Back in November of 2022, we had the honor of shooting a gorgeous wedding at the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul, MN for Anne and Justin. When we had first connected with Anne and Justin over a call, we knew they were our kind of people! They talked about how they wanted to keep their wedding intentional, close to their hearts, incorporate historic buildings into their big day! Well if you know us, you should know we are head over heels for anything intentional!

Anne and Justin’s wedding day was so special! From intention infused in every moment of the day to the amazing, heart-warming vows to the celebratory party bus, this wedding day is one we will never forget! Additionally, this wedding posed a good challenge for us as photographers! Typically, we consider ourselves natural light photographers but since most of Anne and Justin’s day occurred inside, we had the personal challenge of incorporating our style indoors with flash. The end result literally swept us off our feet! Take a look for yourself but the vintage, moody vibe of these photos turned out so amazing and we love that this wedding challenged us into leaning into this!

Getting Ready at the Historic Saint Paul Hotel

As we set out from our house with our camera gear in tow, we began to get a little nervous because the forecast predicted the sun would not bless us with our presence! Instead, we were met with gloomy overcast and a whopping 40 degrees. But instead of allowing the weather to stress us out and beginning our day on a negative note, we took a minute before we left to acknowledge that the weather is out of our control and speak it into existence that everything would work out just fine!

Pulling up to the Saint Paul Hotel, we were captivated by the historic building and its amazing architecture! In that moment, we knew that we were going to be able to capture some awesome pictures that incorporated that historic feel!

We went up to the bridal suite where Anne and her bridesmaids were getting ready! As always, we opened the door to be met with that infectious, giddy energy from Anne and her bridesmaids. We were able to capture a really special moment where Anne’s bridesmaids gifted her with a print of the wedding venue (the Minnesota State Capitol) and they had all signed the back with little messages congratulating her on getting married. She had to try her best to not cry too hard so she didn’t smudge her makeup!

Anne had chosen an absolutely beautiful long sleeve wedding dress that cut off at the shoulders. When we saw it, we were blown away by how well it matched the overall vibe of the hotel and the venue; it was the perfect complement to the day!

One of my (KC’s) favorite moments to capture on a wedding day is when the bride first slips on her wedding dress! It’s truly a magical moment and we love being able to capture those moments where everyone’s faces light up as they see the bride in her dress! As Anne turned around with her complete wedding look, everyone in the room (including Aaron and I) had tears in our eyes.

Say Cheese! Minnesota State Capitol Wedding Pictures for All

With Anne all dolled up, we set out for some bridal portraits around the Saint Paul Hotel. We knew that we just had to take advantage of this beautiful hotel and all it had to offer. We went outside briefly because the grounds of the hotel had some amazing shrubbery and crawling vines. Anne’s completed wedding look paired so well with this scenery!

After we shot outside with Anne, we went back inside the hotel to take some photos in their stunning lobby! There was a beautiful, ornate spiral staircase in the lobby that made for some amazing, vintage-looking bridal portraits!

Wrapping up at the Saint Paul Hotel, we traveled to the State Capitol to meet up with Justin and the rest of the wedding party. We took wedding party photos on the front steps of the Capitol with the ornate architecture towering over them. Anne and Justin had a very large wedding party, including all of their closest friends and family.

Finishing up with wedding party photos, we stole Anne and Justin away for a few minutes to take some pictures of the happy couple in front of the Capitol. It was only right for them to get some solo shots in front of the ceremony venue they so carefully picked out.

Heading into the Capitol, the ornate architecture from the outside continues inside and it was absolutely breathtaking. This was our first time shooting a Minnesota State Capitol wedding and we were just blown away! What a beautiful place to get married, surrounded by all the people you love. Anne and Justin kept their ceremony fairly small with only their wedding party and immediate family. We love that Anne and Justin made this executive decision since large ceremonies can often become hectic and distracting.

Before the ceremony began, we took family pictures with all of Anne and Justin’s immediate family. This is such a special time on a wedding day because the excitement really comes to a head. Those excited grins make for the best pictures as family and friends anxiously anticipate the ultimate moment: tying the knot.

Minnesota State Capitol Wedding Ceremony: Heartfelt Vows and Cheers All Around

As the intimate ceremony waited to being, we encountered our first bump in the road. The judge who was officiating Anne and Justin’s wedding was running late. Now this may sound like a menial thing but if you are not familiar with how timelines work for a wedding day, this little mishap caused a lull in the movement of the day.

