This wedding was at the University Club on Summit Ave in St. Paul. The venue is just perfect, in my opinion. The couple did a wonderful job adding their personal, elegant touches, and the bride was just beautiful. If, for some reason, Tyler and I were to marry each other again, it would possibly happen here.
I arrived to find the bride and her niece preparing themselves upstairs in the library. A lovely little room.
As a wedding photographer I'm always doing odd jobs or delivering messages throughout the day - I like to be useful. This was my first wedding where I had the pleasure of zipping and clasping the bride's dress.. I felt important. :)
I loved the lighting in this staircase, especially with the light colored walls. It worked for a few shots of people walking up or down but it was just too tiny of a space to do too much with.
I followed the bride and groom around as they saw the final touches being placed on the venue. I loved catching their pleasure and excitement!
Before guests were set to arrive and obviously occupy the front door we tried to get a few shots with the lovely ivy at the front entrance.
We took a short stroll across the street for some more private shots in a nearby park.
This was another wedding that took place just after our long long winter and slow to start spring... we were so pleased to find blooming flowers in the park.
I loved the simple decor and chair accessories in the ceremony space. Check out the room's ceiling - it's so interesting.
I'm adding these to my new series about kids at weddings these days... :P
These blessing stones were handed out as guests took their seats for the ceremony.
Final touches before the ceremony.
Seriously.. this space is so perfect.
I loved how many children were involved in this wedding. The bride has quite a few nieces and nephews and all were included. They had so much fun and looked adorable.
Children always make for the best candid shots. :)
The bride's father played clarinet and one of her nieces played violin.
The pastor talked about the blessing stones handed out earlier. Each guest held one up in their hand and was told to say a prayer or to think a special thought and they were later collected in a large vase for the couple to keep in their home.
The ceremony was filled to the brim - I had to be careful and strategic trying to get myself around to find different angles. The seats were packed all the way to the back row so I didn't have my usual escape path. I attempted to go through a door at one point and come up the aisle but the venue staff had it blocked as they were prepping the buffet!
This was a very joyful receiving line. :)
The cake was set up on a large round table inside the main foyer of the building. It was a great spot for everyone to crowd around to get a peek.
I rarely do large group shots because I don't travel with a giant ladder and most venues don't seem to have them. The main staircase worked perfectly - we called for the guests to gather around the cake in the foyer and I counted down a few times for the group shots. This is one of those situations where I wish I had a loud booming male voice!
There wasn't much time for group photos and family seemed antsy to start the meal - which was fine by me.. it made for speedy and enjoyable group photos with everyone candidly squished together. :)
This wedding took place a little earlier in the day than the typical wedding and it was on a Sunday. I loved that the couple chose a breakfast buffet for their meal complete with French toast!
The speeches were some of the best I've heard.
Congratulations Rina & Pete!!!
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