Photography
I have posted about Laura & Melissa's wedding a few times already on this blog…about their engagement session, backyard brides dinner & their wedding! I was beyond excited to see that the Spring Wedding issue of Lavender Magazine hit news stands last month! Absolutely thrilled to have these two lovely brides grace the cover & inside spreads! What an amazing day this was!! Here are a couple of screen shots from the magazine…click on the links above to enjoy the online issue! Enjoy!
I have a thing with shoes. Shoe shots that is. Brides shoes are some of my most favorite things to photograph at weddings! I think it's because more often than not they are sparkly & I have a tendency to be very attracted to sparkly things…even my camera strap is sparkly! The other thing I love about bride’s shoes is how they are such a reflection of the bride! My bridesmaids dresses we purple so my shoes were purple…I loved wearing a pop of color on my feet when I walked down the aisle! So I thought today I would share just a few of my favorite shoe shots with you! Enjoy!
This is one of my beautiful soon-to-be-brides! Lisa wanted to update her photos for her website & Facebook pages with some fresh new imagery & I was more than game! Besides weddings a lot of the sessions I photograph are of newborns & children & what I like to call "Talent Sessions". I mean, let's face it, in some way shape or form, we are all talented. Some people can draw, others can act & then there are those of you who sell real estate really well! I'm not sure about her ability to draw or act but Lisa sells real estate really well! This was also a fun way for Lisa & I to get to know each other a little better before the big day! Here is just a sneak peek of a few of the images from her session! Enjoy!
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not normally at a loss for words! I've been trying to wrap my head around everything that this day meant to Melissa & Laura...somehow capture that in words & spill it all over this page for you to soak in...oh how I wish you all could have been there for every wonderful moment! From the nervousness of getting ready to the anticipation of that first look...& then to that moment, standing before their friends & family, legally committing themselves to one another...ohhh! & the party!!! This was such.a.beautiful.perfect.day. So, instead of trying to spell it out, I'll just let you re-live it with me in the imagery...congratulations Melissa & Laura! Enjoy!
When I showed up to the Brides Dinner & saw the cans of Contadina Tomato Puree I just knew these were going to be my kind of people! This backyard Brides Dinner was simply perfect. From the family style set up & checkered table cloths to the twinkling lights & the puppy's tux...yes, the puppy's tux...Melissa & Laura couldn't of had a better night with their family & friends! While I was there I had the opportunity to sneak Melissa & Laura away for a bit...goodness how I love the excited nervousness of a couple as they start to realize that tomorrow, TOMORROW they will be married! And how truly exciting that we live in a state where Melissa & Laura would be able to make their commitment to one another legal! Very proud to be a Minnesotan on this particular night...enjoy!
2,457 days after their first date...they got married! I shared the first part of Sarah & Luke's wedding in a post a little while back...just in case you want to check out all of it's loveliness click HERE! But what I couldn't wait to share with you was their first look! We weren't allowed to post these images until Orchestra Hall officially opened after their extensive remodel...but it was worth the wait! The newly remodeled space is absolutely breathtaking. The gray-and-white color scheme, granite floors, glassy staircases, various levels and large glass-enclosed atrium was the perfect backdrop for this beautiful couple! My heart skips a beat every time I look at these images! And a HUGE thanks to my amazing second shooter Melissa! Some of the below images are hers...love working with such talented people! Enjoy!
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!
These two are gentle, kind souls. She's sweet, sincere & ridiculously witty. He's charming, funny & thoughtful...& together, they are amazing. Sarah & Luke's wedding took place at the Historic Wesley Church in the heart of Downtown Minneapolis. The ceremony was followed by dinner at Porter & Frye at the Ivy Hotel & the day ended with an intimate reception at Britts Pub for 150 of their closest friends & family. From the shoes, the dress & perfectly placed details, like a pocket watch held within the brides flowers, to the historic & modern spaces that made up the backdrop of their wedding day...every moment was perfectly orchestrated. Perfectly orchestrated as it should be given how musically gifted these two are! Speaking of music...this is only part one of their sneak peek. Part two will be unveiled after September 20th! I simply can't wait for you to see where they had their first look! Until then...enjoy!
