anne & ben - april 28, 2007

wow. what a day. i had such a great time shooting anne and ben's wedding that i think i am still on my post-wedding high. i knew anne and ben would be great from the first time we met and from our engagement session, but i didn't know how much fun i would have with their friends and family, too. from the first time i met everyone, i felt like i had been adopted into the family.

even though they currently live in washington, d.c., and many of their friends and family are from all around the country, anne & ben decided to get married in rochester, mn, where he grew up. the ceremony was held at calvary episcopal church, right next to the mayo clinic, and the reception was held at the rochester arts center. they put together such a great day, and i believe that anne would make an incredible wedding planner. she had so many original ideas and the style and vision was a perfect combination of classy and fun.

a couple of my favorite pictures of anne & ben:





it is futile. i cannot resist a cool shoe shot:



ben, making arrangements for a surprise for his bride-to-be:

anne, being surprised with a gorgeous pair of earrings:

i love this picture of anne:

the girls on the way to the church:


the guys hanging out before the ceremony:

ben seeing his bride for the first time as she comes down the aisle:






the day was filled with so many creative touches. after their vows, anne & ben took individual flowers and put them to the vase that their parents had added flowers to. they each had a part in creating a beautiful bouquet made from individual and unique flowers.

sharing a moment after the ceremony:

it was such a beautiful day, and they decided to walk to the reception and we snapped a few fun shots along the way:


here is the wedding party doing their best catalog poses:

at the arts center:


the reception looked incredible. there were so many beautiful details:


instead of numbering the tables, ben & anne used letters, and every letter had a word that described them.
this was one of my personal favorites:

they had a wishing tree, where the guests could write a sentiment to them and decorate the tree with them. this one sums it up nicely:

i love the cherry blossoms on the sides of the cake:


back by popular demand! m&m's and rings!

their first dance, which was to be here now, by mason jennings, one of my favorite artists. just another example of their awesome taste ;-)

congratulations, anne & ben and thank you for letting me capture your day for you. i am excited for you to see the rest!

tenia & chad - april 14, 2007

i am so happy to be starting the spring wedding season, and i am also happy i was able to share the day with tenia and chad. their ceremony was held at st. ann's church in janesville, mn and the reception was at the country inn and suites in mankato. someone was definitely looking out for them, because their day was warm and sunny, which was amazing, considering that three days earlier we were hit with a snow and ice storm.

here are some of my favorite casual portraits of the couple:



for being a guy who wasn't all that excited to get his picture taken, he looks pretty good, huh?

a shot of a bridesmaid's bouquet. i love the contrast of the bright pinks with the white and black:

the guys (laughing of course):

the girls, looking cool and relaxed. i love the tea-length style of the bridesmaid's dresses, too:

the ringbearer, striking a pose:

and his sister, the flower girl, with a pose of her own:

lighiting the unity candle:


making their way down the aisle:

instead of cakes, they had these great cupcakes at every table, which i thought was very fun:

this is what can happen if the guest clink their glasses long enough:

the first dance as husband and wife:

chad and tenia's parents on the dance floor:


congratulations, tenia and chad. you and your friends kept me laughing all day and it made my job even more fun. thank you so much! i hope you have a blast in vegas!