Weddings » Mi Vida Ocupada

Ms. Melissa & Ben’s Wedding

Aug 262010

I may have mentioned awhile back that I flew home from Austin and on just a few hours sleep, I was up bright and early the following morning to tag along with my SIL Michelle as she did the photography for the wedding of my friend and colleague, Melissa. Melissa and I taught at the same school for the past three years (and neither of us will be at that school next year). Last spring when she asked if I would be willing to photograph her wedding or knew someone who would, I was happy to refer her to Michelle (who does weddings only on a very minimal basis). I am nowhere near qualified to shoot a wedding. That is hard work! I did however, enjoy being there on Melissa’s wedding day and being part of catching her memories. I have found I am ill-equipped with not only skills but also the actual photography equipment (lenses, flash, etc), but it was a great learning experience. I even managed to get some decent photos! Be sure to check out the Michelle’s Sneak Peek of Melissa & Ben’s Wedding. Gorgeous!

This handsome little guy is Melissa and Ben’s son.

And a few of my friends from work…..

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

The Wedding & Reception…….

Friend Time, Special Events, Weddings 2 Responses »

Dec 282009

It was so much fun to be able to take wedding photos of Noemy & Traves but it was even more fun at the actual wedding/reception! You may have read that Noemy & Traves needed a last-minute change in venue due to a booking error and fortunately they found a place in time. Although the new venue was far from ideal, the important thing is that these two special people were able to make their vows to each other in front of their loved ones.

And WHAT A KISS!!!!!!!!!!

The reception followed immediately after the ceremony < Puerto Rican Style Fun!!>

I took many photos at the reception but I am only going to post this one of me with Denise and Noemy. These two have been BFFs since Jr. high and I was lucky enough to meet Noemy a few years ago through Denise (who is not only my next door neighbor but also one of my besties). I love these girls!!

Fun times celebrating with ya'll!

A Wonderful White Winter Wedding….

Photography, Weddings 6 Responses »

Dec 262009

Last week my dear friend Noemy married Traves, the Love of her Life and I was appointed official wedding photographer. My sweet SIL Michelle gave me a quick tutorial and let me borrow her "old" camera, a Canon DSLR to take photos and for a first-timer, they turned out pretty good! I have been waiting all week to post some of the beautiful photos of the wedding party but wanted to make sure Noemy saw them first. As of last night the bride has finally seen her photos, so I am now able to share them with you!

Congrats Noemy and Traves!

Summer Wedding Time

Weddings 2 Responses »

Jun 162009

Wedding season has slowed down considerably for me over the past couple of years but I happened to attend a really nice wedding this past Saturday.

The bride and groom were blessed with a beautiful day, considering that most of last week had been overcast. The reception was at a golf course on the Mississippi River. Beautiful! Check out more pics on my daily photo blog

It was nice chatting with the ladies

Enjoying a gorgeous sunset…

Loving summer time!

36 Years Ago…..

Family Gatherings, Looking Back, memories, Weddings 7 Responses »

May 192009

I wanted to quickly say Happy Anniversary to my parents who celebrated 36 years of marriage today. I don't think they read this blog but I wanted to recognize this special date anyway :)
Here are my parents on their wedding day (5-19-73)

Mom and Dad,

I love you! Thanks for always loving and being so good to each other :)

Sally & Sam’s Big Day!

College Friends, Friend Time, Weddings 1 Response »

Jan 252009

It was a cold but sunny day for Sally's wedding! I have known Sally since my freshman year of college. We first met because her cousin Laura (blonde), lived next door to me in the dorms (with Farrah) and became a very good friend of mine. Laura (brown) lived next door to me on the other side. The Lauras and I got an apartment together our sophomore year. We all hung out together all the time. Junior year, Sally and some of her friends moved into the apt. across the hall from us. We were all together every single day- the most fun days of our lives! I moved out a year earlier than the other girls (I moved to AZ) and when I did, Sally took my room. Sally and many of the other girls were roommates even after college, until they all started getting married.
Sam, Sally's new husband, used to live downstairs from us in that same apartment building. There were only 8 (4 bdrm) apartments in the building, so we all got to know each other pretty well. Sally and Sam were friends back then and maybe even smooched a couple of times. They didn't see each other again until about a year and a half ago when they reconnected online! They started dating, fell in love and the rest is history!!!
I only took a fraction of the photos I would usually take because my camera kept dying, but here are a few.
They were married at Assumption Catholic Church in St Paul, the same place where D & D were married.

