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Great family, great friends and great community surrounded me the whole day while shooting Marissa and Chad’s wedding.  Each of these is a blessing in itself, so what a joy for Marissa and Chad to have them all and what an honor for me to be invited.  Thank you both.

We started at Marissa’s parents house for the ladies’ preparations full of laughs and love.

Marissa’s wedding dress was simply beautiful.

A great wedding day moment.

I love this part, so much excitement, anxiety and emotion crammed into one moment.

Let’s go outside!

A wedding in downtown Aitkin, MN through my lens.

Get Lost Wedding Party!

I loved the doors at the old single screen movie theater: The Rialto.

Wandering the back passages of downtown Aitkin.

“I’ve lived in Aitkin for a long time and I’ve never seen most of these places.”
-Marissa’s Mother

Hiding in the basement as guests arrive before the ceremony.

It’s time…

WE’RE MARRIED!!!

Cruise the town for a drink.

We end the awesome day with a reception and dance at the 40 Club.

Again, if there aren’t enough images in the post, click the image below to watch a slideshow of their wedding day.

What I used to call “Bridal Sessions” are now called “After-Shoots” for a couple of reasons.

1. They are not just for the bride, but rather for the couple, and therefore are not “Bridals”.
2. They are always shot after the wedding so we can have less regard (or no regard if you like) for the well-being of the dress.
3. Their sole purpose is to capture the essence of your new married relationship, hence “After” your married.

Why are After-Shoots so great and why would you want to book one?

1. Concentrating your portrait session on a day after the wedding, rather than on the day of your wedding, really frees up the schedule of your wedding day allowing for a much more relaxed wedding day.
2. We are not concerned about getting your dress dirty. My goal is never to ruin a dress, but to have less regard for its well being during the creation of awesome imagery.
3. Your wedding day coverage is about your relationship DURING the event of your wedding. An After-Shoot, focuses intensely and solely on conveying your inherent relationship in imagery regardless of an event.
4. Finally, there are no time constraints or stress to inhibit the expression of your relationship.

Again, I couldn’t have asked for a better couple to kick off the new blog’s first “After-Shoot” post than Brady and Ashley.

We met the day after their wedding with the mission of creating awesome images.

This first series of images were taken near Ashley’s brother’s home.

Ashley’s brothers owns a fantastic BBQ catering company and bar in Hutchinson, MN called American Pastime BBQ, so check it out if you’re looking for great BBQ for your upcoming event.

We started in a nice neighborhood just north of Willmar that had this great old Silo, and we just played a little.

Then we headed to the industrial area of Willmar.

We went and had dinner at a great little pizza place in “Old Downtown” Willmar, received a few strange looks and fielded a few odd questions, then headed out in Old Downtown until it got dark.

Brady and Ashley, thanks a ton, I had a great time.

Again, if the images above are not enough, click the image below to watch a slideshow from their shoot.

The New Blog is UP!!! With the help of the super-duper talented Joell at Image Garden Design, timlarsenphoto-blog.com V2 is born. WOOT! WOOT! As you might have read above, we like to call him (the blog) TimBo.

Many new things are in store with the new blog and what you see now is merely the beginning of tons of new features including video, slideshows, helpful links and tutorials for both current clients, prospective clients and other photographers so stay tuned.

The blogging hiatus induced by the redesign has me way behind in blogging, so the posts will be coming faster than on the old blog, just another reason for you to check back often.

Finally, timlarsenphoto.com, my portfolio site is in a major redesign and will be running full tilt early next week so watch for a post about that too.

Now I couldn’t have asked for a better couple or wedding to kick off the new blog. Brady and Ashley were married in Spicer, MN, at Hope Presbyterian Church at a beautiful outdoor chapel on Green Lake.

The day started in Willmar, MN at Blondie’s Hair Harbor.

A quick portrait before we head to the church.

Into the dress

Ashley’s not the only one getting ready.

Hey you…

A stroll with the wedding party.

The outdoor chapel on Green Lake is beautiful.

So is Ashley.

Brady and Ashley walked right into their first dance at the reception. I think this is such a great way to enter the reception.

I surveyed all of the kids at the reception about their thoughts on marriage, the response? Girls (or boys)….ewww gross.

A quiet moment surrounded by friends and family.

Bust a move…

I love tent weddings and the personal touch of having your wedding reception at your childhood home.

And introducing the first new feature, the slideshow. In case the 20+ images above aren’t enough for you, here’s over 100 images from Brady and Ashley’s wedding. Just click the anywhere on the image below to start the slideshow.