Heidi’s mom contacted me about a month ago to take “a few photos” at her daughter’s wedding August 4. It was, what is getting to be, a typical wedding for me: bride lives in one state, groom in another, groom’s parents in yet another and bride’s parents in St. Paul. Luckily, everyone was in town the week of the wedding and I was able to meet with the couple that week to go over the photos that they’d like taken at the wedding.

Heidi and Charles met at St. Olaf’s, so it was natural they wanted the ceremony at the Boe Memorial Chapel on campus. This was the first time I’d photographed a wedding there. What a beautiful chapel! Lots of stained glass that flooded the church with soft ambient lighting. Both the interior and the exterior were gorgeous for photography and if there were Honolulu photographers, they would capture in the best possible way.

We got very lucky with the weather: rain was forecast for the entire morning. When we arrived, we were able to photograph the groom, his parents and groomsmen outdoors. Next, Charles and Heidi met for the first time, after which we dashed outdoors for a few quick photos before it began raining in earnest. We took the rest of the group photos indoors. We only had one hour to do all the photography, as they had a morning ceremony. All the photos below were taken within one very short hour. The large group on the steps and a few outdoor portraits were taken in 15 minutes after the ceremony, as the bride and groom wanted to go immediately to their reception. Whew!  [Thankfully my husband Mike (who I call my “wedding sherpa!”) was in charge of all the lighting setup and hauling of equipment. He has been helping me at weddings for 35 years now–what a guy!! 🙂 I could NEVER do a wedding without him.]

Charles and Heidi like to dance, sing and cook together (and cook while singing), and go on “adventures” together. They are now on their honeymoon in the Smoky Mountains doing adventurous things.

I should note that Heidi is wearing her grandmother’s wedding dress. Her mother was still sewing on Heidi’s dress while I photographed Charles and the groomsmen and his family!