Kaelah & Marshall’s Grace University Church & Profile Event Center Wedding Photography
There’s a duality to weddings that I love. Weddings can be spiritual, and full of solemnity. In the same breath, weddings can be vibrant and full of loud celebrations. We make a joyful noise at weddings.
Also, it’s ironic because when I met Kaelah for coffee to talk about her wedding I got there early. I pulled into the parking lot while singing along to my very loud music. She was early too, and sitting in the car right next to me. I asked her what she liked about my photography and she said it had a spiritual quality to it. Little did I know that a few of the songs I listened to in the car that day were by coincidence on her wedding reception playlist. That’s duality knocking at the door.
Kaelah and Marshall are two people who embrace the duality to be found in marriage. They value the spiritual and solemn part. The couple also values the part where you get totally excited at the moment for your love. Kaelah did this by hiring Marshall’s favorite band for the reception, and Marshall organized his friends into singing “A Whole New World” from Disney’s Aladdin. They are two amazing souls who work hard to accomplish their goals in their life and relationship. It was a great joy to be invited to their wedding and document all of these beautiful emotions that surfaced on their wedding day.
Profile Event Center Wedding Photography
Their Profile Event Center wedding photography was also a blessing because it brought back memories of the days when my husband and I were newlyweds. Before Profile became an event center it was a place where you could rent studios, and my husband’s band rehearsed there for many years, even after Profile started hosting weddings. I enjoy the lighting and atmosphere of the venue. There are many creative triggers to be found both outside and inside Profile Event Center. It was fun to play around with off-camera flash, reflections and the colors of the light during this wedding day.
Navigating winter wedding photography in Minneapolis
The biggest challenge with this winter wedding in Minneapolis was the weather. Would we have a blizzard? Would it be sub-zero weather? We had plans for bad weather but were able to stick to our original plan of doing wedding party portraits across from the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis.
We photographed near the river, and with some of the Minneapolis skyline, including the historic Washington Avenue bridge painted in University of Minnesota maroon and gold. This was important because it represented Kaelah’s educational journey to law school at the U. This was another milestone the couple celebrated between their engagement and wedding day.
Your wedding is the start of your marriage
In telling the story of this wedding I also need to include what happened a few weeks after. Because a pandemic happened and the entire world changed. We were suddenly all sheltered in our homes. Kaelah was doing her coursework online. I was wondering if this was my last wedding for the year. Editing these wedding pictures gave me hope and purpose to move forward.
In a time when weddings are scaled back with many new challenges to solve, we need to remember that your wedding is all about the meaning. It’s the day your marriage starts. It can still be spiritual. It can still be your favorite music. Your wedding photography might look different than this February wedding. However, the day is incredibly important in the history of your relationship. When we can’t gather like we used to, but we can still find ways to celebrate. And in celebration find hope for our future.
Minneapolis Wedding Venues featured here:
Grace University Lutheran Church | Profile Event Center
