Renee's Royal Valet Archives – Studio Laguna Photography

Mike and Kelly

July 20, 2013 By katrina 1 Comment

Mike and Kelly were married today!

Guests traveled from all over the United States and even from overseas to witness these two tie the knot…which fit in perfectly with the vintage travel theme of the day. Kelly did not see Mike until she walked down the aisle at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, so everyone was very excited for the ceremony to start. The ceremony was beautifully traditional, with the most lovely music. And there were lots of stolen glances between the couple.

After the wedding, we hopped into Renee’s Royal Valet‘s vintage trolley to take pictures. Luckily, I had just purchased a steamer trunk a month before, so I grabbed a few of my vintage items and included them in some pictures!

I LOVE this picture, it is when one of the bridesmaids figured out that you can make snapdragons talk…they gave their snapdragons names and voices. This was such a fun group!

We titled this one “Minnesota Gothic”

We also had to stop for a quick view of the St Paul skyline and a few more pictures! Since many of the wedding party were from the east coast, it was fun to show off the twin cities.

The ring bearer loved the loud speaker on the trolley!

We were all eager to get to Christos Union Depot for the reception. The Vintage Type decked out the entire place with travel themed vignettes including maps, vintage travel posters, suitcases and books. Train tickets served as escort cards, with vintage postcards for the couples’ favorite destinations named each table.

On top of loving travel, Mike and Kelly also love food. LOVE IT. They are true foodies and their reception definitely reflected that. A custom cookbook served as the favor for guests to take home and the amount and variety of the food offered left no one wanting. Their dinner was truly a trip around the world, from Austria, to Asia, the east coast to good ole Minnesota, their favorite regions were represented in delicious nosh! Christos truly went above and beyond with this food, everything tasted amazing!

The guests at this wedding were a hoot…this mom had written up a checklist for the kids at the table to do…including getting reprimanded by security (notice that one was already checked!)

The Instant Request DJ had his hands full with this bunch, I loved the songs they chose and they were there to DANCE!

The couple let us pull them off the dance floor for some blue light shots and the evening was just gorgeous! I’m so happy the guests were able to enjoy a beautiful Minnesotan summer night!

Mike and Kelly, it has been a joy getting to know you! We were so happy to be a part of your day and thanks for being adventurous with pictures! Enjoy your sneak peek!

Nick and Katie

June 29, 2013 By katrina 4 Comments

Nick and Katie were married today!

We are definitely still smiling from today’s wedding…what a blast! Nick and Katie chose a vintage travel theme for their wedding, and a contemporary grey, navy and yellow color palette. Colleen’s Flower Cellar created a lovely variety of designs for the day, and included a locket on both the bride and groom’s flowers to remember their loved ones.

The ceremony took place at Nazareth Chapel on the Northwestern College campus. Both the guys and the girls enjoyed quite a bit of laughter as they got ready.

After a sweet first sight, we took pictures around the chapel.

The serious poses took a while, everyone was just so smiley! But dang, they look good!

Rev. Tomkin Coleman officiated the candlelit ceremony, which was lightened up by a ring snafu that gave the wedding party a case of the giggles. After an exuberant first kiss, the couple greeted their guests and then had a grand exit with lots of bubbles!

The wedding party rode in Renee’s Royal Valet‘s trolley, which I just adore. They sure had a grand send off!

Since Nick and Katie live in California, John and I scouted around to find some portrait locations that fit the couple’s theme. We love how varied and fun the portraits are and got to see a lot of St Paul as we drove around.

Katie’s lace Monique Lhuillier gown was stunning and she put so much time into her accessories as well. I just wanted to take her picture all day!

The wedding party was told they had to “stay classy” until the dance…ooops, we started the party a little early…

Back at Christos Union Depot, the couple enjoyed a private glass of champagne and a snack (seriously, Georgia thinks of everything!) and then went downstairs for their first dance. The decor of the space was so pretty, with mercury glass and lush white flowers with vintage accessories and a pop of yellow here and there.

There were toasts that ranged from sweet to lively, a delicious meal, and then Instant Request started the party!

A little ways into the dance we stole the couple away for a few minutes to photograph them in the newly remodeled Union Depot. Lovely evening light and gorgeous architecture plus a very photogenic couple = magic.

Nick and Katie, we are so grateful you chose us to be a part of your wedding day! We got so many hugs at the end of the night, we felt so loved by your entire group of friends and family, and hope you had an amazing night surrounded by them. Enjoy your sneak peek!

Open Arms Movable Feast

May 17, 2013 By katrina Leave a Comment

Open Arms of Minnesota is a fabulous charity in the Twin Cities. They deliver healthy meals to those in need, providing high quality nutritious food and independence to the recipients. This is one of those charities that truly delivers a return on investment and gives everything back to the community. I highly recommend looking into Open Arms and volunteering for such a great cause!

