Photography by Megan Sneak Peek Blog! » weddings. kids. families. life.

Jenna’s sister is a photographer, but since she was so involved with the wedding they realized they needed someone to help capture the day–so that’s where I stepped in!  It was nice to have just short day (I covered the posed pictures ’till the end of the ceremony) so I was able to get back home to my baby a little quicker than usual.  It was also a fun challenge to find spots for photos.  The church yard was limited, so I ran across the (busy) street and asked if we could use a neighbor’s backyard.  Coupled with the fact that it was on the edge of the dike with some fabulous overgrown grass, you’d never guess we were right in town and not in a country meadow!  That’s the beauty of photography–here are my picks!

Mitch and Kayla had an absolutely gorgeous day for a wedding, and once again it was nearly impossible to narrow down my favorites for this blog post!  With the old train depot, a classic car, and even a random antique bike found along the way, there couldn’t have been more awesome places to shoot pictures!  The wedding was held in Baudette, Minnesota, so of course we had to get a group shot by the big Walleye.  Mitch is from my hometown so it was also great to see so many people I knew at the ceremony.  Here are just a handful of my many favorites!

My second wedding of the weekend was on Saturday in Devils Lake for Lee and Heather’s ceremony at the beautiful St. Joseph Catholic Church.  We dodged the sprinkles and headed outside and got some great fun urban shots around downtown, and found a gold mine of fabulous locations hidden in the alleys!  This was also a fun wedding to shoot because Heather was actually one of my nurses when I was in the hospital having Wesley!  So definitely great to shoot for a familiar face.  After the ceremony we headed to the community center in Lakota for the reception, it was a great time!

As you can see July was quite the busy month for weddings, and I even kicked off a double wedding weekend on a Friday with Justin and Anne’s beautiful gazebo ceremony at the University of Minnesota Crookston!  It couldn’t have been a more lovely day for the outdoor festivities, with beautiful afternoon lighting for the posed pictures.  The couple even had uniquely labeled bottled water for all the guests, since the day did get a little warm, and it was the perfect way to keep everyone hydrated with some personalized fun.  Afterward everyone headed to a “Hawaiian” themed reception, with leis for every guest and lots of bright, colorful decorations!  Check out my favorites!

As you can see, I jumped right back into wedding season with Josh and Katie’s gorgeous lakeside ceremony at Morris Point Lake View Lodge, at Lake of the Woods.  It was a perfect day for an outdoor wedding, with plenty of blue skies and sun!  I had a great time with everyone, and Josh’s son (and junior best man!) Logan was such a little character.  It was also my first “full day” away from my own little Wesley, but he did great at Grandma’s house, and it was so fun to see him at the end of the day–I could tell he missed his Mama!  Here are some of my favs!

I know I mentioned in January I was done with weddings until July, but I just had to squeeze in ONE more! (I’m still surprised at how active and able I am at 35 weeks pregnant–not slowing down quite yet!)  You’ll recognize Tyler and Kelsey from their engagement pictures a few posts ago.  They had a beautiful wedding at a little country church on an absolutely gorgeous winter afternoon.  They definitely lucked out as the weather can definitely be unpredictable this time of year but it was sunny, calm, and not that cold at all!  Here are just a few of my many favorites!

This could be on record as my COLDEST wedding ever!  Although it was sunny and calm, the temperature was about -25 below ZERO.  Still, Justin, Kristen, and their entire wedding party braved the freezing air and ventured outside for a few shots.  And it was worth it!  The rest of the day we were plenty warm indoors, with the ceremony at the gorgeous Zion Lutheran church (one of my favorites!) and a beautiful reception at the Ralph Engelstad in Thief River Falls.  I loved all the wintery decorations!  I also wanted to thank my assistant for the day, my sister-in-law Katie, who helped me carry equipment and run around for me.  Shooting a wedding seven months pregnant was quite the adventure so it was great to have help!  This will be my last wedding until later this summer after the baby is born so this will be my last wedding post for the next six months—crazy!

It’s crazy to think this is my last wedding of 2009!  I only have one more in early January before I’m off for maternity leave.  Tom and Gretta’s wedding was beautiful, and even though it was a chilly windy day, we ventured outside for a few quick shots just before the sun went down.  Due to the location of the church (there wasn’t really a yard, more of a parking lot!) I took the wedding party out into the middle of a busy street and between cars snapped as fast as I could!  Luckily traffic will slow down for a bride and groom–you can bend the rules a little as long as someone’s wearing a dress and a tux!

Chad and Stephanie beat the weather having their wedding ceremony at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden INSIDE the gorgeous Conservatory, complete with temperature controlled comfort and amazing greenery including palm trees!  It was the next best thing to being outside, and since it was rainy, windy, and cold, it ended up working perfectly.  They had their reception at the Ivy Hotel with fabulous food, desserts, and lots of friends and family!

My last destination wedding of the year was in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota (specifically the ceremony in Spearfish and the reception in Deadwood) and of course it was so much fun!  There were so many great spots to shoot that it was SO hard to narrow them down.  Even the unique downtown spots of Deadwood provided some great textures and colors to play with, and with a willing bride and groom I was able to try lots of ideas!  Erin is also a photographer so it was fun to shoot someone with just as many great ideas!  Check her out at www.lifeinpicturephotography.com!