I love weddings, I really do.  What I love more is working with awesome people on one of the best days of their lives.  There were so many times throughout Brian + Kristen wedding day where I was filled with happiness.  Happiness for them as they start this new adventure together.  Happiness for the love surrounding them from family and friends.  Happiness that their dog was at their wedding AND reception.  Happiness for the possibilities that having a camera opens up for me.  They were married at the coolest venue ever, the Clocktower in downtown Denver and had their reception at the historic Oxford Hotel.  A FANTASTIC day and as always, I’m better with pictures than words…

Sidenote:  Brian is an insanely talented performance artist.  Check out his work here.  For real, check it out.  I photographed one of his shows in Minneapolis several years ago, you can see that here.

There’s something extra romantic about saying your vows barefoot in the sand, the saltwater wind blowing through your hair, the waves crashing nearby. And there is something extremely magical and intimate to share this with a handful of your closest family and friends.  That’s the short story of Brittany and Kasey’s wedding day in the Dominican Republic.

Brittany is the face behind BC Designs Photography Studio and I read that one of her goals in life was to get married on an island…check!  It’s always a little nerve wracking photographing another photographer but these guys were so adorable, laid back, adorable, sweet, and did I mention adorable?  One of my favorite parts of their ceremony was their “unity candle”.  It was a liiiiittle too windy to light a candle so they had each person there scoop a handful of sand, say a prayer over the sand and pour it into a glass vase to keep.  Sooo cool.  That, and Brittany’s Grandpa married them.  Also sooo cool.  Congratulations, you two!  We loved being a part of your day!

A happy (and warm!) day in the Dominican Republic today!  More to come soon!

Krista and I go back to our first days of college:  6th floor of Hoyum Hall at Concordia and lots of my favorite college memories include her.  She met a great man and they got married!  On a boat!  Krista, you were a beautiful bride.  You are a beautiful friend.  Congratulations on a beautiful wedding! xoxox.

Dustin and Adrianne were married on a beautiful day in August at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Watertown, SD.  It was such an honor to photograph their special day because I have known Dustin since we were little kids (yeah, Go Arrows!).  Their wedding day was the perfect combination of fantastic (and HOT) weather, a beautiful location, an awesome wedding party, and a love worth celebrating.  Congratulations, friends.  We loved spending the day with you and hope you have many, many married days as awesome as your wedding day!

Lauren and Jesse had “The Big Fat Farm” wedding of the year.  Their wedding was seriously the epitome of DIY and it was awesome!  They DIY-ed almost everything INCLUDING renovating Lauren’s parents’ barn for the reception.  Apparently not even 2 years prior, there was livestock hanging out where the head table was.  The end product was so so so cool….I cannot imagine how much work they put in!  Other cool things:  They LOVE dogs and included their pooches (Apple and Bobo) on the programs and as a shout out to all dogs, they spent a half an hour serving drinks at the bar and encouraging donations for Safe Hands Rescue.  From what I hear, they raised $250!  They also had a horse drawn trailer escort them to the reception, the guys wore sweet hats, they had a “wishing tree” for a guest book, I could go on and on.  It was a great day and we were so happy to be a part of it!  CONGRATULATIONS!

p.s.  Naura Anderson from Above and Beyond Design did all the design work for the paper products as well as coordinated the entire day.  I cannot say enough good things about them!  Amazing.

Heather and Mark were married at the Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul, MN and it was gorgeous.  Heather’s dress was amazing.  It was short and she had two, yes TWO pairs of shoes…one of which was blue.  I could go on and on about the D.I.Y details they made for the table decorations (awesome) and the cute little polka dot bow tie that Jack, Heather’s son wore and the awesome birdcage veil she had and the sweet matching socks that Mark and the groomsmen wore and the photobooth they had and and and….there were so many incredible details!  All of these things made the day special and amazing.  But what stood out to me most was Heather’s excitement to see Mark for the first time and her huge smile the ENTIRE day.  And the way that he looked at her.  All day.  They were just genuinely happy and it showed.  I love being a part of weddings like these!  Congratulations!

Kelly and Philip were married at the Woods Chapel in Orono, MN in June. It was like a cute little cottage out of a magazine and that, paired with all the personalized details made me drool.  Kelly had yellow shoes, yes YELLOW!  Her bouquet was fabulous, Philip made his own cuff links (which he also sells here), her grandpa made their cake plate as well as lots of other decorations at the reception, their card box was fashioned after a camera (a Nikon nonetheless!), they rode these cool, vintage bikes, they had The Traveling Photo Booth (who I LOVE), I could go on an on.  There was another part of their day that was especially unique.  They had both an outdoor ceremony as well as an indoor ceremony!  This wan’t exactly planned, but what else are you to do when it starts raining at an outdoor ceremony?!  They handled is SO WELL.  And though Kelly is a photographer in MN (check out her site here), we had never met before her cousin, Molly Peterson (who I met several years ago at a photography conference and now lives on the east coast) introduced us!  And I’m so glad she did!  CONGRATULATIONS on a beautiful wedding!  We had so much fun with you!

Ryan and Katie were married on a beautiful day in June.  I know Ryan from Concordia (Whoo hoo, Go Cobbers!) and Katie is a total sweetheart.  Their wedding day was ultimately a beautiful celebration of their love for each other but it also was a recognition and celebration of the love of their family and friends.  Congratulations, friends.  We are so happy for you and feel thankful to have been a part of your big day!  xoxo.

It was pouring while we were on our way to Krista and Cole’s wedding.  Like POURING.  And rain, wedding dresses, and outdoor photos don’t play well together.   But then, the sun came out.  And it stayed out for the rest of the day!  It ended up being a gorgeous day, not only weather wise but love wise too.  Krista and Cole had a beautiful ceremony and were married with lots and lots of family and friends surrounding them.  Congratulations!!! I hope you have many more days as a married couple as beautiful as your wedding day!

p.s.  Krista, you’re stunning.