Wendy Woods Photography

Leah and Dan's Wedding

What fun it was to do a wedding here in my hometown of Stillwater last Saturday - on a glorious day with a wonderful couple. Leah Felsenthal and Dan Reiter were married at Trinity Lutheran Church and held their reception at the Historic County Courthouse. Their first meeting was in Pioneer Park overlooking the St. Croix River. Leah had the longest veil I have ever photographed, and it was gorgeous backlit by sunlight. She was radiant as you can see. The ceremony ended with a bell-ringing send-off in her dad's T-bird. This is one snazzy little car! We went down by the river for a few portraits on this Technicolor day. Amazing food - and I mean wonderful - was provided by the Lake Elmo Inn and a stack of cute little cakes by Queen of Cakes. Check out these tiny chocolate fountains - they were quite a hit! The sweet, emotional wedding will go down as one of my favorites this year. Click on any image to open larger; we would love to hear from you, as would Dan and Leah, so please leave a message here!

Jami and Eric

Jami Kruger and Eric Bornetun had a great time with us last week doing an engagement session at Nicolette Island. The light on the water there is really delightful at sunset, and we lucked out with a beautiful day. The skies are a real crap shoot lately, so I am really treasuring when the light is just right. Jami and Eric are to be married September 13 next year with their ceremony at Faith Lutheran Church in Coon Rapids and reception at the truly majestic Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake. Their engagement session was exactly one year from the day they will be married! Jami is in sales and Eric works for Hallmark Insights. These guys love their little doggie, and they love sports and are regulars to the Timberwolves, Twins, and Wild games, so we ended up in a sports bar on the island, where they tipped back a pint. Always cheerful and very much in love, Eric and Jami are a delight to be around. Click on any image to open larger, and please leave a message for Jami, Eric, and us!

Nico Fassino

Nico, to anyone in the Hudson theater scene, is a familiar face. He's had lead roles in a variety of musicals and theater productions, the latest is the actual Wizard in the Wizard of Oz as put on by Hudson High School this fall. He's a regular in Phipps Center productions as well, including Pinocchio, Alladin, and many others. A senior this year, he's headed to the U of Wisconsin Madison to study, among other things, political science. In fact, his interests in that area were in evidence when he submitted a great question on the YouTube Republican debate recently with his cousin Austin about America's "meat footprint" and global warming here. So for Nico's senior session we went to a place as unique as he is - the new Minneapolis Public Library. This amazing light-filled structure with its multiple levels made a contemporary background for his portraits. Within walking distance are great alleyways and parks, so we made some wonderful urban fashion portraits using those locations. Nico's mom Dina joined us for the session, which was really fun. Click on any image to open larger.

Ashley and Mike's Wedding

Ashley Klontz and Mike Langland were married Saturday in one of the most beautiful weddings we have seen this year. The Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis was the setting for their ceremony - a structure so grand that it gives me goose bumps whenever I am in it. Ashley has a phenomenal sense of design and she spent the last two years planning out every detail of the wedding, assisted by Lora Grafenstein-Kinzel, an amazing wedding planner from At Your Service Weddings. The chocolate brown and aqua blue and polka-dot theme carried through the bridesmaids' dresses, the wedding invites, the flowers from Stems and Vines, the table favors, and even this fantastic cake from Gateaux. Ashley was radiant in a Paloma Blanca gown which was clearly made for her. The wedding party stopped at Vic's on Nicolette Island for a drink and the sculpture garden near the Walker Art Museum for a smoke. The elegant dinner was at Windows on Minnesota in the IDS tower. Ashley and Mike are the nicest couple you would ever want to meet. They are off on a European cruise for their honeymoon and we wish them all the best. We would love to hear from you so add a comment here! Click on any image to open larger.