On travel and joy at this Minikahda Club Wedding
A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless.
We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.
-John Steinbeck
I love this quote from Steinbeck, because as you cannot plan a trip, you also cannot plan a marriage.
You can plan a wedding, you can make plans, and intend things. But ultimately the best stories and the best marriages are made by a combination of planning and flexibility.
Allison and Jason travel much, they clearly love much, and they are headed in the same direction with a lot of well wishes.
Their Minikahda Club wedding was on one of the warmest days of spring. Luckily, the Minikahda is both air conditioned and gorgeous on the inside, so we played in their lush lobby for some portraits before their rooftop wedding ceremony overlooking the Minneapolis Skyline. At the end of the night, we took some more photos out there with the evening falling over the buildings.
The lobby is stunning, and even more magical with just a touch of warm light from a handheld light. 
To get the right light on these two, we used a flash to balance the sky, and then I composited it out with another image later. 
The Minneapolis skyline as viewed from the Minikahda Club (which hosted Allison and Jason’s lovely wedding) is a less common angle on the city – over the water and across Uptown. A perfect opportunity to pull out a long lens and compress the skyline into an evening backdrop. The long focal length (85 in this case) actually makes the city look bigger and closer than it did in person, bringing a perfect Minneapolis cosmopolitan pop to this elegant couple. 
I took about 80 images to make this bokeh panorama (Brenizer method). It gives a really airy feel to the trees behind Jason and Allison and almost mimics the way an old view camera would handle depth of field. 
Getting ready rooms, bathed in light. 
Everyone was excited to see Allison 
A first look, away from all the guests, before the day begins. 
Such a classic pairing in the lobby of Minikahda Club 
I love this wallpaper in the Minikahda Club – could take portraits by it all day. 
Another composite image in the lobby of the Minikahda Club 
Jason, waiting for Allison, at the rooftop ceremony of the Minikahda Club 
After my own heart- they shared and iced coffee as their first drink as man and wife 
Cocktail hour on the rooftop deck of the Minikahda Club 
The ballroom at the Minikahda Club doesn’t need a lot of adornment, but a gold sequined table covering really does set a celebratory tone. 
As classic as their space – Minikahda Club Wedding reception 
The first dance, Minikahda Club 
Ending the evening on the rooftop of the Minikahda Club, overlooking Minneapolis at night. 
