As I’m sure happens at Super Bowl parties all over the country, the men gravitated to the room with a TV the size of a garage door while the women sought refuge in a neighboring room to chat about “girl stuff” – like weddings – my favorite topic.  The topic of weddings came up when  Lenen, whom I had just met minutes before, asked what I did for a living.  After gushing that I photograph weddings and am more addicted to them than I am to caffeine and sugar, she replied that she was currently in the throes of wedding planning.  Being a crazy-busy, globe-trotting, time-is-precious kind of gal, Lenen booked her wedding vendors though one of those one-stop-shopping-type companies that offer photographers, DJs, videographers, and flowers. 

I asked if she had a chance to meet with the photographer that would be shooting her wedding, and scoring points for that company, Lenen replied that she had.  Her and Bill had their engagement session, were happy with the images, and thought it was a good personality match.  I said that was excellent news because a good match between the photographer and the bridal couple can make all the difference on the day of the wedding, because the photographer is typically the only vendor that is with the couple all day long.   If it’s not a good match, things can get . . .um. . .icky.

During this conversation, a mutual friend arrived with her adorable toddler in tow, and the subject quickly switched to how cute, charming, and crafty he was (he somehow managed to get his little Oliver Twist hands on my husband’s wallet).  Soon after, I took my leave early to go home and spend time with my second husband, Adobe Photoshop.

The next day, I had a voicemail from Lenen. It began with “Gina, I don’t know if I’m laughing or crying over finding your website! Oh my gosh!” 

Two days later, Lenen and Bill cancelled their contract with the one-stop-shop and booked with me. 

As I’m fond of saying, the universe unfolds as it should.  I could not have asked for a more fantastic couple than Lenen and Bill or a better location to work with on a day with nearly constant rain.  Because of the rain, we arrived extra-early to make an indoor game plan, and Patrick, the event Manager at the Mill City Museum, took my team on a top-to-bottom tour of all the amazing indoor locations that the Mill has to offer.  I nearly started drooling when he showed us the super-secret, roped-off, staff-only grain room.  The light in that room was absolutely delicious.  I wanted to capture it in a jar and eat it with a spoon, it was so yummy.

And Lenen and Bill were a photographer’s dream.  They were up for anything – which I adore in a wedding couple.  And they were full of energy, joy, generosity, affection, sincerity, humor and love - all of which I adore oodles and oodles.  And look at them – they’re gorgeous!  You can see from the images below why I’m over the moon about this wedding and why I’ve never been so happy to have been talked into going to a Super Bowl party.  Thank you, sweet-talking husband.  Thank you, sneaky universe.  And most of all, thank you, fabulous Lenen & Bill.20_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 01_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 02_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 03_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 04_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 05_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 06_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 07_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 08_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 09_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 10_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 11_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 12_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 13_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 14_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 15_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 16_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 17_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 18_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer 19_Minneapolis_Mill_City_Museum_Wedding_Photographer

Ronda and Jason really went the extra mile in personalizing their day.  Jason surprised his bride with a slide show during the ceremony, including images from his proposal!  He also played the guitar and sang to her amidst an array of misty eyes – mine included. 

The reception tables were personalized with custom-made plaques that doubled as party favors.  The plaques echoed the emotion of the day with beautifully simple sentiments like love, faith, trust and hope. 

And the cake!  Let me tell you about the cake!  Sitting atop a glorious mountain of sugar, butter and deliciousness sat the spitting image of the bride and groom!  Even the dress was the same!  Hands down, it’s top of my toppers list.

Rather than a traditional guest book, a wedding wishes tree greeted guests as they entered the room.  My personal favorite: always above anything else – love.   Oh so schmoopy, and gooey, and perfectly fitting for a couple as head over heals for each other as Ronda and Jason.

