What a fun time we have had with engagement sessions so far this year, and Dan & Casey surely didn't stop the trend!  They wanted to do something that featured a bit of casual park type images and something a little more on the sexy side.  With that in mind, we ended up going around the Loring Park and Sculpture Garden, followed by a quick little trip to Sebastian Joes for an ice cream cone.  We then finished with some alley shots near Four Seasons Dance Studio and the Seven skybar downtown.  The mix of images created for a cool look and a lot of fun. 

We had a great time getting to know one another and are very much looking forward to their destination wedding in La Jolla, CA next April at the lovely La Valencia Hotel.  Without further adieu, here are a few of our favorite images from the session. 

What can we say about Jenna and Greg's engagement session?  Let's just say a laugh track wasn't needed!  Greg is the consummate joker, while Jenna gives him a loving glance and humors him.  It goes without saying that we are eagerly looking forward to any speech he may give at their Minneapolis, Semple Mansion wedding! 

When we talked with them about their session, they indicated that if possible they wanted to try to include their bikes and the lakes.  They spend a lot of time biking together, and felt this would help personalize the shoot.  We love it when the couple brings a bit of their personality, so we were more than good to go.  It always seems to make for more memorable and meaningful images. 

After a fun evening hitting up Lake Harriet and Lake of the Isles, we called it a wrap and headed into Uptown for some beer and appetizers at Old Chicago.  It was nice to relax after a warm evening and really get to learn more about Jenna and Greg and their relationship.  Here are some of our favorite images from the session.
 

Wow, what a fun way to start off this week.  We got notified from the fabulous Summer, from Grey Likes Weddings, that Laura and Brett's engagement session is featured on her blog.  This blog is a great resource for wedding trends, inspiration, and all things "grey likes"!  Considering she is on the west coast, we were very honored as Minneapolis wedding photographers to be featured!  Be sure to go check out a few of the highlights she posted here!

Talk about a VIEW!  Calley and Derek decided that they wanted to do their session at Calley's parent's new home on the bluffs overlooking the St. Croix River in Hudson.  When we pulled up, our jaw just about dropped!  What an unbelievable view they have, and the home was equally gorgeous.  They have one of the rocks on the front of the house engraved with "Journeys End", and we can see why. 

We ended up picking the perfect time of day to get some great shots of Calley and Derek.  Mother Nature gave us some beautiful late sun and topped it off with an amazing sunset.  After getting these two loosened up a bit, we decided that some signature Staja jumping shots were in order.   My oh my, did they get some air!  After watching the sun dip below the horizon, we finished things off watching and laughing at little Jessie doing what puppies do, and getting a chance to talk with Calley's parents for a while.  Thank you guys for a great time and taking the jumping shot to new heights!



Not to bad of a view huh!

What a fun engagement session we had with Emily and Tyler.  They asked if we could do the session at Tyler's parents place in Le Sueur.  The home has been in Tyler's family for multiple generations.  It is one of those gorgeous country farmhouses that has been kept up while still keeping a lot of it's historical character.  Tyler's mom keeps the gardens and house in unbelievable shape.  It was a site to see! 

While getting some fun shots around the place, we really started to see how great of a relationship that these two have.  That only became more evident as Emily pulled together a great chicken salad for all of us for dinner after the shoot.  While eating, we learned that Tyler will be leaving for Iraq shortly after their wedding next year.  He serves in the National Guard and is scheduled for an upcoming tour.  What a strong bond these two must have to face that right after their wedding.  In closing thank you both for such a good time and for making us a lovely dinner after the session!  We have only had that salad about 5 times since :)



Here is a picture of the house, doesn't it just look like a piece of history preserved!