Nothing brings us more joy than being able to witness and capture couples connecting during intimate moments that may not be the easiest to come by! As couple photographers, we love allowing our couples to use the excuse of getting professional photos done to seize the moment of intimacy with their partner and allow themselves to simply just be! So after we walked away from Nikki and Justin’s intimate connection session at the cutest little Minneapolis AirBnB, we knew we had to share this moment on the blog!

So you may be reading this and thinking, “What’s a connection session?” We’ll tell you! Connection sessions are something that Aaron and I started to offer once we began zeroing in on our personal photography philosophy. For our engagement sessions, we like to think of them as more of an adventure rather than a simple session; a moment for a couple to explore or have an experience rather than sit around and pose for pretty pictures. But we wanted to apply that philosophy for all couples on an even grander scale!

For our connection sessions, we rent out an AirBnB for a night/weekend and have a little day date where we plan out a bunch of activities for you and your partner to participate in! Think of us as your personal date planners who will hang around, capture some beautiful photos of you and your partner throughout the day, and leave you two to enjoy the night alone! Sounds nice, right?!

When we started planning for Nikki and Justin’s session, we were so focused on making this such an enjoyable experience for them that we were totally blindsided to the fact that we were going to have an absolute blast with this too! The stakes are a bit lower than an engagement session or a wedding and without a strict timeline, everyone’s creativity was in abundance! We were blown away by the results of this session!

So without a further ado, let’s get into this intimate connection session with Nikki and Justin (AKA the cutest couple EVER!)

Vintage Minneapolis Storefront Corner Store Turned AirBnB

As we searched for AirBnBs to host Nikki and Justin’s connection session, we knew we wanted something unique that would photograph well! We’re all about the aesthetics over here so we didn’t want just some dingy cabin in the middle of nowhere!

When we found this vintage AirBnB in Minneapolis, we had a few others on our list but we kept coming back to this one. There was just something about the whole vibe that was so magnetic to us and our style. (And we’ll let you in on a secret: Aaron really wanted to shoot in a sauna and a clawfoot bathtub!)

Before we knew it, the blustery end of February came and the connection session was upon us! As we pulled up to the AirBnB, we were blown away by how cute it was! From the outside, it literally looked like a storefront but the inside had all of the aesthetics you could dream of in a trendy apartment!

Complete with all the hanging plants you could dream of and beautiful hardwood floors, it was like this apartment was made for us and it matched so well with the vibe of Nikki and Justin too! With the perfect blend of vintage accents and a modern feel, this AirBnB was about to witness the most amazing connection session!

Good Vibes and Good Times: An Unforgettable Connection Session

As we finished up exploring the AirBnB, Nikki and Justin arrived and this intimate connection session officially began! WOOO HOOO!

We immediately hit it off with Nikki and Justin! Technically, we had worked with them before for their friends’ wedding (Check out Adam and Meredith’s stunning wedding HERE! Try to spot Nikki and Justin in some of the photos!). But regardless, we vibed so well with Nikki and Justin since they are just so awesome, down-to-Earth people! And they’re funny as hell!

We jumped right in by shooting in the kitchen with some fresh pastries and fruit! Oh and of course, COFFEE! Nikki and Justin made a pour over, snacked on some yummy pastries, and got all cute and cuddly in the kitchen! It was so adorable that we practically had to force ourselves to move on to the next scene!

Wrapping up in the kitchen, we headed into the living room! Now, this is where all the silly vibes came out to play! Handing Justin a guitar, we let him and Nikki take the reins and while he strummed out some chords, she started dancing on the couch. THIS was such a defining moment for this intimate connection session for us because it was exactly what we were looking to capture! Those moments where that sweet, silly side of your relationship comes out to play and the rest of the world seems to fall away!

Of course, this vintage AirBnB came with an expansive record collection and a record player so we had to mess around with that! Nikki and Justin messed around, reading the record sleeves, and bopping along to the music!

Pulling down the trundle bed, we wanted to grab some shots with that cozy linen vibe! These two are just the stinkin’ cutest couple ever! We can still hear their giggles and laughs when we look at these photos!

After taking a little break, we ordered up some pizza and it was time to put the clawfoot tub to use. We drew up a bubble bath and let Nikki and Justin soak in the moment as they read a book and laughed! When the pizza came, we had them eat in the bathroom (a little weird, I know) so we could capture that special moment between the two. This bathtub scene was our favorite part of this whole session and we just can’t get enough of it!

Wrapping up, our last scene was out in the sauna! This was such a perfect way to end the day of shooting and grab those perfect final shots! Leaving Nikki and Justin to steam in the sauna, we headed out and left them to enjoy the rest of the evening alone!

Intimate Connection Sessions for the Win!

We can’t stress enough how amazing this connection session was! Beyond creating these stunning images that Nikki and Justin get to have to remember all those playful moments in their relationship, we were able to spend the day getting to know Nikki and Justin! Swapping stories and letting each other in on inside jokes, we were able to connect with them as they were connecting with each other!

If you know us, then you know that we love and crave those deep connections with people! This was such a great way of being able to connect with such amazing people and get a little peek into all of the sweet moments in their relationship! Nikki and Justin were able to take a moment and just be together, showing off the love they have for each other. With the hassles of life, those moments can be hard to come by so these images can be a daily reminder of all those sweet moments! These photos will last a lifetime!

So if you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, “UGH! That looks and sounds so nice! My partner and I NEEEEEEED this,” then let’s do it! You should never apologize for taking the time and money to invest in your relationship and take a moment away from the craziness of life!

Perhaps you’re a new mom who is just craving some quality time with her hubby and needs that moment away, even just for a weekend. Let us help craft the best date day of your life and capture all the magic so you have these memories for years on end! So even on those hard days, where your head feels like it’s going to explode with commotion, you can look at these photos and be transported back to such special moments with your partner. That’s the true power of photography! Are you ready to bear witness to it with an intimate connection session?

If you are, then CONGRATULATIONS! Head on over to our contact page and let’s get this party started! We’ll get started on planning the adventure of your dreams that you will never forget! Your intimate connection session waits for you!

Craving more from the blog? YOU GOT IT, BABY! Head on over to the blog for all of our best tips and tricks for engagements, weddings, and elopements! There’s something for everyone here!

We hope you enjoyed this week’s blog! We’ll talk soon! Stay rad! xoxo