minneapolis wedding photographer

Wedding Contest Winning Image For World's Best Wedding Photos "What Love Looks Like" / February 14, 2023 by Bradley Hanson

This photo of mine was just featured as a winning image in The World's Best Wedding Photos for their article on "What Love Looks Like." It's been an honor. To see more photographs from the article, you can click below. This photograph was at the beautiful Hewing Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, one of my favorite wedding venues anywhere.

Kelsey and Chase eloped at City Hall in Minneapolis and had a quick ceremony. This was their first look near the hotel just before then!

https://www.worldsbestweddingphotos.com/photography-contests-valentines-day-2023

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If you want to follow me on Instagram, I have two accounts: @bradleyhanson is my personal one, all square images from my iPhone since 2008. @bradleyhansonphotography is my professional portfolio, a mix of weddings, family and portraits, as well as black and white and color landscape images. If you are still reading this far, you’ve already figured out how to find my website…

I am a Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota based wedding photographer, specializing in documentary style weddings and Indian/Hindu weddings all over the world. To see more of my wedding work, click the wedding galleries under the portfolio heading. To inquire about my rates and availability, call me at 206-393-8292, email me at bradley@bradleyhanson.com or fill out the contact form (click the “contact” link on the top right above this paragraph).

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Maddie and Nick's New Year's Eve 70's Disco Theme Landmark Center Wedding RECEPTION in Saint Paul, MN / February 7, 2023 by Bradley Hanson

No getting ready, none of the formality, no wedding ceremony, just a fun, 1970s disco-themed reception at the lovely Landmark Center in downtown Saint Paul, MN.

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This was my last wedding in 2022. I’ve been taking a break from social media to catch up and renovate my website, but this wedding was a favorite of mine, so more images and text to come in the next few days.

Maya and Vilas' Autumn Wedding At Mill City Museum And McNamara Event Center In Minneapolis / November 6, 2021 by Bradley Hanson

Maya and Vilas had a two day Indian wedding in Minneapolis. Day one was at the lovely and historic Mill City Museum on the Mississippi River near the Stone Arch Bridge, and Day two was at the massive McNamara Event Center in Minneapolis on the University of Minnesota campus. They live in New York, but got married here because this is where Maya grew up.

The McNamara Event Center was completely transformed by the wonderful Reena Maheshwari of Kahani Events. You can see more of her work at https://www.kahanievents.com.

I was just interviewed in World's Best Wedding Photos about how I got started in Seattle shooting weddings on film, how I work, and why I never ended up delivering pizzas. They also selected some of their favorite photographs of mine. If you’d like to read the entire interview and see the accompanying gallery, click here.

I am a Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota based wedding photographer, specializing in documentary style weddings, Jewish weddings and Indian/Hindu weddings all over the world. To see more of my work, click the wedding galleries under the portfolio heading. To inquire about my rates and availability, call me at 206-393-8292, email me at bradley@bradleyhanson.com or fill out the contact form (click the “contact” link on the top right above this paragraph).

Andrea And Kearney's Autumn Wedding At Mill City Museum On The Mississippi River In Minneapolis / October 23, 2021 by Bradley Hanson

Andrea And Kearney's wedding took place at various locations around Minneapolis over the course of 4 days. Day 1 was an evening get together on the top deck at the Minikahda Club, Day 2 was a sunset event at the Kearney home in the Kenwood neighborhood of Minneapolis near the Walker Art Center. Day 3 was a full day, beginning with getting ready at Lake Of The Isles, then a wedding ceremony at the oldest church in Minneapolis, Our Lady Of Lourdes, a mere two blocks from the Mississippi River on Main Street, then a reception at the wonderful and historic Mill City Museum. Day 4 was a breakfast hangout at Andrea’s parents home.

There are far too many favorite images to share them all here. All of the images below are from Saturday, the third day and only full day of photography. Rather than choose only favorites, I’m sharing the images that best give one a sense of the joy and excitement of what it was like to be there. I typically make multiple revisions of the gallery before and after posting, and I expect this trend to continue.

Another One Of My Wedding Photographs Was Featured On World's Best Wedding Photos / July 7, 2021 by Bradley Hanson

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One of my images was featured by the website World’s Best Wedding Photos, along with other wedding images that are on the theme of sparkler exits and send offs . You can see the entire article by clicking here.

