menu

Monthly Archives: August 2017

From Preparing for a Flood to Preparing for a Wedding | Christine & Nick

diptych of christine and nick on a dock

Anyone who knows Christine knows that she loves soccer. So how fitting that she would meet the love of her life at a soccer game. On a day when Christine desperately needed subs, Nick was there. Wearing scrubs that according to Christine, made him look like he was “preparing for a flood.” But he played, in the scrubs, and Christine thought it was weird. But now they’re getting married! Crazy how life and love works, isn’t it? Irony and short pants aside, these two are so clearly meant to be. They care about the same things, appreciate each other’s beauty and all the quirks that come along with, and live life with a similar zest. It was such a joy to shoot their engagement photos, and I can only imagine their wedding will have the same joy tenfold. Congratulations again, Christine and Nick! I can’t wait to continue documenting and sharing your awesome story!

engaged couple embracing on lakeside
bright engagement photos in summer foliage
Christine and Nick kissing among willow trees
Engaged couple embracing by Minnesota lake
Christine holding Nick and smiling for the camera
Engaged christine smiling for the camera
Diptych engagement hug
Nick picking up his fiance in golden hour
Engaged couple kissing next to a tree
Christine and Nick pose next to busy bike path
Christine sitting on wooden fence
engagement kissing on railroads
Nick holding christine on traintracks
Nick looking over his shoulder at his fiance
Christine and Nick looking at Minneapolis skyline

Anyone who knows Christine knows that she loves soccer. So how fitting that she would meet the love of her life at a soccer game. On a day when Christine desperately needed subs, Nick was there. Wearing scrubs that according to Christine, made him look like he was “preparing for a flood.” But he played,...

<p>
Add a comment...

Your email is never<\/em> published or shared. Required fields are marked *

</p>

Why You Should Have a Trash the Dress Shoot

Wedding dress before trash the dress

There’s some controversy surrounding trash the dress shoots and whether or not they are appropriate, worth it, respectful, etc. And rightfully so! Conceptually, it might feel wrong to get the expensive, cherished dress you wore on your wedding day dirty at all. For anyone who desires to keep their dress as a precious memento (maybe even for your future children to wear), we want to affirm your decision as well. There is real value in keeping something that you made such special memories in (and most likely paid a lot for). We absolutely get it, this shoot is not for you, and that’s okay! On the other side of the spectrum, however, are those of you who feel at a loss for what to do with the dress that you love so much, but know you won’t ever wear again and don’t want to store. For you, we recommend you three different options:

  1. You can donate your dress for someone else to wear, love, and cherish
  2. You could really trash it and let go of it
  3. You could “trash it,” dry clean it, and then store it or donate it! Almost all brides have confirmed that their dress came back looking brand new (dry cleaners are magical)!

What I’m getting at, is that actually “trashing” your dress is not the point. The point is letting go, continuing to capture memories, and embracing the reality that imperfection can sometimes be the most beautiful. Let me explain more…

You have spent months, maybe even years, planning your wedding – you deserve to let loose!
Use a trash the dress shoot as an opportunity to metaphorically wipe away all the stress that goes into making a wedding happen – give yourself closure from the planning process. You did it! You pulled off a gorgeous, meaningful wedding. It was inevitably perfectly imperfect, and trash the dress photos often serve as an artistic expression of that reality.

Your wedding day may have been close to perfect, but marriage won’t be!
Perfection is more than a wedding dress, marriage is more than one beautiful day – marriage will be beautiful but messy. Kind of like a wet, dirty wedding dress. You can surely see where I’m going with this. Use a trash the dress shoot to tangibly let go of the misconception that your marriage must be perfect in the planned way that your wedding was. It can’t be. So make a statement to yourself, your partner, and the world by getting a little bit of dirt on your dress and acknowledging that ultimately, your marriage will look more like your “trashed” dress than your wedding pictures.

You get to wear your dress again, and leave with uniquely stunning photos!
Regardless of what plans you had to do with your dress after, most likely they didn’t include wearing your dress again. A trash the dress shoot is an opportunity to slip that gorgeous gown on one more time. But this time, you don’t have to tiptoe around. You can be playful, carefree, and enjoy the moment without any restrictions. The difference will show in your pictures, I promise.

If as you read this, our reasoning behind why trashing the dress can be powerful, beautiful, and freeing resonates with you – we want to help! We have two different options to help you let go and “trash” your dress. The first, is a traditional trash the dress shoot, designed by you, us, or together (whichever feels more fun to you). The second, is called the Honeymoon Upgrade. Essentially, you pick a honeymoon trip that we have carefully designed, destinations range from the Midwest to Paris to the Jungles of Africa, and on your trip we join you for a day to shoot you and your husband in an exotic location. You don’t need to get your dress dirty at all (we can be careful) or you can climb mountains, jump in the ocean, and lay on the beach in your gorgeous dress. This option will allow you to be freed from the stress of your wedding while capturing the absolute bliss you feel while on your honeymoon – a perfect combination.

