Chris and Amanda were married today!

We were very excited to get to shoot our first unabashedly geek wedding.  First off, this wedding hit a whole new level of cool because it had it’s own hashtag.  ; )

The rain fell hard early in the day, but Amanda stayed positive “a wet knot is even stronger”!  Luckily, Amanda and Chris chose the gorgeous Lakewood Chapel to have their ceremony in, so we had plenty of gorgeous backdrops to work with while still staying dry.  The wedding party looked fantastic in black and red, with dresses from The Wedding Shoppe (with pockets!) and flowers designed by Lexington Floral.  The girls looked even more lovely because the fantastic Holly Luckes did their makeup!  After formal pictures, the rain lightened up and family and friends started to arrive for the ceremony. 

Amanda walked down the aisle to the theme from The Princess Bride, and their reverend had such a sweet message for them.  During the ceremony, both sets of parents were asked to stand and they were thanked by the couple for raising them in love and support.  Their readings and vows were so special and personal and after the first kiss, Journey’s “Any Way You Want It” started to play!  I loved the combination of sweet, tender and humorous details in this ceremony! 

After the ceremony, we headed over to West St Paul.  The Dakota Lodge is in such a beautiful natural setting and was the perfect location for Chris and Amanda.  They treated their guests to a custom gourmet menu created by Chowgirls Killer Catering, and cupcakes by Cupcake.  During dinner, there was a trivia game (our table won!) and an entire interactive placemat with a word jumble, menu, and prizes like getting a pass to the front of the line at the bar and getting the couple to kiss or the most elusive “bag of mystery”.  And if you didn’t play the game right, there were “sanctions”.  The guests got really into it!  To top it all off, Amanda and Chris set up a Rock Band game so everyone could play, and as we left for the night, the party was in full swing. 

What I really loved about this wedding is how genuine it was.  Amanda researched weddings carefully…what to do, what not to do, what is typical to do…and then tailored it to her and Chris’ tastes.  They didn’t do anything because they were supposed to, they embraced who they were and who their guests were and did what they want.  And their wedding was simply awesome. 

Chris and Amanda, here are our favorite images, enjoy!