Mathias + Michelle >> Sweet + Relaxed Backyard Wedding (St. Cloud, MN)

Here’s the thing that struck about Mathias + Michelle as we were gathered round a table of beverages, weeks before the big day: how fully relaxed and ready they were for the wedding. When I asked if they had any nerves about the day to come, the answer arrived with a shrug: no, not really. How about for the vows and the ceremony? “No. It wouldn’t occur to me to be nervous for that. Is that a thing?” I probably laughed. I don’t remember if my jaw dropped. But I know I have never heard that before, and I doubt I will again.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised then the thing that still stands out to me weeks after the wedding, is how themselves M+M both were on a day so full of people + the occasional problem + plenty of emotion. Usually I check with a bride to see if she’s okay to sit on any surface that isn’t a chair while I’m shooting. Michelle? She sat and slid down a grassy slope in her white dress as a means of transportation, meanwhile referring to her veil (to my endless amusement) as a cape. No clean plate for the cake cutting? That’s okay, overturn another slice of dessert nearby and steal that one. Such was the pattern of zero worries, and being drawn into the orbit of a couple so joyous + comfortable in their love.

It felt like day true to Mathias + Michelle—relaxed, sweet, and hilarious in turn.
See also: my favorite.

Congrats, M+M!

Vendor love!

Ceremony Venue: Bride’s family home
Reception Venue: Best Western Plus Kelly Inn
Hair: Morgan Leither + Kendra Stark
Makeup: Sam Schlangen
Dress: Allure
Tux: Wedding and Tuxedo Connection
Floral: Freeport Floral
Officiant: Tim Roberts
Programs: Kim VanDusen
Chair Rental: General Rental Center of Albany
Guitar: Jim Olsen
Ceremony Drinks: Brinky’s Liquor
Transportation: The Party Bus
DJ: Impressions Mobile Music
Videographer: Nick Koenigs