Abby And Brendan's Vibrant October Wedding At Paikka In St. Paul, MN / October 14, 2020 by Bradley Hanson

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Abby and Brendan changed their original plans because of Covid-19, scaling down their wedding in 25 guests. The couple and their wedding party got ready at an Air BNB in St. Paul and their beautiful wedding was held at Paikka in St. Paul, MN.

Abby and Brendan met me in 2018 while I was photographing a wedding for their friend, Kathryn. Kathryn was the officiant for this wedding, her first in that capacity.

Abby’s dress was a striking and vibrant yellow and really stole the show.

From Abby:

How we met:

Initially, Brendan’s perspective was that Abby only goes to potlucks because it took three of them before Abby accidentally turned down Brendan’s attempt to go on a date. Luckily, Abby followed up shortly after and we’ve been together since. We continued to have non-potluck and potluck related memories, and eventually moved in together in Northeast Minneapolis. Brendan finished medical school and our adventure moved us to Denver, Colorado. We got engaged at sunset in the Sand Dunes National Park on a Colorado road trip.

Planning from CO to MN during a pandemic:

We are definitely happy with the end result! We found wedding planning to be generally challenging, but adding distance and a pandemic, nearly impossible.

The original plan was to have our big families together in a 150 person wedding. We chose MN to make it easier for most guests to come - being that most of our family and friends live in Minnesota or Chicago.

When the pandemic hit, we thought we were so lucky to have planned a fall wedding (hah!). We both work in healthcare, and stayed up to date on all Covid info because it was ingrained in our everyday work lives. Once it became clear that the pandemic wasn't going anywhere, we tried to change gears. We cancelled the big party, and planned to have the wedding once the pandemic was over.

Some very important family members had some serious health issues this year and it became more important to have our wedding ASAP. We went through many different plans and struggled to find the perfect fit to have the people we care about present and to keep them safe.

At each step, we questioned whether or not to keep going. But we did - so that those few special people could be there. After many plans failed, we decided to push through and make the final sprint. We did all the planning and wedding work aside from two vendors already booked in a matter of four weeks - Bradley Hanson Photography and Brasa Catering. Planner, venue, floral, all decor, makeup, hair, bartender, new website, coordinated with our 25 invitees, and worked on all the little details up to the morning of the wedding!

Oofta. And for all of it, we’re glad we did it. The day went by fast, but we had the most important people there. They all had fun. We had fun. Even the most nervous felt safe with the Covid precautions in place. We got to see family members and friends we hadn't seen in far too long. All the small details blended together and looked great. We will literally cherish these pictures forever. The ceremony was exceptional, made so special by our friend and officiant Kathryn's surprise speech, and reading our vows in front of the small group (something we wouldn't have done with the big group).

After the wedding, our families were so thankful that we did it, and that we did it when all of our family members could attend and enjoy it. AND! After two weeks, no one has gotten sick. Our safety measures paid off. Even with masks and following rules, we knew there were risks. After the wedding was over, it was the only thing still on our minds. We are so thankful we were able to have our tiny wedding, have a few more delicate guests attend, and have everyone stay well.

-Abby

Click any image below to see it at full size. If you click on the first image, you can scroll through the larger images with the arrows in the edges of the photographs.

Other vendors:

Venue: Paikka in St. Paul

Wedding Coordinator: Bre Ward with Bre Is Fun

Floral: Studio Emme

Hair styling: Cristina Ziemer

Caterer: Brasa in St. Paul

Bartending: Liquid Motion

Dessert/Cake: Caffe Latte in St. Paul

Mara And Andrew's Backyard Mini-Wedding At Turtle Lake In Minnesota During Covid-19 Outbreak / July 31, 2020 by Bradley Hanson

It seemed like years ago when I spoke with Mara and Andrew on the phone about the details of their wedding. Mara’s parents are both experienced photographers and her father had an impressive gallery of framed images and a strong, longtime love of black and white images. They were drawn to the black and white and abstract images in my portfolio.

Originally scheduled for June 27th of this year, a few months ago we discussed rescheduling for the complications of the Covid-19 virus, which prevents a “normal” wedding because of the risk of transmission from being in close quarters, especially indoors. As it became clear that their original plans wouldn’t work in their original location(s), they rescheduled the full wedding with the originally desired guest list for next summer. A couple months went by, and because of some personal things, they wanted to have a small wedding with 12 guests in their parents backyard at Turtle Lake in Minnesota.

