Last weekend, for the first time in 10 weeks, we didn’t have a wedding to shoot!  We almost didn’t know what to do with ourselves, until we remembered some unfinished business from our summer bucket list…So we packed up our gear and headed to Frontenac State Park for a little family camping trip.  It was the boy’s first tent-dwelling experience, and despite the chilly weather, he was in complete campfire/stick/and marshmallow heaven.  Although I don’t claim to be a very outdoorsy girl, I do know that s’more making skills are pretty important when it comes to surviving in the wilderness: You MUST warm up your chocolate on the edge of the fire while you toast your marshmallows.  It makes the perfect sort of gooey when you put all they layers together.  Simple joys.
xoxo.

Have you heard of the Twin Cities Independent Wedding Association?  It is an awesome group of real, down-to-earth vendors who have joined forces to bring you fresh, creative, and genuine service.  Since we’re not huge fans of big-box bridal shows, we love being a part of this fantastic community and have met some amazing colleagues this way!  Excited to announce that we will be a part of their October 13th Groom’s Night–an offbeat wedding fair that will focus on the dudes, for a change. Come chat with us! The event takes place at Pinstripes in Edina, and includes bowling, suit-fitting demos, cigar sampling, scotch tasting, PLUS mini courses to help you get a jump on your wedding plans. More deets here!

It is such a joy to finally share a few of our favorite images from Andrew & Bridget’s sweet, elegant farm wedding this summer.  These two are an amazing couple. Every last detail of their wedding was completely inspiring to us! They brought some big city class to Andrew’s family farm in Rushford MN, and blended it with tons of local charm, punchy color, and DIY details. The ceremony took place in an open grassy field along a beautiful little creek. Before plopping down on hay bails at the ceremony, guests were greeted by piles of canvas goody bags, painted with cows & hearts, all nestled together in the scoop of a tractor. Later guests congregated at the Hoiland Mill for a fun photobooth and an amazing meal of local, organic food from the Blue Heron Cafe. Even the rhubarb Spring Valley soda they served was from a nearby fountain shop! The reception decorations were absolutely stunning–bright blooms in glass bottles of various heights were arranged on slabs of wood. Andrew & Bridget are a super adorable couple and we felt so honored to be asked to capture this amazing day of theirs!


Ceremony Venue: Private Farm Near Rushford, MN
Reception Venue: Hoiland Mill
Hair: Jennie at Spa Panache
Cupcakes: Mon Petit Cupcake
Caterer: Blue Heron Cafe
Music: Nathan Davidson & The Lost Faculty
Dress Designer: Bellissima Couture
Dress Shop: The Loft Bridal
Bride’s Bouquet: A Johnson & Sons
Stationery: Thomas Vogel Design
Bride’s hairpiece, Graphic canvas bags, and reception table floral design & decorations were created by the bride and her talented family & friends!

Am feeling so domestic this week.  After hoarding more tomatoes, peppers, & onions than I could even carry at the farmer’s market, I made my second annual batch of homemade salsa.  Honestly, we scarcely venture into the realm of firey hot things like habeneros and chilis, so we had to snap this photo before tossing them into the mix.  (Mark my word, they are as spicy as they are pretty.) The whole process of chopping, cooking, and canning is a bit daunting, but the product is so rewarding and exciting! Last year I saved half of the jars to give as Christmas gifts and it was a complete hit.

Hey, remember last week, when I introduced my little Swell Life column here and decided it would be rad to give away some fancy homemade camera strap covers?  Well, I’m so glad I did, because all of your kind, encouraging words regarding the blog hop completely soothed my anxieties about the whole ordeal.  From the bottom of my heart: Thanks so very much. Am so happy to be able to continue to share small bits of daily life in the blogging world in a way that blends well with our business + family.  Yay. And even better news: today is the day to make some lucky folks into winners!

1. Stripes & Ruffles : Woot-woot KELLIE REYELTS!
2. Aqua & Blue : Congrats MELISSA GIBBS!
3. Earthy & Green : Hooray JANELLE!
4. Rings & Rose : Happy day SARAH VONNE!

Congrats ladies!  If you could please share your mailing address with me at swell.life(at)gmail(dot)com, I will drop your pretty prizes in the mail, straight away!
Happy Weekending friends!
xoxo.