Melissa Oholendt | Minnesota Wedding & Lifestyle Photography

Ok, follow me, I’m going to say this fast…

I considered the world small when I found out that Erin & Brian both attended Law School with my husband. Now Brian & Matt never knew each other but Brian was friends with one of the Oho Family’s best friends (who also happens to be Gunnar’s – YES, MY DOG – auntie-slash-dog-sitter-slash-BFF). Turns out that Brian also played lacrosse in college with one of my ex-coworker-turned-friend which means Brian was already friends with two of my close friends before I had even met either of them. The world shrunk again when I found out that Erin was THE Erin I had heard so much about while Matt was in Law School. I felt like I already knew her through her reputation of being the sweetest, smartest & prettiest person in their graduating class (and let me tell you, she lives up to her reputation plus more). But the thing that really put the mini in Minneapolis was when I found out that Erin & Brian rocked the VERY SAME DANCE FLOOR that Matt & I rocked of aforementioned ex-coworker-turned-friend’s wedding back in 2011. Consider my mind, positively, blown.

Erin & Brian. I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate you both at your wedding this September but even more than that, I can’t wait for all of the wine nights & doggie dates in the in-between. I don’t know why it took so long for us to finally meet but I am so, so glad we did. LOVE and HEARTS. xo

OH MY GOSH, REMEMBER WHEN THE GRASS WAS GREEN AND THE SUN WAS WARM AND MY HAYFEVER LASTED ALL YEAR LONG?

Dear Steph & Jon. I love you both for so many reasons but THE BIGGEST AND BEST REASON (right now) is that your crazy fun engagement session reminded me of the amazing September day in 2012 where we laughed for hours and hours. Can’t wait for the September day in 2013 when we celebrate you guys (and laugh for hours again, obviously). xo forever.

For those of you without younger siblings, let me explain to you what happens when your little (and only) brother / best friend / arch nemesis tells you he bought a diamond ring for his dream girl.

-You cry.
-You laugh.
-You ask if he’s sure (not because you aren’t, but big sisters are supposed to make sure).
-You are tempted to text his soon-to-be fiancee to tell her.
-You decide you don’t want to get dead-armed by your brother so instead you send her a random emoji filled text.
-You tell your husband (and possibly every other person in your life) to avoid telling her.
-You text your brother incessantly; demanding details and a timeline.
-You spend the night before he proposes rotating between breathing into a paper bag and happy squeals of joy.
-You text your brother to say that you had better be first on the list of people he tells once they are on the ground (because he proposed in a helicopter…overachiever).
-YOU WAIT ON PINS AND NEEDLES UNTIL HE TEXTS YOU A PHOTO OF THE RING.
-You debate posting the photo on Facebook and decide, similar to last time, the chance of a dead-arm is too great.
-You wait until any semblance of an engagement announcement pops online from either of them.
-AND THEN YOU TELL THE WORLD.

Lizz & Raf. You two. I love you both so incredibly much. I can’t wait to see you two start your lives together this June but even more than that, I can’t wait to grow old and be best friends forever. Love always and to infinity. (And just for kicks, let’s take (an embarrassing) look at the first time I photographed you two. BABIES. All of us.)

Let’s talk about Engagement Sessions.

I’m not talking about how they build trust between you and your photographer (they do). I’m not referring to how they are super fun and super low stress (they are). And I’m not even here to tell you how much I love photographing them (because I do, I so do). I’m talking about the biggest (literally, the most caps ever) question I receive from my clients, WHAT DO YOU WEAR TO AN ENGAGEMENT SESSION. SERIOUSLY. (And I quote.)

I mean. I’m not a professional. I’m not. I know a girl if you need someone. But me? No. But if there’s one thing I am exceedingly good at? (I mean, like, really really really good at.) Shopping. Especially for other people. And especially if you give me unrestricted access to J.Crew and a bottle of wine. (Best ever.)

So, what are my tips for getting the most out of your Engagement Photos Fashion?

The very heart of what I want to do is to tell your story and a huge part of that is documenting who you are, right this very moment, as a couple. And since clothing can be such a great representation of your personalities and the location(s) you have chosen for your Engagement Session (which, ideally, are also a part of your personality) why not take advantage?

I know, I know. You have probably heard from a well-meaning friend/family member/stranger that you should stay away from pattern and trends and that maybe you should avoid this or that color or maybe even that you should wear classic styles as to not date your photos. Ignore, ignore, ignore. Thank them. And then ignore. I’m going to put this in all-caps so you hear me, YOUR ENGAGEMENT SESSION IS NOT A TIME FOR YOU TO PLAY IT SAFE.

Trends are FUN. So embrace color, patterns & the occasional trend and don’t worry about photos that may or may not end up dated. If I’m doing my job right, this won’t be the last time in the next 10 years you have your photo taken. (And if it is, expect a knock on your door from this girl in 10 years.) Besides, who’s to say that we won’t all be wearing silver jumpsuits in the year 2032? (YEP. I JUST WENT THERE.)

