Kelly and Christian’s happy, intentional wedding day
Kelly and Christian are such kind, intentional people! They met online and both work in public service. They care deeply about serving their loved ones and their communities, and they’ve created such a beautiful life together full of cooking, house projects, and intentional time spent with their friends, family, and their sweet cat! I met Kelly when she was a bridesmaid in a past client’s wedding last fall, and it’s been so lovely to get to know her and Christian since then.
Once Kelly and Christian decided that they wanted to get married in March, they started looking for a venue that could work for both their wedding ceremony and reception to minimize their guests needing to drive in any potential winter weather. They ended up choosing the St. James Hotel in Red Wing, MN. They were so excited to find a venue that had lots of cool, unique spaces inside in case the weather made it hard to get outside. (Sure enough, the weather ended up being a bit challenging, so we stayed indoors and utilized the amazing spaces inside of the St. James Hotel – their plan worked out beautifully!)
getting ready
The morning started with my second shooter, Tyler, and me spending some time with Kelly as she got ready! Kelly and some of the folks from her wedding party started the day at a salon, followed by time at the hotel getting into their dresses and eating lunch. Tyler and I took pictures as Kelly and her friends got ready together, and also took a few pictures of the wedding invitations and details. I love all the excited energy from this part of the day!
I love the candid pictures of Kelly getting into her dress! There was this great moment when Kelly’s mom and a few of her friends helped her put her veil on and carefully arranged it into place. It felt like such a special moment of her being surrounded by her community!
their first look
After Kelly and Christian had both gotten ready, they did a first look in a sweet little spot in the historic wing of the hotel. Kelly walked down this incredible staircase to meet Christian at the bottom. It felt like a moment out of a movie! They locked eyes and spent a few moments taking each other in, enjoying it all.
Couple and Wedding party portraits
We walked around the hotel and got a few pictures of the two of them, and then their wedding party met up with us! We took pictures all over the historic rooms of the hotel, including in front of the epic staircase Kelly and Christian had done their first look on as a way of carrying on that theme. The hotel also has a funky library room that Kelly and Christian loved, so we did a few fun, dramatic portraits in there too! (If either of Kelly or Christian’s wedding parties ever want to start a band together, these pictures would be PERFECT for an album cover haha!) We also took some portraits of the whole wedding party together in a stunning ballroom.
Family portraits and candids before the ceremony
Next, we moved into family pictures, which went really smoothly – I'm so glad that we could capture pictures of their people while everyone was together! Kelly and Christian had a few minutes to relax before the ceremony, and Tyler followed the couple to get a few candid pictures of them enjoying a little downtime with their wedding party. There was this funny moment with their three year-old nephew, who was serving as their ring bearer – he fell into this super deep sleep while leaning onto a table! It made everyone laugh kindly, and led to this great picture of Kelly sitting next to her sweet, snoozy nephew.
Their intentional wedding ceremony
The wedding ceremony started, and Tyler and I went into documentarian mode. During one really special part of the ceremony, Kelly and Christian read love letters to each other as well as vows that they had written together. It was such a romantic peek into their lives together.
Cocktail hour
After the ceremony, guests headed to a ballroom and bar across the hall to enjoy a cocktail hour . All the guests enjoyed cheese boards and drinks while Kelly and Christian walked around to say hello to everyone! Tyler and I had also stepped into the reception room a few minutes early so we could capture some pictures of the space and decor – there was so much care and attention poured into every detail. For example, as a party favor, Kelly and Christian gave their guests small jars of jam, and it turned out that the jam had actually been made and canned completely by Kelly's family from fruit and berries that they’d grown themselves! It was so sweet and intentional.
dinner and dancing
When it was time for dinner, the guests settled into the sparkly, cozy reception space. The room was absolutely full of happy people who love Kelly and Christian, and the next hour was full of good food, rounds of heartfelt toasts, and so many delicious pies!
Next, they moved into some super fun dancing – there was a whole pile of people dancing on the dance floor at all times, and it was AMAZING! At the end of the reception, people were hanging out, chatting, mingling, grabbing dessert, and taking photos at a photo booth. It was such an awesome party and a wonderful night!
Kelly and Christian, I had so much fun photographing your wedding day! It has been a real joy getting to know you two and work together. Thank you for trusting me with your wedding portraits – you are such kind, wonderful people, and I absolutely loved spending this time with you!