And that’s what’s most important about any wedding day.  Yes, I adore a gorgeous dress, mouth-watering cake, and fabulous shoes, but it’s the schmoopy, gooey stuff that keeps me hooked.  It’s the way Jason looked at Ronda when she didn’t know he was watching.  It’s the way they both cried during the ceremony.  It’s the way they held hands during prayer.  It’s the way their first dance melted into an embrace.  It’s always, above anything else, the love that matters.Ronda_Jason_187 Ronda_Jason_042 Ronda_Jason_199 Ronda_Jason_234 Ronda_Jason_068 Ronda_Jason_103 Ronda_Jason_151 Ronda_Jason_165 Ronda_Jason_182 Ronda_Jason_276 Ronda_Jason_282 Ronda_Jason_291 Ronda_Jason_295 Ronda_Jason_330 Ronda_Jason_356 Ronda_Jason_371 Ronda_Jason_376 Ronda_Jason_387 Ronda_Jason_461 Ronda_Jason_517 Ronda_Jason_450 Ronda_Jason_015 Ronda_Jason_531 Ronda_Jason_541 Ronda_Jason_560-2 Ronda_Jason_572 Ronda_Jason_603 Ronda_Jason_606 Ronda_Jason_611 Ronda_Jason_613 Ronda_Jason_616

Last week I was accepted to Junebug Weddings’ “World’s Best Photographers Hot List” and today my listing went live!  I’m one of only three photographers on the list from Minnesota.

I’m so giddy, I could implode . . . or explode – I’m too excited to decide.

The reason I’m so pumped is that I share the list with AM-A-Z-ZING photographers like Jerry Ghionis, Yervant, Jeff and Julia Woods, and Bob and Dawn Davis.  I’ve sat listening with rapt attention to all of these photographers speak at seminars, and now to be included on the same list makes me feel like singing . . . or doing the happy dance – I’m too excited to decide.

“Why You Should NEVER Skimp on Wedding Photography” by Shannon O’Kelley of Southall Eden.

I want to see and hear about what’s new – new equipment, new trends, new techniques.  I want to be able to shoot with photographers whose work I love and whose skills I admire.  I want to stand next to another photographer, look at the same subject, and photograph it in a completely different way.  I want to get that rush of looking at the back of my camera and seeing an image that I couldn’t have possibly imaged the day before.

Attending After Dark in Las Vegas gave me all those things and more.  I was able to shoot with TriCoast, John Michael Cooper, Jordan Chan, Dan Davis, Mark Fitzgibbons, Neil Van Niekerk, Stephanie Zetl, Jen Hillenga and Martin Grahame-Dunn — all amazing, internationally renown artists and fantastic human beings.  No ego. No bluster.  Just talent.  I was in photographer heaven.Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 2 Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 3 Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 4 Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 5 Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 6 Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 7 Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 8 Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 9 Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 10 Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 11 Minneapolis Wedding Photographer, Gina Kieffer, shot in Vegas at After Dark 12

This is the third year in a row I’ve won the title, and as in the previous years, I’m proud to win based on work done for my actual clients.  No fake, fancy model shoots here.  Just real brides, real grooms, real weddings. 

One of my images was also selected for the Kodak Gallery Award.   Kodak introduced the Gallery Awards in 1985 as a way to honor and promote the importance and value of excellence in professional photography.  The MNPPA awards one Kodak Gallery Award to a wedding photographer each year.  This year is my third year receiving the award.

I’m so thankful to be recognized and honored by my peers, but I didn’t win on my own.  Thank you to Alicia Oppelt-Musselman for being a great assistant, to Krish Kiefer and Julie Ann Jonker for their expert advice and critiques, and to Erin Dunn for transporting my prints to and from the competition, keeping me posted on their scores, and keeping me from having a total nervous explosion.  I am lucky and grateful to have such wonderful women and extraordinary photographers in my life.

I loved this wedding. I mean I really, really loved this wedding. And let me tell you why. . . because it was like being in the middle of the best romantic movie you have ever seen. There were tears. There was laughter. There was face-touching (which you know is my favorite). There were groomsman shenanigans. There were sweet and sassy bridesmaids. But most importantly, there was love. Giant, rushing, warm, shiny, sparkling waves of love.

(Jeez Louise, I’m crying already and I’m only two paragraphs in.)

Even though several months have passed since this wedding, when I look at the images, I can feel it like it was yesterday. I can feel Kari’s exuberant dance around the dressing room after she put on her mother’s cathedral veil. I can feel the unique (albeit mysterious) bonds of masculine friendship when Logan is hoisted onto his best man’s shoulders. I can feel the pain and pride of Kari’s oldest brother speaking on behalf of the father they lost. I can feel the sorrow, comfort and love as Kari dances the first dance with her mother, and they wipe away each others tears.

And although there was certainly sorrow, there was so much joy. Kari and Logan stood hand in hand in the middle of the dance floor as Minnesota’s Wedding Entertainment Director Extraordinaire Bill Hermann spun the tale of their love – from a match made on eHarmony, to their engagement, to their wedding day. Everybody – and I mean everybody – was hypnotized. Watching the two of them gaze at each other while Bill’s low, melodic narrative carried us along in their story was beyond moving. It was epic.

