Many months ago, an email dropped into my in-box from a couple who was planning their wedding for June 18, 2016.  The flutter in my heart multiplied when I read the location: Lutsen Resort. Minnesota’s North Shore has always held a special place in my heart…from skipping rocks into the frigid water as a young child, to capturing hundreds of nature images in college, to camping with my baby girl, solo.  I’d be hard pressed to think of a location in this state that has more of a grasp on my nature-loving heart.  With that said, it’s been a quiet goal for nearly 13 years to photograph a wedding ANYWHERE on the shore.  I probably spilled this much enthusiasm in my email to Kirsten and Michael, because a few short days later, they responded with an invitation to photograph their big day.

4 hours from home, I woke before the sun and made the trek over to Lutsen but not before getting tangled up in Grandma’s Marathon traffic in Duluth & Two Harbor’s.  The anxiety that I feel before EVERY job was non-existent.  I was just happy and thankful.  I met this beautiful couple for the first time just minutes before they walked down the aisle and I knew in my heart I’d remember them forever.  The day played out like a fairy-tale.  I am in love with every image captured and I only have them to thank for that.

Kirsten and Michael, THANK YOU for the opportunity of a lifetime.  Thank you for trusting me to create and capture.  Congratulations on your beautiful wedding day and your even more remarkable love story…

Want to hear a neat story?  Michael contacted wedding guests and asked them to share a few words that describe Kirsten.  He compiled these words, printed them, distributed them to guests, and surprised his unsuspecting bride when she walked around the corner.  AMAZING.

These are the kinds of images that make my heart soar!  I took these at 10pm, with a tripod and 30 second exposure.  These captures had me sitting still on the cold stones on the shore of Lake Superior thanking God and counting my lucky stars because I know I am blessed beyond measure to do this for a living.