Studio Laguna Photography

The Minnesota Wedding Industry Rocks!

Burberry Baby

Yesterday, Juliette had her one year portrait session. We have made a complete circle as we went back to the same location where I shot her mom and dad’s engagement pictures years ago!

Juliette’s first year has been documented very well since she is part of Studio Laguna’s Grow With Me feature. Each session, the challenge has been to get this beautiful girl to give her big smile. We finally found the right combination of tricks. Having grandma run up and down in front of the camera with Doug the Dog making a total goofball of herself. THAT gets Juliette smiling =) So big props to Grandma Mary Jule for being willing to do all of that in public!

I think Juliette is ready to be the next spokesmodel for Burberry’s children’s line, she looked so precious in her special dress. And we had to get a few pictures of Joey and Jaclyn, too.

It has been a pleasure to get to watch Juliette grow from a little bean in her mom’s belly to a smiley one year old. Here are my favorites!

The perfect accessory for a baby session that is a little bit country!

Simple Winter Wedding Idea

I went to a wedding a while back where they lined the snow covered walkway to the reception with luminaries.  The problem was that the wind was strong, the luminaries were weak, the snow got everything wet, and there weren’t enough candles to really make an impact.  So basically, they put a lot of time into a beautiful idea, but it was a lack luster outcome.

A few weeks later, I drove up to a friend’s house in Duluth and saw the perfect solution.  She had lights in ice rings!  Basically, they were sparkling and beautiful and weather perfect, and inexpensive…the perfect combo!

So I asked her how she made them and here are the directions.  The beauty of this craft is that anyone can do it, and you can make it as simple or complex as you would like.

Take a bucket and fill it with water to the depth you would like.  It is smart to make them deep, so if the wind kicks up, it won’t blow out the candles.

After the water freezes, turn the bucket over so the ice comes out and the bottom of the ice block is now the top (it will have the nice curved edges of the bottom of the bucket for a finished look).

Then take hot water and pour it in the middle of the block.  This will hollow out the middle for a space for your candles.  (or, you could get complicated and make a mould with a hollow middle and pour water in that).

Then set the candles inside and light right before your guests arrive.

For maximum impact, have a LOT of these lining the walkway, about every 12 inches or so.  The candle light will sparkle through the ice and they won’t melt because of the cold. 

Another tip, make sure to practice this quite a bit before the wedding so you can get it down to a science by the big day.  And have enough help that can set it all up so you aren’t pouring hot water on ice an hour before the reception.

Click on this link for more info about the Independent Wedding Fair!

Haiti Earthquake Relief Fundraiser

Tonight was a special event. Haiti Mission Project (www.haitimissionproject.org) is a Minnesota-based charity that has been sending teams to Haiti for ten years. They put together a wonderful silent auction benefit that had delicious food and drink, entertaining bands, and generous hearts. The silent auction featured Haitian paintings and Lance of Humans Win kept a Caribbean vibe to the music.

Guests enjoyed sumptuous food from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and wine tasting from Hey Jo Wine Co. Midway Party and Tent Rental was very generous with their supply of tables and decor. There were three bands that performed that were fantastic! And as the evening drew to a close, it was fun to watch people joyfully compete over auction items, further ensuring the success of the night.

The thing I love the most about this night was that 100% of the proceeds not only goes to Haiti, but goes to an organization that is so imbedded in Haiti that it knows how to make each dollar have maximum impact.

Thank you so much to all who were involved, and to the hundreds who came and showed love and support. To view a list of all the businesses who participated, visit here – http://haitimissionproject.org/page/relief-fundraiser.html

Here are a few of my favorite images!

Come Support Haiti – Benefit Tonight in Hopkins!

French Press Wedding

I just visited the most amazing site today.  The Dunn Brothers in Eden Prairie.  It is in a beautiful old farm house that is on the historic register and I probably looked like a big dork peeking into all the corners and wandering the house just gaping at the space.

It.  Is.  Beautiful.

And, of course, my first thought is, “someone should get married here!”

As I was waiting for my meeting to start, I turned over the idea of throwing a wedding there.  It would be lovely!  The wide open space of lawn coupled with the twinkle lights on the grapevine covered patio…ahhhh, bliss.  But the wedding would have to be fairly small to fit everyone into the house.  So then I started brainstorming on ways to incorporate a coffee vibe into a wedding.  People have wine-themed weddings all the time, why not coffee!

An easy way is to put coffee beans in vases to use as decor throughout the ceremony and reception.  An extra bonus?  The space would smell great!

Caramel, latte, and dark espresso are currently trendy wedding colors and would pair perfectly with an ivory or cream color wedding dress.

Coffee leaves and berries could be used in any floral arrangements.

Cut up burlap coffee bags (this Dunn Brothers sold them for $1.99 a piece) to surround vases or make placemats…they might be too itchy for table runners, though.

Use a thicker paper for the invitations or programs that have a coffee stain finish to them.  Or go uber trendy and make an actual coffee stain ring and have it be a graphic element in the stationery. 

Bags of fair-trade coffee could be the favors.

A barista at the reception to create artistic nightcaps of espresso would be a lovely touch.

Coffee flavored ice cream and cake for desert would be an easy way to add this flavor to the reception.  As well as a signature drink made from Kaluha.

Researching the history of coffee can lead you down many style paths.  Think of classic brazilian colonial house with pineapples carved in dark wood and large white shutters on a coffee plantation.  Or embrace the style of the bold colorful posters you’ve seen at many coffee houses.  Or even celebrate your local awesome coffee house with a northwoods theme (think Caribou!)  Sorry, had to have a shameless plug in there =)  Even choosing your favorite coffee drink (it is minty?  carmel?) can give some ideas to start your wedding planning. 

You can keep it simple and home-spun by using the burlap and rafia influences, make it unique with latte art, or glam it up using a coffee color palette and subtle details.  Whichever way you want to take it, you can easily tailor your love of coffee to your wedding style.

How to be smart with your boudoir portraits

Boudoir portraits are all the rage…especially during Christmas and Valentines Day.  But there are some things to be cautious of before you go around facebooking your favorite images.

If you EVER plan on being in a professional field where these pictures would be frowned apon, keep them off the internet.  Once posted online, they are available to anyone and even the most tame of “sexy” shots can get you in trouble with your boss.  There have been many people fired because people have found old modeling shots or other images online from their past.

Make sure you’re giving the images to someone who is trustworthy.  What if you break up with a boyfriend and he has a disk of boudoir pictures of you?  They could be all over town the next day.  Just use common sense when giving them to others.

I know this may sound overly paranoid, but I know of quite a few women that went into a fun boudoir shoot only later to discover they are the new cover girl for the studio and their pictures are plastered all over the internet.  I would love to show the beautiful images we capture in our boudoir sessions, but I never want to risk someone losing a job or respect at any point in their lives. 

The main piece of advice is to use caution and common sense, so you don’t regret any choices you make later in life.  Make sure you trust your photographer completely and use good judgement!

Smiles for Daddy

Juliette had her six month session today! Since last time it was tough to get her to smile, Daddy came along to get her to light up, and it worked. It took both Mom and Dad and Fozzy Bear and Eeyore, but Juliette did really well =)

Since Juliette is in the Grow with Me program, I have gotten to see her grow up and it is such a joy to experience this along with her family! I can’t wait to put this album together once she turns one!

Here are my favorites from the session, enjoy!