Ava and Alex. I’m long overdue for blogging these two and their unstopable spectacular Wabasha Street Caves wedding in St Paul. From the moment they told me they were going to be married in a cave (or, as their hashtag put it right – #doingitinacave), I knew they were planning something special to kick off their married life together. Of course, their engagement photos on a ferris wheel was also a good clue.
If the sandstone caves along the bluffs of the Mississippi river could share stories, we could get a full glimpse of our history – carved by water and time, home to breweries, then prohibition smuggling, occasionally cheese or mushrooms or storage.
Would those caves imagine dancing and weddings?
A literal cave requires a special approach and appreciation for how to bring in light – not to overpower the dark ambiance, but enough to bring definition and structure to parts of the day. A mix of flash and LED lighting meant we could highlight the action of the ceremony and reception without being obtrusive. I used a pixelstick in the totally darkest parts of the cave to bring in the Minneapolis skyline for a dramatic end-of-the-evening shoot (thanks as always to my second shooter Wendy for tirelessly running around in a dark cave to make the background work).
Florist: Bachman’s
Dj: Events by MV
Dress: KMK Designs
Suit: Men’s Warehouse
Planner or Coordinator: Bee the Buzz Events
Catering: Envision
Dessert: Dorothy Ann Bakery
String Quartet: The Birchwood Quartet
Oh, my. There had been some concern, on the part of Ava and Alex, that it would be too dark in a cave for photos. Or too small, or something. Sure, a Wabasha Street Caves wedding requires well-crafted use of light – light that makes you feel the intimacy of a cave, still feel the darkness and the closeness while somehow also seeing the people there with full clarity. Its a fully engaging set of challenges and opportunities, and it was also a ton of awesome. So awesome that the preview post required many images instead of just one.
In these, you’ll see some off camera flash, some natural light, LED panel light, pixelstick long exposure, and a whole lot of happy!
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