Alisa and Josh

The Mankato Wedding Expo was October 9, and I had a booth there. I offered a door prize of an engagement session and signature book (a wedding/reception guest book made with pictures from the engagement session), and Alisa and Josh were the winners. We met on Saturday for an extended engagement session at Sibley Park. (I'll digress a bit here...it doesn't seem to matter what season we're in; Sibley Park is always beautiful, always well kept, and has dozens of beautiful locations for pictures. The City of Mankato, and it's park employees can be very proud of Sibley.)

OK - back to task :)

As fate would have it, we'd met before at a wedding I photographed in June  - the wedding of Luke and Ashley. Ashley is Josh's sister.

Alisa and Josh are the proud parents of Gavin, who is 20 months old. So Josh's parents came along too, and kept an eye on Gavin while we did engagement pictures. As you'll see, we also did a few family pictures as well.

Enough said...here are a few pictures.

Is this baby adorable or what??? Such a little cutie - and smart, too!

Alisa and Josh, I hope to have the privilege of photographing your wedding next September!

Mallory and Luke's Engagement Session

Mallory and Luke will be married next July, and we met this past Sunday for their engagement session. We started out at the Hubbard House, and then headed to Sibley Park, and as we were losing daylight, hurried out by Minneopa Park for the final images of the session.

With a vested interest in how their engagement session would turn out, they carefully planned clothing choices and props to coordinate with their wedding colors, and knew in advance specific poses they wanted, sharing sample photos with me, and suggesting several ideas of their own. Mallory's mother decorated an adorable parasol with their wedding date...and voila - save-the-date cards!

Here are a few photos...

Melissa and Paul's Engagement Sesssion

Fun engagement/family session today! A couple of bumps and bruises along the way...and I shouldn't forget to mention the pile of wet leaves...but...fun session! Paul's children, Rylie and Gannon had lots of interesting ideas for posing, and Rylie even took a few pictures using my 30D and 70-200 lens. (One is included here.) Paul's mom, Brenda, braved the cool, windy weather to keep an eye on the kids while we did the engagement photos. And as you'll see here, "We start and end with family."

Melissa and Paul, I'm really looking forward to working with you next August. If today is any indication of how fun your wedding will be, then I predict it's going to be a blast!

I can explain...a certain photographer thought it would be a great idea to make a leaf pile, and have everyone jump in it. Which they did. Rylie wound up on top of Gannon. Everyone shot back up as quickly as they landed because the leaves were wet just beneath the surface. Not all ideas are great ones...

At the gazebo near the Tourism Center in Elysian.

Gannon

Rylie

Rylie using my 30D.

Rylie's shot - not bad at all! 

Rachel and John

I think rural churches are awesome. Steeped in local history, with membership running generations deep, they exude a sense of family ties. Trinity Lutheran Church of rural Gaylord, established in 1866, is no different. It's where Rachel and John were married last Saturday, and where Rachel's parents were married many years ago.

The day was remarkably warm and windy for early October - temps in the mid-80's, and lots of hot, dry wind.While outdoors doing photos, every vehicle that passed by honked a greeting.

Their vendors:
  Flowers: Uncle Charlies Flowers II, Winthrop
  Reception: Johnson Hall, St. Peter, MN
  Cake: HyVee, Mankato
  Caterer: Country Convenience Store Catering
  DJ: Midwest Sound and Lights