It’s cold outside.  Lakes have finally frozen over.  Minnesotans resort to making coffee and sipping wine while playing board games with their friends.  In Ashley & Beau's case, winter meant puppy-time as their newest member, Barney, made his debut with the camera.  I was inspired by the invitation into their new home and so I chose to give people a glimpse in the "day in the life" of Ashley & Beau.  Ashley is about as brave a girl as they make in this world, as she braved Lake Minnetonka in her high heels and skirt as the wind swiped at her flowing hair.  Thank you both for making me laugh, that energy and playful spirit you share is so special.  I can't wait for more of it on the wedding day!  

Occasionally couples will ask, "Will you travel?"  Out-of-state sessions offer a special glimpse into the daily lives of couples as they head down the road to marriage.  Meta and Michael chose an adventure wedding of sorts this summer at the base of Big Sky, Montana.  For Meta, Seattle is now "home".  As Michael lives in the Portland area, they were very much accustomed to the long-distance dating weekends in both these cities, specifically familiar with train station hellos and goodbyes.  

I was invited out to document and get a good taste of their daily lives, places they date, and crazy fun they have together.  The morning of, I got to explore Meta's life in Seattle before heading down by car along the coast to meet up with these two.  We started our adventures by taking in the urban life of Portland, worked our way into the historic neighborhoods and crazy old trees, and finished at dusk along the Columbia River Gorge.  This stretch of river is perhaps one of my favorites in the world with sweeping views up and down and scattered with incredible breweries and wineries.  Thanks to Michael, I got to see it through a whole new lens.    

My wife Janelle and I just had too much fun with these two that we just had to give the world a sample of the fun we will be having in June in Montana!  We are such BIG fans in every way of you both!

- Andrew (& Janelle)

We love Fall in Minnesota, so turns out people in Wisconsin are pretty wild about the Fall as well.  In fact they throw a festival just to celebrate the apples and glorious leaves which they call Apple Fest.  Now add in incredible color for peak weekend, an island adventure and the coolest couple, you pretty much have an epic game plan for an engagement session. 

As we talked about ideas for their session at the studio, Madeline Island kept coming up as one of Rebekah & Patrick’s favorite places in the world to run away to.  They only had to ask once as I pretty much leapt out of my seat at the idea of coming along and staying at their cozy cabin nestled deep in the woods.  Along the way North, Janelle and I had a wonderful time reminiscing on our favorite honeymoon stops around the Apostle Islands and Bayfield, and exploring the crazy local scene at Apple Fest.  We boarded the ferry to the island and felt all the chaos of the world fade away as our new friends awaited our arrival.  That night featured great laughs and a Packer game at a nearby pub before we would take to the woods the next morning to play.  It was just the right combination on the right weekend.  And a little seasonal luck to go with love never hurts.  Thank you friends! 

Erin fell for Nick's quirkiness and the rest is history.  Their daily playground are the streets of New York City and they invited me out to play!  It was probably some of the most ground I have ever covered in one afternoon as we started at the "top of the Rock" and worked our way over to Jersey to an evening stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge, finishing with a nightcap in Times Square.  A personal favorite stop was the new Highline Park that has taken the old rail lines and created some fabulous new green space amongst the sky scrapers.  These two know how to have fun and karate chops was part of their love language.  What a fun contrast this day will be from the rural inspired wedding they are dreaming up with Mimi Design for October.  I seriously can't wait! 

As fate would have it, Dan bounced into my life at just the right time. One friend was leaving for New York, our “ bachelor pad” was disbanding as they knew the writing was on the wall, and I needed a good travel partner and sounding board to figure out all of these life changes. Hello Dan! How many countries and countless crazy stories has it been by now? Even though I was rocking an awkward high school career at the time he was entering his Power Rangers phase, we have bonded like brothers. Heather is the answer to many of our prayers, and now you know just how good you have it. She loves you just as you are, right where you are at, and in just the right way. I love how you treasure each other as evident in this afternoon we got to spend together. Thank you for this incredible honor. There will be many more afternoons like this, my friend.

Katie loves Mark….a lot! Mark’ s smirk says a thousand words of sweetness to his lovely girl. The Orchard was the perfect place to play in the fall. It was a family tradition of mine as well and was just the perfect afternoon blend of simmer and spice…both the cider and you two. I seriously can’ t wait for May!

Casey and Adam came up with a wonderful idea: to do their engagement photos attheir alma mater of St. John’ s. We laughed hard all afternoon, dodging rain drops and hitting some of the most tucked away places around campus to create. In my head I might have said to myself…” If I were a college freshman and on a small campus, where would I take a beautiful girl?” Thanks for being up for the adventure! Our team was all smiles looking back at these and just had to share some favorites. I guess I just miss you already.

We just had too much creative fun with this suave couple to keep to ourselves.  Janie and Matt fell in love grabbing food and drinks along St. Anthony Main area.  They had walked the bridge dozens of times, but they hadn't seen what lay below the descending staircase at the river level!  Can't wait to be with you on your wedding day!