I literally squealed when Alexis called to tell me a) she was marrying one of my beloved farmer cousins and b) asked me to be their wedding photographer. My cousin Tyler has always been such a warm, big-hearted, gentle guy, and so we were all delighted when he managed to convince a west coast city girl to take up residence on the farm.

The Carleton College listserv (aka, Carlslist) has brought me many things: Morning glories for our garden, contractor recommendations, a ring sizer. But by far the best Carlslist connection was the opportunity to photograph Muriel and Justin’s Northfield wedding at the stunning Gardens of Castle Rock. We connected via Muriel’s father, a Carleton professor, and after a January phone call with this couple, I was already counting down the days until August.

Wow wow wow. I could not have asked for a better couple or more love- and fun-filled wedding for my first foray into wedding photography. While I have three older brothers, Tyler is the little brother I never had. I met him while working for his family’s dude ranch in Colorado, and I still remember him coming into the kitchen to kindly assure me my soups weren’t awful, or adding seasoning where necessary. Fast forward more than a decade, and he and his wonderful partner Mitch are living in Minnesota and planning to get married outside of my current hometown. What a dream!