Melissa and Laura | {post by natalie}

I love getting to know my clients. I love getting to know their stories. I love chatting, & laughing, over wine after a beautiful sunny afternoon & feeling like we are just old friends catching up. And I can tell you right now, without a doubt, I am going to love photographing this wedding! Usually an Engagement Session is included in the collection that my couples purchase. In this case Melissa & Laura won an Engagement Session from another photographer so they really didn't need me to to photograph another Engagement Session for them...but what a lot of photographers will tell you...is what's nice about an Engagement Session is that I get time to work with the two of you prior to your wedding day to see how you best fit together. I absolutely LOVED working with my photographer on our Engagement Session when Dave and I got married. True story - I hated the way I looked when I kissed my soon-to-be-hubby in our Engagement Photos...so what did we do?? Practiced for the big day! And I can honestly tell you I LOVE every kissing photo we have from our wedding! Haha! Dave will tell you there was too much kissing at our wedding...but I digress...not only was it beneficial for me to see me/us but it was also beneficial for our photographer to see how we looked/photographed best together...makes walking into the wedding day a little less stressful for your photographer for sure!

So before we sat down over wine to chat through the details of their wedding day, Melissa, Laura & I drove around in their bright orange convertible beetle bug (SERIOUSLY LOVE!!!) until we found a sunny little park...enjoy!

Just a guess...but I think they MIGHT be excited for the big day!

Kaitlin and Mike (Post by Desiree)

I first met Kaitlin and Mike over skype!  The two downloaded it for the first time ever just to talk with me and I'm SOOO glad they did. (Thanks guys!)  After discussing whether to meet in Minneapolis or  near the lakes, the stars aligned and last minute we met downtown St. Paul, just blocks from where BOTH Kaitlin and Mike grew up.  We had a real life meeting at the incredibly cool W.A. Frost Restaurant! Right away I could tell that Kaitlin and Mike go hand-in-hand. They're true adventurers with giant hearts and they're FUN.  We spent a couple hours grabbing drinks and exploring the streets before heading to the old water tower where Mike proposed!! I'm excited to photograph their wedding this fall.

Jason and Rodney (Post by Thea)

I found these two handsome guys just north of the Twin Cities a few weeks ago. Over wine and delicious cheese I got a tour of the home they built together and learned their love story. Though they are getting married this August at the Guthrie Theater, Jason and Rodney already have a long history together. They first exchanged vows in Vermont almost 10 years ago. The Guthrie ceremony will make everything official under the new laws of Minnesota and it will be their 10th wedding anniversary. Good stuff. Thanks for letting me be a small part of it all guys!

Tom and Kristen (Post by Thea)

Earlier this Spring, Tom, Kristen and I went out for a sort of encore engagement session. Our first engagement session happened last winter when we did something in studio. But Tom and Kristen have a special place in their hearts for these pups and they wanted to include them in another session. Cedar Lake provided a great backdrop where we could let our hair down and go sans leash. Thank goodness it has warmed up since these photos were taken! Looking forward to seeing you soon Tom and Kristen.  

Adria and Jon (Post by Thea)

Adria and Jon are two of the most sincere and happy people ever. We had a wonderful time goofing around at Como Zoo and Conservatory last week. Well, all was good except a fateful ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl. Ahem, I for one may be getting too old for that and was woozy for hours afterward! But, all in all, Como Park may be one of my favorite places to shoot an engagement session. There is a kitschy amusement park, gorgeous landscapes, nature trails, even a bit of architecture! Looking forward to Stillwater with these two and their families this August.

Jennie and Tom (Post by Thea)

After two rain delays, Jennie, Tom, and I finally found a gorgeous day to run around St. Paul. The two share a lot of history in the city.  Jennie works in downtown St. Paul and Tom proposed to her in Rice Park. We started the evening at Harriet Island, where across the river I'll shoot their wedding in September. Given Jennie's eye for detail, I know it will be beautiful!  Congrats Jennie and Tom!