They quickly pulled together a very cool DIY wedding with sanitizer and masks available for guests, had all guests seated outside in couples, about 8 feet apart, and the parents, family and guests who couldn’t be there in person because of travel restrictions and health concerns were able to join via Zoom, thanks to the iPhone on a tripod and the laptop on a table near the couple during the ceremony. Mara’s sister played cello and it was beautiful. Each guest was given their own glass to keep.

Although my first love in photographing weddings is real, candid moments that happen between the seams, I thought it would be timeless to get a photo of all of the guests with their masks on, something to mark this historical moment in time that has already affected 5,000,000 Americans with no immediate end in sight. I only photographed for 2.5 hours, but it felt a lot like a full wedding. There were no getting ready photos as they were ready when I arrived, there was no cocktail hour or formal dinner, and no reception aside from a first dance just after the wedding ceremony.

Because of physical distance and logistics, there was no formal reception, but they did have a first dance and Mara’s parents danced with them, along with most of the guests. I was honored to be a part of their day and happy they were able to pull off a small gathering safely without undue health risks.

Images below chosen more to give you a sense of the short wedding, rather than my usual approach of strictly posting favorite images.

Click any image to see it at a larger size.

Richard And Juliet At Kenwood Stables In Minnesota With Their Horses, Darwin And Noah / July 24, 2020 by Bradley Hanson

Richard and Juliet asked me to photograph them and their two horses, Darwin and Noah, at Kenwood Stables in Independence, MN. A short 25 minute drive, it felt like a world away. On an extremely hot and muggy morning, we got a lot done in an hour.

It’s always a treat for me to be around Richard and Juliet, two very sharp, insightful and kind people I’ve known since the late 80s. (As an avid cyclist who raced cyclocross for a couple seasons, Richard was also a big inspiration to me as a competitive bike racer). It was also fun to photograph the horses they’ve had for 20+ years, especially as someone who knows very little about horses. I rode horses as a child at a summer camp, but I’ve always been fascinated. Since I don’t have the expertise that my friends Richard and Juliet have, I’ll let their words speak:

“We’ve had Noah and Darwin for over 12 years. Now 21 and 22 years old, they’re our cherished companions, surrogate children, and also best friends to each other. For the past year, we’ve been fortunate to live at a beautiful boarding farm called Kenwood Stables as the night managers. Noah and Darwin love living at this serene farm with all their equine and human friends.

A relationship with a horse is unlike any other and we feel privileged to have learned so much from them. As prey animals, they’re sort of like 1200 pound bunny rabbits— they’re afraid of the world and have huge hearts. To get to know them, if you open up your sensitive, non verbal, instinctual side, the reward is great. They’re also notoriously difficult to photograph (it’s that fidgety bunny rabbit thing) and we’ve been wanting good photos of us together with them for a long time. Fortunately our good friend Bradley agreed to take on the challenge.

We’ve known Bradley for over three decades. He’s an incredible human with an amazing eye. I wish we could all see the world’s beauty and detail the way he does but, fortunately for all of us, he knows how to share this view with his camera. Bradley took our favorite photo of the two of us on a crisp winter day 30 years ago. People still tell us it looks like a cool record cover. We knew Bradley would be able to capture the special bond we have with each other and how it’s strengthened by our horses.

The shoot was on an especially hot, humid morning but you’d never know it by the photos. Being with Bradley is always breezy and effortless and that’s what you see in these shots. We’re so excited to have this period in our lives so vividly captured. Thank you so much, Bradley!”

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This is the image I took of Juliet and Richard in Minneapolis in 1990 on Kodak Kodalith film, printed on Ilford RC paper when I worked at ProColor lab at 9th and Hennepin in Minneapolis at that time.

iPhone Image Gallery And Photography Updates / June 7, 2020 by Bradley Hanson

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, most of my scheduled 2020 weddings have rescheduled until later in the year or next year. We just moved from the Lake Hiawatha area in south Minneapolis to the Highland Park neighborhood in St. Paul, MN. There is seemingly no shortage of time, and are working on making it home with minor cosmetic updates, painting and fixture replacement.

We’ve had a LOT of time to reflect on what’s important to us. A lot of time to read books that have been sitting in my queue waiting for this moment. A lot of time to think about what we can do to make the world a better place for everyone.

