Sentimental Wedding in Minneapolis

Dec 18

Andria + Mike

Looking back on this gorgeous, warm Minneapolis wedding seems like the perfect antidote to the darkness and dipping temperatures we're facing outside right now!

Mike and Andria were married at her family church; not only were her grandparents original members of the community, but several generations of her close relatives have had their own wedding celebrations there! The guys got dressed in the youth group room where Andria had designed and painted several bricks of the wall in her grandparents' memories while growing up, and we even did a fun recreation of a photo from her aunt's wedding and cousin's wedding - it was awesome to continue the tradition!

Andria's uncle performed the ceremony and amused us all as he tried to take credit for the bride and groom finding each other (or at least for her interest in the groom when they were first introduced) since his name is ALSO Mike and he apparently started telling all his nieces and nephews from young ages how great Mikes are. Everyone in the family was thrilled she had "finally found her Mike"!

Our favorite part of the service was when they put together a puzzle with the groom's daughter - one of the adorable flower girls - to symbolize their becoming a family. Once completed, it revealed several photos of all of them together and their family name. It was such a beautiful moment to witness, especially when Ryley gave Andria a spontaneous hug after they finished the puzzle.

The park surrounding Minnehaha Falls was the perfect backdrop for our wedding party and bride and groom photos. We had a pretty good sized group of people and they were ALL. JUST. AMAZING. Their love for this couple was so strong that it just shone out of them like rays of sunshine. We were feeling all the warm fuzzies!

Andria had mentioned during one of our pre-wedding consultations that they might bring a volleyball along because it's such a significant part of their lives, but we wanted to wait and decide if it should be incorporated into photos based on how they were feeling once they were all fancified for the day...and let me tell you what - she could spike that thing wearing her wedding gown just as effectively as if she had been in shorts and a t-shirt. :)

Once we'd had our fun and finished up the group photos, it was time for one of our favorite parts of the day: bride and groom portraits! Getting to take the pace down a notch and find a quieter environment for each couple is incredibly important to us as photographers; we want to create the opportunity for some one-on-one time with each other away from the joy-filled chaos that swirls throughout the rest of a wedding day. Love!

With as much laughter as had been shared to that point, we knew the reception was going to be a party to remember! From the hilarious toasts that included a pre-recorded video presentation from the best man (featuring a homemade music video starring the groom) to running to each table for a creative picture of their imagining, the night flew by.

Congratulations Mike and Andria!