Melissa Oholendt | Minnesota Wedding & Lifestyle Photography

There is no better indicator of how the past week has gone considering Instagram Thursday is being published on a Friday. What. A. Week. Pretty sure I survived purely on good music and lattes. We headed down to Nebraska for an Oho Family Wedding and thanks to road construction and a few missed detours, we turned a 5.5 hour road trip into a solid 8 hours of map reading, redirecting and OH MY GOSH, ARE WE THERE YET? (My part was clearly that last one.) But I would do it all over again to spend time with family and celebrate our cousin’s wedded bliss. (As long as there are Emma Stone articles to keep me company.) Gunnar’s trip to daycare resulted in some sensitive paws and mean-dog-mom capitalized on that and put it on Instagram. I photographed many stunning, stunning things this week including the beautiful ladies of Urbane Montage. I spent a morning in the hands of my “put me back together and make me look beautiful” team at Juut Gaviidae. There’s still a lot of work to be done. After a weekend away with some exceptionally terrible hotel coffee, I went a little latte crazy this week. If we are what we eat, I am 85% espresso. This explains a lot.

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I think I found my calling this week in nautical themed fashion. Seriously. Anchors ahoy. I photographed Parc Boutique‘s E-Commerce Launch Party and somehow managed to avoid stuffing my face with mini-cupcakes. Don’t think I didn’t think about it. The mosquitoes came out en force this week and my legs show the battle wounds. J.Crew bribed me to come visit them; I’m showing restraint and waiting 7 days before I call. I took myself on a much needed me-date and got a pedicure and had a sushi happy hour. And it was BLISS. I attended a BBQ with some of the very people I started my photography career with and some new friends too. Gunnar went to daycare. Minnesota skies delivered the ultimate cotton candy sunset last night and it reminded me of the Utah sunsets I used to take for granted. Note to self, do not take a pink, purple and blue sky for granted. EVER AGAIN. I shot a STUNNING wedding at the American Swedish Institute with two fabulous photographers to back me up. I had the busiest 7 days of the season so far and while my house may be a disaster and my hard drives are nearing full, I could not be happier. Besides. I can sleep when I die, right?

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Brittany & Tom could not be more different. He loves video games. She loves art & architecture.  He studied abroad in Spain. She studied abroad in Italy. He loves technology of the Apple variety like woah. She loves losing herself in a fabulous book; preferably one about Marie Antoinette. But you would have to be blind not to see how their differences make them soul mates. How his love for people and her love for history led them both to become University of Minnesota Admissions Ambassadors at the same time. And how it took an instant connection at an Admissions Ambassador party right before Christmas break, a separation and phone dates in the in-between to have their first official date. And how since then, they’ve been inseparable. And how he proposed, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, because he knew she would love that. Yes, they are entirely different people but their differences are the very things that have always brought them to the very same place. Together.

Brittany & Tom. Seriously, you guys. I anxiously awaited your wedding for almost a year and a half and it was even better than I could have ever imagined and that was 100% because of you two. From the perfect, low stress morning to your First Look to your wedding party and especially to your portraits and then reception, the entire day was flawless and filled with love, art and so, so much laughter. Congrats. I love you both so incredibly much.

Ceremony Location: Church of Ss Cyril & Methodius
Reception Location: St. Anthony Main Event Center
Bride’s & Bridesmaids Dresses: Watters via Macy’s Bridal Salon
Bride’s Hair & Make-Up: Amanda with Hair by Stewarts Salon
Groom’s Suit: Calvin Klein
Floral: Sassafras Floral & Garden Design
Invitation Suite & Programs: Anita Marie Designs
Catering & Cake: Three Sons Signature Cuisine
DJ: Adagio Djay Entertainment

Another stunning wedding with my partner in crime, Monika Hubka!

Sam, the first time I met you you instantly became the coolest guy in the room to me. Yep. True confessions. You mentioned that you had dual citizenship in both the US and in Ireland and from then on when Matt and I talked about you, your name was “Cool Sam”. Laura, I heard about Sam’s beautiful and fiercely intelligent girlfriend for years and wanted to hate you for being both beautiful and intelligent enough for those to be your descriptors when other spoke about you but the minute we first met that night, I wanted to be your very best friend. What I didn’t know until your wedding day about you as a couple was your capacity for love. For your family and friends, yes, but most importantly, your love for each other. I can’t get over it. Actually, I can’t get over you. It is couples like you and weddings like yours that make my heart sing. Yours was a day where nothing was more important than the fact that you were marrying each other. You weren’t complete until you saw each other for the first time and from there, the rest was cake. This is 100% all I long for for my couples on their wedding day and to see this happen to perfectly, so effortlessly, on your day just made it all the more obvious how representative of you as a couple that is. You weren’t complete until you had each other in your lives and the rest? The rest will be cake.

