WAYZATA COUNTRY CLUB WEDDING | AIMEE + JIM

Weddings 03.05.2020

Aimee & Jim’s Wayzata Country Club Wedding this past October was full of so much love and we were honored to work this amazing couple!

HOW THEY MET

Aimee : “short answer- my best friend Kara (also my Maid of Honor). They both lived in Wisconsin and she used to ump his work softball league. They both happen to move to Minnesota around the same time and would hang out because neither knew many people. Jim would hosted a fun Derby Party at his house and invited Kara, who asked if I could tag along. Jim had a girlfriend at the time, so it was very platonic. Fast forward about 4 years Kara and Jim met for happy hour- Kara asked again if I could tag along- Newly single Jim, and new home owner Aimee. Kara slyly asked Jim about dating me… “nah, too high maintenance” and asked me about Jim… “Nah…too enginerdy” was my reply. As we were drinking, I suggested we move the party to my new house. I had a bad HDMI cable and asked if he knew how to fix it… he did. I hugged him. Something felt really nice about that hug, (we both recall that moment) Kara left my house early because she said we were being weird and freaking her out. Jim asked me on a proper date for that week- came with hot pink roses (important detail later!) and took me to a lovely meal to show me he was serious about this date. We have been inseparable since.“

THE PROPOSAL

Aimee: “This is one for the books. Most of my married friends have said… “glad I am married first to not have to live up to that” it was a true fairy tale. Jim has been buying me these silly Disney figurines since we started dating. They generally fit what we have going on (beach mickey and Minnie around our vacation etc) However, being not much of a “collector” I had asked him a few times to maybe reduce the amount of figurines. RE: Please stop buying them for me. We had a “staycation” planned and he picked me up on a Friday to go to a near by hotel (or so I thought) A single bud vase with a hot pink rose and a Disney Figurine were my “staycation” gift. Slightly confused I noticed the picture on the side of the box. It was Mickey-kneeling-Proposing to Minnie. I starred at him and he simply said “sit down, this is happening” He had that figurine for ever and waited to give it to me. He then tells me we are going to a private dinner at his house- as we drive- I realize we are not going to his house… Surprise number 2. He rented a lake house to have a private chef cater a meal for us. As we pull up, he exchanged my bud vase for a large empty vase, and said ” you will need this” as I walk in there is my mom and dad, and his mom from Arizona- all holding single pink roses. queue ugly crying. Wait… there is more. I am led downstairs where a small group of our closest family and friends from Wisconsin, Denver and Minneapolis gathered- each holding a pink rose for me. We all stayed at the lake home- had a beautiful private chef prepared dinner. Oh! and he had a surprise engagement party there the next day too where all our friends and family come to celebrate our engagement. He literally thought of everything. “

How are your eye’s? A little watery!?!? Reading that one made me tear up and it still does!

When we asked Aimee what her most anticipated moments of the day she was looking for, her answer like many other couples was the first look with Jim & her Dad! ( you may still want your tissue for these shots!)

Aimee: “My first look both with my groom and my dad. The pictures (especially with my dad) are unbelievable and captured every emotion. They are so wonderful, I literally look at them daily. It was exactly how I would have loved them to be. Katrina suggested we do a first look with my girls too- that was one of the most fun surprises for special moments being greeted by my closest friends- those photos are also fabulous.”

Aimee: “We had a saying leading up to the wedding- welcome to our wedding- here is your Kleenex and your Xanex. I was expecting to sob and be elated and full of love. I actually didn’t know how I was going to not ruin my make up.”

Of course, now we want to know…..what made her say YES to the Dress!

Aimee: “I walked out and my “crew” burst into tears. It was a classic A-Line gown very unique with lace and a blush underlay. sparkly (of course) and literally nothing like what I thought I would get for my day. I could dance in it, it was princess like, without being a million layers of tulle.”

Aimee: “Old School Hollywood Glamour. Fur shawls, elegance timeless. We wanted it to be beautiful, elegant, romantic and meaningful. We wanted everyone there to feel our love, share in it and have literally the best time too. We went with the most fabulous sparkly rose gold table clothes- lots and lots of candles, white roses and eucalyptus garlands. Rose Gold, Black and Ivory were our colors.”

