In the final installation of this four part blog post, we showcase Rosina and Matt’s Indian style wedding reception.  The couple and their wedding party wore ornate and traditional Indian wedding clothing, jewelry and head pieces.  Their wedding reception at the Depot in downtown Minneapolis was a lavish event decorated with flowers, ornaments, colorful drapes and gold furnishings.  While I photographed her wedding reception, Rosina recalled how Matt proposed to her the year before.  When she arrived to Minneapolis after a stint at medical school Miami, Matt picked her up at the airport and told her he was taking her to see a meteor shower.  They wound up at the Lake Harriet bandstand, and climbed onto the stage, which had been filled with lit candles. That’s where he popped the question.  Rosina admits to having had a very “blonde moment” (no offense, blondes) and not realizing what was happening until the absolute last possible moment.  Luckily, she came to her senses in time to answer with a resounding “YES!”

Congratulations, Rosina and Matt! I am truly blessed to have been a part of your amazing wedding!  If you haven’t seen the last three parts of Rosina and Matt’s three day long wedding extravaganza, be sure to check out their Gaye Holud, Mehndi, and wedding ceremony!

Wedding planner – Sarah Trotter from Lasting Impressions
Ceremony venue – The Depot – Minneapolis
Videographer – Brovado Weddings
Caterer – Jay Mariadosi
Decorator – Caidal Events
Florist – Madelin Rose Florist

We’re coming into the home stretch with this four part blog post!  Rosina and Matt’s lavish Indian-American fusion wedding in Minneapolis was a three day long event.  We came home with so many beautiful wedding photos that I decided to split this post into four parts: the Mayon/Gaye Holud, Mehndi, wedding ceremony and wedding reception.  In this installment, we’ll show off Rosina and Matt’s gorgeous wedding ceremony pictures in St. Paul’s historic Mears Park.  For more than 40 years this area was awash with squatters, prostitutes and inmates serving out sentences while breaking rocks in the hot sun – until 1886, after much prodding by St. Paul residents, and with the involvement of Sarah and Rosabel Whitney, it was finally developed into the beautiful public park we know today.

Rosina and Matt utilized the scenic downtown St. Paul plaza as a luxurious setting for their chic and romantic “American-style” wedding ceremony.  Rosina wore a gorgeous blush colored Vera Wang wedding gown, and hired makeup artist Jacqueline Frazier to professionally cover her traditional henna tattoos for the wedding ceremony.  (She would later remove the makeup on her hands and feet to expose the henna for an Indian-style wedding reception!)

I hope you enjoy this quintessential Minnesota summer wedding ceremony, as well as the bride and groom photos taken in and around Mears Park, and the wedding party pictures taken in downtown St. Paul!

Wedding planner – Sarah Trotter from Lasting Impressions
Ceremony venue – Mears Park, St Paul
Videographer – Brovado Weddings
Caterer – Jay Mariadosi
Decorator – Caidal Events
Florist – Madelin Rose Florist
Dress designer & shop – Vera Wang from David’s Bridal
Party bus company – Total Luxury Limo

Day number two of this three day long Indian wedding that I photographed in Minneapolis consisted of the Mehndi celebration.  Bride and groom Rosina and Matt were dressed in traditional clothing, and both of their families came together for a huge feast and festive celebration.  A relative’s warehouse was decorated with elaborately colorful drapes, lanterns, props and ornamental furniture provided by Caidal Events, who flew in all the way from Miami just for this wedding.   A beautiful feast was catered by Jay Mariadoss and featured plenty of traditional Indian and Indian fusion dishes.

After the bride and groom’s grand entrance, they were seated, and a choreographed dance performance was put on by Rosina’s family members.  Afterwards, the dance floor opened up for everyone, and the guests showered Rosina and Matt with money as a traditional symbol for wishing them prosperity in their marriage.

Be sure to check out the other installments of this four-part blog post!  The Mayon/Gaye Holud,  wedding ceremony and wedding reception.

