So many of you may think photographing those closest to you would be a piece of cake… well that is not the case. I have found the more you know someone the trickier it gets and the pressure is on to create the most spectacular photos, although the outcome is even more special and rewarding I had the opportunity last month to photograph my sister’s engagement session (I know I am waaay behind blogging and they have been super patient!) We did a few quick photos at Fort Snelling the week before, where their wedding will take place this January. Their “real” engagement session took place downtown St. Paul. I also had a unique  opportunity to photograph their session along side my husband who as many of you know is one of my second shooters and will be photographing their wedding day. We started off the shoot under a loading dock downtown that I have driven by for years and never had the chance to photograph, followed by a stroll through the downtown streets, a quick stop in Mears Park (love the birch trees here), and ended their session with a gorgeous sunset view of St. Paul. I hope you all enjoy these photos as much as we did photographing them…

---

I had a great morning photographing Kristi and Josh’s engagement session at Minnehaha Falls. They are such a fun couple! The fall colors were in full bloom and the weather was gorgeous. I am looking forward to working with them again on their wedding day! Enjoy…

---

I met Jana & Nick one recent morning for their engagement photos in Minneapolis. Nick’s sense of humor kept Jana laughing as we moved around Boom Island Park shooting. We had a little preview of the wedding coming up in Nisswa when we waded into the Mississippi river to cool down and keep shooting. In knee deep water they started dancing in the Mississippi for a series of amazing photos. Enjoy…

---

I am excited that Beth and Scott chose me to photograph their fall wedding! The couple lives in Chicago but we did their engagement session at the Sculpture Gardens in Minneapolis- the spot where they were engaged. We met for the photos just before they were getting ready to travel back to the windy city after a weekend of wedding planning. We had a great time capturing images with Beth and Scott. They are an adorable couple! You may remember the first few photos I posted last week of the fun hat series. Here are a couple more from the rest of the session, enjoy…

---

I was fortunate enough to have spent one of the nicest days of the summer outdoors with such a wonderful couple, Aditi and Justin. Their Engagement Session took place near St. Anthony Main in Minneapolis which has an abundance of unique shooting spaces. We started off on Main Street and ended on the Stone Arch Bridge, one of their favorite local spots. We had many laughs and Aditi shared many of her wedding details with me- I can’t wait to capture them all Enjoy..

---

I had the opportunity to photograph a mini session with Steph and Jeff just days before he left for National Guard training on a deployment to Kuwait.  We met at Como park in St. Paul and Jeff was dressed in his National Guard fatigues. We captured some great photos when Steph donned a bright red shirt showing support for her soldier-boyfriend. Thank you Jeff for your service and I look forward of photographing you both upon your return.

---

Jessica and Steve are the perfect match! We had so much fun shooting, I couldn’t get them to stop smiling even when I tried We started their session off at the Cathedral in St. Paul, followed by a walk up Selby to The Happy Gnome where they shared in more laughs about one of their first dates there, and a beer! Enjoy…

---

I just loved working with this couple! They were adorable together and so much fun to photograph. Andrea and Jake’s Engagement Session at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis was the perfect combination of scenery, architecture, and love. We even ended the shoot with a little “splash” in the Mississippi Enjoy…

---

Images by Kris wins Wedding Wire’s Bride’s Choice Awards 2011

Minneapolis, Minnesota – April 1, 2011 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Images by Kris has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for professional wedding photography! Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation. Images by Kris stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year. “WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud  Images by Kris for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.” We are happy to announce that Images by Kris is among the very best wedding photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011. For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at weddingwire.com/imagesbykris. For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com. About WeddingWire, Inc. WeddingWire.com, the nation’s leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

---

Images by Kris would like to wish all of the newly engaged couples a special congrats! The holiday season is such a romantic time of year to get engaged! My sister was lucky enough to have a Christmas engagement, and is now joining all of you in your quest to find the latest and greatest for your wedding day! Whether you are planning a Minneapolis/ St. Paul wedding, a North Shore wedding or a  Destination wedding, we would love for you to join us this weekend at “The Bridal Party” at The Depot in Minneapolis. Stop by out booth  to view our latest work and mention you saw this blog posting for a FREE gift for our blog followers only. We look forward to meeting you this weekend! Congratulations!

---