As for the rest of the decor, Wayzata Country Club is such a great venue and we love seeing how our couples choose to enhance it with there personality and their own style.

Aimee : “Rose gold Sparkly table clothes was unique touch. We alternated tables with full sparkly table clothes and black floor length with rose gold runners. Lots of Candles- we had hurricanes on each table with Eucalyptus Garland and white roses. Uplighting was key for ambiance. Lovely sweet table displayed our cutting cake with Mickey and Minnie Figurine and Macaroons- and other sweets. We also had many sweet Disney touches, very subtle… such as our gift card box, welcome sign, Table numbers were Lucite with a tiny Mickey and Minnie on the bottom. Just a enough to be special everywhere but not ‘themed” DIY- I spray painted the bottom of the wood table numbers, cut the Eucalyptus. We had a heritage table with wedding photos of our parents, grandparents and other gems. That was DYI.”

I always love seeing what the couples have to say after the wedding is over and planning is done, so I always ask, what advice do you have for other couples planning their wedding? Aimee, I think you and I are two pea’s in a pod after reading your response!!

Aimee: “Best advice I heard, and I am so glad I heeded. We had a lovely dinner Thursday. It was quiet, nothing too fancy, but was my close friend who traveled from London, my maid of honor from Denver, my parents, and my mother in law in town from AZ. We gave small and meaningful gifts to our parents, and it was a perfect and relaxing way to kick off the weekend. It was then I resolved to chill the $&*@ out. Planning did get the best of me, many times. there were tears and hives and screaming. I had to trust that I planned and planned and what was going to go wrong would be fixed or laughed about later, and I was not going to miss my wedding because I was stressed. I resolved to be 100% present and enjoy every moment. Truly let it all go and just be there. It was the time of my life, and I am so glad I let everything else go. Do this. Also If you are reading this blog trying to decide on a photographer… literally look no further.“

Aimee & Jim, we truly loved working with you and being chosen to capture your beautiful wedding story! We wish you a lifetime of happiness and while you may have to purchase a curio cabinet for all those figurines Jim buys you, it is about the memories that they create and remind you of the moments of your love story! CHEERS TO YOU BOTH!

GREEN ACRES WEDDING | KAYLA + TONY

Weddings 02.27.2020

Kayla & Tony’s Green Acres Barn Wedding was one I couldn’t wait to share! The smiles on these two’s faces ALL day was just something that gave me tingles and made my heart smile while looking through their whole gallery! These two are truly as kind as they appear and are so genuine, we loved working with them and capturing these memories for them!

Kayla & Tony met while working at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, he thought she was cute, they went out & now, well clearly they got married!

THE PROPOSAL :

Bonding over a love of travel and the outdoors Tony & Kayla decided they would do the Superior Hiking trail. 310+ miles of swamp, north woods & rugged coastline along Lake Superior’s western shore, the trail starts on the Wisconsin Minnesota border & ends overlooking Canada. They knew they wouldn’t have the time to thru-hike so they took it a few miles at a time, hiking on the weekends. The day of the proposal Tony & Kayla started hiking early in the morning at the Martin Rd trailhead. With fresh dew on the grass, they began what was a very long day. They planned to get to Sucker River campsite that evening, 22 miles away where Ben & Kristen (friends) would join them. They hiked through sun, rain, muddy swamps and cool forests, but one constant was the mosquitoes. By mile 19 they were quite tired and the bugs were driving them crazy! Now usually when a hike got to this point Tony would tell Kayla a story to distract her from her troubles. He did this time too, and wove a long and exciting story about two forest critters, Kony & Tayla. They were a rabbit and chipmunk couple who were exploring the world and got into some crazy adventures. Fighting off giant bears, evil hawks and miles of desert our explorers traveled in search of the magical land of Sucker River. In the end, (after Kayla became very invested) the two critters realized they didn’t need to find the magical land as long as they were together. It was at this point that Tony tapped Kayla on the shoulder and asked her to marry him. She screamed, loudly, and realizing it was not another fake proposal (Tony had done a few of those to keep her on her toes) she said yes. The last couple of miles were much easier! That, my friends, is how this adventure began.