There are so many amazing places for inspiration but I’ve collected some of my favorites on my Fashion Loves board on Pinterest. And if your outfit is inspired by one of those photos? I may just hug you and never let go. Especially if it involves sequins or (faux) fur.

Sure. The guy has it easy. Gingham button-up. Straight-cut jeans. MacAlister boots. BOOM. (I don’t know about you, but that made me want to throw something at my husband just typing it out.)

Easy, right? Yes. Completely. But don’t let his fashion take a backseat just because it’s easy. Adding a festive tartan tie or switching out his boring ol’ laces for a bright, fun pair can make all the difference (and bonus points, gives me fun details to photograph).

No, but seriously. This is my MO in life in general so just trust me on this one. There’s no panic like the I-HAVE-AN-ENGAGEMENT-SESSION-IN-FOUR-HOURS-AND-NOTHING-TO-WEAR panic. And besides, stress resonates through your entire body and will affect how your Engagement Photos look even if you find that perfect outfit two hours prior. My mission in life is to make your Engagement Session a wonderful, fun, oh-we-were-so-comfortable-we-didn’t-even-notice-your-big-camera time and ideally that starts even before you arrive at the location.

Lastly? Email Me. I have a handy little PDF full of fashion goodness for the Fall/Winter, location ideas and even more ideas about how to get the most out of your Engagement Session. I’d love to share it with you.

Six years of living in Minnesota and before my weekend in Hayward, I had experienced cabin life a total of one other time. Let me repeat, ONE TIME. (I can hear my Minnesota friends gasping from here.) So, when Emily & Tom invited us to join them at Tom’s family’s cabin in Wisconsin, I pretty much fell all over myself saying yes. (And then Googled, “what do you wear to a cabin?” but that is a completely different story.) Little did I know the magic this particular weekend would hold between lakeside sunrises, inedible cornbread (that I made, naturally), campfires, so.much.wine, Sunday morning Scrabble and the amazing sweetness of getting Emily & Tom in front of my camera at the place where they fell in love. THIS is what life should be. (Also, dear Patagonia, I’m coming for you. I have six years to make up for.)

Emily & Tom. Not only are you both wonderful hosts, you are also genuinely kind, caring and so, so thoughtful. I can’t get over how much fun that weekend was but more than that, how excited I am for your wedding and even more than THAT, how excited I am that you both are in my life. Thank you for everything. (And just so you know. Had the place you fell in love been at a Dairy Queen on Highway 88, I would have met you there too. Also. Sorry for almost killing you both on the 4-wheeler. Won’t happen again.) Love you guys like woah. xo

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.

You know when you first meet a client and it’s like that scene in Sleepless in Seattle where Annie travels to Seattle and first sees Sam & Jonah on the beach? It’s clear that she makes this giant realization as she watches them together; without anyone telling her, she just knows that this is the man she wrote the impulsive meet-me-at-the-top-of-the-Empire-State-Building letter to and more importantly, the person who’s life she wants to be a part of.

THAT is how I feel about Kelly & Pat. (Though probably sans the Empire State Building / star-crossed lovers / little boy / radio talk show thing?) They are just people you want to be around. They are hilarious. They are intelligent. They are sarcastic. They are SO in love. They are sweet. They are movie start gorgeous. And really, you should hate them for all these things but you can’t because they are two of the most genuine and fun people to be around.

Kelly & Pat, thank you for inviting me into your lives – even just for an evening. I will never look at a stick again without thinking of you guys. xo

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

Is there any better time of year to be in love than fall? I mean really. Sweater-clad walking hand-in-hand, with the sound of leaves crunching under your feet and home to a glass of red wine in front of the fireplace? And maybe I am describing every Nora Ephron movie ever made but there is a good reason the majority of romantic comedies have a portion of the film in the fall season. I’m just going to say it; second only to Christmas, Fall is an entire season of love, red wine and cuddling under a blanket. (Oh, and my birthday. So clearly I am biased.) As a lover (and definite obsessor) of all things fall, I think I may have finally met my fall soulmate match in Ali (and Matt, but mostly just Ali).

Ali & Matt. My goodness. Thank you for trusting me when I said the wind can be pretty because you two made it look amazing. I can’t wait for more getting-to-know-you dates because I count myself so lucky that I get almost an entire year to get to know you both. Give my eternal doggie love to Riley. xo

And the fall wind. (I will say it again and again. My clients rock.)

I am so lucky. And before you think that this is just another photographer raving about how amazing and perfect and wonderful her clients are, just you wait.

Ok fine. Yes, I totally am that photographer who loves to rave about my clients (because, duh, they are the best) but I am also a girl who just generally is in love with love; all kinds of love but specifically for Jessica & Dana, it’s the kind of inspiring love that makes a guy who isn’t exactly head-over-heels with the idea of being in front of a camera, not only willingly give me an entire evening of his time but then full-out rocking my camera world with his love for his gorgeous fiancé. High five Dana. High five.

Jess & Dana.  I seriously love you two; I can’t get over it. Every time I get to see you both I become that.much.more excited to photograph your wedding next September. But until then – Dana, I’m talking to you – practice your over the shoulder sexy face because you know that is going to have to come out. I love it the mostest. xo