The Hula Hoop Girls

Rachel and Steve were married last Saturday, and I mentioned in an earlier post that their wedding was a lot of fun, especially the reception. The DJ had a hula hoop contest and the two junior bridesmaids, Maria and Riauna, and two flower girls, Nevaeh and Alivia, owned the dance floor, with Alivia winning. That child could walk and dance while hula-ing. She was really amazing. Not only that, she could "boomerang" the hoop - put a reverse spin on it and spin it 15-20 feet out before it returned to her. I got such a kick out of watching them.

Neveah, Alivia, Riauna and Maria in the midst of the contest.

I love this stance!

These two hung in there the longest.

Alivia putting the reverse spin on the hoop - it's returning to her now. I love the 

"robot" pose of her arms and hands.

Riauna really pouring on the power.

Maria is a fierce competitor.

Alivia with her prize - the blue necklace - for being the best hula-hooper.

This is one of my favorite reception shots. Where they managed to find energy and all that 

spirit after such a long, hot day is beyond me. Ahhh....youth!

Erica and Aaron

I thought it was hot and steamy on Saturday, but it pales in comparison to how much hotter and steamier it was in downtown Mankato yesterday at 6 pm when Erica and Aaron had their engagement session. The one good thing about the weather is that skies were overcast making for wonderful light. I needed only a touch of flash or bit of reflector, and we were good to go.

I also needed a towel continuously to mop myself off, and a lens cloth and to wipe my lenses, which kept fogging up. In spite of the discomfort, were able to make some awesome images, and I KNOW it will be cooler this October when they marry. Erica and Aaron, photographing your wedding is going to be an honor, and a pleasure. Thanks for being such good sports about the heat and humidity.

Rachel & Steve

Steamy. Make that hot and steamy. That describes the weather for Rachel and Steve's wedding Aug. 10 in Blooming Prairie. And if you stayed late enough at the reception, toss riots of fun in with the hot and steamy, and it pretty much sums things up. Theirs was a big wedding - 14 attendants and four ushers, and many, many guests. And even the hot, steamy weather couldn't dampen the happiness of the day. Stephanie Williams, my daughter, and owner of You've Been Framed Photography in North Mankato, assisted me, and I couldn't be more pleased!

With lots and lots of work ahead of me editing photos from this wedding, along with an engagement shoot today (in even hotter and steamier weather - really - my camera lenses kept fogging up, and my Quantum battery pack refused to work), I'll post just a few of the images from yesterday. Later this week, I have to tell you about Alyvia, Nevaeh, and Marie and the hoola hoops at the wedding reception. Incredible little girls with amazing talent!!

The ceremony was beautiful with the lights turned low, and lots of candlelight adding to the ambiance. 

Rachel's dress was perfect for her - sophisticated and elegant, yet not one bit overstated.

Alyvia - the day was equally special for her.

No resemblance here - right? Rachel's sister, Tracy, was married to Chris last August, and I had the privilege of photographing their wedding too.

Moments before the ceremony begins.

"You're joking - right? What do you mean that the organ isn't working?" (It didn't.)

Family Ties

I've known Tanya and Jayne for several years - both through Minnesota State, Mankato, and because we live in the same small town. Tanya and Jayne own Tucker's Tavern in Elysian. A few years ago, Tanya put me in touch with her nephew, Jared, who needed a wedding photographer. I had the privilege of photographing Jared and Sandi's wedding. Although they live in Illinois, they're visiting the area for a family reunion, and Tanya asked me to take pictures.

There's nothing more gratifying to a photographer than having repeat customers. Talk about an ego booster! And this reunion was special - it was Tanya's parents 50th anniversary! It was an honor to be chosen to capture images of this family!

Back to Sandi and Jared - In addition to their sweetheart of a son, Cam, they welcomed adorable twin girls, Taryn and Tiegen eight months ago.

Here in southern MN, we've experienced a fair amount of severe weather recently, some of it much too close to home (my son's home was damaged - he's lived there just  3 weeks). Friday night was no exception. Shortly after I got set up to shoot, the clouds thickened, and skies became darker - then noisier as thunder rumbled all around us. We wrapped up the shoot quickly, which is a good thing because tornado sirens sounded a short time later.

Because they were fussy, and we were in a hurry, I offered to retake pictures of Cam and the twins, and we had that session tonight. What a difference a few days makes - low humidity, beautiful clear skies, mild temps...Minnesota perfect! We were able to relax more with the babies as well, and the results are great! Here are a few from "round 2."

When I delivered the preview CD tonight, Sandi and Jared asked me if I'd photograph their twins on their first birthday - they'll be back in Minnesota about that time for a wedding. Absolutely!!

Mr. and Mrs. Sorensen

A marriage eight years in the making, Jen and Nick exchanged their vows May 22. Theirs was a beautiful ceremony that centered on the importance of family, with all their respective brothers and sisters (along with cousins and friends) members of the bridal party. A few snafus delayed our picture taking. (I've learned in the last 8 years or so of wedding photography, that a wedding day isn't complete without a snafu of some sort.) A missing white shirt for one of the groomsmen was really the only snafu, and Jen was unflappable - she quickly arranged a fix, and we were good to go. We worried a bit about rain eliminating our outdoor photo plans, but a brief 20 minute shower before the ceremony was all we wound up with.

Following the ceremony, we went to three locations with the wedding party - the St. Lucas Care Center to see Jen's grandpa, the Riverbend Nature Center to photograph the bridal party on a site donated by Jen's grandpa, then on to Shattuk-St. Mary's with just Jen and Nick. (I could have stayed there for hours.)

Their reception venue, the Vintage Ballroom and Suites, is very cool! They provided the catering (delicious), and Nick's aunt baked their wedding cake.

Here are just a few pictures from their day.

Congratulations Jen and Nick! I'll get your previews out to you in two - three weeks.

Mr. and Mrs. Mohr

Pure joy. There are many other words that could describe the wedding of Tammie and Brian Mohr, but pure joy sums it up the best. The details were carefully planned, and shared with everyone via their wedding website, www.brianandtammie.com.

It was as if the weather was planned just for their day. Following a couple of weeks of March-like weather, Saturday delivered mild temperatures and bright sunshine through the morning that gave way to "perfect" overcast skies for our outdoor photos at the Schell Brewery after the ceremony.

The day started out at the beautiful Bohemian Bed and Breakfast. Tammie and her attendants got ready here. We then headed to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity for the ceremony.

Here are a few of the many, many pictures taken. A special thanks goes out to Bobbi Urban, who assisted me. I can't wait to see and share her images.

Their getaway car was the same one used by Brian's parents for their wedding August 25, 1979.

Everyone at the reception gathered for a group photo prior to the dinner.

Tammie and Brian, thank you for letting me be a part of your wedding day. It was an honor and a pleasure!

So Much for Resolutions...

Well, best intentions aren't always what they're cracked up to be. It's been a crazy busy few weeks, and I'm gearing up for another wedding show this coming weekend on Feb. 21 at the Holiday in in New Ulm. It runs from 12-4. I'm happy to report I will be displaying a new sample album - the Zook PhotoBook Plus from Zookbinders. I love it!!

I got some work done on my website and have three sample albums added to the wedding gallery. Woo Hoo - I finally developed a web template that works for SimpleViewer Pro - the program I use for my online galleries.  It took a lot of trial and error and some careful note-taking, but the galleries are now about a five minute chore, as opposed to taking a few hours. (So I guess updating galleries should be no problem...right?)

I also had a session with an adorable almost-three-month-old little angel named Lillian. What a doll, and what a head of hair!! Mom and Dad couldn't be more proud, as they should be.