One of the amazing things about being a wedding photographer… sometimes you meet amazing couples who hire you to travel to their out-of-state wedding! I met Tina and Shad at another wedding. They were so impressed by my work, they contacted me for engagement photos in the Colorado mountains. Both from the midwest, they were planning their wedding in a state that both of their families could easily access, Minnesota. There are amazing photographers all across the world, so I was surprised (and really damn excited!) when they contacted me a year later to see if I would be willing to travel to their spring wedding in Minnesota… My response… “ABSO-FRIKIN-LUTLEY!!!”.
As I prepared for their spring wedding in Minnesota, I was also tracking a huge snow storm headed in that exact direction. When I touched down at the Minneapolis airport, the rain began to fall. The next morning, the rain had turned into a slick icy snow drizzle. By noon, the ground was covered in a soft dusting of snow. By 2 pm, the blizzard was in full effect – zero visibility and the inches piling up by the minute.
Despite the cold blizzard storm, Tina and Shad shared a warm ceremony inside the beautiful barn venue. After exchanging vows, we headed out into the eye of the storm for couple photos. The blizzard made for stunning (chilly!) photos and Tina and Shad were such troopers hiking around in the cold weather. After defrosting with a cup of coffee and some hot meatballs, the reception began.
I left for my hotel around 7 pm that evening. There was already a good 12-16 inches on the ground as I dusted my rental car off. Feeling grateful I had the foresight to rent a 4×4 vehicle, I gripped the wheel and made my way back on the snow packed roads. The next morning I awoke to 24 inches of snow and a canceled flight. I took my time eating breakfast before making the hour-long drive back towards Minneapolis. I decided to make a pit stop at Mall of America to kill sometime before I needed to return my rental car. HOLY MOLY is that place humongous! I rode the Ferris wheel, bought coloring books (for what I knew would be a long wait at the airport!), and I did a lot of people watching.
Back at the airport, I was notified my new flight was delayed a few hours. “No problemo!” I thought, “just enough time to grab dinner and a beer”. Four beers later, my flight had been delayed an additional six hours… a few more beers, moving walkways and coloring pages later, I was finally sitting on an airplane – 10 hours after my initial flight was supposed to take-off.
I was exhausted, yet couldn’t sleep on the airplane. Still flying high on the fact that a couple loved me so much they chose to have little old me travel to their wedding day. I am truly blessed to do what I do and I don’t take it for granted for one second!
Check out Tina and Shad’s snow filled spring wedding in Minnesota! If you’re looking for a photographer for your out-of-state wedding, contact me to chat about my travel package options 🙂
With love,
Soleil
Wedding Venue:Â http://www.creeksidefarmweddingsevents.com/pages/home
Aug 7, 2018
©All photos copyright swing photo colorado 2023