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)

Bride and Groom kissing in the sunshine on their wedding day at Lake Oboboji.

Tyler and Shawn’s special day couldn’t have been more “them.”  The rehearsal dinner and ceremony was held at their grandparents’ beautiful lake house in Iowa on Okoboji. The lake house itself was already a perfect venue for the couple’s nautical themed celebration, but to make the day even more perfect, guests were transported by ferry boat across Lake Okoboji to the Arnold’s Park Amusement Park for the reception. There I took one of my favorite photos- of the entire wedding party on a roller coaster! The entire day served as a tangible representation of Tyler and Shawn’s relationship. The love they have for one another is serious, but they definitely don’t take themselves too seriously. 🙂

I had so much fun. It’s clear that Tyler and Shawn are good at having a good time. What they’re even better at is making everyone else around them have a good time, too. The couple didn’t just invite people to celebrate their marriage with them, they invited them into their joyous love for one another. It was contagious. The only moment that wasn’t filled completely with smiles and laughter was when Tyler’s father saw her for the first time in her wedding dress. Instead, that moment was filled with awe of how beautiful she was, pride about what a wonderful woman she had become, and satisfaction, as he knew that she was about to marry a man who will take care of her heart for the rest of her life.

It was obvious how good of a fit Tyler and Shawn are for one another. But also how seamlessly their families and friends united as well. That harmony made their love even easier to celebrate. Since I had flown from Minneapolis to Iowa, the morning after the wedding I took the couple out for an airplane ride above Lake Okoboji, so they could see from above, where it all had happened the day before. I wanted to give them a view they would never forget of the weekend they would surely never, ever forget. All of their friends and family were standing and waving from the edge of the dock as we flew off. It was a beautiful finale to the celebration. Congrats you two!

 

Reception Venue – Arnold’s Park Preservation Plaza – Arnold’s Park, IA
Videographer – Tyler Breitbach – Des Moines, IA
Ceremony Officiant – Mark Brandt – Des Moines, IA
Hair – Bella Via Salon – Okoboji, IA
Makeup – Okoboji Skin Care – Okoboji, IA
Catering – Marketplace Catering – Inwood, IA
Florist – Elements Design – Arnold’s Park
Cake – Lisa’s Bake Shop – Spirit Lake, IA
Dress – Zazous Bridal Dubuque – Dubuque, IA
Dress Designer – Allure
Menswear – Dockers – Marengo, IA
Menswear (Blazers) – Chaps
Transportation – Okoboji Boat Works – Okoboji, IA
Reception Music – Complete Music – Sioux Falls, SD
Event Rentals – Ideal Weddings & Events – Sioux Falls, SD
Jeweler – Joseph’s Jewelers – Des Moines, IA

 

Hend and Nohman are a beautiful couple with a beautiful love story. I really enjoyed capturing the big and little moments of their wedding day. Both are first generation Americans who were raised in traditional families and in two different cultures. Hend is Egyptian, Nohman is Afghan, and for both, the expectation was to marry someone of their same culture. Initially, they struggled to convince their families that their love was meant to transpire into marriage, despite their cultural differences. In the end, the families happily united to celebrate the joyous occasion. As the day full of laughter, good food, and nonstop dancing was coming to a close (literally as the sun came up), Hend remembers looking around the room and feeling so lucky that so many people she loved, from all different parts of her life had come together in one place for her and Nohman’s wedding day. The day was truly a celebration of love and a seamless interweaving of three different cultures. It was beautiful.

The reception at the St. Paul Athletic Club, felt like the set of a classic 50s movie, glamorous and timeless. The Athletic Club was a perfect venue to host the celebration of Hend and Nohman’s love for one another. Guests could see that the couple was overwhelmed with admiration for each other, and genuinely found joy in one another’s presence. While I was photographing, they could barely hear my directions because they were making each other laugh so hard! They found bliss in every moment. From posing in Minneapolis alleyways to the grand ballroom of the St. Paul Athletic Club, they made each second special and never stressful. This made the day feel like a holiday, celebrating the couple’s commitment, culture, and the people they care about the most. If only it could happen once a year.

Wedding coordinator – The Simply Elegant Group – Minneapolis, MN
Reception venue – St. Paul Athletic Club – St. Paul
Videographer – Sunset Blues Production – Twin Cities, MN
Hair & Makeup – Marwa Eshmawy – Minneapolis, MN
Caterer – Crescent Moon – Minneapolis, MN
Cake – Buttercream Bakery – St. Paul
Cake-toppers – MiniMeCity
Florist – Grace Klein Design
Wedding dress –Lovella Bridal 
Grooms wear – Franco Uomo
Transportation – Renee’s Royal Valet – Plymouth, MN
DJ- DJ Emad
Stationery – For Love PolkaDots – Etsy
Equipment Rental Service – Linen Effects – Minneapolis, MN
Drapery and Stage Rental Service – Festivities – Medina, MN
Rings – Bhindi Jewelers
Photo Booth – Mobile Photo Booth – Eagan, MN