Melissa Oholendt | Minnesota Wedding & Lifestyle Photography

I DRANK COFFEE. (Lots.) (Clearly.) I added the most gorgeous new art piece to our home. I hung out with this girl and her little guy. I noticed how similar J.Crew’s new Style Guide was to my own Style Guide. My arm hosted a bracelet party. I spent Saturday night in bed with the husband. (Reading. Get your head out of the gutter.) I photographed the most PERFECT little picnic who’s photos I can’t wait to share. I dragged the husband (and our not-blood family) all over Edina furniture shopping. Sorry (kind-of). I booked the most fantastic clients (hooray 2013!) and continued to be obsessed with Pinterest. The dog slept. (Lots.) (Clearly.)

If you want to follow me on Instagram, search for “melissaoholendt“. I’d love to connect on there!

Four of the most beautiful women I have ever had the pleasure of photographing.

Much love to the Morrison family.

This beautiful family and stunning mama-to-be have stolen my heart.

Let’s all take a moment to reflect on the fact that I have consistently blogged this series six weeks in a row. (Go me.)

I home decor(ed). I took care of some business admin tasks that have gone nearly 4 years without being addressed. (Slacker say what?) I became mildly obsessed with my air plants. And by mildly, I mean completely. I bought toothpaste. After 5 years of owning our condo, I finally utilized the patio to the maximum. #winenightsonthepatioanyone? I planted stuff. I took the most beautiful pregnant mama’s photos and 4 days later I held a sweet, sweet baby. (Not related.) I had dinner with a group of people that I love & adore during a thunderstorm. (My life is romance, people.) Oh, and hey, I cuddled with the dog.

If you want to follow me on Instagram (and you SO DO), search for “melissaoholendt”. I’d love to connect on there!

You guys have no idea how much I adore this woman; when she asked if I would photograph her on film for her gorgeous new website, I (literally) jumped at the opportunity.

Fabulous photographer but even better friend (and that is saying something because her work rocks my world), Emma Freeman.

Oh, sweet, lovely, beautiful Katie Mac.

Matt and I had Pancake Saturday. Spring REALLY arrived. And so did my allergies. Gunnar slept. I retail therapy(ed). I drank more coffee than wine. (Must be wedding season). I wrote thank you notes. We spent Easter weekend with our Minneapolis not-blood-but-still-family family and color block(ed) eggs. I laughed. I drove. I cried. I ate food. I sniffled. A lot.

If you want to follow me on Instagram (and you SO DO), search for “melissaoholendt”. I’d love to connect on there!

Dear sweet, sweet Strawberry Baby,

I wish for you your momma’s hair and your daddy’s smile. I hope your daddy & your Uncle Gavin start teaching you their soccer skills even before you can walk. I hope that you grow-up with a deep love for animals and that one day your dad lets you get a little puppy. I hope your momma sings to you. Often. She has the most perfect voice. I also hope you dance together in kitchen and that you grow up with a deep love for cooking and hosting big family dinners as your Grandma Cain loves to do (and is so amazing at). I wish, for you, a hundred little nicknames. I hope that, one day, your dad shows you his silent scream. I hope that you love music, art and theater like your momma. I wish that you are as hilarious as your Uncles & your Grandpas and as sweet as your Aunts and Grandmas. I hope that you are adventurous and silly. I hope that you have your Aunt Whitney’s laugh and your momma’s love of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But, most of all, I wish that you have a lifelong girlfriend who means as much to you as your momma does to me. I hope you lip sync to boy bands and dance in your bedroom together. I hope that you grow up in the Lord together and encourage each other when you falter. I hope that you survive break-ups, fashion trends and all the drama that being a teenage girl brings with it. I hope you are the maids of honor in each other’s weddings and are able to share in each other’s lives and marriages even when you are far apart. I hope that you ugly cry, laugh, share and grow together, ALWAYS. I hope that one day, you are able to watch her become a mom and see how immensely beautiful that is and that one day you can meet her daughter and wish for her these same things.

I love you little Strawberry baby.

Love,
Auntie Melissa

Added this “Get In Here” print to the Oho House and promptly fell in love with it. Loved on the sunshine filling my house. Loved on Uptown. Loved on the dog. Loved on my new scarf from my favorite Minneapolis boutique, Parc Boutique. Loved on Whitney Furst. Was introduced to the French 75 by Faithers and made it a point to have it two nights in a row. Perfected my Chai Latte. Worked by the light of my computer. More than one night. Somehow left Target without a stock pile of Peeps. Finally tried the Butcher and the Boar. And had one of the best meals of my life. Spent beautiful nights with beautiful friends.

If you want to follow me on Instagram (and you SO DO), search for “melissaoholendt”. I’d love to connect on there!

Confession time. I LOVE SNOW. We’re talking true, consistent, heartfelt love and deep adoration for those fluffy flakes that fall from the heaven. Give me falling snow, a fireplace and a glass of wine and you are looking at my ideal evening. So imagine my heartbreak this past winter as we faced record low snow accumulations and mild temps. Not. A. Happy. Camper.

In talking with Maya & Derek about their engagement session, we had planned on a gorgeous winter landscape for their engagement session and dared to hope that maybe – just maybe – there would be a slight dusting of snow to make their engagement session magical. Well consider them the magic component because the minute we scheduled their session a snowstorm appeared on the forecast and I woke up that Saturday morning as giddy as a small child in a candy store.

Perfection.

Maya & Derek, you are magic in more than one way. xo