What was it about Green Acres that made you say YES!

Tony : “Green Acres doesn’t need much decor, which was a big selling point. For color scheme we didn’t want to be too on the nose with red and orange for a fall wedding so we opted for richer tones like emerald and navy. We did make all the signs and wine bottle candles. Our aunt also did all the flowers. So a fair amount of DIY and plenty of help from friends!“

Let’s chat wedding day look! What made you say Yes to the dress?!

What I love is that Tony was the one filling in the answers and this made me laugh when I read it!!!

Tony: “Hey grooms can fill out this questionaire too 😉 As for Kayla’s dress, it was actually the first one she tried on and it just felt right. She is very indecisive though and had to try on a ton more just to make sure the first one was the one. As for me, I like how I look in blue and knew I didn’t want to be so formal in a suit jacket. Suspenders and personal touches like my axolotl pin (our pet) kept it classy and fun. Which I think describes my wife’s dress as well!“

“We love the outdoors and wanted that to be part of our day, so outdoor ceremony was a must. Other than that we really just wanted a big enough space for our loved one to eat drink and be merry. Be comfortable and have fun, that was our goal.“

What was your most anticipated or special moment of the wedding day you were most looking forward to?

“The ceremony. It was the most nervous part as well as the most us. It was fun to share those personal touches of us as a couple with so many loved ones. Plus it was the official part of it all.“

In regards to that were your emotions during that moment what you were expecting?!

“I think we were both nervous, but excited. Afterwards? Still my favorite part and I will always remember it fondly. The ceremony went great except it was a little windy for our guests. And the mistakes like a runaway flower girl or me exploding the champagne during the unity cocktail ended up being really funny and making for GREAT pictures!”

WE loved being at Green Acres, as we absolutely love this venue. Cheers to Kayla & Tony, thank you for choosing us to capture your wedding day!! We wish you a lifetime of happiness & love, and of course careful with shaking champagne! 😉

CREEKSBEND GOLF CLUB WEDDING | ALLISON + ZACH

Weddings 02.20.2020

While winter seems to be dragging on we are certain that beautiful lush greens are in sight! For now, we will relive Allison & Zach’s Creeksbend Golf Club Wedding!

Allison & Zach while both being MN natives, met of all places Iowa State during their junior year of college!

THE PROPOSAL:

Allison : “We closed on our first house together and Zach left to go get a pizza. After 45 long (and hungry) minutes, Zach came back with a pizza asking if it looked “too cheesy”. The pizza had “Marry Me” in pepperoni on it! Dad jokes and pizza are a big part of our relationship so it was perfect for us and the best first memory in our new home!”

When we asked Allison what her most anticipated moment of the day she was most looking forward to, her answer was an easy one!

Allison: “Definitely the first look! I did not tell Zach anything about what my dress looked like, how I was doing my hair, or anything! So we both were anticipating that huge, private moment between us two. We opted to only have the photographers and my personal attendants present during this moment, and it made it extremely special!”

So…was it everything you anticipated?

Allison : “We were overwhelmed with love, excitement, and awe. Zach could only get the word “wow” out, meanwhile, I blurted out that the name of my dress was Della (like our dog). There were so many tears and big smiles! It’s something that we will never forget!”

Allison & Zach wanted their wedding to reflect their easy going relationship and they did just that! The burgundy and gold color pallet with navy touches was stunning, especially with the gorgeous backdrop of Creeksbend Golf Club!

We loved Allison’s dress as it just flowed with her effortlessness and beauty and she just radiated all day! So of course we love hearing the YES to the dress stories, here is what sold Allison on this Wtoo Della Dress from A&BE Bridal!

Allison: “Prior to dress shopping, I really loved the Watters and Wtoo lines. There was something about the chic, classic, and elegant dresses that caught my eye. I went to a&bé bridal shop in Minneapolis because they carried these lines and had the best experience. I actually ended up falling in love with the Wtoo Della dress because I felt comfortable and confident in it- and it’s actually the name of one of our dogs! It was meant to be!”

They had an outdoor ceremony and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect! All the decorating was done by the couple! Now that is a DIY’er right there folks!

