Wedding Photography

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson!!

Magoo. Magoo is Kristi and Eric's gorgeous dog and he came in his best bow-tie to see the couple tie the knot! I'm a serious dog lover and a sucker for people's pets to be a part of their wedding! The big event took place at the Mill City Museum and I think their ceremony lasted mayyyyyybe 7 minutes? That's totally how this couple rolls...short, sweet and having a lot of fun along the way!! I was super impressed with their mode-of-transportation for their guests...they rented Pedicabs!! Venue: Mill City Museum Hotel: A Loft Hotel Transportation: Peterson's Pedicabs Florist: Sadie's Floral Design Photo Booth: The Traveling Photo Booth

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs.!!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. York: Married in ASPEN!!

Sheri and David are an amazing couple from Chicago! When Sheri called me on the phone months ago, the first thing she said was," Well, My wedding is going to be in Aspen..." Enough said. Sign me up. I fell in love with her over the phone and when I traveled to Chicago for their engagement session, I really fell hard! Sheri and David are one of those couples who are absolutely, hands down, perfect for each other and I have been looking forward to their wedding all year! When I began my journey to Aspen, I had a layover in the Denver airport and I seem to have a curse with that place! Every time I fly through there, something happens. Flights are canceled, I get stranded or you know, the world ends! On my flight to Aspen, we had to turn around due to high winds and I ended up driving with 4 other comrades on their way to the wedding! I had SO much fun on that car ride and one of my favorite parts of the entire weekend was hearing how much Sheri and David's friend's family loved them as a couple. Literally everyone in that room, adored this couple and you couldn't help but feel the love on that mountain!

Congratulations to Sheri and David on their gorgeous wedding! Thank you SO much for getting married in Aspen, so I could shoot on top of a mountain! It pretty much was the best location ever! Thank you to all of the amazing people who are now great friends and a SPECIAL thank-you to Ajit Singh, who assisted me at this wedding and saved my life when I was late! ;0)

LOVEe

Daniel and Venina: Strike a Pose!

This past weekend was a special treat! We didn't photograph a wedding, we photographed a reception! Daniel and Venina are both from Indonesia and had their traditional wedding a couple of weeks ago back in their home country! I welcomed the chance to shoot a reception-only event and their party was absolutely stunning! Their event took place in the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater, but the best part was their actual dinner was in a small theater...that they rarely rent out for events! It was such a great surprise! I can't tell you how many times I have photographed in this space and never knew there was this magical little theater behind the doors! Event Couture made sure that all of Venina's hand-made details were in place for her big event! (And when I say hand made...everything from the floral arrangements to the cute little seating tags were all her creation!) The setting of Daniel and Venina's reception was the perfect fit for them! Well constructed, creative, modern and dramatic...all of these things reflect their two personalities perfectly!

My all-time-favorite part of their day came down to one thing: Their flower girls! They totally stole the show...

static_uri=%2Fdarkroom%2Fmt%2Fmt%2Dstatic%2F&data=%2Fdarkroom%2Fblog%2Fblogshow%2F4c800f05ee10f%2Fimage%2Etable%2Edat&slideshow=0&ssr=1&autofit=0&show_width=976&show_height=651

Congratulations to Daniel and Venina on your marriage!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Harb!

There are certain images that get me SUPER pumped up on a wedding day. As I'm going thru and editing Amer and Rita's amazing Lebanese wedding tonight, there is so much that I can share with you! They had a ton of culture, a beautiful ceremony and one insane dance party...but as I am editing, I am continually drawn to and inspired by the portraits from their day! Amer and Rita's wedding was a true family affair! Their brother and sister were there 'best' and all of the nephews, nieces and cousins rounded out the rest of the wedding party! Photos are suppose to be fun on a wedding day and I think the portrait part of the day should reflect a sense of art, personality and intensity of all that is going on around us on this very important day!

So, without further adieu, I've decided to share with you the images that I keep coming back to...and keep on being inspired by!

Congratulations to Rita and Amer on their gorgeous wedding!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Austria: The Vietnamese Wedding // Part 2

As the epic day for Lisa and Stephen continued, the next phase was the Catholic ceremony, which took place at the amazing St. Kates Cathedral! There are so many things I love about this couple, but most of all, I just adored how Stephen had this HUGE smile on all day and he couldn't help but just radiate happiness! The couple's reception took place at The Depot, downtown Minneapolis, and I absolutely swooned over the decor! I loved the orange and yellow color pallet, along with the custom-home-made bottles of wine as a gift for the guests! DJ Fife finished out their night, which had more energy than any club I've been to lately!