Me and Sally

College friends Laura (brown), Kelly, Greg and Lindsay
Laura (blonde) and her husband Jeff (Here I blogged about their wedding)

My dinner companions

And then my camera died! I will add more pics later when I get the rest from Laura!

The reception was a lot of fun. It was great to have all the college girls and Sally's fun friends together. Many of Sam's old college roommates (the guys who lived downstairs from us) were also at the reception. I hadn't seen or thought about some of these people in 10 years, what a blast from the past!

Wedding Recap…..

Friend Time, Special Events, Weddings 5 Responses »

Sep 092008

It was a beautiful, somewhat cool day on Saturday for Darrell & Denise's wedding. They were married at the gorgeous Assumption Catholic Church in St Paul.

We had a limo for the evening with our other awesome neighbors and good friends, Jere and Shannon…(Thanks again for setting that up, Shannon!) It was nice to have all that space for just four people!

We made a stop at Il Vesco Vino for appetizers and drinks before the reception. I will be doing a review very shortly! The restaurant is in an old converted mansion, with a gorgeous patio and gardens.

The reception was at Christo's in the Union Depot.

The dinner was awesome! The dessert was even more fabulous (Milopita~ Glazed apple slices baked in phyllo with ricotta and cream cheese ) …. too bad I never got to eat more than a bite of mine before it was cleared away :(

One of my FAVORITE parts of the evening was the Mariachi Band. They serenaded everyone throughout dinner. I love Mariachis!!!

I spent the night "getting low, low, low" and "dropping it like its hot". I love to dance! My dang feet hurt so dang bad by the end of the night!(And my whole body hurt the next day when I woke up! LOL)

We all had fun dancing…..

Pics of me with the Bride…….

and Groom……

We stayed at the party until the very end and then Darrell and Denise jumped in the limo with us and we all went back to our neighborhood. The bride and groom left just a few short hours later for their honeymoon ;)

Felicidades, mis amigos!

The 60th was a hit!

Family Gatherings, Raves, Special Events, Weddings 9 Responses »

Jul 082008

Words almost can't explain the emotions of having everyone together to celebrate my Gram & Gramps 60th Anniversary. My camera broke again but I was able to get some pictures from my dad and also from my cousin Dan….

My Gram and Gramp with 7 of their children….. (Don't you hate it when there are a million papparazzi around so no one knows where to look??!!

My Gram and Gramp with 18 of their grandchildren (I am #1)…..

Me with my Aunt/Godmother Patti

Cousins Dave, Andrea and Cassie….

Tyler, Segen, Brian and Bennett

Part of the Tucson crew… (Michael, Matt, Patti & Rudy)

My cousin Casey and his girlfriend…

Aunt Connie and cousin Genevieve

My mom and Annika….

We socialized for a couple of hours before dinner and then after a yummy dinner we had our "entertainment" portion of the program, with my brother Jeff as the MC. He gave a great speech (I will replace this shaky, crappy-quality video with the hi-def version after I get it from my dad)

The speech is kind of a tearjerker toward the end and if that wasn't enough sentimentality, next came my 49-minute-long video which included the interview/slideshow that I worked on all of last week (and months before that, scanning photos!). Definitely a tear-jerker! Everyone loved it and they definitely appreciated that I made them all copies of the DVD to keep.
Other than being a very hot, muggy day, the party was a hit and I can't imagine not being there to spend the special day with all of my mom's side of the family :)

35 Years strong!

Animals, Current Events, Family Gatherings, News & Announcements, Weddings 3 Responses »

May 192008

Happy 35th Anniversary to my parents today!

Rick & Janeen’s wedding….

Friend Time, Special Events, Weddings 3 Responses »

May 182008

Had a fun time on Saturday at Rick & Janeen’s wedding!

Erin & Stew, happily married!

Family Gatherings, Special Events, Weddings 7 Responses »

Sep 232007

Friday night was the long-awaited wedding of Michelle‘s little sister Erin and her sweetheart Stew.

What a beautiful wedding and reception! Both were held at The Great Hall downtown St Paul.

