1. bocce ball 2. fricket 3. bags 4. croquet 5. lawn darts What’s yours?
I’ve known Anne since the first day of classes our freshmen year at college when she came up to me and said “you’re going to be my friend” and what do you know I did become her friend. So when she told me she had gotten engaged I was ecstatic and I was even more ecstatic when she and Jesse told me they wanted Laura and I to be their photographers.
Jesse’s daughter was absolutely adorable all day.
The ceremony and reception was held at the Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center. These cute pink flamingos marked the way.
This has to be the coolest cake I have ever photographed.
I think my favorite shot of the day was this moment between Jesse and his daughter on the dancefloor.
Previous to attending the Red Bull Illume after party I had yet to really explore the new Guthrie Theater. The place is awesome, the Dowling room theater that was the venue for the party has a great overlook of the river, includes a wall that raises up to reveal another section of the room and has a clear section floor where you can looks a few stories down to the ground.
Red Bull, as usual, threw a heck of a party. Red Bull athletes Damian Daylight Day and Terry Adams were on hand to perform for the crowd, yummy food, great music, and always tasty drinks.
Daylight and Terry go head to head in a break dance versus flatland battle.
During the summer it is not uncommon for Laura and I to have very few weekends available. If we are not shooting a wedding then there is probably something else penciled in on the calendar. When I saw mention of the IMBA Trail Care School being offered I checked the calendar and to my amazement the weekend was free and clear.
On Friday we met at Quality Bicycle Parts for some classroom time. Kelly and Collins, the eastern regional IMBA Trail Care crew, were on hand to lead the course. The three hour session was meant to teach us the basics of how to properly design and layout a new mountain bike trail. Covering some of the basics in what needs to be done to build a trail that will be sustainable using tools such as an inclinometer to measure the angle of slope on the trail.
On Saturday we regrouped at Lebanon HIlls to put some of our new skills to work while flagging out what could possibly be a new beginner trail at the park. This new section of trail of about 1 mile in length will be built in 2010. The second half of the day was spent analyzing a newly built 1.25 mile section of intermediate trail that has been built to replace a deteriorating section of existing trail.
This past weekend Laura and I attended our friend’s Jessop & Jen’s wedding in Saint Peter, Mn. We were doing double duty as not only were we attending as guests but we also were their official photographers. I really enjoy photographing people I know so well because you already have that immediate connection with them and its just so much easier to get into the flow of the day.
Friday night we went down and attended the groom’s dinner at Jen’s grandmother’s house, ate way to much food, played some bocce ball, got to meet a lot of the family and just had a nice relaxing evening.
Saturday we were up and running following along with the bride and groom documenting their day. They were wed on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus. The day started out gloomy but absolutely turned out to be a gorgeous day. After the ceremony we traveled to Mankato for the reception. Laura always complains that she is so jealous of everyone who gets to dance during weddings while we are taking photos. It was nice to be able to put down the cameras a bit earlier than normal and get out on the dance floor our self. I’m sure I thoroughly embarrassed myself not to mention I can only imagine those in attendance who didn’t realize we were more than just the photographers!
Sunday we slept in and then met up with most of our friends to take in one of the largest breakfast buffets I have ever seen. It was literally forty feet of food. Inside jokes: Sneezeoops and Seafood Lasagna!
To Jessop and Jen thanks for such a great weekend. The two of you were absolutely stunning and I can’t wait to get caught up with all our other weddings so I can start editing yours. For now a teaser!
While tornadoes tragically ravaged many areas of the Twin Cities, Colleen and Curt were able to sneak their perfect wedding day in almost rain-free. Laura and I split up to start the day, with Laura joining the guys at Colleen and Curt’s house and myself heading to their hotel suite to spend time with the gals.
Once everyone was ready we headed over to the house to have a first moment together. Have I ever mentioned how excited I get when a couple lets me know that they want to see each other before the wedding? Composing their own moment on their own terms really allows a couple to relax because there is just that much more time to have fun with each other on this special day, and from our perspective, more time to have fun creating photographic moments.
Curt and Colleen opted to drive along Minnehaha Parkway, stopping at some key spots they’d walked their dog, Brutus, in the past year. We concluded at Crema Cafe for a late lunch and photos, and made it to St. Anthony Main Event Center in time for family portraits and some down time before the ceremony. Curt’s mom was able to acquire wholesale flowers, and the wedding party helped put together bouquets of tulips and gerberas.
Brutus their boxer is a big softy
Laura and I just couldn’t get enough of the Murphy Hanrahan trails this weekend so we went again! We joined Pete, MikeyB, Kris, Josh, and then Jessop, John, and Jason for a lap after work. I forgot what packing 20 pounds of camera gear on your back can do to your balance! All in all it was an awesome ride, the temperature was just right and as the sun hit the magic hour things were just absolutely beautiful out there. Thanks for the ride guys and thanks for the post ride beer!
What a fabulous holiday weekend. The weather was gorgeous, Laura and I rode our bikes everyday, and we were able to spend time with family and friends. It was a weekend of barbecuing for us as we had my parents over on Friday for shish kabobs and then on Saturday we were over to the Palmers for more BBQ, games, and a surprise pop-over by my brother down from Duluth.