Ultimately, we hope that whatever you decide to with your special dress after your wedding day feel appropriate and perfect to you. We’re all different, we all process and feel uniquely, and your decision should reflect no one but yourself. But if you decide that trashing the dress is the right step for you, we want to help! Some of our favorites, Nova & John, took us up on the traditional shoot offer and had a blast (we did, too). If you don’t believe me, look through these photos and see for yourself. 🙂 

John and Nova planning out their painting
Nova holding paint in her wedding dress
Married couple holding their painting in wedding attire
John and Nova laughing while painting
Nova getting paint on her dress
John threatening to paint Nova
The first paint strokes of trashing the dress
Married couple throwing paint on wedding dress
Paint trash the dress
Smiling couple trashing wedding dress
John and Nova kissing while covered in paint
John and Nova pause covered in paint
John picking up his paint covered wife
Nova covered in paint thrown over John's shoulder
Couple wrestling in Minnesota lake
John and Nova kissing in knee deep water
John dipping his wife in the lake
Married couple walking further into lake
Married couple kissing in lake
Splashing water during trash the dress shoot
Nova holding her trashed dress out of the water

There’s some controversy surrounding trash the dress shoots and whether or not they are appropriate, worth it, respectful, etc. And rightfully so! Conceptually, it might feel wrong to get the expensive, cherished dress you wore on your wedding day dirty at all. For anyone who desires to keep their dress as a precious memento (maybe...

<p>
Add a comment...

Your email is never<\/em> published or shared. Required fields are marked *

</p>

Wonderful Weekend Engagement Session in Denver | Zach & Coty

Colorado Engagement SessionHi, I’m Brooke, Preston’s associate photographer. And a couple weekends ago, I had the joy of flying out to Denver, CO to shoot engagement photos of Zach and Coty in the town that they share a home together. They picked me up at 4:00am after my delayed flight had landed, gave me a bed to sleep in, served me delicious coffee, and took me around to all of their favorite spots in the city that they love. As we traveled from place to place, we had the opportunity to just be and talk and learn more about each other with no agenda. It was wonderful. Zach and Coty are wonderful. I share these intimate details about their engagement shoot weekend because I think it’s important to know in order for you to understand them better. When you look at the following pictures, you will see an absolutely stunning, well-styled, in-love couple. All of this is true. They do love each other deeply – with a compassionate, joyful, and adventurous spirit – but they also extend that love to others, too. And that is exactly what they did to me, for an entire weekend as we gallivanted through their city taking some of the most exciting, beautiful, and personal photos I have ever had the opportunity to take. The photos you see here in this blog post are a true, genuine reflection of Zach and Coty. Where they like to go, what they like to do together, and how much they truly love each other, and others. From Mount Bierstadt to the Red Rocks Amphitheatre to the Denver Science Museum to the Botanical Gardens to Union station to the charming, historic Denver downtown – Zach and Coty, no matter where you are, your love is obvious and contagious. Thank you for sharing your city and your hearts with me, I can’t wait to make and capture even more memories on your wedding day. Mountainside engagementCouple posing in front of colorado red rocksRust themed engagement shootWide angle of couple posing alongside country roadFilm inspired engagementKissing on Colorado bridgeFun filled denver engagementDenver mountain engagementZach and Coty kissing in Denver mountainsEngagement in Colorado mountainsideBreezy fall colorado engagementCoty leading Zach through mountainside trailWide angle of Denver Colorado engagementGreenhouse engagementEngaged couple kissing under conservatory archZach and Coty kissing in front of Denver skylineDowntown Denver nightlife engagement

Hi, I’m Brooke, Preston’s associate photographer. And a couple weekends ago, I had the joy of flying out to Denver, CO to shoot engagement photos of Zach and Coty in the town that they share a home together. They picked me up at 4:00am after my delayed flight had landed, gave me a bed to...

<p>
Add a comment...

Your email is never<\/em> published or shared. Required fields are marked *

</p>

Well Worth the Wait | Elizabeth & Kevin’s Summer Ceremony

Bright summertime wedding photography Elizabeth and Kevin booked me as their photographer about three years ago. After three years of getting to know this amazing couple, three years of anticipation building surrounding this amazing event – you can imagine how crazy excited I was for the wedding day to arrive, and to finally celebrate their awesome love. Needless to say, their wedding day did not disappoint. In fact, almost every aspect blew me away. The venue was gorgeous, the details were stunning, and Elizabeth and Kevin were glowing.

It was a really hot day. So basically everyone was glowing with a shimmery sheen of sweat (haha), but Elizabeth and Kevin were different, they radiated genuine joy the entire day. They could’ve complained about the heat – but I literally don’t think I heard either of them mention the high temperatures once. They were too busy truly enjoying themselves to care. But it wasn’t just Elizabeth and Kevin that were overjoyed by their love and the excitement of them tying the knot – everyone present was, too. For example, all the family and bridal party members wanted to witness their first look, and they hid inside and watched from afar to steal a peek at the special moment the happy couple shared. When your loved ones are as excited about your love as you are, that’s when you know you’re doing something right. Elizabeth and Kevin, it has been an absolute joy to be your photographer and get to know you over the years. I also, am as excited about your love as you two are. It was well worth the wait to experience and shoot your absolutely stunning day. Congratulations again, I see nothing but a lifetime of happiness in your future!