Besides having Michelle as her gorgeous Maid-of-Honor, Erin also had several beautiful bridesmaids and Annika was the flower girl.

Ready for a few pics?

The full album is here.

And Annika had the time of her life dancing for nearly two hours straight! I don’t know how she did it without a nap and nothing but a piece of cake to eat all night, but check out this cute video of her dancing and watching the lights!

It was a very special evening and I am glad Erin and Stew included my family on their special day :) Check out Michelle’s blog for more wedding photos :)

First wedding of 2007….

Friend Time, Special Events, Weddings 2 Responses »

Aug 122007

I am sure most of you who have been following this blog for the past couple of years are shocked that this past Saturday was just the first wedding I have attended in the 2007 calendar year! I think that I had already attended at least 5 weddings by August every other year for the past eight years now! LOL.

The wedding I attended was for Tina, a former classmate of mine. She married a man named Rusty in a small outdoor ceremony in his parents backyard in New Richmond, WI. Despite it being Hotter than Hades (the humidity was THICK), it was a nice ceremony and gathering.

A couple of our other friends, Miles & Becky, were also in attendance (Becky was actually one of two bridesmaids). It was really nice to see them too!

Becky and me…sweating our you-know-whats-off!

I stayed at the party for a short while, but it was just too darn hot to sit outside. Once the storm clouds started rolling in, we took that as our cue to hit the road! Aye…how many more days until FALL???? As much as I love summer, I am ready for a cool-down :)

Lanee & Roger: Wedding Recap

BFF, Friend Time, Special Events, Weddings 6 Responses »

Oct 162006

Saturday turned out to be much nicer (weather-wise) than many of us had expected, given the cold dreary weather we had all of last week. It was only about 50 degrees, but the sun was shining and the wind was mild….not too bad for an outdoor wedding! The wedding was short and sweet….Lanee & Sonja’s brother Matt played his guitar and sang them a couple of love songs. It was so sweet!!! I also had a job during the ceremony…leading the guests in The Lord’s Prayer :)

Of course I have pictures to share, although I didn’t take nearly as many as I usually do….. (Kim, have you looked at yours yet?? Please send them to me!)

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Their reception was at the White Bear Country Inn. Yummy dinner, the 617 House Band was jammin, lots of dancing and drinking. Great being able to celebrate this joyous event with my best friends!!

Here are a few others…….

Matt & Jacquie……..Lanee, Kim and Mary

Me and E (who HATES having his picture taken and refused to smile. Grrrr!)

and Taylor, Mary’s daughter.

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Mary & Roger……Lanee and I

Lanee & Sonja’s dad plays the harmonica and played a few songs with the band….he was awesome!!!

We stayed at the reception until it was over at midnight. I had a lot of fun and I paid for it most of Sunday! L & R are leaving today for their honeymoon on Madeline Island :)

Have a great week!

Kara and Jesse Wedding

Friend Time, Special Events, Weddings 11 Responses »

Sep 102006

Kara and Jesse…….Happily married as husband and wife.

So much in love!

And I couldn’t be happier for them :)

They got married at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis. Gorgeous! The bells chimed for a good 15-20 minutes after the ceremony. Such a pretty sound!

Their reception immediately followed at Windows, on the 50th floor of the IDS Center. What a cool place, especially at night! They had cocktails and Hors d’ Oeuvres in one big room for an hour or so until dinner was called, then they shifted us all to the dining room.

Dinner was excellent! The choices had been walleye, chicken or filet mignon. Filet all the way for me, baby! I was so full from dinner but I had to try the cake…amazing! There was one of these on every table.

We ate the cake while watching Kara & Jesse’s wedding video….pics of each of them growing up and then pics of them together. Very cute! The

After dinner we shifted back to the room we had been in earlier where the bars and dance floor were set up. Dancing and drinking all night long! Fun times.

I took too many pictures to put them all in this post, but they can all be viewed here: Kara and Jesse wedding pictures.

Two of the coolest features of the night were the chocolate fountain

and the Photo Booth. Mary and I were lucky enough to catch Kara when it was our turn so that she was able to jump in with us!

Not only did they have a fairy-tale wedding, they are also leaving tomorrow for a fairy-tale honeymoon. Two weeks in Italy and then two weeks in Fiji.

Congratulations, guys! xoxoxoxo