Red, white, and blue took on a new meaning for Joanna and Irakli at their Mill City Museum wedding in Minneapolis on Sunday. For me, it was like coming home all over again. As I started my business in Colorado in 2006, my first Minnesota wedding photographer event was at the Mill City Museum. Returning last weekend fresh from New York City, the contrasts were welcome, as were smiles and traditions which extended beyond geographic boundaries only through a connection of love.
For Joanna & Irakli, their Minneapolis wedding was a celebration of their roots, the beauty of love, and pride that comes with being American. Joanna’s girls wore shades of red, contrasted by blue eyes, and a clean white dress. With family roots stemming from the country of Georgia (not Dixie Georgia the US state), highlights from this wedding included an amazing choreographed tango dance by Joanna and Irakli and waiving of American and Georgian flags to Neil Diamond’s “Coming to America.” Toasts detailed the history of Georgia, family roots, and an account of Joanna and Irakli’s love, the first in a two-part wedding celebration. Next May, Joanna & Irakli will celebrate in their home country of Georgia with family and friends… and I can’t wait to serve as their photographer (wink, wink) to tell their entire wedding story!
I hope you enjoy these selected images from their wedding as much as I enjoyed created them!
I really love shooting on my 60-megapixel medium format PhaseOne IQ160 for wedding portraits like these, lit with the Broncolor Move 1200L and Elinchrom 69” Octa.
On the wedding day, I strive to keep in mind, “What will really be important in 50 years?” This is one of the reasons I slow down and really focus on creating timeless family photos, especially of with the parents of the bride and parents of the groom. Without their love and support, this wedding day wouldn’t have been possible. And it is for this very reason, I am shoot family portraits at weddings with a smile and pride, showcasing personality and enthusiam. 1-2-3… click!
Details tell important wedding day stories. A wedding band, a timepiece, a hand gesture, and martini glass during a toast tell a rich visual story without words while evoking the feeling of excitement felt on such an exciting day!
The best man’s toast ended in a wine-chug which left his shirt not-so white!
The father-of-the-bride queuing up the 200+ image slideshow of childhood photos of Joanna & Irakli. The slideshow was a hit among guests and family telling their story in visuals which dated back decades! The father-of-the-bride was very focused on getting the slideshow perfect. We done, he walked away. I reminded him to grab his celebratory drink on the laptop. He stared me straight in the eye, smiled. Fleeting moments like this are the reason I give 150% of my focus on being present, making sure my clients have an amazing experience.
Irakli surprised his Dad with a kiss on the cheek after a heartfelt toast:
And the amazing choreographed Tango dance photographed like a dream, thanks to the Broncolor 1200L LED lighting I brought to help accent the subtle details and moments. Every bride and groom deserves to feel famous on their wedding day! I admit, this was part of their day I was most nervous about, as they moved very fast in low light conditions and the pressure was on to deliver a quality set of images. I am proud of the result!
Waiving colorful American and Georgian flags to Neil Diamond’s “Coming to America” made me proud of the freedom and opportunity America offers.
We ended the evening with this timeless photo, juxtaposing raw rock built generations again with the formality of Irakli’s tuxedo. I love the contrast and emotion!
CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW OF ALL IMAGES and CLICK HERE TO VIEW full-online gallery to order prints!
Tags: Mill City Museum wedding, minneapolis wedding photographer
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