If you missed it, check out Part 1 of Lisa and Stephen's wedding here!

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Austria on their amazing day!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Austria : The Vietnamese Wedding // Part 1

Lisa and Stephen came to me about a year ago and had only one thing to say about their wedding: It's going to be a long day! Lisa is Vietnamese and Stephen is Filipino, and tradition is extremely important to them! I have been so lucky in 2010 to work with so many different cultures and experience many more wedding ceremonies, outside of the traditional American way. I was up for the challenge and thrilled to be a part of their day! Team Photogen Inc was ready to rock at 6 am on their wedding day, which started at the Nguyen's home. The women all wore custom Aodai and the men wore elaborate Filipino shirts. The Vietnamese ceremony itself consists of the Groom, his groomsmen and family members, traveling to the Bride's home where all of her family awaits his arrival. They come with gifts to present to the Bride's family and ask permission to marry their daughter. Of course, Lisa's parent's accepted and everyone filled into the home where Lisa was presented to Stephen and a beautiful ceremony filled with many kind words and blessings took place! Next, we all traveled back to the Austria's home where another small ceremony took place in their home! There was more advice, more gifts...and more of these secret little shots that each family member took!

This part of the day was so beautiful and rich with culture! A while back, my great friend and fellow photographer, Daniel Chin, challenged me to shoot wider. 2 days before the Austria wedding, my dream lens, the 35mm 1.4 arrived and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding to use it on for the first time! My approach to this part of their day was much more journalistic than usual, and I am in love with the images!

Lisa and Stephen's day continued with an American ceremony later in the day...the images are amazing, so watch out for Part 2 coming tomorrow!

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Weisbrod!!

There is something so special about being invited into a family's biggest day of their life! There's something even more special about being invited, yet again, for another wedding in the same family! Last weekend, we traveled to the Milwaukee area for Jenny and Bryan's big event! I absolutely adore this couple, along with their family and friends! I first met Jenny and Bryan at his brother, Mike and Stacey's wedding, about 2 years ago! I remember them both very clearly, since the two were still dating and when Bryan proposed, I received an e-mail from Jenny saying," We just have to have you as our photographer!" I love this for many reasons, but most of all that this couple knew how I worked and completely and totally embrace my creative process! They put all of the trust - and gave me a world of freedom when it came to their wedding photos!

Jenny and Bryan, Thank you SO much for allowing me to spend more time with you and your families and get to capture this big day for you! We had a blast and I'm so excited for what your future holds!

static_uri=%2Fdarkroom%2Fmt%2Fmt%2Dstatic%2F&data=%2Fdarkroom%2Fblog%2Fblogshow%2F4c6200c8f3c15%2Fimage%2Etable%2Edat&slideshow=0&ssr=1&autofit=0&show_width=976&show_height=651

Congratulations to the newest Mr. and Mrs. Weisbrod!

LOVEe

A Spanish Wedding On Film!!

Today is the beginning of my official mid-summer-break! I don't have weddings for the next 2 weekends and I intend to go up north, sit in a hammock, read a book and get some wake boarding in! I've been going through all of my things and making sure that I'm all caught up for vacation and I came across these beauties that I haven't shared yet! I brought a bunch of film along with to Spain and I'm in LOVE with these images! They were all photographed with my trusty and oh-so-cool Yashica T4!!

I'll be turning off my phone and tuning out until August 4th, so I'll see you all then!

Here's to summer breaks and a beer!

static_uri=%2Fdarkroom%2Fmt%2Fmt%2Dstatic%2F&data=%2Fdarkroom%2Fblog%2Fblogshow%2F4c49a5f3b08e4%2Fimage%2Etable%2Edat&slideshow=0&ssr=1&autofit=0&show_width=976&show_height=651

To see more images from this AMAZING wedding in Spain, check out these posts:

Tara and Jorge: Married in Spain // Part 1 Tara and Jorge: Married in Spain // Part 2

LOVEe

Mr. and Mrs. Pounds!!