As an avid bicyclist, I’ve been trying to recover from a leg injury while I explore our new city. Saint Paul has a lovely trail system that runs on the upper and lower levels of the Mississippi River, though it is definitely not as extensive or as connected as Minneapolis is. It feels great to be outside again and taking in nature helps clear the mind and get some endorphins.

I’ve been photographing weddings for 21 years (since 1999) and I’ve been increasingly using my iPhone as my personal camera. I started with the iPhone 3 in 2008 and now have the iPhone 11. The quality of the camera has gotten exponentially better, and it now rivals portable cameras and comes with editing tools that could only be imagined years ago or that would have required an expensive application like Photoshop or Lightroom.

The images above are some of my favorites from recent weeks, as well as a few favorite photographs from the archives. You can see them at full size simply by clicking on any image, which also allows you to scroll through them at the larger size. To see a gallery of my iPhone images at a large size, click here

2020: Shelter In Place / April 7, 2020 by Bradley Hanson

Our son Oliver, the human cat, is always finding fun uses for giant boxes in our living room while we pack for our move to St. Paul, MN

A family fishing at Lake Hiawatha in Minneapolis the night before the “stay at home” orders from the governor

Well, 2020 started with such promise.

We had just finished a wonderful trip to Amsterdam, Rome and Naples, Italy, 3 weeks before a massive change was underway.

Things were off to a great start, and by the end of the month, it was clear that Covid-19, the latest coronavirus, was going to upend our lives for the next few months. The year was filling out nicely and then even more dramatically than late 2008: near total radio silence as people stopped making plans and changed the ones they had.

I work all year round, but the majority of my work is in the months of June through October. The rest of the year I am booking weddings, editing existing weddings, meeting with clients, designing wedding albums and photographing family portraits, landscapes, our family adventures and road trips, and anything that catches my eye.

The current day to day is staying indoors with our 6 year old son, working on his distance online learning program until we figure out if and when his school will resume or even at the start of the next grade in September. I’m also working with existing clients to reschedule their weddings. I was supposed to be photographing a destination wedding in Jamaica in late March, then another in Washington State in early May. Both of them have been rescheduled. I’m rescheduling with all of my clients, particularly for June and July 2020 weddings, to find dates that work for them later in the year or moving them to open dates in 2021.

As always, I have my camera with me at all times and although I rarely leave the house now aside from bicycle rides for exercise and walks with my family for my sanity. I hope you and your families are staying indoors as much as possible, away from others and getting re-acquainted with the joys of organizing, cleaning, and finally unable to say “I wish I had the time to do (insert task here).” We are lucky to have some talented, artistic friends make masks for our whole family. When I go to the grocery store or food co-op, it’s clear that it’s another means of self-expression. Part of our new wardrobe!

Watching a little too much TV (Ozark 3, Fargo, Breeders, Catch 22, Lady Dynamite, etc), but also finally crossing off some great books from my reading list and organizing the house.

I’ve been self-employed for 21 years. I’m used to being home. Most people aren’t. Still, I am starting to have a harder time figuring out what day it is…

We all owe a debt of gratitude to the people all around us who are making life better: those pulling long shifts in hospitals and putting their own health at risk to help others. The restaurant workers and cooks still there making our food, the delivery people bringing it to our houses. The hard working people working in grocery stores and pharmacies, stocking the shelves, and everyone else still showing up to work.

As I write this, the US still doesn’t have easily accessible testing like Germany and South Korea, part of why we have triple the number of cases of anyone else in the world: 500,000, as well as surpassing Italy for the most fatalities. We need to be as cautious as possible. I hope people take physical distancing seriously and we can get past this. Be safe, look out for each other, help a friend or neighbor if you can, and look for the silver lining. Support your favorite restaurants with take-out orders to help keep them afloat. A lot of businesses, including restaurants will suffer.

In the middle of all this, we are packing to move at the end of April. As the old saying goes, “May you live in interesting times.” We will never forget 2020, that’s for sure.

I am a Minneapolis, Minnesota based wedding photographer, specializing in documentary style weddings and Indian/Hindu weddings all over the world. To see more of my wedding work, click the wedding galleries under the portfolio heading. To inquire about my rates and availability, call me at 206-393-8292, email me at bradley@bradleyhanson.com or fill out the contact form (click the “contact” link on the top right above this paragraph).