I stepped out of my car on Nate and Mary’s wedding day and immediately felt as though I had been transported into a fairytale. I swear, I wouldn’t have even been surprised if a squirrel had run up to me and started chatting. Juliane James Place is the perfect venue if you want a cozy and intimate wooded wedding. Nestled in the trees were the cutest little cabins, an alter with beautiful black church benches, and the sweetest tent warmly lit by string lights. And of course the overcast and slightly rainy day only made it feel all that much cozier. That’s what we call, pure woodland wedding magic.

As a Minnesota wedding photographer with 8 years of experience and a St. Paul resident for the past 5, I’ve had plenty of time to scout the best spots for engagement sessions. And, let me tell you, I have opinions. As I sipped my morning hot cocoa (yes, I’m 31 and still a no-go—deal with it), I found myself reflecting on my favorites. What do they all have in common? Variety, baby. No matter how many times I shoot in these spots, there’s always something new to discover! Talk about endless opportunities for scroll-stopping engagement photos.

Jen + Sam’s wedding is my Roman Empire. Okay, sort of kidding, but after photographing their wedding, I find myself using it as my guide when walking current clients through their planning process. In my super important opinion, these two got the secret sauce for a big wedding. By the end of it, it felt like they had 50 guests, rather than 150+. And it all started with their mentality around how they wanted their day to feel.

I am sitting here, finding myself smiling like a fool at my screen. Why you ask? Well, toddlers are on their own little missions and there is truly no stopping them. They are going to do what they want to do. And don’t forget that what they want to do changes every couple of minutes. Even during your family photo session. In fact, ESPECIALLY during your family photo session. 

If you get the chance to know me as a photographer, it won’t take long to understand that joyfully playful images are my jam. I am constantly giving my clients prompts that will encourage interaction and lots of laughter. And while I can create this in any space, there are a couple of sure fire ways to generate natural reactions between the two of you. You’ll never guess it…

As a wedding photographer of eight years who had a destination wedding herself, this is a route I am telling you to not overlook when you start your planning process. When Syd and Derek first hired me, they were actually planning on having a large Midwest gathering. However, when the venue they had planned on booking wasn’t putting their best foot forward they began to reconsider their options- that’s when they asked if I would go to Mexico with them. You can probably figure out what my answer to that was!

Erin and Brady had the kind of wedding day that upon walking in, I instantly knew was going to be a good one. They are surrounded by the most welcoming and kind people — within minutes it was incredibly evident to me that they chose people that would celebrate them BIG not only on their wedding day, but all the time. The kind of people that were honored to be in their corner and would do anything for them, rain OR shine.

Let me tell you somethin’ about Jen and Sam. These two know how to play and love on one another. This session was so much fun for me. They were so down for whatever I threw their way and completely trusted me throughout the process, so I was able to really lean in. To try new things, get creative, and just have a good time with it. We ran around on this little beach on the Mississippi River, popped champagne, explored one of their favorite bluff areas, cheers’d to the boats below, felt seriously concerned for a drunk man standing too close to an edge, and even let a stranger’s dog photobomb a few of their photos.

Man oh man, I have a thing for bare bellied maternity sessions after this one! To be honest, this was a shoot we threw together in a few minutes and it honestly couldn’t have turned out better. No surprise when it’s Han and her littles, they could make dump look good but we sure got lucky with the warmest golden light over the prettiest little golden field.

Karissa and Austin were an absolute dream from the minute they booked with me so it was no surprise that this day was full sweet tears, endless hugs, and big dance moves. It’s not hard to see how head-over-heels these two are for each other. You know that “look” the guy gives the girl in the movies that makes us all go weak in the knees? Well that’s how Austin looks at Karissa and she meets him there with unrestrained joy.