dana & travis - december 30, 2006

i have loved shooting weddings for all sorts of great couples this year, and i think travis and dana's wedding was a perfect way to cap off 2006. they planned an intimate and classy evening wedding at st. andrew's church in eden prairie and threw a great party afterwards. i was amazed to find out that not only did they plan everything so well, but dana just graduated from college two weeks before the wedding. my clients never cease to amaze me.

here are some of my favorite pics of the couple:



and here's the wedding party:

a fun shot with the rings:

the flower girl playing hide and seek:

dana had her bridesmaids and attendants sign the bottoms of her shoes, which i thought was a very cute idea:

during the ceremony, lighting the unity candle:

after lighting the unity candle, the couple used their flame to light the candles of their family and friends. here they are surrounded by that candlelight:

here are the newlyweds leaving the church, surrounded by sparklers:
an outdoor shot of the wedding party between the ceremony and reception:

dana's grandpa snapping a photo:

the bridesmaids taking a self-portrait:

travis and dana's first dance:

on the dance floor. this group was definitely ready to dance and have a good time:

the bouquet toss:

dana's mom and dad on the dance floor:

thank you, travis and dana, for letting me be a part of your big day. you are a wonderful couple with great families and really fun friends (go bison!). have a blast on your honeymoon, and i am very excited for you to see the rest of the pictures!

kelly & don - november 25, 2006

it had been a few weeks since i was able to take pictures for a wedding, so kelly and don's big day came just in time to cure my wedding day withdrawl. they celebrated with their family and friends over the thanksgiving weekend, and it seemed very appropriate because they had a lot to be thankful for that day. there were many people who traveled to be with them, the weather was gorgeous for a minnesota november, and all their planning came to fruition and it was a very easygoing and relaxing day.

here are a couple favorite pictures of the happy couple:



kelly and don were actually brought together by their dental hygienist, who suggested that they might make a good couple. here is a cute picture of kelly getting ready that i am sure their matchmaker would approve of

some details of the dress:


don and kelly seeing each other for the first time:

a fun shot that i snuck during the formals session:

here are the guys refining the art of hanging out:

since the church was decorated in a harvest theme, i thought this was kind of a fun ring shot:

sharing a laugh before the ceremony:

kelly and her dad heading down the aisle:

kelly grinning ear to ear during the vows:


after the ceremony, we went to get some fun, casual shots. after many months of construction, the bridge at morehouse park in owatonna was opened, so we decided to check it out... and we weren't the only ones:

another view from the bridge:


the newlywed's grand entrance:

congratulations, kelly and don. i enjoyed every minute i spent with you, your family and friends. i hope you are having a fun, warm and relaxing time in the caribbean!

amy & alec - october 28, 2006

it's been an amazing october. five great weddings and five great couples. i couldn't think of a better grand finale than amy and alec's wedding. their ceremony was held at the incredible wooddale church in eden prairie, and their reception was held at the golden valley country club. amy wore one of the most beautiful wedding gowns i have ever seen. (for those who love wedding dress & pop culture trivia, this was the same monique lhuillier design that the singer pink wore when she married carey hart...)

a simply stunning bouquet:

another cute pic of amy:


a picture of the couple in the church balcony:

just as they entered the church, the sun came from behind the clouds and illuminated the bride and her dad:


their vows were very touching, with some tears and laughter:


a view from above:


some of my favorite pictures of the couple...it was hard to narrow down:


a moment by lake calhoun, with the minneapolis skyline in the background:

it may have turned chilly in the afternoon, but we got some gorgeous clouds to make up for it:

framed by the lake harriet bandshell:

the cake, covered in fall leaves:

alec's grandfather gave some wonderful advice to the couple:

the first dance:


congratulations, amy and alec. you are a wonderful and fun couple to be around, and i enjoyed being part of your day. have a fantastic time in st. lucia!

tori & paul - october 21, 2006

tori and paul were married at bethlehem lutheran church in minneapolis, and their reception was at the college club on beautiful summit avenue in st. paul. they planned a great day that was classy and easygoing. it was such a fun day to shoot that i had a hard time narrowing down some of my favorites to put on the blog. that is a good problem to have, right?

i absolutely love this picture of tori. she looks so elegant. her bouquet was a beautiful mix with hydrangea and orchids:

i was fortunate to get to know tori's bridesmaids at her friend meghan's wedding last year. it was a blast to spend another fun day with such cool gals:

the girls were not the only cool ones. here is a pic of paul and his groomsmen and the ushers:

paul has a great sense of humor and an appreciation for silliness. this shot was his very own idea:

tori and her dad walking down the aisle:


paul's first glimpse of tori that day:

here is the happy couple giving hugs to paul's parents:

a caught moment just after the ceremony:

some more pictures of the couple:


stopping for a picture on summit avenue, right in front of the governor's mansion:

somehow, paul and his best man found time to fit in a game of stratego before the ceremony. in honor of that, here is my favorite ring pic of the day:


enjoying the company of their families during dinner:

tori's grandmother having a good laugh during dinner:

tori and paul had a 'family tree' theme for their wedding day. they had their parents' wedding pictures there, and also those of past generations, going back to the mid-1800's. as a photographer, i loved looking at their display, and it reminded me how much meaning a photograph can have:

the couple's first dance:

tori and her new father-in-law brought out some great dance moves that were a hit with the guests:

just before everything was about to close down for the night, tori's dad asked the band if they would play one more song so he could have a dance with his bride:

congratulations, tori and paul. i have enjoyed getting to know you and i loved that i was able to play a role in your day. you are blessed with amazing family and friends, and it was great being able to spend time with them, too. have a wonderful, romantic and relaxing time up north!