Finnegan had his three month old session today! Since we are doing the Grow With Me sessions, I get to see little Finn every three months, which is such a blast. Especially since his dad can go in the garage and fetch all kinds of cool props. Today, it was a beautiful door from the 1860s! SO AWESOME.
Little Finn has such a bright smile and did a great job during his session.



This little monkey hat was way too big for Finnegan as a newborn, but it fit perfectly today…

…and he is SUCH a Twins fan!

All the outfit changes wore the little guy out.


What a happy family!

Enjoy the sneak peek!

Justin and Katie had their engagement session today!
Though we started the session in the rain, it gave way to a fine mist and we enjoyed a beautiful spring morning. The filtered light made the new green leaves and bright tulips pop, and everything was so beautiful even Justin started taking pictures.





These two were so laid back and fun…I had a great time getting to know them as we drove around looking for beautiful little pieces of nature to use as a backdrop.






Justin and Katie, enjoy your sneak peek!
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.








Steph Guidera is a fabulous painter, one of my favorite photography subjects, and also my sister =) For a couple years she has been contemplating and designing and redesigning a tattoo. She wanted it to be perfect, and to incorporate many of her loves, and man…did she draw a gorgeous one! I joined her on this rainy evening as she was inked by Dan Kytola at Uptown Tattoo.







Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of working with Green Mill. And this year I was super excited, not only because of some of the new delicious menu items, but that they wanted their food to be photographed in a very clean, crisp style. I love getting up close and personal with the food I photograph, and am so happy when a client likes that look as well! Here are some of my favorites, and be sure to enjoy a drink on their patio and some of these fantastic dishes! And for all you couples planning their wedding…Green Mill Catering does an AMAZING job!








I had such a fun family session today! We started off with 6 month old Grayson, who has the most charming smile and bright blue eyes.







THEN Grayson’s extended family showed up and all kinds of hillarity ensued.






I LOVE shooting extended families, and seeing everyone interact with each other. Enjoy this sneak peek!
Tonight was the first night of L’atelier Couture‘s Little White Dress Event. All weekend, they will be showcasing darling dresses from Lula Kate, Kirribilla, and Chloe & Reese with special trunk show pricing. These dresses are perfect for bridal showers, rehearsal dinners and for the honeymoon! If you would like to set up an appointment, please contact Tess@LatelierCoutureBridal.
I simply love the gowns L’atelier carries, they are a study in textures.

The dressing rooms are just as fabulous as their gowns!


Yummy accessories!


Colorful gowns by Tara LaTour.




The Living Room provided snacks, Prohibition mixed drinks and Cocoa and Fig had a beautiful dessert display for all the guests.



I hope you enjoyed these images! Be sure to visit this trunk show, the dresses truly are fantastic!
Last night, the American Swedish Institute hosted Cocktails at the Castle: Bonfires, Birchwood, and Decoupage Revisited. In Europe, they celebrate on the eve of May Day, using big bonfires to scare away winter and welcome spring…and boy have we needed it this year in Minnesota! This post has a lot of images, but there was a LOT going on…I was amazed at how many people attended this event!




Many guests biked to the event…this is one of my favorite images of the evening.

Attendees enjoyed the arts and crafts activities to the live music mixins of Slipmats Radio.




The FIKA team was serving beverages and delicious food all night.




Besides the food, music, woodcarving and bonfires, there were games inside and out.


Inside the mansion, was an exhibit on the eight seasons in Sweden as well as live performances of scenes from Hamlet by Theatre Coup D’etat, who will be performing the play in its entirety at the mansion in May and June (tickets at theatrecoupdetat.com).



I just love how ASI blends classic and modern in everything they do. A nod to heritage and also to a contemporary clean aesthetic.





Bring out the fire dancers!


What a fantastic way to kick off spring (as snow is predicted today…seriously…what is up Minnesota?)

Dylan is now one and had made it through his Grow with Me sessions! We had a fun time playing on Papa and Grandma’s pirate ship in the back yard, always a favorite for him!



Big sister helped keep things fun!




Finally, green grass and spring!

Here are my favorites! Enjoy!
One of the most surreal parts of being a family photographer is you see how quickly children grow. I swear I just photographed Miles a couple months ago, yet here he was, almost six already! We had a really fun session, watching Miles’ cool dance moves, coaxing smiles out of Ellie and dodging rain drops. Here is a sneak peek of the session!