Each year their Movable Feast is one of their major fundraisers and is a very popular ticket! Guests are whisked away via limo to one of the Twin Cities hotest restaurants for some top quality dining, and then come back for the after party. This year, the planning committee completely outdid themselves! The even had a vintage, olde tyme feel that was totally up my alley. Apothecary jars, and beautiful typography, even a vardo cart! It was whimsical, fun, even a little carny…it was AWESOME.

The evening started off with guests arriving at the Aria. Linen Effects, Bungalow 6 Design, and Avant Decor along with the creative minds at Open Arms created a visually stunning atmosphere that took a while to soak in. A delicious test tube shot of Two Gingers, creme and nutmeg got the party going, along with live music, delicious appetizers from Chowgirls Killer Catering, a silent auction, and unique shopping experience where guests were escorted by costumed volunteers to choose a mystery gift which they took home later in Whole Foods brown paper bags.

Limos started showing up at the Aria, they lined the streets waiting for the guests. UPS carriers waited at each limo to guide guests and help them get on their way.

The groups were so excited to go party! (this was the “before” picture, we also did an “after” picture) 😉

After dinner, the guests arrived back at the Aria and were in for quite the night of fun! The room had been flipped to feature a photo booth by The Mobile Photo Wall, a two story plinko game, beef darts (those guys were the most rowdy), and the genuinely vintage musical stylings of the Roe Family Singers.

Groom’s Night with the Independent Wedding Association

October 13, 2011 By katrina 2 Comments

The Independent Wedding Association is known to embrace creativity and do things outside the box. Take, for example, our new inspiration magazine titled Hearten. Jello molds and Minnesota shaped pie on a stick are just a few of the unexpected beauties in this magazine!

Another example happened tonight at Pinstripes in Edina. The IWA presented Groom’s Night, a wedding fair with a manly twist. It is about time grooms get their time in the spotlight and we wanted to celebrate all the things about a wedding that are manly! Cigars, whiskey, bowling, pizza, The Traveling Photo Booth, Superman, manscaping, etc. It was all here. Brides, of course, were welcome as well, and we saw many couples equally chatting up vendors and attending the mini educational sessions.

Though all the vendors exhibited lovely work, the booth that really stood out was Cocoa and Fig. They designed an indoor s’more station that was TO DIE FOR! House made graham crackers and decadent chocolate squares were set out for guests to assemble after toasting their gourmet marshmallow to perfection. It was a fantastic idea and I would love to see this food station at weddings this upcoming year (especially any weddings where we are the photographers so we can eat the treats!).

Overall, the show was a big hit, and a huge round of applause goes to Becca Dilley who founded the association, enthusiastically keeps it up and tirelessly keeps planning new and cool events like this! Please visit the IWA website to see a list of vendors. We are member run and funded and are very proud of what we are bringing to the Twin Cities wedding community!

Here are some images of the fair! Images are showing the booths of Munster Rose, Posh | Rebel, Festivities!, Sassafras, Redshoes26 Design, a list of the mini sessions, Cocoa and Fig, and the entire group. Enjoy!

Seth and Laura

July 2, 2011 By katrina 2 Comments

Seth and Laura were married today!

This couple is the stuff of legends. The stuff of musicals. Happy musicals where they skip down the road and sing about love. Literally. And I adore them =)

Music was a huge part of the day. Seth is a music teacher, and both Seth and Laura love to sing, so a music-filled day was a no brainer. A choir of Seth’s students sang a sweet love song during the prelude, “Grow Old with Me” was sung during the unity candle, and Seth and Laura sang “In Whatever Time We Have” right before the blessing. They also had an emotional vow exchange where the priest declaired “that deserves a kiss!” and the couple kissed to a round of applause.

I must give major props to the Fathers that officiated the ceremony at St. Joan of Arc. They were the coolest priests. They had such a great sense of humor and the homily was fantastic. It isn’t very often that you have hip Fathers running a ceremony, and these two definitely were.

After the ceremony, the wedding party piled into a limo and we headed off to take more pictures. Linda, of Renee’s Royal Valet did a great job navigating downtown and dealing with our drop off and pick up points. We enjoyed walking around and taking pictures in Loring Park…and watching people feed (and pet!) the squirrels, it was very entertaining. At the end of our portrait time, I asked the wedding party to skip towards me in a happy musical way, and they were more than happy to. I swear, my cheeks hurt I was laughing so hard with this group!

The reception was at the Ramada Plaza and was decked out in the couple’s colors of rose pink and lime green. A Summer of Fresh Flowers did a wonderful job incorporating those colors into the playful bouquets and decor. The music continued with guests having to sing a song about love to get the couple to kiss. I must give a shout out to table 6 who set the bar high with their rendition of Boyz 2 Men’s “I’ll make love to you”. Guests listened to heart touching speeches, watched a fun slideshow, and then the cake cutting and sharing of cupcakes from Gail’s Cakes. Laura and Seth’s first dance was to a song Seth wrote that was, what else?, upbeat and fun. Then Instant Request got the party started!

Laura and Seth (see Laura, I put your name first that time!), we were so honored to be a part of your day! Your wedding was pure joy. Undiluted.

Here are our favorites, enjoy!