One of the most precious things on a wedding day is watching friends and family come around a couple to celebrate them, and I think we all can say that the past few months have made that rather challenging with all of the COVID craziness we have experienced. That’s why Rebekah & Lucas decided back in June that even with everything going on, they were still going to get married – they didn’t want to wait any longer and were so aware that each and everyday brings a new set of challenges that they no longer wanted to tackle individually but together as a united team. This is why they chose to have an intimate ceremony -- or minimony or even microwedding depending on what you want to call it – the idea is the same for all three, celebrating two becoming one with your closest family & friends. This meant that the wedding celebration they had planned at Hope Glen Farms in Cottage Grove also got a bit delayed, but these two didn’t give up hope, which is what brings us to this beautiful wedding celebration here. (Ps – the treehouse is even cooler than it looks… and it has a secret room behind a book shelf!)

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl run off to get married. Wait a second, not the “typical” love story? Jenavae and Misha have anything but that! While COVID has thrown everyone for a loop in their wedding day planning, these two decided that enough was enough and they were ready to get married no matter what. They settled in on a date and reached out to us for their wedding day photography. There is something beautifully simple about an elopement – you get to take in the full moment, not be rushed, and watch each person’s reaction throughout the minimony. You can chase the sunset, go get dinner in your wedding dress, and drive off without anyone knowing what has happened – a secret you choose when and where to share with the world.

One of the things this COVID pandemic has shown us is the sweet spot of people being surrounded by their closest friends and family. Don’t get us wrong, we absolutely still love full on wedding days, but there’s just something unique during this time. Having a backyard wedding at Vicki’s parent’s house in Hastings was always one of William and Vicki’s plans, they just had to adapt it a bit – as all plans are being done to these days.

It’s amazing how quickly life can change. We were walking with these two for their engagement photos in downtown Minneapolis just days before the world as we knew it shut down. In the blink of an eye, life itself seemed to stop. Then the months followed, we watched as things started to open, new mandates come into place, and then we were weeks away from their wedding day! Did their wedding day go just as they planned? You’ll have to ask them, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t plan on having to have people sit 6 feet apart and wear masks all times indoors. Did they have a poor attitude because things changed? 100% no. In fact, I think they all the more showed what their marriage will be like – one that rolls with the punches, enjoys the moments that they can, and leans on Christ when all else is uncertain.

It’s not often you get to photograph your own brother’s wedding – in fact, I’ll only get two chances! And shooting a wedding amidst the COVID-19 pandemic? Even less often hopefully. When Travis and Emma got engaged last November, they got right to planning, and we walked alongside them amidst all the ups and downs of wedding day planning – the date, the location, the people, and all the things that don’t work quite out as planned. They had wanted to get married closer to home in Minnesota, but finally settled on the beautiful Hidden Meadow Barn venue in Pepin, Wisconsin. Little did they know when they picked it that it would be a Godsend as COVID-19 hit – the difference of restrictions and things from Minnesota to Wisconsin would be the determining factor if they would be able to have their beautifully planned wedding day or need to postpone it to the fall.