st paul

Meghan And Brian's Elegant Black And White Downtown Saint Paul MN Wedding At The Lowlands / January 17, 2024 by Bradley Hanson

I’m caught up with 2023, my busiest year in a decade, and finally able to share one of the best weddings of the year. The groom, Brian, is a well-known photographer in Atlanta, specializing in head shots. The bride, Meghan, is a talented makeup artist in Atlanta. We met for coffee before the wedding while they were in the Minneapolis area and clicked immediately, no pun intended.

Their wedding was unique in a number of ways, but most notably, all of the decor, from the tables to the walls, invites, clothing and details, was black and white. Normally wearing one of my many blue suits, I got a black suit specific to this wedding so I could remain as inconspicuous as a 6’2” photographer can be.

Coordination and design was done by the talented Heidi Almendinger of Jenna Culley Events, and hair was by the always stellar Hair By Sitha, who I’ve had the good fortune of working with probably a dozen times over the past couple years alone.

Everything took place at a new, modern and minimalist wedding venue right on the Mississippi River on the outskirts of downtown Saint Paul, MN. I really loved the venue and can’t wait to photograph there again. The only bump in the road was torrential rain akin to what one might expect in Florida that scuttled my grandiose plans for photographs of the couple during the cocktail hour, but the timing was nearly perfect as it occurred after photographing the family, moments before the start of the ceremony, which took place indoors anyway.

The gallery images below were chosen not only from the pool of favorites, but to give a sense of what it was like to be at The Lowlands on that day. In the spirit of their chiaroscuro contrasty design intentions, I’ve chosen to only share B&W images.

Vendors from Meghan and Brian’s wedding:

Venue: The Lowlands

Beauty: Lady Vamp Artistry - Sitha Kim (hair), Laura Seaboy (makeup), Rob Hinderstein (tattoo cover)

Bridal Fashion: White Magnolia Bridal Collection

Cake: Queen of Cake

Catering: Green Mangos

Entertainment: Rock With U (Band) & Jennifer Marlin Illustration (Fashion Artist)

Floral: Wilderland Floral (Jamie Spellerberg)

Groom's Attire: Red Label Bespoke

Officiant: Melinda Guess

Photography: Bradley Hanson Photography

Rentals & Decor: Linen Effects, Collected & Co, AVEX & Girl Friday

Stationery: Minted

Transportation: Renee's Limousine & Unparalleled Parking

Travel & Accommodations: The St. Paul Hotel, Hyatt Place St. Paul/Downtown, Loews Minneapolis

Videographer: Cooper Films & Love Stream (live streaming)

Wedding Planner & Event Design: Jenna Culley Events (Heidi Almendinger)

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, elopements, 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 of the page).

Sarah And Peter's Lake Minnetonka Summer Boat Wedding In Minnesota / July 9, 2022 by Bradley Hanson

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Sarah and Peter got married on the Bella Vista cruise ship on Lake Minnetonka, after getting ready with the wedding party at the nearby Guest House in Excelsior on the main strip there.

From Sarah: “We have a love of travel and have learned to be spontaneous with it with Peter’s tricky pilots schedule. We take advantage however and whenever we are able. Our first trip ever as a couple after 1 month of dating was driving through a blizzard a few hours to Chicago to go to the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit. Next up was a week in Negril, Jamaica on a beach like lazy sea turtles and cliff jumping. And following that we packed a singular backpack, headed to the airport for our 5 year anniversary to jump on any flight stand-by that we’d be lucky enough to sit Delta One cabin. We ended up on the most romantic 48 hour trip to Paris and back. We landed in a rain storm, hopped on a bus straight to the Eiffel Tower and as we climbed the stairs amongst the first to arrive, the sun peaked through the clouds rewarding us for our journey. Museums, walking the hidden streets, lovely coffee, and home again. Knowing we have all our lives to add to our list of adventures.”

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minneapolis saint paul minnesota twin cities wedding photographer timeless classic photojournalism candid moments

Shortly after seeing their wedding images, Sarah and Peter left this review for me:

”Our experience with Bradley Hanson was exactly what we had sought out for our wedding. Besides being a perfect gentleman and a calm presence on our stressful excitable day, it was as if he disappeared into the rays of sun and captured the best moments of our day without barely even being noticed. His photos delicately but most ardently tell the story of our day, the hidden moments in between, and we are overwhelmed with joy and the love we see in each shot. Bradley’s unique vision for variety, use of lighting and photographic intent are unparalleled. A subtle genius.”

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).

Wedding Contest Winning Image For World's Best Wedding Photos Silhouette Contest / March 27, 2022 by Bradley Hanson

minneapolis saint paul minnesota wedding photography photographer worlds best wedding photo silhouette contest — Guests during the wedding reception toast at a winery in Napa, CA

A favorite photo of mine was just selected as a winning photo by World's Best Wedding Photos and Rangefinder out of over 1500 worldwide entries for this contest on wedding silhouettes. It was taken with the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and the 14mm lens.

More images from the contest here:

https://www.worldsbestweddingphotos.com/photography-contests/30-best-wedding-silhouettes

My Interview By The World's Best Wedding Photos / August 12, 2021 by Bradley Hanson

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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.

Aniko And Aiden’s Beautiful Summer Wedding At The Minneapolis Event Center/Grand 1858 On The Mississippi River / July 9, 2021 by Bradley Hanson

Aniko and Aiden originally came to me over two years ago, a referral from a friend’s wedding I photographed in 2016. I photographed them in late 2019, a few months before the pandemic hit. Like most of my 2020 clients, they moved their date to 2021 to insure that their out of town family and friends, mostly coming from New York and Florida, could attend their wedding in Minneapolis, MN.

It was, as has been the trend lately, a steamy, humid Minneapolis summer day. Despite that, it was an absolutely beautiful wedding, and the proximity of the Minneapolis Event Center/Grand 1858 to the Mississippi River helped moderate some of the heat. Planning and design was by the wonderful Lauren Goldfarb, and she made the daily run like a Swiss watch. Everyone had fun and it was an honor to be there to document it.

Photographic highlights from this lovely summer wedding are below. Clicking any image will bring it up at a much larger size and in its original format.

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.

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.

Image Published In Current Issue Of Mpls St. Paul Weddings Magazine / February 8, 2017 by Bradley Hanson

This wedding image, the kiss from Christina and Ben's wedding ceremony at The Bachelor Farmer restaurant in Minneapolis, was featured in the current issue of Mpls St. Paul Weddings Magazine's "Kisses We Love" section.

You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, VSCO, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn through the links on the upper right.

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. My speciality is shooting family portraits in an unposed, natural style and wedding photojournalism. I photograph weddings as they happen rather than direct the action, which is often referred to as documentary style wedding photography. I’ve photographed weddings in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Seattle and many countries around the world.

To listen to the bi-weekly photography podcast I do with UK photographer Ian Weldon, visit https://www.outerfocuspodcast.com or search for Outerfocus on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.

Minnesota: A Land Of Extremes / June 12, 2015 by Bradley Hanson

After almost being born on a US Army base in Germany, I was born in the northern most major city of the central United States: Minneapolis, Minnesota. I grew up in weather extremes from winters with a Siberia-esque subzero windchill to hot, humid summers that open up and drain every pore on your body while your feet slowly sink into the melting tar. Between the two, spring and autumn are absolutely breathtaking. As a young child, I naively thought this was the normal experience of everyone else. Once I started traveling the world, I realized the folly of this mindset, and also how much I loved to travel!