Allison: “We did all of the decorating ourselves and had a few DIY project in there, as well! Our FAVORITE decoration was our custom LED sign that was behind us at our head table. We wanted something fun and unique that our guests would remember! We loved the look of burgundy cheesecloth table runners and gold mercury votives with greenery, so this was the majority of our decorations. All of our signs were DIY projects done by Allison and her sister-in-law, Kayla! We also incorporated Allison love for wine and had wine barrels at the beginning of the aisle.”

Allison I think said it best when I asked her if she had any advice to other couples planning their weddings.

“Take a moment to yourselves! During the reception, people will be pulling you in every direction because they’re so happy to celebrate with you- but make sure you take a step back and admire all of the love that’s surrounding you! During the dance portion of the reception, around 9pm, we stepped out onto the deck and just watched the dance Toor for a minute. I became overwhelmed with emotions and cried (for the 100th time of the day) just watching everyone have fun! It’s amazing to see your wedding come together and be surrounded by so much love and support!”

We absolutely adored working with these two! They just absolute head over heels for each other and have so much love for their friends and family! We wish them all the best and of course ton’s of cheesy Dad jokes 🙂

PINSTRIPES WEDDING | JENNA + JEFF

Weddings 02.13.2020

Let’s take a moment to forget it is negative 10 degrees and reminisce about Jenna & Jeff’s wedding this past summer ( yes we have a season called summer people!!) at Pinstripes!

Jenna and Jeff who met in High School dated for 7 years before Jeff popped the question, and from the story he really took time and blew Jenna away!

THE PROPOSAL

Jenna: “Jeff proposed to me on our 7 year anniversary. He drove me to all
of the places we used to go to together during high school in our hometown. At the very last stop (which was at the tree we carved our initials into on our 6 month anniversary) he got down on one knee and proposed.”

Jenna who wanted something simple and elegant but not over the top, was so excited to get glammed up and show off her bridal look to her soon to be Mr!

“It’s not everyday you get to wear an expensive dress, with an expensive hairdo and you makeup all Flawless! I couldn’t wait to see Jeff’s reaction!”

I say he was in awe of his beautiful bride when he saw her!!

Bridal Dress : Diamond Bride | Bridesmaid Dresses: The Wedding Shoppe

We loved Jenna’s Bridal style and so we just had to know, what was the inspiration behind her look and ultimately saying YES to the DRESS!

“My sister helped with all that! She is a makeup guru and I let her have freedom to create my makeup style. For my hair I wanted simple (can you tell I’m a simple bride!?) just a low bun, something beautiful that would keep me from sweating profusely on the day of! And my dress… my dress was a mission. I went to multiple different stores and never found what I was looking for. Until one day, the store manager came to me and mentioned he would be able to combine two dresses to make my dream dress! What really sold me on the dress was the day before… I went to a Chinese restaurant and received a fortune cookie that said “Tomorrow you will Und the item you’ve been looking for.” And sure enough the next day, I found the item I had been looking for! “

The ceremony had a special touch as her Mother & Father-in-law created their beautiful backdrop! The simple greenery and vines draped the backdrop with an effortless romantic look, we loved the touch of softness it brought to their ceremony along with the sentimental piece!

When it came to decor, Jenna wanted to keep things simple here as well, simple touches of greenery and candles.

The wedding day comes and goes so fast and so when we asked Jenna for advice to other couples planning…here is her advice and I could not agree more!

“Don’t stress about it. Honestly, it’s one day. It’s a day just about you and the person you are marrying and that’s it. At the end of the day, no one is going to care how much you spent on the wedding invites. Make it about love, not about outdoing everyone else!“

THE COTTAGE FARMHOUSE WEDDING | JAMIE + NATE

Weddings 02.10.2020

We loved being at The Cottage Farmhouse for Jamie & Nate’s wedding this past September! But, let’s start from the beginning and where it all began shall we.

Jamie & Nate have one of the most romantic proposal stories I have heard in a while! I mean I went home and told my husband all about it and he was like, so your saying mine was no good in comparison…I mean mine was awesome, but Nate, you killed it!

