Some photographers aren’t willing to work with family, but not me! When my cousin Brittany reached out to possibly be her photographer, I was thrilled! She had always been a great supporter of my work, and I really wanted her to have amazing wedding images. So my hubby and son and I packed up the car and hit the road last August for Brittany and Kris’ ranch wedding in North Dakota. Rural North Dakota may not be where a Colorado destination wedding photographer would expect to be shooting…it was sure a fun one for me though! I was born in North Dakota and still have a lot of family up there. This part of ND, however, was new to me too. When your wedding is about 4 times the population of the town where it’s being held…you know it’s a rural area lol!
Brittany and Kris held their ceremony at the beautiful Stiklestad Lodge. What an amazing place for a wedding! We found endless amounts of photo locations, like the rustic cabins, the lake, all the flowers and lush, green trees, and the old chapel that they got married in front of.
This post is gonna be a little longer than some of my other wedding posts. Sorry, not sorry…this is my family and so I love a lot of these shots!
After their sweet and funny outdoor ceremony, we headed over to the reception. Their dinner and party was held at the Bear Creek Lodge. This was easily one of the most unique venues I have shot at, as well as the location where my husband and son and I stayed during our trip. The Bear Creek Lodge is a former school, turned event lodge (mostly for hunting trips and family reunions). There is a lot of history in the building, and it was such a trip being there lol! They had approximately 50 years of class photos on the walls. The final graduating class in 2005 (before the school closed for good), had just 6 students. Sleeping in an old classroom, showering in an old locker room, dancing in the gymnasium like teens at the homecoming dance…like I said, a very unique experience 🙂
Brittany couldn’t decide, so she had 2 dresses on her big day! That was a fun touch. She looked equally beautiful in both of them!
They opted to do a first look, and I am so glad they did! It allowed for so much portrait time with just the two of them. This was much appreciated since I was shooting the wedding alone, instead of with my normal second shooter. They got a ton of variety in their photos because of this, and they were able to start the post-ceremony party that much sooner!
This is definitely one of my favorites as their Colorado destination wedding photographer. A small flower bed made a huge impact…I love the pops of color!
Stopped off at the bar for some shots, then across the street to this little garden I spotted when I first got to town. Grabbed a couple more bride and groom photos and wedding party photos, then off to the reception to party the night away!
Thanks for stopping by my blog, and checking out my work. I love to travel (in non-covid times)! So if you are planning your 2022 wedding now, I would love to help make your wedding dreams come true…wherever your wedding is taking place! Being a Colorado destination wedding photographer is one of the many perks of this job 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend friends!
To see even more rustic wedding photography, check out Cat and Reed’s Shupe Homestead celebration HERE!
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