Thomas Ward Photography Blog

Tom & Amanda : Married, Minnesota Boat Club

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:24:47 +0000

One question I ask couples is “how did you meet?” well Tom and Amanda decided to tell me all about how they “met” when Tom proposed. This is their proposal story told in Tom’s words: In June of 2009, the relationship between Amanda and I was proceeding in a wonderful fashion. So, we decided we wanted to introduce unnecessary, extreme amounts of stress and turmoil to tarnish an otherwise blissful and beautiful relationship. We decided to get married! Needless to say, upon making the decision, things got pretty real. The age old “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” mantra evidently has never been our MO. Regardless of whether or not the decision was sound or wise, it was made.

After discussing the prospects of marriage, I began a covert operation of saving up money that summer in order to pick out a ring that was suitable for a girl as, for lack of a better word, unique as Amanda. The operation went along flawlessly undetected by Amanda all summer. School began the following Fall, and I returned to the Twin Cities area to begin planning a method to pop the question. Kelsey (the MOH) and I drove out to Amanda’s hometown of Little Chute so I could ask her father’s permission to propose. Somehow, Amanda was not suspicious of the facts of Kelsey and I being gone at the same time, for the same amount of time. Apparently, she did not put this together and detective work is not in her future.

I stationed myself in a park that Amanda and I enjoyed to spend time at in order to surprise her on what was supposed to be a “girl’s night” with Kelsey. I surprised Amanda by positioning myself in a manner where she would encounter me in a similar fashion to when I met her in the Fall of 2008. She had been examining leaves to determine which orientation would create better negative space. In a similar vein, I was standing on a path with some leaves asking for her opinion about them. I, of course, told her I had received her father’s permission to propose, dropped to one knee, and presented a ring I had been so excited to give her for months. As one would guess, she did say yes and I could not be happier.

Tom and Amanda are such a fun couple! They were married on August 1st, 2010 at the Minnesota Boat Club. We met up with them at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and then walked down to the Minnesota Boat Club for the beautiful outdoor wedding. The reception was so nice. They opted to have a jazz band instead of the typical DJ and it was just beautiful to listen to. If I were to redo my own wedding I would model it after this beautiful and relaxed morning wedding.

Anyways, on to the photos! Below I posted a few of my favorites from the wedding day, but there were just so many that I loved I had to put most of them into a slideshow which is at the bottom. Thank you so much you two for allowing me to share in such a fun and beautiful day.

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The wonderful vendors used in this wedding were:

Wedding Venue: Minnesota Boat Club

Dessert and Brunch: Mintahoe Catering

Flowers: Apple Blossom Flowers

Band: Tanner Taylor Jazz Quartet

Adam & Sharon : Married, Stillwater mn

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:36:23 +0000

Adam and Sharon are such a special couple! I feel so lucky to have had the chance to get to know them! I first met Adam at their engagement session when he came home from Iraq for a couple weeks on leave. You can tell that he loves nothing more than being with Sharon. Their sort of love is so inspirational, and I just love being around them!

On the wedding day we were at the hotel with Sharon and her bridesmaids while they got ready. Such a fun group of girls! When we got to Trellis for their first sight I finally got to see Adam. He was looking good in his white alligator leather shoes, and just dying to see his soon to be wife! When they finally got to see each other it was nothing but tears of joy from the both of them. Shortly after, guests started to arrive and Adam and Sharon took to their hiding spots. The ceremony was given by Adam’s Army Chaplain. Like I said earlier, their love for each other is inspirational, so the wedding ceremony was emotional to say the least. We headed to the St. Croix Vineyards for a few photos before heading to the reception on the Majestic Star in Stillwater, MN for a fun reception on the river. I truly hope that you two have an amazing life together and thank you again for allowing me to be a part of your amazing wedding. I’m only posting one still photo because there were just too many great images to post all of them. Make sure to check out all the images in the slideshow below!

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The amazing Vendors used in this wedding were:

Wedding Venue: Trellis Events

Reception Venue: Majestic Star River Boat

Cake: Cafe Latte

Dinner: Majestic Star River Boat

DJ: Instant Request

Matt & Jess : Married, Stillwater mn

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:30:32 +0000

Matt and Jess were married on July 17th, 2010 at Our Saviours Lutheran Church in Stillwater, MN. The day started off at Jess’ mom’s house where the girls got ready. It was a hot and sunny day, but this year it just seems like we can’t get away from the rain, and during the ceremony the storms rolled in. The reception was at the Grand Banquet Hall which was also in Stillwater. Thanks so much to you both for allowing us to be a part of your wedding.

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Jim and Tiffany : Engagement, Wollersheim Winery

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:48:05 +0000

Jim and Tiffany were such a fun couple! I’m so excited to photograph their wedding later this year at the Glacier Canyon Lodge in the Wisconsin Dells! We started this session off at the Wollersheim Winery, but soon headed over to Tiffany’s parent’s house which I was suprised to find out was on 60 acres and surrounded by even more wilderness! We took Jim’s Jeep off roading to get to a few different spots around the property including a fantastic old truck. Thanks for having us out there you two!

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Alexa : Senior Session, Stillwater mn {Erika Laurice Photography}

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:29:01 +0000

Some of you may know that my wife, Erika, has her own photography business, Erika Laurice Photography. I had the chance to assist her on a totally fun senior photography session last week. These are just a few from the session. You should check out my wife’s blog for more CLICK HERE. If you’re interested in portraits drop her an email at info@erikalauricephotography.com

Andy and Amy: Trash The Dress, Stillwater mn

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:59:07 +0000

Andy and Amy’s wedding was featured here on the blog a few weeks ago. Now the newlyweds are back from their honeymoon and Amy wanted to trash her dress! So we went to some fun locations around Stillwater, MN for the fun session.

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Nick and Krystal : Olympic Hills Golf Course, Eden Prairie mn

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:21:04 +0000

Nick and Krystal were married on July 3rd, 2010 at the Olympic Hills Golf Course located in Eden Prairie, MN. I love when brides add personal touches to their wedding day. Krystal was no exception to this, she wore her grandma’s beautiful broach in her hair. I hope you two love and cherish your photos for years to come!

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Derek and Brianna’s Engagement Session, Stillwater mn

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:18:54 +0000

Derek and Brianna were so much fun! They will be getting married on October 2nd this year at Faith Lutheran Church in Coon Rapids, MN with the reception at Edinburgh USA Golf Course. So anyways, like the title says this engagement session was in Stillwater, MN. We met at our new studio and then headed to Leo’s Malt Shop for a nice cold malt and some fun photos! I really love these photos and Hope you all do too!

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Andy and Amy : Town and Country Club, Saint Paul mn

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:23:40 +0000

Andy and Amy were married on June 26th, 2010 at the Town and Country Club in Saint Paul, MN. This was one of the hottest weddings so far this year, but the entire wedding party was absolutely great about it! After the soon to be married couple saw each other for the first time on the wedding day, we all headed to Minnehaha Falls for some photos. There is an adorable little white house there that is perfect for photos. Hope you two love the photos!

PS. Doesn’t Amy look just like Carrie Underwood!

Update {New Phone Number}

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:18:52 +0000

We are at a new location in Stillwater, MN and we also have a new phone number. If you need to call, the new number is 651.261.9279