Words almost can’t do Betsy and Colin’s wedding at the Historic Concord Exchange in St. Paul, MN justice. “Excellent” seems too basic, “Enjoyable” seems too blasé, and “Meant to be” seems too cheese. And yet, they’re all true in the most fantastic way!
Jessica and Tim’s Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel wedding was 100% them. By that I mean it was adorable, intimate, and filled with jokes and laughter.
Their story begins with a change meeting. Jessica was working at Nordstrom, where she was a stylist (she used to work at The Wedding Shoppe so it goes without saying that she’s got bomb taste!). Tim worked at the café at Nordstrom. Can you see where this is going?
Many have asked me what makes a wedding great? I don’t think there’s any one answer and tastes, as in all things, are incredibly subjective.
However, with all of the weddings I’ve worked and attended as a guest, I have found a surprising amount of similarities between the weddings that I’d deem “great.”
Ok y’all…this summer got me like WHOA. Not only did I get to photograph a bunch of weddings but I also got to meet, connect with, and photograph 30+ high school seniors!
I’m so lucky to be able to share a guest blog post from my friends over at Event Supply Shop.
They reached out to me and asked if my readers would find a post about doing a DIY wedding and I said, “Um…HECK YEAH!”
So, without further ado…
Now that we’re officially in the thick of wedding season, I thought we should discuss an often forgotten-about-until-it’s-too-late subject: how the HECK do you put on those darn boutonnieres?!
If you’re reading this, don’t worry…you’re in good company. I’m pretty confident when saying no one actually knows how to do this because at EVERY. SINGLE. WEDDING. I’ve ever photographed, someone Google’s, “How to put on a boutonniere.”
So, let’s put the subject to rest once and for all in 6 easy steps.
Bridal detail photos…we’ve all seen them on Instagram and have probably pinned a butt-load of pretty photos of wedding dresses, ring photos, and flat lays on Pinterest.
I for one LOVE taking these photos but I’ve found that oftentimes they get over looked in the chaos of the wedding day. You’ve put so much thought into what jewelry you’re going to wear, the design of the invites you sent out to your guests, and the flowers you’ll be holding and I want to capture those details for you. I mean…you spent money on all of those things and they’re part of your wedding story so it *should* be documented, right?
Aliya and Taylor’s Minnesota Boat Club wedding will surely be one that I will remember for a very, very long time. Everything about the day was memorable but my two top highlights from the day (aside from the amazing weather) have to be:
1) The beautiful, heartfelt vows the brides wrote…I seriously almost cried…
And
2) When Aliya’s veil blew off and almost fell into the Mississippi River!! Luckily, it stuck on the stucco of the bridge and my second shooter was able to grab it when the wind came up again. Talk about DRAMATIC!
These two lovebirds are as spunky as they are sweet. Caroline and Garvin met at college where they were both theater majors (see? They’re my kind of people!).
Here we are again friends. Part 2 of my top 10 questions all couples should ask their wedding photographer.
We’re digging in a little deeper with these final five questions, and I’ve gotta say…they’re good. So sit back, maybe have a cup of coffee, and enjoy questions 6-10!
How do we even start to say thank you for all the work and effort you put into our wedding day?
- Josie and Scott
Lauren played such a meaningful role in our wedding, capturing the day in photos that we'll look back on for the rest of our lives. She kept Scott and me calm and sane - Lauren is a miracle worker! She put in 100% effort and gave us her very best, and that means so much to me. Seeing our photographs makes me so excited and so happy that Lauren was with us on this journey.
Lauren made the process so easy and made us feel so comfortable!
- Amy and Luke
We just wanted to say thank you again so much for your amazing work. You were seriously incredible to work with and we loved the locations you suggested for both our engagement shoot and the spots in Stillwater. We were very worried about getting professional photos done since we had never done it before, but you made the process so easy and made us feel so comfortable. Thank you!
Working with Lauren was easy breezy and FUN! She gave us our most treasured photos ever!
- GRACE AND NICK
There was a chunk of time in our wedding planning when we thought we'd go without a professional photographer to save on cost (terrible idea!) but once we met with Lauren, we knew we'd be in good hands. She checked in often and asked questions that got us thinking about other parts of the wedding that we probably would've missed. Lauren captured exactly who we are as a couple!
Lauren's enthusiasm and passion make the photo-taking process so fun – she made me feel like a star!
- Alisa AND Adam
Lauren and her team are so much fun to work with! She made us feel so comfortable on the day of our wedding, providing both silly and helpful cues to help us relax and be ourselves in our photos. Lauren’s background in dance is super helpful in recognizing simple posture changes that make a big difference, too. Oh, and the photos we got are just stunning!
Lauren was pivotal in making our wedding day perfect!
- Emma AND Erik
My husband and I looked FOR MONTHS to find the perfect photographer and after meeting Lauren we knew was the best fit for us. She made our day so much fun and easy. She found little opportunities to make the perfect photo all with a calm ease that comes from someone who has an artistic eye along with experience in understanding the flow of a wedding.
Not only is Lauren an amazing human being, but she is an awesome photographer!
- Haley AND Erick
I've been in several weddings and have worked with a multitude of photographers and I never felt as confident as I did with Lauren. I love how professional she is. She helped with the timeline way in advance and we stuck to that timeline the day of. She was also able to professionally and firmly keep unruly family members settled and focused and navigated family drama beautifully!