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Anna & Jeremy

Anna and Jeremy are planning a May 28th, 2011 wedding, so we headed out on Friday for an engagement session at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. I'm officially obsessed with the Stone Arch Bride - it may be my favorite place for photos in the city of Minneapolis. Well, east of the River. And tied with Nicollet Island.

Needless to say, we had an amazing morning doing some light hiking around the river and over the bridge. Anna and Jeremy bought a house this past spring and are planning a backyard wedding, and hope to use some of the photos from this session for the guest book. I can't wait to see how it turns out!!

Memorial Day Weekend

Over the past four years, Kate has not only been a co-worker, she and her husband Brian have become two of our best friends. So when she told me they were planning to head up to "The Cabin" for the long weekend, and the weather forecast was sunny and hot, I felt it was the only way to kick off the summer like true Minnesotans. On Saturday morning, Dan and I took the tops off the 1991 Nissan 300Zx - our wedding present from my parents - and headed up north. We spent the three hour drive listening to good music, snacking (mostly me), and enjoying the scenery. When we finally arrived, Kate had a lawn chair all set up with my name on it. We spend the rest of the weekend trolling on the pontoon, eating delicious food, and of course taking pictures. Here are a couple of my favorites. Enjoy!!!

Ruth & Jim - Engaged

Here's a sneak peak at the engagement session I did for Ruth and Jim this weekend in Stillwater. Even though the weather called for sunny and 83, and it didn't quite live up to the forecast, we had a great time taking pictures by the river. Ruth and Jim rode the Harley so we were able to incorporate that into some of the pictures. We even found

a sign that said "No Dogs and No Bikes" which I loved because they obviously have a bike and also have two big Labrador Retrievers, so we got a couple of pictures near that and had fun making disgruntled faces at it. Congratulations to Jim and Ruth!!

Ellie & Andy

I love the way that Ellie and Andy's pictures from their engagement session yesterday turned out so much, I can't keep them to myself any longer. They chose to do their pictures at Minnehaha Falls. Andy loves to fish, so they brought a fishing rod as well as the outfit that each of them was wearing on their first date. They hooked the pole to Ellie's ring, kind of like, "there are a lot of fish in the sea, and Andy finally caught the right one." Minnehaha Falls was a little out of control - the AIDS run had been earlier that day - so we took some pictures there and then headed across the river to Hidden Falls in St. Paul. It was the most beautiful day and the light was amazing! Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do!!

PS Doesn't Ellie look like a movie star in these sunglasses??

Jessica & Glenn's Engagement Session

Things that were awesome about the engagement session with Jessica and Glenn:

1. The sunshine.

2. Minnehaha Falls is right in Minneapolis but you feel like you're miles away from the cities.

3. It rained ALL WEEK so the falls were huge. Gushing would be the word.

4. Her ring is absolutely stunning and was so much fun to photograph. Seriously Glenn - nice work.

5. Glenn and Jessica have been together for 10 years. Their love is so easy, which meant we got some great pictures.

Ross, Cheyne & Isaiah

I took engagement photos for Cheyne and Ross yesterday in the Walker Arts Center Sculpture Garden. Despite an occasional hail storm (only in Minnesota), I am LOVING the way these pictures are turning out and can't resist offering a sneak peak.

Cheyne and Ross included Isaiah, Cheyne's 10 year old son, who was a total riot! He kept us all cracking up which made for some amazing photographs. Enjoy!!!

VocalEssence Gala

The Mexican Serenade, Vocal Essence Gala 2010 was held at the Historic Milwaukee Depot in Minneapolis on April 24th, 2010. The Gala was chaired by Melissa Camarena and Steve Fox. Honorary chairs were the Consul General of Mexico Ana Luisa Fajer Flores and Hon. Jack & Kathy Tunheim.

The evening began with passed hors d'oeuvres, beverages, and the music of Mariachi Los Mensajeros as guests perused the silent auction. Among the items donated were a Mexican Vacation at the Hacienda tres Rios in Cancun, donated by the Mexican Tourism Board, Sun Country Airlines, and Hacienda Tres Rios; an MPR Celebrity Power Lunch, donated by John Birge, Steve Seel and Tom Crann; and Salsa Dancing Lessons, donated by the Social Dance Studio.

Once bidding closed, everyone was seated in the main banquet hall where they enjoyed music by the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers along with Marimba Nandayapa. After dinner, Marimba Nandayapa took the stage again and played another song. They were then joined by Philip Brunelle, Artistic Director of VocalEssence for another song. The Latino Children's Choir, conducted by Mari Scott, then performed. After the guests enjoyed the music, the live auction began with four tickets to see U2. Kevin Joyce was the auctioneer for the evening.

Non-Profit Events

April was a really busy month! In addition to meeting with brides, I also shot events for a bunch of non-profits around the Twin Cities. I have to say I LOVE photographing non-profit events. There is always a very positive tone at these events and the people make me feel so welcome.

Here are some pictures from the “Framing of the Mind” Fundraiser, held by the Lee Carlson Center for Mental Health and Well-being for Bridgeview, a drop-in center in Anoka County for adults with serious and persistent mental illness. The event was held at Hell’s Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis, which is owned by Mitch Omer, an award winning chef and author ofDamn Good Food.

The evening began with a silent auction where many of the patients at Bridgeview exhibited and sold pieces of their art. Diedrich Weiss, a local musician, sang and played the guitar while people filtered in and out through the silent auction to the bar. When the auction closed, Mitch Omer welcomed the group and talked about living with bipolar disease and then encouraged attendees to enjoy a buffet of heavy appetizers and a custom cupcake bar. While guests ate, Bridgeview writers shared poems, excerpts from their memoirs, and other prose.

The Story Family

My husband grew up with Jesse Story. Jesse married Krystal before Dan and I even met, and almost three years ago, on the 11th day of September, they had twin baby girls, Casey and Claire. Later this April, Casey and Claire will have a little brother or sister (to be announced). Dan and I headed up to Bemidji for Easter weekend and took pictures of the family of five. We had a blast playing in the park, swinging on the swings, and enjoying the unseasonably warm weather by the lake.

Jessie's Bridal Shower

It's only a month until Jessie and Chris tie the knot, so it was only right that her sisters threw a bridal shower in her honor. Friends and family gathered from all over the country to celebrate the upcoming nuptials on May 1st. We gathered in Jessie's beautiful home, ate delicious food, and drank some tasty sangria while Jess opened a pile of presents.