Our Christmas Decorations

This is our modest Christmas decorations around my house! I love it so much and am excited to build on each year! Christmas is one of my favorite holiday seasons because it is a month full of love, joy, and snow! 

My family did things a little different. My whole family was from Minnesota; each year we had multiple Christmases that we had to attend. So my family would always go to the Christmas eve service and after we came home would then open our gifts! Before we did so we always read the Christmas story so we can focus on what Christmas time is really celebrating.  My Grandfather on my Mom's side is the normal reader but sometimes it lands on my dad or brother.  Although Christmas is not the same as it once was now that we all have out own little families, time with my family still makes it my favorite time as long as we are together.

La La Land Inspired Styled Shoot | Raspberry Island Wedding Photography | Minneapolis Wedding Photographer

I LOVE movies; they have always captivated me by the stories that help my enrich my creativity. Earlier this year, I saw La La Land (2016) for the first time. I was so captivated by a moving story of two lovers following there dreams, but that was only a fraction of what drew me to this movie. The cinematography and the brightly vibrant colors blew me away!
Lala Land was also well received everywhere with help of Emma Stone and heartthrob Ryan Gosling; it was a topic conversation with my of my friends who were also just fangirling all over it.
 So to share my love of the delightful La La Land (which I got on Black Friday at Target!!) I dreamed up this shoot. But you know what, I didn't do it alone! After reaching out to a good handful of other creatives, some amazing ones chipped in to make my movie dream a reality!

Planners: Joyous Moments Happen
Hair and Makeup: Hair and Makeup by Heidi Edwards
Florist:  Glassing Florist
Movie Ticket Invitations: Anchor Paper Co. (Roseville Location)
The Suit: The Black Tux
The Dress: Modcloth
The Furniture: On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals
Photography: MW photography

And our shoot has been officially featured in Artfully Wed! Yay! Check out the feature here.

Wedding Day Tips from Other Vendors Part 1 | Minneapolis Wedding Photographer

Every Tuesday I have been posting tips for all my MW brides to help you build a better wedding experience! As much as I love photography it definitely isn't the only aspect of your wedding day. I know not everyone even knows what to ask their wedding vendors. So I thought I would take that burden off your shoulders and  I reached out to other vendors to get their professional insight! 

I asked each wedding professional this question: What is one thing you want your brides to know on their wedding day?

For makeup: Don't try something new on your wedding day. You want to look like yourself! During your trial don't hesitate to show your artist a picture of how you normally do your makeup.
For hair: Show up with dry hair unless told otherwise. Showing up with wet hair will cause a delay in your time frame. Your artist will have to take the extra time to dry it before styling it. Best way to avoid this is by washing your hair the day before.  - Heidi Edwards with Makeup and Hair by Heidi 
 

For your Flowers: My biggest piece of advice is to designate one responsible person to care for the bouquet as the day unfolds. Often times bouquets are left alone, out of water or in the hot sun, after pictures are taken. If you'd like the flowers to retain their color and life, make sure someone is there to keep the blooms in water when not in use. - Lacie Porta with Framed Florals
 

For your Video: Videographer tip #1: We can only document the wedding that actually happens. What that means is... if you want a joyful, fun film then create a joyful, fun atmosphere and be full of joy and fun! It sounds silly, but it is true. Too often brides have stressful, anxious weddings and expect joyful, fun, beautiful films and it saddens me to know that it will be very difficult to create the film they want. Videographer tip #2: This one is simple. LIGHTING IS EVERYTHING. Feel free to email me about this tip, because I can go into way too much detail here and I cannot tell you how vital this is. Videographer tip #3: You will get what you pay for 99% of the time... please don't go cheap on this incredibly important memory of your wedding day. - John Stambaugh of United Media Collective (umcfilms.com)
 

For your Calligrapher: One of the main tips I tell my bridal clients is that calligraphy is not limited to just pen and paper as traditionally thought. Calligraphy is completely versatile and can be done on almost any material imaginable from light bulbs and broken terra cotta pot pieces to marble tile and macaroons. Calligraphers love any opportunity to write on something unique so brides can get as creative as they want with lettering for their wedding. - Kirsten Wong with Cottonwood Print

This is only part 1! Hoping that other vendor will share the love of their experiences so that you can know what to expect for your wedding day!