Wedding dress hanging in glenhaven event center ballroom
White bridal bouquet
Groom Kevin posing at Glenhaven event center
Elizabeth changing into her wedding dress
Bridesmaids lacing up back of wedding dress
Closeup of Elzabeth's bridal makeup
Black and white aerial bridal portrait
Mother and father of the bride posed next to wedding cake topper
Farmington first look wedding
Groom smiling during first look
Bride and groom outfit details
Elizabeth and Kevin's bright farmington wedding
Bride and groom posing by minnesota trees
Sweet black and white embrace
Elizabeth and Kevin walking down country road
Wedding party in turquoise posing under a tree
Sassy individual bridesmaid poses
Bride with bridesmaids and groom with groomsmen
Groomsmen posing in grey suits
Bride and groom with parents of the bride
Bride and groom with parents of the groom
Outdoor glenhaven event center wedding details
Mother of the bride smiling from the audience
Bride and her father walking down the aisle
Father of the bride shedding a tear while walking down the aisle
Laughing during ceremony
Bride and groom share first kiss and walk down the aisle
Blue and purple wedding reception setup
Closeup of floating candle and table namecards
Mr and Mrs sign at wedding reception
Bride and groom's grand entrance
Elizabeth smiling during wedding toasts
Cake cutting in the middle of the dance floor
Father of the bride giving a speech
Bride and groom share first dance
Smiley first dance at glanhaven event center
First dance between bride and her father
Groom and his mother during first dance
Couple on the glenhaven dance floor
Sweet dance
Funny dancing
Babies on the dance floor
Elizabeth dancing with her wedding dress
Bride and groom play shoe game on dance floor
Groom pulling garter off of Elizabeth
Kevin throwing the garter over his shoulder
Elizabeth throwing her bouquet
Nighttime countryside wedding in Farmington, MinnesotaVendor List:
Wedding planner — George Maverick — Farmington, MN
Ceremony venue — Glenhaven Events Center — Farmington, MN
Reception venue — Glenhaven Events Center — Farmington, MN
Videographer — Dan Riggs of Summit Hill Studios — Stillwater, MN
Officiant — Mike Neely — Apple Valley, MN
Hair stylist — Molly from Salon 104 — Rosemount, MN
Caterer — Nicole Sindelar of Ruby’s Redeye Grill — Rosemount, MN
Cake designer — The Cakery — Farmington, MN
Decorator — Encore Events — Eagan, MN
Florist — Rosemount Floral — Rosemount, MN
Dress Shop — Bride to Be Consignment — Woodbury, MN
Dress Designer — Mori Lee
Tuxedos — Men’s Warehouse 
DJ — Matt Iverson — Rosemount, MN
Chair/table/tent rentals — Christine Corning — Farmington, MN
Jeweler — Jared

Elizabeth and Kevin booked me as their photographer about three years ago. After three years of getting to know this amazing couple, three years of anticipation building surrounding this amazing event – you can imagine how crazy excited I was for the wedding day to arrive, and to finally celebrate their awesome love. Needless to...

<p>
Add a comment...

Your email is never<\/em> published or shared. Required fields are marked *

</p>

Full of Life and Love | Zach & Thomas

Gay engagment
Zach and Tom are just full of life. It’s obvious that they love to have fun, be present in the moment, live adventurously, and most importantly – do all of those things together. I was far from surprised when they told me that one of their favorite activities to do together is visit amusement parks! They seem similar in all the right ways. I mean, look how great their outfits coordinate? But in all seriousness, it’s clear that they are a perfect pair. They enjoy the same things, aim to live their life in the same fulfilling way, and most importantly love each other exactly as they are. Zach and Tom, it was so fun exploring with you to find fun shots, and getting to know you and your beautiful hearts at the same time. Next up, roller coaster photoshoot? I’m not even kidding… Congratulations again, I’m already excited for your wedding!

Zach and Tom's lakeside engagement
Coordinating same sex engagement
Zach and Tom's sweet engagement shoot
Sweet same sex engagement in Minnesota
Gay minneapolis engagement
Candid same sex railroad engagement
Zach and Tom holding hands on railroad tracks
Zach and Tom's gay engagement
Tom and Zach posing in field in matching outfits
Tom and Zach's lakeside engagement
Zach leaning on fiance Tom
Tom and Zach walking into the sunset
Same sex alleyway engagement shoot

Zach and Tom are just full of life. It’s obvious that they love to have fun, be present in the moment, live adventurously, and most importantly – do all of those things together. I was far from surprised when they told me that one of their favorite activities to do together is visit amusement parks!...

<p>
Add a comment...

Your email is never<\/em> published or shared. Required fields are marked *

</p>

CONTACT


2409 Lyndale Ave S,
Suite 202
Minneapolis MN, 55405

 

612.242.8655
[email protected]

FOLLOW OUR ADVENTURES ON INSTAGRAM

@brovadoweddings

FOLLOW OUR ADVENTURES

@brovadoweddings

CONTACT


2409 Lyndale Ave S,
Suite 202
Minneapolis MN, 55405

 

612.242.8655
[email protected]