together - and they, themselves, were able to have one incredible experience from start to finish! From the moment their guests walked into their intimate and romantic ceremony, to the moment they arrived at the reception to be greeted by a gorgeous tree-of-art, and all the way up until the last dance song of the night, the bride, groom and guests at this wedding were experiencing a whole other world. It was a world of love, luxury and life. It was one beautiful night!

Congratulations, once again, to Jacey and Aaron on their fabulous wedding! And a double-thank-you to all of our amazing vendors who worked so hard to give us such beautiful things to photograph all day!

LOVEe