Blog – Studio Laguna Photography

Grow With Me

February 23, 2014 By katrina 2 Comments

Finn just completed his Grow With Me series of portraits! He is officially one year old and it has been such a fun time getting to watch him grow up. If you’ve seen Finn’s other sessions, you’ll know that his mom and dad have a fantastic aesthetic, and they pulled out all the stops for our final session. Dad made an entire set using his antique doors, items he had made with reclaimed pieces, and family heirlooms. It looked fantastic!

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What a doll =)

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Mom and Dad got to be in some portraits, too!

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Finn LOVED the window that dad salvaged.

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Then it was time for the cake smash! Mom had made a sweet little cake, and though Finn really didn’t like getting his hands dirty at first, he dug in after a while.

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Enjoy your sneak peek!

Lovers & Haters

February 15, 2014 By katrina Leave a Comment

Tonight, The Livingroom Bar hosted their annual Lovers & Haters Valentines celebration. Both camps has a great time. There was a lot of kissing, laughing, and dancing to the techno beats of DJ Paris. I had a little extra time tonight to play with angles and light, and really love these images, check them out!

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Upstairs in Prohibition…swanky.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love is Brewing

February 9, 2014 By katrina Leave a Comment

How do you bond with your wedding photographer? Go out on a coffee date and then trudge through the frozen tundra in -13 degrees windchill! These two love coffee, so starting out with a cup of joe seemed perfect.

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We then headed up the hill to the Gustavus campus, where Aaron and Jenny went to school.

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Sun drenched and oh so romantic! (oh, and cold)

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After an outfit change, we went inside the chapel to use the lovely stained glass. The architecture was so different from the rest of campus, and I loved the modern lines.

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Back outside the wind kicked up, so we did a lot of snuggling images…I don’t think Aaron minded one bit 😉

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Jenny and Aaron, thanks for letting me spend the afternoon with you…and THANK YOU for having heated seats in your car! Enjoy your sneak peek!

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Rudy’s Rustic Rentals

February 7, 2014 By katrina Leave a Comment

Yesterday, Michelle, owner of Rudy’s Rustic Rentals, had an unveiling of her new tables! Michelle has already cornered the market for rustic farm tables for rent, but now has a fleet of furniture for rent as well as lovely new silver leafed tables that up the glamor factor. She has a keen design eye, and I loved seeing her designs. The dining room table is decorated by Michelle’s private collect, except for the napkins, which are from Linen Effects.

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Uy-Lennon Floral and Events created beautiful arrangements for the party.

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Squirrels: the epitome of elegance =) Glassware and china for this table was provided by Midway Party and Tent Rental.

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Check out Rudy’s newest items for rent to spruce up your next wedding or party!

Liz and Kate

February 2, 2014 By katrina 8 Comments

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When Minnesota legalized same sex marriage (YAY!), Kate and Liz were just going to go down to the justice of the peace. Afterall, they had been together for over 20 years. Their family, however, had a different plan! What was so fabulous about this wedding was the outpouring of support for this couple. And the absolute joy and excitement Liz and Kate’s friends and family felt to be a part of this day.

The ceremony and reception took place at Aria. The couple got ready together, which was so sweet and romantic.

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We had a great time wandering Aria taking portraits.

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The ladies even braved sub zero temperatures for a few outdoor images as well.

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For the ceremony, a string quartet played, and guests excitedly waited for the brides to come down the aisle. They walked in together, and you could see the emotion really settle in as they saw the faces of their nearest and dearest.

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After the lovely ceremony, it was time to brunch! The main hall of Aria was beautifully decorated with a woodsy theme. Using feathers, birch bark and ivy, Liz and Kate had a lovely candlelit atmosphere for their reception. Fabulous Catering created a delicious spread for a hearty breakfast, and guests enjoyed mimosas and bloody marys along with a jazz quartet.

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Tossing of the boutonniere…

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At the end of the festivities, the couple was picked up by The Hitching Company for a romantic drive home.

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Kate and Liz, thank you so much for having us be a part of your day! It was truly an honor! Enjoy your sneak peek!

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Marcus and Melinda

January 31, 2014 By katrina Leave a Comment

Marcus and Melinda were married today!

The couple chose a winter wonderland theme for their wedding, and every bit of the day sparkled. Nature even cooperated with a blanket of fresh snow delivered the day before. Everything was a vision of white! Sadie’s Couture Floral did a wonderful job with the all white bouquets and added darling little touches like pine cones to reflect the season.

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The ceremony and reception took place at Manitou Station in White Bear Lake. The wedding party gathered in the bar downstairs for some hang out time and to get some liquid courage to go outside for pictures.