“Nate took me to dinner on a Monday night, which wasn’t unusual for us. After dinner he wanted to take me to an outdoor park where they had live music. When we got there, we walked down a trail to what I thought led to the music. The closer we got, I saw a beautiful gazebo on the lake and it was DECKED OUT in lights and candles (That’s when I finally realized what was happening) In the center there were candles in the shape of a heart and that is where he proposed to me! “

“Not only was that a surprise, there were two more! He told me we were leaving the next morning for a week long vacation. Obviously my first thought was that it’s a Monday and I have to work. He then told me “it’s taken care of” as he had been in contact with my boss for the past several months about it. The second surprise was on the day we got back from vacation, he had an engagement party planned with all of my close friends and family! It was truly a fairy tale proposal!!! “

Their wedding at The Cottage Farmhouse was nothing short of romantic, her dress, hair & greenery throughout, it all had a softness and effortless feel.

We love hearing about what our brides are envision for their day and what theme or style they are going for, so when we asked Jamie here is what she had to say!

Jamie : “I had several ideas of what I wanted my wedding to look like. We were getting married on a farm which naturally created a rustic theme. With that, I wanted it to be “boho style” with an added touch of elegance. I wanted it to be the perfect combination of laid back yet classic all at the same time.“

Make up by : Adorning Beauty | Hair by: @katierasinskihair

Jamie : “What I fell in love with about The Cottage Farmhouse is the fact that it is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING apart from any significant decorations. With decor, I tend to be a minimalist so this venue spoke to my heart <3 I will say that if any space felt too bare for my liking, I wanted it draped in eucalyptus as I was HUGE on the greenery! “

Now of course let’s talk about the dress!!! What made you say YES to the dress?!

Jamie : “When choosing my wedding dress, I wanted to keep in mind two things: the venue and theme. I wanted a dress that “fit” the farmhouse theme, in other words, boho style and laid back. I wanted something that I felt both beautiful and comfortable in!”

Jamie’s gorgeous Dress was from Our Shop Bridal in Woodbury.

Nate was looking dapper ( thats a new “in” word again right!?!) in his Navy suit. Jamie had 2 moments that she always dreamed about wedding day, the first being….you guessed it THE FIRST LOOK!! We love this moment with couples and I mean come on you can just feel the love radiating out of these two love birds!

We loved the Bridesmaid Dresses these ladies were rocking as well!
All were from **Azazie**

We love being at The Cottage Farm House , the rustic elegance and beauty to all the backdrops this is easily one of our favorites!

The second moment Jamie had dreamed about was her walking down the aisle, so we needed to know, were her emotions what she though they would be in these two moments?!

Jamie : “Dreaming about how I would feel in these moments were far different than reality! Even though you try so hard to make a conscious effort to stop and appreciate each moment, everything about your wedding day still passes by in a blink of an eye. Emotions are so high on that day that everything tends to run together. This is why choosing the right photographer is SO IMPORTANT! Looking back at the photos from these two moments bring back the emotions I remember feeling which may not have been the case if my photographers weren’t so amazing at what they do.”

How cute is the Hitch and Sip Bar on Wheels!!!

We truly loved working with Jamie & Nate, the love they have for one another is so apparent and they truly are such amazing sweet people! We wish you both a lifetime of happiness and Nate, I can’t wait to hear what you have in store for your first anniversary, you set the bar high 🙂

Are you or someone you know planning a wedding at The Cottage Farm House? We would LOVE to chat!!!

MN BEST OF 2020 VOTING GOING ON NOW!

Uncategorized 02.05.2020

Time is running out to vote for MN Brides Best of 2020!

We are BEYOND grateful for all of our clients, friends, family & industry partners!! We cannot do what we do with out all of you & we would love to have your VOTE!

We have been honored to be the ones that have captured such important moments, from engagement sessions, weddings and even bringing your new bundles of joy into the world you have trusted in us to capture these milestones and we couldn’t be happier! It is truly amazing to not only meet new clients but to continue relationships as we see families grow!

As we embark on 2020 we are excited to continue capturing these milestones, and continue to bring beautifully captured memories to our clients and their families!

MN Bride awards are one of the highest honors you can earn, voting has begun and we are asking for your support. We truly love what Studio 220 Photography stands for and we would be honored if you would take a few minutes to vote!

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Studio 220 Photography | MN Bride Best of 2020

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