Priceless Photo Memories Photoblog » A photography blog of Priceless Photo Memories; posting on weddings, portraits, and life.

John and Kira…wow, where do we even start; there’s just too much awesomeness wrapped up in these two! They are a beautiful and fun couple who both had amazing families!  We really enjoyed hanging out with Kira and John in December for their engagement pictures and were super excited to be there for their big day.

They had a beautiful wedding, with guests coming from all over the world. It was so great to be able to see the strong support for John and Kira from their families in the states and abroad.  We began the day at the hotel while Kira and the K-team were getting ready.

Alan headed over to John’s parents’ house to meet the guys and they got ready.

Look at these two! They look like we plucked them off Hollywood’s red carpet and transported them to MN. The way John and Kira’s faces light up when they are around each other is beautiful music to my soul!

Kira and John had a fabulous group of friends by their side.

The ceremony was held in the Sunken Gardens at the Conservatory. The beautiful blend of flowers made a perfect setting for their marriage vows.

The reception was held upstairs from the conservatory in the Rainforest Auditorium. Prior to heading into the reception area, a champagne reception/social hour was held just outside the reception hall. This was a part of the evening Kira had been waiting for, not just all day, but for months…the sloth! I personally have never been so fascinated by watching an animal do almost nothing…but then I am a biology nerd at heart!

The reception was beautiful!

We heard three of the most amazingly written and well delivered speeches ever.

Beautiful, delicious, perfect, handmade truffles!

John and Kira, we are so glad we got to be a part of your day…it was such an honor! We wish you and your families safe travels as you return to your corners of the earth. May your marriage continue to be a blessing to you and all those around you.

Brad and Corey were amazing and terrific to work with! Saturday threw them a whole host of strange weather and they didn’t miss a beat. Saturday brought with it perhaps the most dynamic I have ever seen! I began the morning in Red Wing with Corey and her ladies at the salon as they did hair and makeup. The morning was a little overcast, but over all a beautiful morning!

After hair and makeup we traveled up to Hastings to the Little Log House Pioneer Village for pictures and the ceremony. As Corey was finishing getting ready, the sky opened up with the biggest rain drops I have ever seen! Corey and Brad wanted pictures outside and had no intentions of letting the weather dictate what they could or couldn’t do…so we grabbed umbrellas and went outside to meet the elements!

The rain was on and off through our picture time, but there were enough cute little buildings with lovely overhangs so we were able to keep Brad and Corey pretty dry through the morning!

As the storm began to move on the winds began to pick up. Not just a little breeze…30-35mph sustained winds! No big deal, Brad and Corey were happy and optimistic through it all! The original weather forecast for the day said that it was supposed to be in the 80s and sunny; 60s windy and storming was a little bit of a surprise. Watching Brad and Corey together through the morning of unexpected weather was beautiful. They were so happy to be together, to be with their friends and family and to get married…nothing could have dampened their spirits.

Round three of the weather set in during the ceremony. The winds finally brought in the sunny and 80s that had originally been predicted for the day.

The reception was at Treasure Island Marina. The plan was for the wedding party to take the boat out on the river for a bit while the guests arrived and began to enjoy social hour. Well…the gusty winds caused a little change of plans. They still went out to the boat, but didn’t get to take the boat out into open water. Oh well, a boat party with friends is fun whether you are out in open water or at the docks!

Let the celebrations begin!

I loved the group of kids anxiously awaiting their turn on the dance floor!

The band SideFX came in as the host of the party for the evening.

Part four of the weather: beautiful, no wind, light clouds for sunset. What a perfect way to end!

Corey and Brad, you weathered everything nature could throw you on your wedding day and you did it with grace and optimism! May that be an indicator of the grace and optimism that will follow you through your marriage! We wish you many blessings throughout your years together!

I met Elizabeth at the salon as her and her bridesmaids were getting their hair and makeup done. Elizabeth was accompanied by a special mix CD that John had made for her to listen to as the morning activities progressed! The CD was filled with songs from their relationship throughout the years…too cute! One of my favorite parts of the day was overhearing some family members of both Elizabeth and John talk about how perfect Elizabeth and John are as a couple. I love hearing when friends and family are so excited about the marriage that is about to take place. It makes me very excited for these two knowing that they have so much love and support from their families.

