Renuka and Brenden celebrated ahead of time with their families before the day of their wedding, as is standard tradition for Renuka’s family. While their ceremony would be a blend of Western and Indian cultures, the typically long ceremony was shortened to better fit the needs of both families. However, the pre-wedding ceremonies went on as normal. This was my first time documenting a multi-day wedding celebration and it was so fun learning about the cultural differences.

If you’ve never been to Interstate State Park in Taylors Fall, Minnesota and you live in the area, I highly recommend taking an afternoon to explore the amazing features that are the glacial potholes. Despite most of the accessible potholes being flooded, it’s still an amazing sight to behold with tons of information to find scattered about the park. You can also take a hike up to the bluffs overlooking the river for a stunning view of the St. Croix River.

For living in the North, I’m honestly more surprised winter sessions aren’t more of a thing here, especially because so many popular areas look even more incredible in the winter (if that’s possible!) Just be sure to bring some hand-warmers and a warm drink to keep you comfortable throughout the session!

Lisa and Brandon wanted their engagement session to be out in nature, but needed it to be accessible because Brandon uses a wheelchair. After checking in with them about the durability of his wheelchair, I thought Elm Creek Park Reserve would be a fantastic spot to photograph them. Their paved trails are well taken care of and are extensive.

This engagement session felt so whimsical with all the lush nature surrounding us. Clare and Adam were naturals in front of the camera, especially after we all bonded over our shared experience with the nettle. Since the three of us are all big fans of nature, it was super easy to have fun in the woods while we wandered.