images that embrace your personality
It has been fun watching the Grannis kids grow, and since more kids keep being added to the brood, the cuteness is neverending! We went to a farm for this year’s portrait session and everyone had a blast. Here are my favorites!
We started off with the three oldest siblings…
…then, baby sister joined us.
The littlest little gets some air!
Ryan and Ashleigh had their pregnancy session today! These two are incredibly lovely, inside and out, and I’ve have the joy of photographing many milestones for them and getting to know their family. An extra bonus to me is that every time I hang out with Ryan he shows me all of the cool things he has done with reclaimed barn wood and other finds. Today we needed a backdrop, so he just casually pulled out this GORGEOUS 100 year old door to use. I was in heaven. Ashleigh has the most darling baby bump, and is going to deliver very soon, so we got this session in with only days to spare. This first image is one of my favorites ever…
The session took place on Ashleigh’s parents’ hobby farm, the same place where they had their wedding.
After a quick outfit change, we brought the twins out for some more portraits.
The kids got their own mini session because they are so DARN CUTE!
I can’t wait to meet the new addition!
Chris and Sarah were married today!
Their lovely wedding, produced beautifully by The Wedding Guys, incorporated Sarah’s laid back aesthetic with Chris’ stylish vintage one. Neutrals were used along with sparkles and glitz to add to the natural beauty of Camrose Hill Farm.
Following an anxious morning of getting ready, their first sight was AMAZING.
Chris and Sarah are magnetic. You are just drawn to them. In fact, over the course of the night we heard many stories of how friendships were formed over this “instant bond”. The love these two have for life and each other is palpable.
In true Minnesota fashion, the weather couldn’t quite decide what to do. There were two short rain showers before the ceremony, but everything cleared up right before it was time to go down the aisle. In one of my favorite moments of the day, the bride’s cottage was filled with the sound of singing as everyone sang “Goin to the Chapel” (in 3 part harmony no less!). Appropriately, the rain stopped and the sun came out, right before Sarah walked down the aisle to “Here Comes the Sun”.
Chris and Sarah wrote their ceremony, and it was lovely, funny, touching, and sweet. The personalized vows included Sarah promising to be Chris’ Sunny Day and Chris promising to be Sarah’s Shady Tree.
After the ceremony, guests enjoyed the beautiful cool weather. Croquet and badminton games started, champagne was passed around, and friends and family reunited. Camrose Hill has so many nooks and crannies to explore, and each space was a little unexpected vignette. Antique dressers, couches, and other pieces of furniture from Lime Canary Vintage Rentals and BeEvents were arranged throughout the many spaces so guests could cozy up.
QUITE the fun wedding party…
Lettuce Cater provided food that not only tasted amazing, but looked gorgeous! Food stations gave variety and interest to the reception, and stayed full the entire night to encourage constant snacking. The desserts, by Jessica’s Cakes, were devoured in no time! The layout of the space, quality of the food, and use of antique furniture as serving pieces kept the vibe refined yet relaxed.
Time for the first dance…
Dances and speeches were scattered throughout the night, and Level 11 did a great job emceeing and keeping the dance floor packed.
These people knew how to have a really REALLY good time =) I’m not sure when the craziness truly started…maybe when the bottle of Jameson started to be passed around, or maybe when guests started playing air guitar, maybe when the ties started coming off and ended up as Rambo headbands, or the heels came off and were replaced by cowboy boots…
Oh, AND there was an afterparty at a local bar…and guess who got on stage?
Chris and Sarah, thank you so much for having us be a part of your day. It was such a joy telling your story! John and I will now join the crowd of people that consider their lives more the richer having meet the two of you. Enjoy your sneak peek!
Marcus and Kaitlin were married today!
The day started off on a good foot with the guys getting pampered at Heimie’s Haberdashery with straight razer shaves.
The wedding had a fresh modern feel with a kelly green and royal blue color scheme. Every last detail was thought of, from Marcus’ plaid bow tie to the groomsmens’ argyle socks. Kaitlin looked just stunning in her form fitting lace gown from Raffine Bridal, and I loved pairing her sleak gown with the rustic backdrop of a nearby barn.
The ceremony at St Ambrose was lovely and I think Marcus will always treasure the moment he saw Kaitlin walking down the aisle. There were a lot of happy tears today.
After the ceremony, we had a great time taking pictures. The drive to St Paul gave the group plenty of time to party down in the limo, and A&J Transportation did a fabulous job dealing with our many location stops and navigating the downtown construction.
The ladies are bringing sexy back…
…and the guys found a corn field.
Marcus and Kaitlin are just so sweet together. We loved photographing their tender and loving moments.
And they make pretty fantastic models, too ; )
The reception took place at Christos Union Depot, a lovely historic building in downtown St Paul. We cannot say enough about their truly delicious food and impeccable service. And on top of a fantastic dinner, there was Muddy Paws Cheesecake for dessert! Yum!
The rest of these teaser images are dance pictures, and it was hard to narrow them down. Instant Request did a wonderful job playing music that fit the crowd and kept the dance floor packed. I honestly don’t know what was my favorite moment…but Kaitlin’s dad dancing to Love Shack is at the top of the list.
The guests sure enjoyed The Traveling Photo Booth!
Marcus and Kaitlin, it has been such a joy to work with you two and we are honored you chose us to be a part of your wedding day. Enjoy these sneak peeks!
It is tough for some brides (and moreso the bride’s parents!) to get their head around a trash the dress session. The misconception is that you have to destroy your dress or float in a lagoon. To move away from this stigma, many photographers have started calling their sessions a Day After Session or Rock the Frock or Encore Session. The main purpose of this portrait session is to get fun bridal portraits without the stress of the wedding day. A benefit to this is that you can wear your dress again (yay!) and not worry about it getting dirty, as well as do something different with hair, makeup and accessories that may not have fit with your wedding day style.
Here at Studio Laguna, we like to call our session a Reprise Session. It can be with just the bride or the couple, more fashion forward or more relaxed, with a theme or without, whatever the client would like.
On Sunday, I photographed Ashleigh’s Reprise Session. If you haven’t seen Ryan and Ash’s wedding yet, go to our weddings category and scroll down until you find them, it was AMAZING! Ash has a great sense of style, and wanted to up the glam factor while still keeping the rual feel. Luckily, I came across an amazing location while driving around a couple months ago, so we had a wild west set to work with. Ashleigh got her hair teased like it has never been teased before and threw on her cowboy boots. The shoot ended up with a 60’s western vogue feel, and I love the images! Check out the favorites =)
