Melissa Oholendt | Minnesota Wedding & Lifestyle Photography

Dearest Little Olin,

You don’t know this yet, but I am convinced that you are going to be President one day. Yep. You heard it here first. President of the United States. For a while you will be all TRACTORS! FIRE TRUCKS! MOTORCYCLES! because that is what little boys do but as you grow up, you will find a developing fascination with bullet-proof limousines, patriotic ties and parting your hair on the side. I know this a a grand prediction for your future but what you have just had an inkling of experience with in your short time of being is that your parents are nothing short of amazing. And my experience has told me that amazing people create amazing little humans. Not to mention since your bestie-as-soon-as-you-are-old-enough-to-sit-on-your-own is, by my prediction, going to be a superhero, it’s a clear parallel that you are going to be President. (Also, your auntie Melissa needs to lay off the Marvel Comics movies while editing.)

Dream big little guy. xo

PS – And I’m not saying your parents named you after me but I’m just saying…Olin. Oholendt. THIS CANNOT BE A COINCIDENCE. Kidding. (Mostly.)

I first fell in love with interior design when I learned I could print in ALL CAPS, ALL THE TIME. (Not even joking about this.) A fact that is little known and little talked about is that I began college with a subscription to Architectural Digest and the intention of becoming an interior designer. Clearly God’s plan for my life was pretty different but in the (holycrap) twelve years since my first Interior Design class in high school, I’ve never lost my love for living in a well-thought out and beautiful space.

I’ve talked a lot about surrounding yourself with the things that inspire you and even though it took me all day, a Swiffer duster and a serious refreshing of my Inspiration Boards, I actually do walk my talk. Really.

Bonus points to anyone who can spot Charleston swag.

I’m considering becoming a snowbird approximately 40 years too young and moving to Charleston for the winter. Every winter.

If you don’t follow me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, you are probably in the dark about this but I have a new great love in life and it is the city of Charleston. Mac & Murphy. S.N.O.B. Celadon. Isle of Palms Beach. Rainbow Row. Indigo & Cotton. Magnolias. Elizabeth Stuart Design. The Battery. King Street. Sullivan’s Island. All of it. ALL OF IT. And wouldn’t you know? Gene Pease and I traveled 1,330 miles for a coffee chat. I mean, if you are going to do something…

How was your week?

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I could be sappy about this. I really could. I could tell you how Jason was one of the earliest champions of my photography career and opened doors for me that I could not have done myself. I could tell you how Grace how always pushed me to be a better business owner and is one of the greatest kick-in-the-pants givers, maybe ever. I could tell you how they are at the very top of my If I Have To Be Stranded On A Deserted Island, I Want To Be With These People list because I know I would never stop laughing, I would never go hungry and we’d probably be off the island before it started to feel anything close to a Lost episode. (What? You don’t have one of these lists? Weird.)

But instead of all that, I will just tell you that these are my people. And I feel so grateful to have finally captured them as I truly see them: a couple so perfectly matched, silly and crazy awesome that you can’t help but love them immediately. And forever. Love you guys.

You guys. I’m an extrovert to the nth degree (aka, extrovert to the MAX). I tell everyone pretty much everything and have declared myself a spine-is-broken-so-it-doesn’t-even-close-anymore open book. Needless to say, it’s fairly rare that I have a did I really never say anything about that? moment so when I was cleaning out a folder on my desktop this morning and found these screen captures (not even ironically titled, “TO BE BLOGGED_screencapture.jpg”) that had not yet seen the light of day, I thought I would take care of business and get it done. (And let’s be honest, this is really only so I can file these jpgs away. Organizational OCD FTW.)

Big, belated, grateful thanks to Club Monaco & Style Architects and lots of love and hugs to Kate at Wit+Delight for subjecting herself to my behind-the-camera bad jokes multiple times.

I photographed this girl. And she gifted me the prettiest little set of peach roses. Yes please. I wore moccasins (of the Minnetonka variety).  I photographed a mansion wedding for the sweetest couple and a gorgeous doggie & sunlight filled engagement session. And then collapsed on the bed with Gunnar and his Angry Bird. Hopped a plane to Florida and discovered that I am my Grandfather’s granddaughter via the (truly) amazing bookshelves in his study with their effortless styling. I. Had. So. Many. To. Do. Lists. But you know what? I. Crossed. So. Many. Items. Off. #boom

How was your week?

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A week filled to the brim with: my birthday, so many of my best friends, coffee cups (SO. MANY. LATTES.), client walk-throughs, meetings & wine nights, a stunning ranch wedding, polka dot shoes and a green satchel. Oh, and THAT DOG. Seriously. #norespect

How was your week?

Find me here! Or search for @melissaoholendt!

Today is the first day it really felt like fall; something different was in the air with the moody chill from the early storm clouds and the literal chill at my feet from our creaky old hardwood floors. Today was the first day that I wrapped myself in a cozy blanket, lit the candle on my desk and spent the majority of the morning in silence enjoying sound of the wind chime on the porch and the rustle of fallen leaves from my open window. Today is the first day I wanted to scream “THIS IS FALL FRIENDS!!!!” from the rooftops while another (bigger) part of me never wanted the silence to end.

This is the exact same way music moves me. A great song can make me cry, laugh, dance, scream, smile and die and, in the same moment, all I want to do is sit in silence listening. There are songs in my life that mean something; songs that can bring me right back to any particular moment in my life so vividly, so perfectly. The song I played on repeat after my first heartbreak. The song I said goodbye to my dad as I walked down the aisle to. The song(s) that cemented a once-in-a-lifetime friendship. The absolute right playlist at the absolute right time is pure magic and this collection of songs is no exception.

This is Autumn Beginnings.

01. No One’s Gonna Love You by Band of Horses.
02. Breathe Again by Sara Bareilles.
03. Alone by Trampled by Turtles.
04. Only I Do by Alex Masters.
05. Faithfully by Matt the Electrician.
06. Here I Am by Shawn McDonald.
07. Just a Game by Birdy.
08. Pull My Heart Away by Jack Peñate.
09. Breathe Me by Sia.
10. You Could Be Happy by Snow Patrol.
11. Please Don’t Go by Barcelona.
12. The Scientist by Coldplay.

Image Credit.

What is your perfect Fall Playlist? I would love to hear!  

Spent a polka-dotted Happy Hour with the Husband. Photographed a STUNNING wedding on Saturday. Visited The Foundry Home Goods and wanted to move in. (Literally.) Instead I settled for taking home a few pretty little accent pieces. I hit a new social media low and instagrammed my Sunday morning PJs. Thankfully they are striped, neon and completely G-rated. Things you did not see on Instagram: I had approximately 1,246 cups of espresso, ate an entire bag of Swedish Fish and listened to Taylor Swift’s new song on repeat. This can only mean one thing… We are knee-deep in wedding season.

Oh, hey. One last thing.

IT’S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Off I go to celebrate!)

Find me here! Or search for @melissaoholendt!

I am a sucker for a great, unexpected detail. Most of the time in my life, this relates to fashion or home decor (give me suede elbow patches or a gilded lion statue and I die with love) but if you’ve paid any attention to my J’Adore Weddings Pinterest Board, you’ve likely noticed that my love of details (of the wedding kind) runs pretty darn deep.

And a sweet little detail like chair decor has my name written all over it.

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