Let me just say that Elizabeth is amazing! She added so many beautiful details to the day…including making hangers for each of her bridesmaids!

John and Elizabeth had a beautiful ceremony at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. They are are blessed with many pastors in their lives and they got to include many of them in different parts of their ceremony.

After the ceremony Alan and I went with Elizabeth and John to a big field with a couple of single oak trees for a few additional pictures!

Elizabeth switched out her green heals for a pair of green rain boots for running through the field…it was perfect!

The reception was held at the Great Hall of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of Lino Lakes. There were so many fun and unique things about their reception. Elizabeth and John have big hearts for youth! One of my favorite things about the reception was that the youth from their church were the ones serving dinner! Rather than hiring a full catering company, the youth got to serve dinner as a fundraiser for their next missions trip…I loved it!

There were 30 tables set up at the reception, each numbered and each number told something about the bride and groom. For example, Eleven: the number of years John and Elizabeth have been friends. What a fun idea!

Rather than a regular DJ to spin the tunes for the evening, Elizabeth and John had dueling pianos come in for the evening! It was so much fun and provided a whole new level of entertainment for the evening and dance!

The following day was Elizabeth’s mom’s birthday so she got a little pre-birthday serenade!

John…rockin’ out the Elvis.

Yoda…lord of the rings?

Congratulations Elizabeth and John! May your wedding day be the beginning of a beautiful life together filled with many blessings!

Cal and Carlie were married on May 8th at St. Joseph’s Parish in New Hope, MN. Our morning began at  Salon Montage with Carlie and her bridesmaids as they got their hair done. I loved the big sweeping curls that Carlie went with for her hair…she has the most wonderfully thick hair and it was perfect for that elegantly natural look! But then anything Carlie would have decided to do would have looked beautiful because she is so darn beautiful!

Carlie’s personal attendant was terrific…she was prepared for anything, even if it was an emergency fixing of a bridesmaid’s necklace right before the ceremony!

This was the first time I can remember that I have seen the marriage documents be signed during the ceremony…it really makes a lot of sense, but I think it’s a first for me!

The reception was held at the MN Valley Country Club in Bloomington, MN. Carlie did the planning and orchestrating of the reception site and it turned out beautifully! The flowers for the ceremony and reception were done by Sadie’s Floral, and they all were amazing!

We stole Carlie and Cal away for a last few pictures before the dance began. That late evening sun is unbeatable!

As the sun set and the lights were lowered, the pink lighting and the draped lighting illuminated the room in the most ethereal way. It became a whole new setting for the late night dance and party!

Billy D and the Crystals, a band from Carlie’s home town in northern MN came down to be the entertainment for the evening. They were terrific! It always so much fun when a couple brings in a live band for the dance…it’s a whole different dynamic and it’s lots of fun to watch!

Cal and Carlie, we wish you many blessings as you begin your marriage!

We flew in to Fort Myers, FL on Thursday evening for Canon and Jackie’s wedding, but we weren’t the only ones traveling out for this wedding. One of the most amazing things about their wedding (aside from the fact that it was a marvelous beach wedding) was that they had an amazing number of friends and family who all traveled out for their wedding! They had 6 groomsmen, 7 bridesmaids and around 100 guests! The love and support for these two was soooo evident. The wedding was held at Sundial Beach Resort on Sanibel Island just off Fort Myers, FL.

The sky was threatening storms all morning with thick clouds and fog over the water. But once 5:30 rolled around and it was time to start the ceremony, the sun came out! It was absolutely perfect!

The reception was originally scheduled for a courtyard area outside, but with the threat of rain they decided to move it inside. It worked out very well as it began to rain a little just after everyone made inside.

This knife definitely takes the cake for cake cutting knives! They couldn’t immediately find the set they had for cutting the cake so they borrowed one from the kitchen…here’s to intensive cutlery!

One of the most entertaining parts of the dance was Rylee, the son of the matron of honor, as Canon taught him a whole set to dance moves! Pretty soon Rylee was entertaining the whole group!

This might be one of my favorite ring pictures we have taken yet! It reminds me of one of those “I Spy” books!

Canon and Jackie, it was a delight to join you, your friends and your families to celebrate your marriage! We wish you many blessings in your new chapter of life!