This is one of the most fun Minnesota weddings I’ve ever photographed!  Since Rosina’s family is from India and Matt’s is from the United States, this couple decided to have a wedding that incorporated many elements of both Indian and American wedding traditions.  All in all, the festivities lasted for THREE FULL DAYS, and I was lucky enough to participate in all of them – photographing their Gaye Holud (or Mayon) ceremony at Rosina’s father’s home, their Mehndi celebration on the eve of their wedding, and the wedding day itself, which featured a traditional American wedding ceremony and a lavish and elaborately colorful Indian wedding reception at the Depot in Minneapolis.

During the Gaye Holud (also called the Mayon), Rosina was dressed by her family members in traditional clothing and jewelry.  Her hands and feet had already been ornately decorated with henna.  Once she was ready, she and her family waited for Matt to arrive.  When he entered the house, he was visibly stunned by her beauty (so cute!), and wrapped her in a sweet embrace in front of the whole family.  Soon afterwards, more guests arrived and made a grand entrance complete with drums, dancing, and a musical procession.  The whole family joined in the dancing, and then they led Rosina and Matt to sit down in chairs so they could each greet them in turn by spoon feeding them sweets and rubbing turmeric on their skin, as is Mayon tradition.  As you can see by the wedding photos, this part might have gotten a little out of hand…

I enjoyed being a part of this tradition very much, and I hope you enjoy the pictures!  Please share them with your friends by posting this link to Facebook or Twitter!  And be sure to stay tuned for parts two, three and four of this elaborate Indian wedding in Minneapolis! Coming soon… Part 2: Mehndi Celebration, and parts 3 and 4: the wedding ceremony and wedding reception!

You’ve heard it a hundred times before: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  So when a prospective wedding client told me she had found an amazing venue for photography at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing, Minnesota, I just smiled politely, told her I was sure it would be wonderful, and prepared myself to be nothing short of underwhelmed.  I’ve photographed weddings nationally and internationally and I know first-hand that what someone might describe as “amazing” can easily turn out to be mediocre.  Plus, as a Minneapolis based wedding photographer, I’ve shot hundreds of venues in and around the Twin Cities before (a handful of them in Red Wing) and I knew better than to assume this place would live up to its proposed luster.

Then I got to see it for myself…

The morning of the wedding, I walked into the lobby of the historic St. James Hotel and immediately understood why the bride had spoken so highly of the place.  I was awestruck!  Having arrived early for the shoot I wandered through the hotel, admiring the classic woodwork, the ornate graphic patterns on the walls, and the number of beautifully lit hallways, stairwells and rooms.

I thought, “How have I never been in here before?”

I’m often forced to choose between one ordinary backdrop and another equally ordinary backdrop to photograph, but when it came to the St. James Hotel, the options were endless!  I didn’t know how I would be able to choose only a handful of locations to shoot from with the variety of captivating settings the hotel offered. It was a dilemma I was happy to face.

We began our shoot with the bride getting ready.  Natural light cascaded in through delicate window curtains, creating the kind of soft box-style lighting that wedding photographers often try to artificially produce.  Almost every hallway and open space in the hotel was lit with this romantic natural light, producing a perfectly soft, pure feel that photographers dream of.

The St. James Hotel offers countless opportunities for shooting stunning photographs.  A staircase leading to a beautiful open room served as the perfect vantage point to capture the priceless moment of the bride and groom’s first look at one another.  In and around the hotel, charming settings with vibrant colors and rich textures offer endless possibilities ideal for wedding photography.

The St. James Hotel may be outside of the normal coverage range for many Minneapolis area wedding photographers, but I can assure that it is absolutely worth the drive.  This hotel perfectly reflects the beauty and sentiment of a wedding day, making it the ideal venue for hosting and photographing a memorable once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Vintage railroad tracks, which run just behind the hotel, made for a captivating backdrop.

The reception hall offered another picture-perfect location. The hotel’s spacious Summit Room is lined with windows that provide a spectacular view of the Mississippi River. During the reception, the setting sun lit the room perfectly for capturing some beautiful photos.