You know that one time of every day where no matter what you're doing you stop, look up & take it all in because the sunlight that is filtering through the trees & making the brush around you glow catches your breath & takes it away? Yeah, me too. This happens to be just the specific time of day that I photographed Sarah & Luke's second Engagement Session. Yes, Engagement Session number two! The first time we worked together was in Minneapolis...this time we met at St. Olaf! I haven't been to St. Olaf in ages, literally I think I was there for a concert in High School? Maybe a night of random partying in College?? In either case this campus wasn't as I remembered it...maybe because I wasn't looking at it before through photographer eyes??...regardless, the St. Olaf campus is beautiful. Absolutely. Gorgeous. Campus. This happens to be where Sarah & Luke met so I was thrilled to be able to get back there with them to photograph these special memories in a place that meant so much to them!
Oh! There's a special story with the seats...gives me the goose bumps!...but you'll have to wait until you see the wedding sneak peek to hear more about that! Enjoy! ciao! natalie
It seems like forever ago but early this spring I shot a spread for MN Meetings & Events Magazine styled by the ever so talented Marsha Hunt & Bridget Connell, co-owners of Haute Flower Boutique, & Event Coordinator Emily Donovan at Architectural Antiques in Minneapolis. It's finally been published!! Here is a quick link to the online edition of the magazine...feel free to skip ahead to page 26!
Marsha & Bridget set out to create a table top that radiated the feeling of a sultry simmer night in the city with an eclectic, urban vibe. Inspired by Architectural Antique’s unique venue space in Minneapolis, MN with thousands of fascinating antique pieces arranged in artful disarray, they wanted to create an island of brilliantly colored florals underneath the warm glow of dozens of shimmering chandeliers.
It was love at first sight once they spotted the antique painted metal zebra; they knew they had found an inspiration point upon which to build the entire look around. The Zebra is originally from a carnival ride, most likely from the late 1940’s. Its aluminum body is hand painted in a graphic black & white, complete with leather reign. The focal point of a tablescape is usually the floral centerpiece, but they loved the idea of taking this one-of-a-kind antique piece & building our floral design around it. They created a “saddle” of pavé style orange flowers to provide a jolt of color & then added the additional floral pieces to the tablescape to anchor the color scheme at both ends of the long table. The sheer unexpectedness of it provides a jolt of color & excitement & helps create a carefree, summery, almost carousel-like atmosphere for this event. As a focal point, it created a fun & whimsical feel to the entire tablescape & allows them to see how the non-traditional use of an item can create a unique & dramatic effect.
“We used a selection of orange roses, tulips, & ranunculus with fresh oranges & tangerines. The purpose of the eye-popping orange color was to create a natural focal point for the eye to rest on amongst the delightful visual cacophony of all the eclectic antiques. The counterpoint to the bright orange was the use of teal blue accents punctuated with black & white details. In addition to our fascinating zebra (!), we used a white crocodile patterned table runner & black croc charger plates. The end result was a contemporary tablescape interspersed with carefully edited antique details, creating an interesting juxtaposition of old & new.” – Haute Flower Boutique
“Within the front aisle of our showroom, Haute Flower Boutique selected dramatic pieces, such as the circa 1905 four-foot diameter crystal chandelier, which was displayed in line with other period crystal chandeliers at varying heights over a large, custom built harvest table. Two carved walnut chairs from a Mason’s lodge where placed at the heads of the table & an assortment of brass candle stands & teal blue insulator caps where used to create small flower vases for each seat. Also on the table (with the fabulous Zebra) is a wooden trefoil that was once part of a gothic door surround, & miscellaneous pieces of glazed terracotta, which were once originally from the exterior of a building. Crystal doorknob sets, & antique door brass door plates with plenty of patina are used as part of the table arrangement as well as the letterpress letters. For the bar, a Carrera marble washstand was used, surrounded by vintage pop crates & large green shutters to create a colorful backdrop. Hanging above the vignette, is an early 20th century Quezal light fixture which features five hand-blown ‘pulled feather’ shades to balance color & organic feel throughout the scene. The delightful antique washstand was intended as an innovative way to serve iced drinks with the antique soda crates staging the extra beverages. The crystal doorknob pairs & the doorknob back plates were an interesting addition to the place setting along with the printer’s block letters. The details were chosen for their aesthetic value as well as for being great conversation starters among dinner guests.” – Architectural Antiques
Not only is Architectural Antiques a great location for meetings but it's an amazing space for you to book your wedding & reception! Hint hint...I would love to photograph a wedding here!
