Category Archives: Destination Weddings

On instagram yesterday I fell into prey of the #2015bestnine category, but as I was creating the one image and looking through a slew of photos from the year, it dawned on me there would be NO WAY I could ever pick out my top nine anything.  So I chose to go through my weddings today and pulled some of my favorite images out, not because they are all outstanding, amazing, magazine worthy images, but because they each have special meaning to me in how I was able to relate to each one of my couples on the day of their wedding.  It was an incredible year, and I am SO blessed to have been asked to invade the lives of these people on one of the most precious, intimate, beautiful, most memorable days of their lives.  Thank you! (And I apologize in advance, this blog post is a long one!!)

Kassi & Matt:: January 2015 A frigid day in which both of them (as well as my self) hated being outside.  But we sun loving, beach wishing, bring on the heat people, ventured outside where we did some outdoor shots to remember the icy Minnesota day!

Paul & Sandy:: January 2015 He proposed to her in Paris (of all amazing and incredible places) and they chose to have a small night intimate wedding with close family and friends.  I love the way that Sandy looked at her husband during the vows, made me tingly and knew that these two were made for one another.

Brian & Kelly:: May 2015 I loved this intimate moment where Kelly and her bridesmaids were getting ready together and sharing in the joy of the day together.  Kelly’s mom was tearing up as she put the dress on in the living room of the home Kelly grew up in.  Times like this one stop me in my tracks and help me realize that moments like these are fleeting and capturing them is like capturing time in a bottle.

Paul & Anna- May 2015:: This midwest couple let me into their life as they moved across states with each other and reminded me that the day of the wedding is about the joy of a marriage is to be shared with others. They were so kind and treated me as a friend they had known for years.  This small moment was captured after they were married, and all their friends retreated back the the party bus and they were sharing time alone.  

Will & Brianna- June 2015::  Will and Bri opened my eyes to ultimate and true love.  Will was born with a disability in his legs, but as an onlooker your would never know.  Bri’s complete love, admiration, and dedication to her husband is portrayed for all to see.  It was an honor to spend the day with this couple and their kind families, and I can’t wait to meet the little one that they will welcome into their family so very soon!!!

Gabe & Mikayla- July 2015::  For this wedding I was able to travel to the plains of South Dakota and was welcomed by an extremely kind, generous, and loving family.  I spent a night through a South Dakota thunderstorm (and let me telly you I was pretty sure I was going to be like Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz and swept up in a tornado!) but it passed as all storms do and the next day gave way to a sweltering 90 degree day spent in a gorgeous garden.  We climbed bails of hay in a field not too far from where Mikayla grew up and I was smitten by the incredible landscapes of South Dakota!

Peter & Meghan- August 2015::  One of the things I loved best about Meghan and Peter was their flexibility and joy!  This images makes me laugh because it was shot on the campus of St. Peter and later I was to find out that the bicycle was one of the bishops that resided on campus.  Little did he know that his sweet vintage bicycle was being used for a quick prop!

Kyle and Christi -August 2015::  I had known her when she was in high school and when she inquired about me photographing her wedding, I was ecstatic.  As an evolving photographer herself in the Ohio area, I so appreciated all the fine details that she put into making this day her own.  This photo is one of my very favorites because I feel like it embodies Christi and Kyle as who they are: kind, carfree and totally in love with each other!

Tyler & Stacy-August 2015::  I knew from the moment I met Stacy that we were a great fit for each other.  Open, honest, and completely real are things I value so much in people, and Stacy and Tyler bore all these traits.  I adore this photo that was taken just before we rushed into the party bus and the rains began to fall.  The love these two had for each other was incredible!

Adam and Andrea- September 2015::  Their day was unbelievable.  The weather was warm, the leaves were at peak and their wedding party was a blast to to be with.  AND they chose the one of the most incredible, modern hotels in Minneapolis to have their reception in.  This image is one of my absolute favorites of the year because of the sculpture in the background.  I don’t typically like to use lighting, but thanks to my incredible assistant who helped scheme up this idea, we were able to capture this beautiful couple in their incredible Lowe’s hotel venue!

 Sam & Brooke- October 2015:: Minneapolis was the place they fell in love with each other and the skyline was what they wanted captured in their wedding photos.  Being later in October didn’t matter a bit this year as the fall weather was incredible.  I love this one of their faces as well as the beautiful fall lit Minneapolis Skyline.  (Side note:: this is also the wedding where I was stuck in traffic right after the Gopher game let out and again, I am thankful for my amazing assistant who beat the rush and was able to photograph the before math-is that a word?- of the game!!)

Steve & Gina-November 2015::  Believe it our not, the way the cards fell for me was that November was my craziest month.  It started with Gina and Steve who headed to a great alley way in St Paul for me to capture this photo of them together before their wedding part met them!

Josh & Brittany-November 2015:: With another amazing 50 degree day in November, I was flying.  Running around without a coat on all over the beautiful greens of Rush Creek, I was able to photograph these lovebirds.  We hit a sweet patch of great fall light where I stopped these two to kiss and snuggle together.  This shot was taken right after the two broke loose and the gorgeous light that surrounded them.

Mike & Bridget-November 2015::  Why are waking poses my favorite???  Because you get the true embodiment of the couple.  Bridget and Mike’s day, only a week later in November, was a whopping 40 degrees cooler and had a crazy windchill that sent this sun loving photographer out to get hand warmers after the wedding!  I LOVE this shot of Bridget leading Mike out of the St. Paul Hotel’s garden as they headed back to their wedding party on the bus.  Smiling and walking together simply captured this sweet part of the day, though some-what rushed because of the fleeting light, you would never know based on the joy on their faces!

Jackson & Jordan-November 2015::  The first snowfall and beautiful light meant great photos for this bride and her groom.  Even though this is the only bridal portrait in this post, I LOVE it because the light reflecting through the bare trees which helped reveal the story of Jordan and Jackson’s wintery wonderland wedding.

Ryan & Sarah- December 2015::  These two wrapped up my 2015 season and it was yet another warm day weather wise that I was so blessed by.  This photo was taken right after Sarah and Ryan had seen each other for the first time and I absolutely love the joy on both of their faces.

Wrapping up a year is always weirdly emotional for me. It is like saying goodbye to an event or friend you didn’t want or weren’t ready to end, but at the same time knowing that the future has bright things in store for all involved.  Thank you to all the above, their families and friends for making this 2015 year such a great one.  Here’s to 2016 and the memories that will be made in and through it!