St. Mary's Catholic Church and the Lucky Dragon
Faustyna was referred to me by another Catholic photographer in the Saint Paul area, and from the first time I met her, I knew she was going to be an ideal client. Our first conversation was so lovely, she talked about her love for the sacrament, and her love for Jack. The sacrament of marriage was the most important thing to them, as well as her Vietnamese culture and the wedding day traditions they were going to incorporate. From Faustyna's words, "Friendship and love for Christ has been the foundation of our relationship since the beginning. We love how we can make each other laugh and how we've come to know each other deeper through our relationship with Jesus."
The day started at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Stillwater, Minnesota, a quaint little town by the St. Croix river. I spent the morning with the girls as they got ready, and took detail shots of Faustyna's dress and accessories.
She was dressed by her mother and sister (her maid of honor) into her custom made wedding dress.
In the spirit of tradition, the bride and groom did not see each other before the ceremony, and opted for a quick divine mercy chaplet in the upstairs chapel for a moment to prepare. Beautifully providential, they sat under the portrait of Blessed Karl and Zita, a holy example for married couples to follow. I snapped a few shots of the couple praying, and then snuck out to give them a moment truly alone.
The most important part of every wedding day is the ceremony, but when your clients are as God-centered as these two, the mass feels uniquely special. Jack, along with the entire congregation, was in awe of his beautiful bride. I made sure to capture special moments during the mass, and small moments of the couple and their guests worshiping together.
Arguably one of the more stressful and not-so-fun parts of the wedding day, family portraits, is one of the most precious. These are the ones your family will put on the mantel and will stay on Grandma's wall for generations.
We then spilled outside to take some portraits of the beautiful bride and her groom!
We then headed to a park nearby for a picnic lunch and some bridal party portraits, complete with some fun poses, of course! I love to ask the wedding party if they have any fun poses they want captured, Faustyna and Jack's wedding party were a lively bunch!
The reception speaks for itself for this one. Every detail showed off the couple's personality and style and added to the cheerful atmosphere of the room. They included some of the Vietnamese culture's traditional wedding customs, as well as many Catholic customs as well. Starting everything with a prayer, they went into their nine-course Vietnamese wedding feast, which I can pretty confidently say was my favorite wedding food this season. After dinner, the couple went around to each table, where the eldest person gives them a word of advice or a toast. Faustyna's siblings surprised her with a performance of a song written for her, and Faustyna surprised her groom with a song as well. Jack humbly knelt at Faustyna's feet, signifying his service to her that he promised that day. The bride's mother was wrapped up in the father-daughter dance for a joyful family sway that left Faustyna in tears and smiles. The whole evening was tearful and heartwarming, and a perfect ending to this joyous day.
