Some wedding days are beautiful because of the setting, the details, or the carefully chosen pieces that have been planned for months. And then there are wedding days that stay with you because of the people.
Shelby and Nick’s wedding at Almquist Farm wedding in Minnesota was very much the latter. If ever two people were made for each other, I think it might just be these two.
A Wedding Day That Simply Felt Like Them
There was an ease between Shelby and Nick that you couldn’t miss. Every time one of them caught the other’s eye throughout the day, there it was…that enormous, completely involuntary grin.
And their private vows? Dang near identical.
Not because they had planned them together, but because somehow they had chosen the same things to say about one another, their relationship, and the life they were building together. Standing there photographing them, I couldn’t help but smile myself.
There are moments during a wedding day when my job becomes less about creating something beautiful and more about simply paying attention. Watching, anticipating, giving people the space to actually experience what’s happening.
Shelby and Nick gave me so many of those moments.
The looks exchanged when they thought no one else was watching, the laughter, the quiet little interactions between the big events of the day, the way they seemed genuinely thrilled that, after all of the planning and anticipation, they finally got to marry each other.
Those are always the photographs I find myself coming back to.
Their Almquist Farm Wedding
Almquist Farm made such a beautiful backdrop for the day, with that quintessential Minnesota countryside feel and plenty of space for the day to unfold without ever feeling rushed.
But as beautiful as the venue was, my favorite part of photographing this wedding wasn’t a particular portrait location or carefully styled detail (although let’s be real, this place is STUNNING).
It was the people.
I want my couples to be able to look back at their wedding photographs years from now and remember more than what everything looked like. I want them to remember what it felt like to stand there together, who made them laugh, the people who wrapped their arms around them, the nervous excitement before the ceremony and the absolute relief and joy afterward.
And with Shelby and Nick, there was so much of that to preserve.
Even while choosing just a handful of sneak peeks after their wedding, I caught myself grinning at my computer. Their happiness was written all over their faces, and everyone else’s.
The Kind of Love You Can See
I talk a lot about photographing weddings in a way that feels present rather than posed, and this is exactly why.
Of course we’ll make time for the beautiful portraits, we’ll photograph the details you spent months choosing and gather everyone together for the photographs that become part of your family’s history.
But I also want to leave room for everything that happens when nobody is being told what to do.
Because someday it may be the photograph of the two of you laughing when you thought the camera had been lowered that brings you right back.
Or the way your mom looked at you.
Or your grandparents dancing.
Or your best friend wiping away a tear during your vows.
Those seemingly small moments have a funny way of becoming the big ones.
Shelby and Nick’s wedding was full of them.
And more than anything, it was full of two people who seemed completely, wonderfully certain that they had found their person.
Congratulations, Shelby and Nick. It was an absolute joy getting to document this chapter of your story. 🤍
Shelby + Nick’s Wedding Vendor Team
Venue: Almquist Farm
Soloists: Heartstrings
DJ: Nick Werner / Nick Productions MN
Videography: Bellagala
Catering: Von Hanson’s Meats
Dessert: Homemade by Courtney Batten + Jennifer Lincycomb
Florals: DIY with florals from Hobby Lobby
Hair: Samantha Sky | Bridal Hair Specialist
Makeup: Kirsten LaCanne
Tux: Men’s Wearhouse
Wedding Dress: Bella Bridal Boutique
Planning an Almquist Farm Wedding?
If you’re planning your own wedding at Almquist Farm, or somewhere else throughout Minnesota, Western Wisconsin, or beyond, I’d love to hear what you’re dreaming up.
My approach to wedding photography is rooted in connection: creating beautiful, true-to-color photographs while giving you the space to actually be present with the people you love. Because your wedding photographs should show you what the day looked like. But even more importantly, they should remind you exactly how it felt.
If that sounds like the kind of experience you’re wanting, inquire here and we’ll start this beautiful journey.
Every couple I work with gets a fully personalized experience — from the fun questionnaire I send before we ever meet, to the complimentary engagement session we do together before your wedding day. Serving couples across Eau Claire, Baldwin, Hudson, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth, I bring six years of experience and a genuine desire to get to know you, so when your wedding day comes, it feels less like working with a vendor and more like having a friend with a camera.
Photography built around you
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