And then things got crazy.

It’s not often that you get to see a dance floor packed from edge to edge at a wedding. And all the events that might go quietly into the night at a reception, like the garter and bouquet, were done with such flourish that they became events in and of themselves. When Kari threw the bouquet, there were hands everywhere grasping at the floral projectile. When Logan removed Kari’s garter, they were literally surrounded by every man and boy in the place. When they did the anniversary dance, the floor was packed shoulder to shoulder with couples in love, which as you can imagine, is heaven for a mush bucket like me.

 So this is my Valentine’s Day gift to you. Looking at these images will not only make your feel Kari and Logan’s love and joy, it will make you feel your own. You’ll think of how much you love those around you and how lucky you are to have their love in return. And it will feel oh, so good.

 Happy Valentine’s Day!

 Now go kiss somebody, already!

Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_02 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_01 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_03 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_04 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_05 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_06 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_07 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_09 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_11 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_12 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_13 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_15 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_16 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_17 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_18 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_19 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_23 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_24 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_25 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_27 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_28 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_29 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_30 Minneapolis_Wedding_Photographer_31

The second gentleman is my man, my husband, my BFF, Andrew Dunn.  Not only did he literally drive me to Texas as part of our road trip extravaganza, he metaphorically made it possible by supporting my decision to pursue photography as a full-time career.  Without him, I’d still be stuck in the land of cubes.  He also chose me from a sea of thousands, and for that, I will always be amazed.

Then the terror set in.

I would have to speak.

In public.

In front of some of the best photographers in the country.

Gulp.

Let the panicking begin in earnest.

Joe began to tell me, in a very calm and supporting fashion, that it was nothing to worry about.  I would be just fine.  Besides, hadn’t we been speaking for 15-20 minutes already?  It wouldn’t be any different.  I think he should get a side career talking down jumpers.  For the moment, I thought, yes, it would be just like chatting with this lovely man on the phone.

I couldn’t share my terror with you then because mum was the word until after the award was announced at Imaging, the Professional Photographers Association’s convention, held this year in San Antonio, TX, January 16-18.  That was another bump in the road.

When Joe called before Christmas, I wasn’t just getting ready for the holidays.  I was in the middle of preparing for a three-week road trip extravaganza with my man.  We were leaving on 12/28 and coming home 1/20.  We would be on the road during the convention. I had to be there in person.  I told Joe I would find a way to make it work. 

Less than five minutes after telling my man that I won an award and needed to accept it in Texas, during our trip, we were on our computers renting a car, reserving hotel rooms, and booking a flight back home.  He didn’t even bat an eye.  If I won; we would be there. Decision made (have I ever mentioned how fantastic my husband is?)  We would rent a car from Minneapolis, drive to CO, NV, CA, AZ, NM, see loved ones, hike like hippies, and then we would continue our drive to Texas, where we would ditch the rental car and hop a one-way flight back to Minnesota.   Whew! 

Once our traveling logistics were all figured out, I had one more dilemma.  I needed prints to display at the awards banquet.  Really big, really beautiful prints.  I needed them fast, and I needed to figure out a way to get them to Texas.  Three weeks in a car with us would have been certain disaster.  Greg Carlock, from Northwest Professional Color, saved my heinie!  After I explained my situation, he not only offered to help me with the prints, he offered to help me choose the images, transport them to Texas, and hand them over to Kodak!  And he did all of those things!  He even called me to tell me when he handed them off!  Amaz-z-zing!

As we were driving, I’d write the speech.  Then I’d write it again.  And again.  What would I tell a room full of the country’s best photographers?  Well, the one thing I was sure they didn’t know about was me.  So when it came time to stand at the podium, I talked about me: why I left my “real” job for photography, why I’m addicted to weddings, how I came to be such a sappy mushbucket, and why I know I’ll always be working to be a better photographer.  The answer to all of these questions is because my couples deserve it. 

The name of my presentation was “Addicted to Weddings: Confessions of a Love Junkie.”  I think it fits me to a T. 

These were the images that were printed 20×30 and displayed at the Kodak’s Gallery Elite banquet at Imaging.

Katie and Chris are having a spring wedding and will be exchanging vows on April 30th.