I met with Alissa and Mike Thursday afternoon for a final consultation for their July 17th wedding.  I love final consultations because it gives me a chance to get all wrapped up in the excitement of their upcoming wedding.  We talked about all their details, from getting ready, to what to “borrow”, to first dances.  They’re such a great couple, and gorgeous to boot, that I cannot wait to photograph them again.  We shot their engagement session at St. Anthony Main in the fall, and the image I’ve posted below is a perfect introduction to them as a couple: smiling, laughing, playful, and all-around adorable. 

I am not exaggerating when I say this, even though I am a big fan of hyperbole, but if I didn’t know any better, I would think a photographer planned their wedding.   They opted to do a first look and see each other beforehand (insert giant “YAY” here).  They’ve allowed for plenty of time before the ceremony for photography, and additional time after the ceremony!  They even have a balanced number of groomsmen, bridesmaids, and ushers (4,4,2), which makes the symmetry-loving part of me jump for joy.  And it gets even better – their reception is at the Northland Inn, the same place my husband and I had our reception six and a half years ago.

Really – how did I get this lucky?

And there’s more!

That same evening I met Chriss and Brian for the first time.   From our e-mails, I could tell that Brian is a fellow photographer, and he knows his stuff.  I can say with certainty that he is the first groom to tell me that he likes the way I “work with light and shadow” and my “judicious use of shallow depth-of-field.”  I couldn’t have been more pleased if he told me I was the spitting image of Angelina Jolie.

After chatting about her favorite images, Chriss and I got sidetracked onto a conversation about giant purses after she made reference to my “about me” page and the fact that I keep a tape measure in my purse.  Talking shop about photography and discussing the merits of gigantor purses in the same meeting? These are my kind of people! 

But we didn’t just talk about camera gear and handbags.  We talked about the great light in the Landmark Center, the gorgeous rooms at the St. Paul Hotel, the dueling pianos that will be playing at their reception, table cakes, Brian’s grandmother’s ring, and their “grand entrance” into the reception while Chriss’s friend, a professional jazz vocalist, sings “At Last.”  Doesn’t this wedding sound fantastic?  Don’t you wish you could go?

Be prepared to be jealous – I get to go to this wedding and photograph all of it. Seriously – how did I get this lucky?

And just when you think there couldn’t possibly be more, there’s more.  That same day my precious was delivered to my door  : a brand new, completely awesome, fully adjustable Dedo LedZilla video light.  I had to take a break from writing this blog to play with it.  Believe me when I tell you that this light is a-maz-z-zing!  I am in love.

So that was my day, folks, awesome from beginning to end.  Thanks for picking up the phone and listening; I’ll call you again later.

Last night I walked away with the following eight honors at the 2010 Northern Light Regional Convention for MN, ND and SD professional photographers:

• MN Wedding Photographer of the Year
• Distinguished Album
• Haga Wedding Award
• Court of Honor
• Northern Light Highest Scoring Wedding Print
• Fuji Masterpiece Award
• Kodak Gallery Award for Photographic Excellence in a Print
• Kodak Gallery Award for Photographic Excellence in an Album

But before I put down one more word of horn honking, I need to give a big, fat THANK YOU to David Grupa, David Johnson, David Jones, Erin Dunn and Kirsten Holscher.  I have a terrible time choosing which of my images to enter because I become too attached to the subjects.  I would make my selections based on the history of the image, how I felt when I took it, how I feel when I see it now, and how I feel about the people in it.  These wonderfully gifted photographers spent their valuable time helping me see my images with fresh eyes, and their advice was instrumental in achieving the list of awards above.

I’m especially proud of the fact that all of the images I entered were created for actual clients.  I didn’t hire professional models and stylists or rent a special location.  These are real brides and grooms being photographed on their actual wedding day.  It was a privilege to take part in their weddings, and I’m grateful  they allowed me the time and creative space to produce the images you’ll see below.  Meghan and Brandon, Jill and Paul, Katie and Sean, and Mary and Peter  – thank you, thank you, thank you!

Additionally, the images were awarded by trained, experienced professional photographers and judges, men and women who’ve spent decades learning, improving and sharing their art.  I value their opinions and greatly appreciate their gifts.  To have them recognize my work as being worthy of the awards above is truly an honor.

Album: It Starts With a Kiss

02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Print: A Quiet Corner

Print: Leading Lady

Print: A Perfect Storm

When you see each other for the first time at the alter, you get to smile, hold hands and get on with it.  With a first look, you can take time to really experience that moment.  You can cry.  You can hug.  You can tell each other how smokin’ hot you look.  You can even do all those things at once! What’s even better is that you get to have pictures of it all (pardon my bias, but I honestly can’t help myself).

A first look also allows you to complete all of your formal portraits before the ceremony, which in turn allows you to maintain the momentum and emotion of the ceremony straight through to the reception.  You don’t have make a fake exit, circle back into the sanctuary, and wrangle up all your family and bridal party members. Instead, you’re free to jump in the limo, snuggle up to your honey and drive off into the sunset. 

My strong preference for the first look approach isn’t just because it provides opportunities for beautifully emotional images or because it’s a more efficient use of precious wedding day time.  I also prefer it because I know how stressful a wedding can be when you don’t have your best friend and partner by your side.  My man and I didn’t see each other before the ceremony, and I was a giant bucket of stress.  My one and only attendant was MIA, my grandmother-in-law-to-be was lost, and the clock was tick-tick-ticking.  By the time I started my walk down the aisle (20 minutes late), I was such a mess that I burst into tears the moment I laid eyes on my man.  And believe me when I say that my cry-face is not my most attractive look.

The one thing that would have put the kibosh on the pre-ceremony freak-out session would have been having my honey next to me, making me laugh, giving me smooches, and assuring me that no matter how many things went wrong, we’d still end up married and happy at the end of the day.

If there ever comes a day when I can talk my husband into marrying me again (I try it every year), believe me, we will see each other beforehand.  We will cry.  We will hug.  We will tell each other how smokin’ hot we look.  We may even do all those things at once, and there will be amazing photographs of it all.