minnesota bride

Xandra And Ryan's Beautiful Outdoor Wisconsin Wedding at Hayvn At Hay River / October 26, 2022 by Bradley Hanson

Hayvn at Hay River in Wisconsin is a farm based venue owned by the bride, Xandra, and her family since 2019. Because of the pandemic, the grand opening was significantly delayed until recently. It’s tucked away in an area of Wisconsin with beautiful rolling hills, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. But during the wedding, it felt like the center of the universe because there were so many beautiful things to photograph in every direction.

Xandra is a graphic designer, and her vision for the venue is that it will feel like, as the name implies, a haven for a great day. From the venue: “Located just an hour from the Twin Cities area and 10 minutes from Menomonie, Hayvn at Hay River is nestled among picturesque rolling hills. Our newly renovated venue accommodates up to 225 guests and offers both indoor and outdoor locations to customize your day. The grounds allow plenty of space for lawn games, cocktails on the patio, bonfires and gorgeous views of the countryside. Come experience the tranquility of this unique property and let us help you create the wedding of your dreams!” For more information about the venue, click here.

I chose the example photos below to not only give one a sense of the couple, and what it was like to be at the wedding, but also to showcase some of the unique and beautiful things I loved about the venue. I can’t wait to come back…

Click any image to see it at a larger size.

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).

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).

Another One Of My Wedding Photographs Was Featured On The World's Best Wedding Photos / June 17, 2021 by Bradley Hanson

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 fathers because of Father’s Day in 3 days . You can see the entire article by clicking here.

Another One Of My Wedding Photographs From Film Was Just Featured On The World's Best Wedding Photos / March 31, 2021 by Bradley Hanson

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One of my images, taken when I was still shooting all film and focusing manually, was featured by the website World’s Best Wedding Photos, along with other wedding images that are classic wedding/bridal portraits. 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

Summer Family Portrait Session At The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden / September 6, 2020 by Bradley Hanson

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Just as a do with wedding photographs, I prefer to approach my family portraits naturally, letting things unfold spontaneously and candidly rather than directing the action or running everyone through the same poses you can find ad nauseam on Pinterest. This session was two families, sisters who each had children.

We met on a hot, humid Minneapolis day at the Sculpture Garden near the Walker Art Center. I just let their children play and took photographs. We then walked to my favorite portrait spot, an art installation built into the steep hill by the art museum that has a huge skylight and the most beautiful, universally flattering portrait light.

Click any image to see it at a larger size.

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.

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).

Our son Oliver on a walk outside at the Lake Hiawatha Golf Club in South Minneapolis

Brittany And Ted's Backyard Wedding On The Mississippi River In Northeast Minneapolis / July 21, 2019 by Bradley Hanson

Brittany and Ted got married at film director Phil Harder’s Minneapolis Air BNB on the Mississippi River in Northeast Minneapolis, next door to The Sample Room. They did everything themselves and the rustic setting was augmented by golden sunset off the Mississippi River.

To see more Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN portraits, wedding photography and weddings all over the world, visit my main portfolio on bradleyhanson.com or email me at info@bradleyhanson.com or call me at 206-393-8292 and we can discuss your wedding plans in detail.

Downtown Minneapolis Snowy Wedding In The Historic Lumber Exchange Building / March 17, 2019 by Bradley Hanson

Illyas walks out on the roof of the Lumber Exchange Building as the snowstorm begins on March 9, 2019.

I’ve been photographing weddings for 20 years now. I’ve personally been to 600 of them. Yeah, I know. It’s gone by quickly since April 1999. Anyway, 13 years of that was in Seattle, the last 7 here in Minneapolis. As someone who grew up in Minneapolis, the feeling is often that there is snow on the ground 6 months of the year. It can start as early as October and it can happen as late is May. We don’t get the kind of heavy snow we used to get all winter when I was a kid, but we are getting wild extremes. This year, we had a bone dry December, then February was 40 inches of snow rather than the average of 7.

Snow gets old when you grow up with it, but it still has a magical quality to me, particularly the first snow of the year. There is a quiet and peacefulness that happens both from the visual minimalism and the sound deadening of the snow itself. It literally absorbs sound and the combination enhances the beauty.

When Anna and Illyas hired me to photograph portraits for them, it was a relatively humid day. They had just gotten a sweet little dog named Louie who didn’t want to be away from them during our time together.

Fast forward to a week ago. The wedding day, March 9th, came quickly and meteorologists forecasted a late winter storm of 8-10” in the Twin Cities. I was excited because I could finally take photographs of a bride and groom in the snow. Well, the serious part of the storm ended up hitting the part of the state south of Minneapolis and while we ended up with more like 5 inches of snow, it was beautiful: large, heavy and dense snow that fell slowly and accumulated quickly.

In a brief moment after the wedding ceremony, Anna, Illyas and I went to the roof of the historic Lumber Exchange Building to take a few photographs it was the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I rarely use flash, but with snow it highlights every flake on its way to the ground.

I’ll be adding images to this blog post in a few weeks.