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
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).