As the temperature cools, another wedding season comes to an end. This was my first full year photographing weddings and without a doubt a very productive, educational and inspiring experience. Anne and Jim’s wedding was the perfect way cap off the season. I flew to Minneapolis and then drove five hours north to the small town of Ely, Minnesota. Ely serves as the gateway to hundreds of miles of wild canoeing near the Canadian border. It’s also the heart of Northern Minnesota’s cabin country. Appropriately enough, the wedding took place in Jim’s family cabin which appeared as if straight from the pages of Dwell magazine.
I had a very fond connection to the bride even though the wedding would be the first time we would meet. I’ve been very good friends with Anne’s sister Sarah for most of my New York City life. Sarah had been living in Copenhagen when she approached me with the idea of photographing her sister’s wedding. In several emails, Anne kept insisting “you would be our guest” in addition to photographer. Meeting her and Jim was as special as the wedding they so lovingly put together. I took photos to keep with the pace of the event, which was calm and peaceful. I took the time to get to know my surroundings and relax with Anne, Jim and their family and friends. We had a great rehearsal dinner the night before where I scouted out the cabin and the nearby woods for unique backgrounds and settings.
And then I started clicking the shutter… oh about a couple thousand times throughout the weekend. The highlight was after the ceremony when Anne and Jim jumped into their canoe and did a victory lap on Burntside Lake. Then, they came back to grab me, laughing and rowing while I sat in the middle snapping photographs.
Victory Lap
Earlier in the Day
Guest Arrivals
Design and Decor
There was no sign, detail, or opportunity overlooked by Anne and Sarah, who worked their artistic style and sensibilities into creating a truly custom and gorgeous experience. It helps that Sarah is a brilliant graphic designer and the crafting queen of our Brooklyn community. Of course, Anne is an amazing artist of her own accord. Just spend 2 minutes on her Drawings by Anne blog and you’ll be a follower for life. You’ll also notice her unique drawings in just about every aspect of the wedding — from hand drawn portraits of each guest to the illustrated dinner menu.
Wedding by the Lake
Just Married!
Rehearsal BBQ at Hood Cabin
A Fireside Reception
Congratulations, Anne and Jim!
2010 was indeed a great year and I’ve already started confirming bookings for next year. My sincerest thanks to all my readers and friends and friends of friends for their encouragement, support and referrals. Here’s to an even more amazing 2011. Until then, my future blog posts will focus on my travel photography including about 85% of LAST YEAR’s South Africa photos that have yet to see the light of day.
Love your post! Your photos are beautiful as usual. Thanks again!
Tanveer–Your stunning photos and charming narrative confirmed and served as a lovely reminder of what I already knew–this was the most creative and beautiful wedding I’ve ever attended. Can we order copies?
The story of a wonderfully romantic wedding, and beautifully captured.
Love to anne & Jim
Corinne
Thanks for the nice comments, everyone!
Paula, I talked to Anne and you can request prints directly through her. Hope that helps!
Great pictures! Well down Badal.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Nancy Martira, Tanveer Badal. Tanveer Badal said: Anne and Jim's wedding in Ely, Minnesota. http://www.tanveerbadal.com/2010/11/anne-jim-ely-wedding-photos/ #photog #wedding [...]
[...] took the wedding photos and captured the weekend beautifully. Check out his post and photos on his site! All in all, it was a beautiful ceremony and setting and I couldn’t be happier for my sister [...]
[...] album for my sister and Jim who were married over Labor Day in northern Minnesota. My friend Tanveer Badal took the pictures and I helped with the various crafts. After much debate and browsing through [...]