Ben and Emily at Town Hall Tap {Post by Thea}

In November, I got together with Ben and Emily for engagement portraits at their favorite Minneapolis spot, Town Hall Tap. After a couple pints of beer, we made our way to the beach at Lake Nokomis. Just a few weeks more and these two cuties will be getting married! Shooting a lovely wedding in the midst of January definitely helps cure cold-weather doldrums.

Almost wedding time! {by natalie}

I am beyond excited to be photographing Katie & Jeff's wedding this coming weekend! We set aside some time last week to get together & chat about the specifics around their wedding day...but first we headed out to one of my favorite little sunny spots for some engagement photos! It's always hard at this time of the year to pick a good sunny evening...seems like it gets cloudier and darker by the day but we had some beautiful light to work with! Congratulations you two & can't wait for this weekend!  

gigi and alex engaged! {by leslie}

This week I got to photograph Gigi and Alex, who I am absolutely crazy about. These two are not only adorable and hilarious, but they have a marvelous sense of adventure, which I always cherish in my clients. Their big day is about a month away, and I cannot wait! They wanted to be shot down by the Guthrie because that's where Alex first told Gigi he loved her. I love it when locations are chosen for personal reasons like that!

wedding tips & tricks: engagement sessions {by natalie}

Engagement sessions…where oh where to begin!? Booking an engagement session isn’t only a great way to capture photos of you and your bride or groom prior to your wedding day but it’s also an invaluable way to get everyone comfortable with all the photography and direction and posing (or not) that is going to be taking place on your wedding day!

Why does your photographer love engagement sessions with you? One of the many reasons is because it gives me the ability to hang out and get to know you without all the stress of the wedding day. I usually find that it’s during this session that we discover our similar love for all things covered in white chocolate or friends we have in common! From serious couples to silly ones, getting to know you prior to your wedding day in this relaxed, casual atmosphere really helps me build a relationship with you!

Why should you love engagement sessions with your photographer? One of the many reasons is because it gives you the ability to just hang out and get to know me without all the stress of the wedding day. I usually find that while you may have fallen in love with my style/work online you may know very little about my personality! Getting to know me prior to your wedding day in this relaxed, casual atmosphere really helps you build your relationship with me!

Why else does your photographer love engagement sessions with you? This is my time to experiment with the two of you! How do the two of you fit together? What poses accentuate your best features? Are you naturally comfortable with a lot or a little direction? Before I photograph a wedding I will usually look back through the engagement photos to remind myself what worked and what didn't. This is a great way for me to prepare for your wedding day!

Why else should you love engagement sessions with your photographer? This is your time to see what it’s like being in front of the camera! How does it feel to be photographed? Are you comfortable and relaxed? Are you stiff and stressed? Before your wedding day take a look back through the engagement photos to remind yourself what worked and what didn't. This is a great way for you to prepare for being in front of the camera on your wedding day!

From relationship building to getting comfortable in front of and behind the camera, engagement sessions are just as beneficial for the photographer as they are for the couple! Remember to make booking an engagement session with your photographer a priority!

Jessica and Tyler (post by Desiree)

These two darlings are getting married THIS WEEKEND! I'm so pumped for their wedding. We met up the other night to go over some last details and snapped a few shots downtown Minneapolis.  Stay tuned for their vows. ;)

Missy and Mike {by Leslie}

You guys remember Missy and Mike? They won my free wedding a few months ago, and I got to shoot some engagement photos for them this weekend. We decided to shoot around Minnehaha Falls as Mike works for the forestry service... or something (he does something with nature and trees and these two are very outdoorsy), and we wanted nature to be a big part of the photos. Several times while hiking around to various spots Missy or I would ask what kind of plant/tree we were seeing, and he could tell us. It was awesome. These two are getting married in the forest on the edge of Lake Michigan in the fall, and I cannot wait to shoot their wedding. I think they make for some pretty lovely images.

Crazy cool cats (post by Desiree)

These crazy cats are too cool for words. Which is why last Sunday we took lots of engagement photos in Minneapolis last weekend! Jenny and Bart are seriously hilarious and m.a.d.e. for each other. If you're with them for even one minute you would see how crazy they are about each other. Bart makes Jenny laugh like no other and seriously...check out her smile. GORGEOUS. I'm pumped for their wedding this summer.

Boom...yea, we're fierce.