Holly and Jerry are a couple who are made for each other and no matter how hard they tried, fate brought them together! These two amazing people grew up together and knew of each other, but never dated. Holly was always intrigued by Jerry, but the two stayed as simply acquaintances and classmates over the years. It wasn't until their 10 year class reunion that Holly and Jerry noticed that they had a little romance and let me tell you, the sparks FLEW! Holly was absolutely radiating beauty on her wedding day with a classic 40's style look that was gorgeous! Their wedding took place in Aberdeen, South Dakota...literally in the middle of nowhere! Their ceremony was at a small country church, with only their closest family and friends in attendance. Just as the couple walked down the aisle, a serious...and I mean serious storm hit with over softball size hail! I've never seen hail or weather quite like that...ever! If rain is supposedly good luck on your wedding day, then the new Mr. and Mrs. Pounds are in for an extreme lifetime of happiness!

Thankfully, the weather passed super quick and the sunshine was simply GOLDEN on the landscape, which made for some absolutely stunning photos!

Congratulations to Holly and Jerry...the new Mr. and Mrs. Pounds!! It was such a pleasure to capture this day and experience it all with you! (Hail damage and all! :0)

LOVEe

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to Lori and David!!! With a remarkable 2,370 votes, the lucky couple is the winner of the 2011 Wedding Giveaway!! The world fell in love with their fabulous story and I am SO excited to photograph their wedding next spring!

Arizona, here we come!!!

22668_811992458542_10104937_46945003_7394012_n.jpg

 Final Voting Picture 7.png

Thank you so much to Joslyn, Marcelo, Allison and Alex for being a part of this giveaway! You are both amazing couples with crazy-awesome futures ahead of you! A big thank you as well, to all of the friends, family and blog visitors who voted for all three couples!

LOVEe

2011 Photogen Inc Wedding Photography Giveaway: Vote now!

2011Wedding_GiveawayVote.jpgI'm SUPER excited to announce the top 3 couples in the 2011 Giveaway contest as well as open voting to the public! Each of these couple have an amazing love story, so now it's up to YOU to chose who wins their dream photography + video package! **This contest is highly based on voting with integrity. Please do not abuse our voting poll**
 22668_811992458542_10104937_46945003_7394012_n.jpg Couple #1: LORI & DAVIDLocation: Arizona Story: Lori and David have known each other since they were little kids, yet they only met one year ago. Both of these two are from Romania and their families immigrated to the United States when they were very young. They just to play together as little children, but were separated when their churches split. Both Lori and David went on with their lives and as chance would have it, they both decided to go to the University of Arizona for college. Lori's friends would always talk about a Romanian boy they were friends with, but they never had a chance to meet. Lori eventually went off to Chicago for work, but came back to Arizona for medical school. Last year, while filling the role as a bridesmaid in her friend's wedding, Lori was magically paired up to walk down the isle with David! This mysterious Romanian boy she has been wondering all of her life was right there by her side and that is where he has been ever since! These two truly feel that the powers-that-be have brought them together and they have each found their soul mate!

Couple #2: JOSLYN & MARCELO

Location: Northern California

Story: Joslyn was a 25 year old American girl who was beautiful, smart and full of life...and she knew she would never 'sell out' when it came to love. She believed that her soul mate was out there...somewhere! Marcelo was a 27 year old Brazilian who decided to come to America to expand his international horizons with his law degree! 30 days before his year in America was up, he was invited to a dinner by Joslyn's father. Little did he know, this would be the day that would change his daughter's life forever! The two young loves started chatting it up at the party and from that point on, they built a super strong relationship in the next month! By the time Marcelo had to leave the country, they both knew this was more than a crush, this was IT. The couple spent hundreds of hours on skype, and after 3 international trips to see each other, Marcelo finally proposed!

IMG_5295.jpg Couple #3: ALLISON & ALEX

Location: Minneapolis

Story: Allison met Alex in high school, and they are a true story of how opposites attract. She was a junior, he was a senior. She was the artsy girl and he was the 'slacker' guy. However, after his grad party, they decided to hang out. A thunderstorm had descended and the couple got caught in the rain! They spent the rest of the night cuddled up on a couch watching a movie and quickly realized they were interested in each other! When it came time for Alex to go to college, he was 4 hours away from Allison and for 5 years, they had a long distance relationship! The distance only made them stronger and Alex proposed to Allison, a photography enthusiast herself, in a photo booth!

VOTE NOW! (If you don't see the voting poll below, click here!)