All floral arrangements, concept, styling & event design
White vases & containers
Orange satin ribbon
Real boxwood topiaries with jeweled accents
Black & white harlequin patterned containers
Mercury glass votives & pillar candles
Black charger plates & clear glass plates
Flatware & goblets
White napkins & white croc table runner
Mahogany chivari chairs & white chair pads
All architectural elements & styling
Chandeliers – circa 1905 four-foot diameter crystal chandelier, which was displayed in line with other period crystal chandeliers
Table – 12 foot custom built oak harvest table
Gothic chairs carved walnut chairs from a Mason’s Lodge with aqua mohair cushions
Carrera marble washstand
Vintage soda crates
Green shutters
Stained glass panels - a variety of early gothic stained glass panels with a mix of purples, greens, blues & greens
Child dress form with stenciled details
Round white trefoil architectural fragment from 1880’s gothic door surround
Zebra!
Wire bird cage
Crystal door knobs
Door knob backplates
Printer’s letters (described in more detail below)
Teal green tiles
Aqua blue glass insulators
Local market:
Orange Crush soda & fruit
Today was not just about one person, today Minnesota as a state came together to give every single person the equal opportunity to marry the one they love and I know the the whole Rivets family is proud of our state today!! Congratulations!!
I have a daughter, Annika. This week, I've been wondering where the past year went to. Though obviously on a much smaller scale, I am having as much fun planning her first birthday party as I had planning my wedding. I took her picture just the other week. Isn't she cute?
a little impromptu shoot with model Blair Emerson around Harriet Island. I recently got some new fun equipment so this was a great opportunity to test it out!
Over the holidays I made my yearly journey to Brookfield, Wisconsin to see my fathers side of the family and being that this was the first time in some time that all of us were together, it seemed like something that needed to be documented. Meet my family.
Can you feel it? All the excitement in the air? With the holidays right behind us and the most romantic one almost upon us it tis'the season for engagements! If you are anything like me, and anything like most of my girlfriends, once that proposal is made it's all about plan, plan, planning for your big day! And what better way to get all of your thoughts organized into once place than in Pinterest! Pinterest is swiftly becoming the go-to resource for brides when planning for their wedding day. It's so easy (and fun!) to create boards to keep track of all the ideas you have for your flowers, wedding invitations and those swoon worthy bridal gowns! I'm fairly certain that if you can think it, you can pin it on Pinterest and that's what we love about it! Rivets & Roses is on Pinterest now too! From snippets of our work to creative DIY projects, the Rivets & Roses Pinterest site is one you will want to follow!
This past week I had the pleasure of working a few different projects. One of which had me working with Rhymesayers artist and local legend Toki Wright, one put me in the depths of strange night in local Hip Hop at the 'Group Therapy' show, but first I would like to show you this. I had great time shooting with local model Allison Reimer for a little Lumberjack themed shoot. Though we were not in the heart of northern Minnesota we made it work and came out with some great images!
These are from my shoot with Mr. Toki Wright. Make sure to take listen to his music and see what all the fuss is about. He just put out a great new podcast which gives you a look into what this local artist listens to and what his life is like.
Last but not least I have the madness that was the Group Therapy show. All in all it was a great night but what really made the night was this. Next door to the 7th St Entry Public Enemy was performing. We were able to get in for the encore and when Flava Flav came out I heard this, "What Up Indianapolis!!!"... Flav you were everything I hoped, you retarded little savant you.
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!
I had the absolute pleasure of documenting Megan & Dylan Guerbers wedding day. They are the lucky couple that won one of the Rivets and Roses wedding giveaways and I must say that I was the lucky one. To find a couple so pure at heart and genuine is rare, they made my job effortless and after spending 2 minutes in there company I forgot I was even working. True love comes naturally and when it is real, everyone knows.
I am going to have to apologize a head of time for the absurdly long post...I just couldn't help myself! Stephanie & Aaron were married in at Sylvan Lake Lodge in Custer, South Dakota. Minneapolis is home but family & friends traveled from as far away as Japan to celebrate their wedding day with them! Sylvan Lake Lodge was the perfect backdrop for their wedding...from the amazing rock formations that surround the lodge (the beginning of the Needles!) to the beautiful lake side ceremony, everything about this outdoor wedding was a reflection of Stephanie & Aaron's laid back, natural style. I thought for sure we were going to get rained on during the ceremony but the huge dark cloud that swept into view only stayed long enough for me to get a few dramatic photos (no complaints!). It was lovely to see how attentive & sweet these two were with each other all day long & I am absolutely thrilled that they are now officially Mr. & Mrs! Congratulations!