But instead of allowing Anne and Justin spiral into a frenzy of panic, we made sure to remind them that things like this happen and everything was going to work out just fine! Now, there are some wedding couples who would probably lose their shit at this point and break down. But Anne and Justin remained calm, cool, and collected as they embraced the mishap and rolled with the punches! We really valued these qualities in Anne and Justin and were glad that we were there to keep encouraging that sense of calm.

As the judge showed up, the ceremony began immediately. As wedding photographers, we’ve witnessed a lot of wedding ceremonies. And lemme tell you, this is one that we will never forget. The vows that Anne and Justin had prepared for each other were absolutely beautiful. (If you’re reading this and looking for some help to write unforgettable vows like Anne and Justin, check out our blog post HERE!).

After the ceremony, I went up to Anne and Justin and expressed just how amazing their words were for each other. The craziest part of this whole situation was that Aaron was just as moved by their vows as I was but we didn’t get a chance to talk about them until later in the night. Later that night, I come to find out that he said the same thing to Anne and Justin shortly after I talked to them. It was a funny moment of synchronicity that Aaron and I encounter quite often.

Right as the ceremony was wrapping up, the lights inside the Capitol were turned off by an automatic timer. Thus, we encountered our second mishap of the day. But instead of letting this discourage us, we made the most if it by opening up the front doors and allowing the natural light be our light source. We took some more wedding party shots and some solo shots of Anne and Justin. Quickly, we packed up and set off to the next adventure of the day!

Let The Celebration Begin: Wedding Party Bus and St. Paul Brewing Co.

Filing out of the Capitol, Anne, Justin, and their wedding party hopped on party bus to ring in the celebration. A party bus is an awesome idea if your reception is taking place at a different location than your ceremony, like Anne and Justin. Everyone was having an absolute blast as they passed around drinks, took pictures, and danced around the bus on our way to Saint Paul Brewing Co.

When we got to Saint Paul Brewing Co. for a little social hour, we had an awesome idea of snapping pictures of everyone getting off the party bus. We told everyone to do something funny for the camera as they descended from the bus and it was such a fun idea to capture individual shots of everyone in the wedding party!

Heading into Saint Paul Brewing Co., the party had begun! More drinks were flowing and everyone was chatting about! Anne and Justin’s dog even made an appearance at the brewery. For their engagement session, Anne and Justin had included their dog for part of their session so it was only fair that the dog got in on the action of the wedding day too! It was so fun to see that Anne and Justin made this a priority and really goes to show that there are so many ways to incorporate your furry friends into your wedding.

After wrapping up at the brewery, we all piled back on to the party bus to head to DeGidio’s Italian Restaurant where the reception was to be held. The celebration continued all the way there as the music blasted all around the bus. It was so amazing to witness such joy all around as the group celebrated Anne and Justin getting married.

Reception at DeGidio’s: Good Company, Great Food, and Giddy Dancing

Arriving at DeGidio’s Italian Restaurant, the parking lot was filled with attendees for Anne and Justin’s reception. This is a great idea if you want to keep your ceremony intimate but still have that larger reception to celebrate! The wedding party filed off the bus and the grand march commenced as they all entered the restaurant!

Before speeches began, Anne and Justin went around to greet various attendees. As everything settled down, Justin’s best man, Anne’s maid of honor, and Anne’s dad made wonderful speeches, congratulating the happy couple on their marriage and reminiscing on old memories. The best way to describe it was like a big family gathering with those heartfelt, warm feels spread all around.

After eating some delicious Italian food and devouring some Nothing Bundt Cakes Bundtini’s, it was time to dance. Anne and Justin shared a special first dance with all of their loved ones looking on with big grins spread across their face. As the first dances wrapped up, the dance floor filled with wedding guests ready to get their groove on! And as most wedding nights end, they all danced the night away in celebration!

Intentional Decisions Make An Amazing Wedding Day

Anne and Justin’s wedding day was the last wedding of our 2022 wedding season (besides our New Years wedding) and it was such a great way to go out with a bang! We loved the intention behind all of the decisions that went into these two’s wedding day and just felt so energetically connected to this couple! This wedding was so family and friend oriented and it was amazing to see Anne and Justin make those decisions to be surrounded by all those they love. We will seriously never forget this Minnesota State Capitol wedding!

If you want to see more from Anne and Justin’s amazing wedding day, scroll down below for some more pictures! The vintage feel to this wedding gallery is captivating and we love that we were able to lean into this style with this wedding!

Looking for a wedding photographer who will roll with the punches of your wedding day and craft beautiful memories? You’re in the right place! Reach out HERE to see if we’re available for your wedding day!

If you want to read about another wedding we shot at Pinewood Weddings and Events, you can read all about that HERE!

As always… stay rad, my fellow Earthlings! xoxo