Melissa Oholendt | Minnesota Wedding & Lifestyle Photography

In the short 4 months I’ve known this family, I’ve watched them transition from excited and nervous soon-to-be parents into professional baby soothers, swaddlers and smooch-givers and I’ve come to realize something. The transition from married couple to pregnant couple to an “oh, hey, we made a baby” family is paved with joy, anxiety, hilarity, pain and heart-swelling happiness and as a lifestyle photographer, there is no greater honor than to not only be allowed to witness all of those things but to also be tasked with documenting this transition. Add in a couple like Kelly & Greg who have welcomed me into their lives with all the warmth & generosity than I could ever dream of and I pretty much fall all over myself in love with them.

Kelly, Greg, Quinn & Riley. I truly thank God for bringing you into my life. Getting to know you both as a couple pre-Quinn was beautiful but getting to see you both as parents to Quinn is just stunning. I can’t wait to get to know you both more and to get the boys (and by the “boys” I clearly mean the dogs) together to romp around. Much love to you Bollinger Family. xo

I photographed a beautiful wedding on a boat and wanted to live and breathe the anchor carpet. (Yes, I just said I wanted to breathe carpet. Someone please give me a nautical intervention.) I snuggled with the pup. I – somehow – managed to plan, DIY and (with a LOT of help) execute the most wonderful dinner party on a rooftop with some of our closest friends in honor of Matt’s 30th birthday. I am now taking RSVPs for his 60th birthday which will be the next time I throw a party. I put a striped shirt on Gunnar. That photo did not make the cut. My office showed the effects of wedding season. (And if I am being truthful, so does the rest of my house but the 3 loads of laundry that are sitting on my dining room table don’t exactly make pretty photos. #realife) I wore polka dots. Shocking, I know. I reveled in the fact that every week of this summer has been better than the week before. And that is a huge blessing.

Oh Instagram, I love you.

(Insert resounding, sad sounding “wah-wah” for the fact that Instagram Thursday is Instagram Friday. Again. Now moving on.)

Matty-Pants turned the big 3-0 on Monday. Yeayah. I wore bracelets. MN Bride Magazine hosted their Annual Best-Of Industry Party and between my amazing new friends and my incredible old friends, I was reminded how much I adore the people I get to surround myself with and how much talent there is within this industry. Way to go all of you. I counteracted a bad day with anchor prints and spike bracelets. And pink lipstick. I ate sushi. I made besties with both the Fed-Ex and UPS deliver men this week (and managed to be fully dressed every time they stopped by; you’re welcome). I crashed a man date and then regretted it after that included the movie Ted. Gunnar exuded cuteness and badness. All at the same time. All week long.

To find me on Instagram, search for “melissaoholendt“. I would love to connect!

Amy first wrote to me about J.Crew cardigans and our shared love of fonts and I knew I was smitten. We bonded via email over restraining orders, the use of film and dogs (specifically our own) and when we met over wine (at – our – favorite wine bar ever, duh) I knew I had met a kindred spirit. We set forth planning their session with a couple solid ideas in mind; the biggest and most important one being that she wanted a true representation of their family and how they were, right then and there in this moment in life. And could we do that via film. With neon, polka dots and watermelon colored nails. Hello dream client.

Polinske Family. I LOVE YOU. If I were to have to explain what my please-Lord-let-me-have-clients-one-day-who-will-let-me-take-photos-like-this session would look like? It would be yours. Hands down. Visiting your favorite spots, eating ice cream, playground playing and really just capturing your family in a natural, easy way? Best ever. I love you for giving me that but also for so much more. For just being who you are and being the representation of the family that I want to be one day. Happy, neon-wearing, easy-going, polka-dots, crazy about ice cream and equally crazy in love with your dog. Thank you for letting me see that. xo

Oh my sweet.

Today you turn 30 which means we have known each other for almost 14 years. FOURTEEN YEARS MATT OHOLENDT. In these 14 years I have watched you go from a bleach-blonde, 16 year old, zip-off cargo pants & t-shirt wearing high school hottie to the natural-brown, J.Crew slim-fit shorts and hipster glasses wearing, even-hotter-than-you-were-in-high-school love of my whole life you are today. Words don’t even cover how proud I am to be your wife.

So today, on this momentous day in the Oho House, we will be celebrating you for the amazing husband, hard worker and best dog-dad EVER that you are.

I love you so much.

And you are old.

Hugs and Love.

Gunnar turned 5 this week. There were Stars and Stripes (and polka dots). I finally hung the art that has been patiently waiting for me to get my act together for weeks (months). HOT HOT HOT July days. I met a new friend for artful craft cocktails at Eat Street Social (did you expect anything less?). Family Dinner. I read THIS article and got a much needed slap in the face. Note to self: work to live, not the other way around. Matt and I had a good day and have the plates to prove it. Celebrated this girl’s birthday and Had a no-wedding-Saturday and brunch with my ladies, Kate & Faith. I folded approximately 1,001 loads of laundry. Bachelorette & Prom Dresses. (Trust me, you don’t want to know.)

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Annie’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears. She was less than 20 steps from seeing the man of her dreams for the first time on their Wedding Day and the emotions of that reality had just overwhelmed her thoughts and her body. Her hands trembled as they held her bouquet tightly to her body but she steadied herself and took one step forward. Two more steps out into the open and she stopped breathing completely when she caught sight of him. There Nate stood with his back to her; strong, handsome and shaking just ever so slightly. She couldn’t see his face yet but she was certain that it mirrored the thoughts that were running through her mind, “We’re getting married. This is happening. This is really happening.” She took a deep breath and took a step forward; another deep breath and another step. One more breath, one more step but then she stopped short. Annie was just five short strides away from Nate but she couldn’t will her body to move; she was paralyzed by the gravity of the day, the desire to see his face and longed for the strength his presence would provide if she could only see his face. It was as if Nate could hear her thoughts and read her mind; without prompting, he slowly turned towards her with a smile that could not have been brighter and spoke to everything they were feeling. Together. And just like that, she was strong again. Annie & Nate closed the space between them and met each other in the middle with open arms and as she had thought, she saw in his face the emotions that just seconds ago had stopped her in her tracks. This day had finally arrived. She was finally his. 

Annie & Nate. I cried pretty much through your entire Wedding Day. Certainly not out of sadness but because two people I loved whole-heartedly and dearly were truly following God’s calling in their lives and dedicating their future in His hands. There is nothing more beautiful than that. I love you both for your kindness, the laughter we create together and even more so for your hearts that you share with God, each other and all of your family & friends; I could not be more privileged to be a part of that group. Love, love, love you.

Ceremony & Reception Location: American Swedish Institute
Getting Ready Location: Hilton Minneapolis
Bride’s & Bridesmaids Dresses: J.Crew
Bride’s & Bridesmaid’s Hair: Salon Intrigue (Natalie Pinault & Angie)
Groom’s Suit: Jos A. Banks
Groom’s Vintage Tie: Styled Life
Floral: Bachmans
Invitation Suite: William Arthur for Wedding Paper Divas
Catering: Common Roots
Wedding Cake & Groom’s Cake: Buttercream
Traditional Kransekake Cake: Karen Petersen
Macarons: Cocoa & Fig

Sparkly thanks to Monika Hubka & Kristen Toth for assisting me with this fabulous wedding!

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?

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

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!