Jill and Cullen’s wedding day started with a stroll in the park — and it ended the same way.
Even though I had been to the location the day before to scout it out, I arrived at Silverwood Park in St. Anthony about an hour and a half before we were actually scheduled to begin. I don’t mess around with weddings, boys and girls. There’s no excuse for being late, and there’s no excuse for not making friends with the location beforehand. I like to be prepared, know what I have to work with, and know that I have ample time to get situated before the bride arrives. That way I am calm, cool and collected when the all the frenetic energy of a wedding day begins. And a morning walk through a beautiful park is definitely a great way to start.
In Silverwood Park, there’s a sculpture that’s a cross between a weather vane and butterfly wings. My brain fast forwarded to an ethereal, fairytale image of the bride, and when we took the couple to the spot the wind wasn’t cooperative, but Jill sure was. We waited for the right moment, and let the shutter fly. I love the image I was able to create from that moment. It takes me someplace else entirely, and captures a whimsical, magical moment that speaks perfectly to the romance of a wedding day.
Another image I love from this wedding is Cullen walking through the tall grass. I love it because it was all his idea! It reminded him of a scene from Gladiator, and I was more than happy to follow his lead.
We moved on to the bridge and the island beyond and got some great snuggly, schmoopy, sexy, sassy shots – oh, how I love the schmoopy shots! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’m a sucker for love.
Before we moved on to family and bridal party portraits, we did a few set-ups indoors which included the following images that were taken, of all places, in the ladies’ bathroom. Yep, the bathroom. Jill might have thought I was off my rocker, but she was a champ and played along.
As with most weddings, this is the time of the day when the pace picks up. My time with just the couple comes to an end, and we add in bridal party and family members. But for Jill and Cullen’s wedding, that meant a speed-limit-busting drive over to St. Lawrence Church in Minneapolis for formal portraits, where the best assistant in the word, Alicia Oppelt Musselman, had the lights set up and ready to go as soon as we arrived. Before we knew it, formal portraits were done, the ceremony was over, and we were back in our cars making the speed-limit-busting drive back to the park for the reception.
Even though I love everything about weddings, toasts are something special. People are laughing, then they’re crying, then they’re laughing again. Friends and family take the opportunity to say things during a toast they might not have a chance to say otherwise, like I love you, I’m proud of you, I’m thankful for everything you’ve done, I’m blessed to have you in my life. I want to bottle every toast I’ve ever heard and keep them all in my pocket.
And because I’m a big fan of all things schmoopy, I’m also a big fan of first dances. And I have to say I prefer the hold-each-other-and-sway-in-a-circle type over the let’s-take-dance-classes-and-whip-each-other-all-over-the-dancefloor type. Although the hold-and-sway variety may not be as flashy, you just don’t get these kinds of moments between fancy dance steps.
As with every wedding, by the time I pack up my beautiful babies (Twin Nikons – they’re soooo adorable), I’m riding a rush of emotion and adrenalin. I’m pumped and exhausted at the same time – a perfect excuse to take a quick stroll past giant butterfly wings before heading home to my man.
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