To Laura & Sam. I love you guys. Now let’s break out the wine on your newlywed patio. xo

Ceremony Location: Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas on the University of St. Thomas Campus
Bride’s Dress: The Wedding Shoppe
Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal
Hair: Salon Zeo
Groom’s & Groomsmen’s Suit: The Wedding Shoppe
Floral: Coleen Nagel

HUGE thanks are due to my fabulous 2nd shooter, Monika Rae Photography!

I literally have no idea how a whole week has passed since the last Instagram Thursday. Were there not pictures to prove otherwise, I would think I slept through it. Between the Flower Suicide on my dining room table to the replacement peony bouquet to the flowers from last night’s Style Architects “Happily Ever After Hour” event, I spent some quality time with some gorgeous blooms. I wore some clothes and took some photos. I visited the American Swedish Institute with this Saturday’s wonderful bride and pretty much died the moment I walk in the mansion. I Bachelorette Night’ed. I visited the 2012 ASID Home (courtesy of my friends at Minneapolis / St. Paul Magazine – THANK YOU!!) and got in trouble for taking photos. (It was stunning. I couldn’t even help myself.) I drank wine with friends. I made latte art. (Art is subjective, right?) I had eggs + avocado for breakfast every day. EVERY DAY. And somehow, in between the Instagram goodness, I worked my tail off. And read some Domino.

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Goodness. Yesterday was a good day.

God took a perfect coffee date from January and turned it into my most favorite day ever spent with two of the most astounding and talented women on the planet which led to yesterday. A “holy moly, is this really happening?” kind of day. I am pretty darn thrilled (read: over-the-moon, ridiculously, immensely excited) to have my photos published on a daily read of mine and the fact that they are photos of an amazing friend, inspiration and encourager? Double bonus.

To the team at Glitter Guide, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, it is an honor to be associated with such glittery, girly perfection.

To Kate & Faith, big things ahead my loves. Big things.

We have this tradition. Almost every Sunday evening you will find us at the exact same address, sitting at the exact same dining table, with (nearly) the exact same people, sharing a (mouthwatering) meal (so clearly I had nothing to do with it) with our not-blood-but-hey-we’re-still-family Minneapolis family. We often joke about the fact that if a third-party read a transcript of our dinner conversations, they would question if we even liked each other let alone were close enough to share dinner together weekly but the fact is that we truly love each other. All (most?) of the time though the boys will deny it.

The first time I met Brad was the night Jenna first brought him to one of our Sunday Night Family Dinners. A new member – especially a new member dating one of our own – is a big deal and receives it’s own special version of the “do we love or hate each other” brand of razzing so the fact that Jenna deemed Brad special (or tough?) enough to withstand the (mostly) good-natured teasing of one of our rowdy family dinners was a pretty big deal.

Well. Of course. Not only did he survive but he flourished. And by “flourished” I mean, by the end of the night, I am pretty sure he had somehow switched from the receiving to the giving end of the teasing. This is something that I have STILL not accomplished. (Well done, Brad. Well done.)

Fast forward almost exactly a year, they are engaged and if I can speak for our family, we would all say we could not be happier. Watching this beautiful, hilarious, happy couple move from dating to engaged and soon to be married? The best part of being a family.

Love you guys.

I attended Style Architect’s Open House Soirée and fell in love with their open space and exposed brick walls. And got to spend the evening with some of my favorite ladies. And then I was sick. Sick enough that I didn’t Instagram a single photo on Friday. (Woah, right?) We finally put some art on the living room walls. (Also known as “a work in progress”.) I wore stripes. A lot. I pretended to be a florist. I kind-of, sort-of, maybe figured out how to wear the straw hat I’ve been gazing longingly at for weeks. Kind-of… Maybe. Gunnar was equal parts crazy and sleepy. And I only captured the sleepy. I tried out a new locale for client meetings and felt like I was cheating on my bestie King’s so I went there too. Twice. I photographed Kate styled by Faith for a feature I can’t wait to share! I bought new cropped peach pants that I can’t WAIT to spend all summer in. I blackmailed my husband into installing the air conditioner units before he wanted to. (And not a moment too soon with a forecast of 90 on the horizon.) I spent this morning on the porch with my laptop and a cup of coffee answering emails. If your email had 15+ exclamation points? I’m sorry; I was really happy out there.

Come! Follow me on Instagram! Search for “melissaoholendt“. I would love to connect!