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Marcus and Mindi are hearty folk, they love the winter and wanted to have pictures out in the elements. We happily complied, especially since down town White Bear Lake is so cute.

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Time to play in the snow!

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Guests arrived as the sun set for the ceremony. The space was full of a warm glow as the couple exchanged their vows to a lot of laughter.

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There were even a few happy tears.

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The reception was set up so beautifully! And the couple chose a variety of comfort food appetizers for their guests to enjoy, from Scotch eggs to chicken wings.

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After dinner, the couple had their first dance and then Complete Music cranked it up and got the place bouncing! There was even a Michael Jackson dance off….it was seriously a blast to see all these friends have such a great time.

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Marcus and Mindi, thank you so much for having us be a part of your day! Enjoy your sneak peek!

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Grand Debut

January 22, 2014 By katrina Leave a Comment

Tonight I had the honor of photographing a birth. I’m still on an adrenaline high! Everything happened so fast, even the nurses were amazed. I feel like a timeline is in order here…because, seriously, this baby surprised everyone!

8:16 – I get a text Emily and Taylor are on the way to the hospital, I tell them to let me know what the nurses say and when I should head out
9:08 – Emily gets in the room and texts me the room number
9:20 – I arrive
9:24 – the midwife arrives
9:32 – Emily gets in the birthing tub
9:37 – baby boy is caught by mom and enters the world

Blink. of. an. eye.

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In all the chaos, no one even checked to see if it was a boy or girl…and I just LOVED Taylor’s reaction when he found out he had a SON! It was awesome.

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I think one of the couple’s favorite things was calling all their family and hearing them all say “you had the baby ALREADY!?!?!?”

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Taylor and Emily, thank you so much for your trust and allowing me to be a part of one of the fastest births in history! Enjoy your sneak peek and get some rest!

Baby Love

January 20, 2014 By katrina 1 Comment

Brad and Shannon had their maternity session today!

We went for city chic and I love how the images turned out. They just had a gender reveal party yesterday…so we made sure to get some blue in the main portrait.

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I love geometric repetition!

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Beautiful Mama.

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Brad and Shannon, I hope you enjoy your sneak peek! Can’t wait to meet the little guy!

Lovely Layla

January 7, 2014 By katrina 1 Comment

Last night, one of the coldest nights on record in Minnesota, little Layla was born!

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She seriously has the longest feet I’ve ever seen!

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The best was when Oma saw her new grand daughter.

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Big brother and uncle loved holding the baby, and even had some Facetime with auntie to show off the new little one!

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I love this shot of grandpa =)

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What a happy family!!!!

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It was an honor to be a part of this special event! Thank you for your trust, and enjoy your sneak peek!

Michael and Christine

December 28, 2013 By katrina 3 Comments

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Michael and Christine were married today! They were fortunate to have a beautiful blue sky and unseasonably warm weather for their big day, maybe it was a gift to all of the friends who came from California and Texas to be a part of the festivities (sorry it will be -40 tomorrow!).

Lace, candle light, and hints of sparkle made this winter wedding classic and lovely. Using vintage brooches, feathers, and even pinecones, Julia’s Blooms created beautiful arrangements for the day, and they went perfectly with the ladies’ fur wraps.

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The ceremony took place at King of Kings Lutheran Church which was decorated in full Christmas glory for the holidays. One of the sweetest moments of the day was when Chris’ dad saw her all dolled up for the first time.

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The ceremony was full of personal touches, from the music chosen (my favorite was an Avett Brothers song with the lyrics modified to fit the day) to the fact that Mike’s father was the officiant.

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After the ceremony, we headed into St. Paul for pictures. We couldn’t be happier with how they turned out!

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I love everything about this image =)

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Seriously, this is one good lookin’ couple!

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The guys look tough…

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…but the gals look tougher.

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While the wedding party took a break, we amped up the romance with a few more images of Mike and Chris.

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We also did some modern portraits, which I just adore.

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After pictures, we headed to Vadnais Heights Commons for the reception. The space has a simple clean design with large windows looking out on the snow. Chris’ grandpa created wood pieces to use with a mix of tall and low arrangements featuring delicate blooms and woodsy elements. The couple also used antique skis and snowshoes as well as vintage pictures of their family to add some personal touches to the fireplace. As guests walked into the reception, the hallway floor was covered with star gobos, and we got THIS picture, which I’m still doing a happy dance about!

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The Deco Catering served an AMAZING dinner, seriously, one of my top five wedding dinners ever! And guests enjoyed lively speeches, an ice cream bar, home made cake pops and even a game of bean bag toss.

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