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Jul 12 min read

Bright and Magical West Coast Wedding: Raigan and Kyle

Spring in wine country was the perfect backdrop for this California wedding this March. Kyle's parents hosted the wedding and reception at their dreamy home overlooking the valley of Murrieta, California. There were blue-tinted Santa Rosa mountains in the distance and palm trees overhead. It was a "pinch me - I'm dreaming" kind of wedding. Although rain threatened to change the timeline, the clouds thankfully gave way to sunshine and blue skies (after I whispered a few prayers of course).

A Little Backstory: I've known Raigan since she was 14. She called my studio and asked if she could job shadow me for a day. That day turned into me hiring her to hold reflectors, package prints and whatever else I needed help with. I was so impressed with her maturity and her confidence, especially at such a young age. Since then, I've celebrated her graduation from high school, photographed sessions for her mom and their family and then again celebrated with them when her son Salim was born. We've stayed connected. When she reached out to me and asked if I would photograph her wedding it was such a huge honor and it meant so much to be the one documenting the day.

During the infancy of the planning process, Raigan sent me a mood board full of the vibe, her ideas and vision. These ideas were marvelously transformed into a colorful palette featuring pinks, oranges, blues and yellows by the killer florist Tre Fiori Floral Studio and her stunning dress from Vows Bridal was a gorgeous centerpiece. Autumn Gosejohn did a lovely job on Raigan's hair and makeup. It even transformed from ceremony to reception in style. Kyle and his groomsmen were calm and collected in their suits with floral ties and pocket squares. They all looked exceptional and I know it was quite the weekend spent with so many of his family members and childhood friends.

The cocktail hour was located in the beautiful front drive of the house and featured wine, a cute vintage phone for leaving the couple messages, hors d'oeuvres, and photos from the engagement session by yours truly. As guests mingled, the backyard was transformed into a California dreamscape complete with twinkly lights, tea lights dancing on the surface of the pool, the Santa Rosa mountains in the distance, the perfect music by DJ Rick Winters, the best mojitos I've ever had and a taco bar to die for. This was a dreamy California wedding.

A special THANKS to these Amazing Vendors:

Second Shooter and Travel Buddy: Lance McCarthy

Wedding and Reception Venue : Margaret & Mark Nielson

Bridal Gown : Vows Bridal

Florals : Tre Fiori Floral Studio

DJ : DJ Rick Winters

Jeweler : Buchroeder's Jewelers

Rehearsal Dinner : Stadium Pizza

Reception Caterer: Camila Esquivel

Photography : Art & Soul Photography Inc.

Lana Eklund

May 4, 20202 min read

Glenn Acres Spring Wedding: Savannah + Austin

Since March all of my weddings have been postponed thanks to...Covid. I sure am heartbroken for all the couples that are having to re-plan weddings, change vendors that may not be available on their new dates and just plain have to wait longer. As a way of working through the heartache that has a way of trickling down, I've decided to honor my 2019 brides and grooms by featuring their weddings. 2019 was an amazing year of weddings for Art & Soul Photography and here's my first...on their one year anniversary, Savannah and Austin.

Savannah is one of those people who is just plain nice to be with. She's laid back, kind and beautiful on the inside and out. Austin has a way of making people laugh and enjoy their time with him. They had a lovely spring wedding day at Glenn Acres Farm. A lot has changes in a year and I sure will miss photographing weddings at Glenn Acres and working with the amazing Katie Patterson.

After she put on her wedding dress from Breeze Boutique, and in one of the most heartfelt moments of the day Savannah read her letter to Austin for the videographer, James Powell. She teared up as she read and the light streamed in from the window and wrapped her in a joy-filled glow. You could hear her honesty and love and excitement about their marriage. It was the beautiful start to the perfect day.

Here's some of the magic from the day.

Sadie and I loved photographing your stunning day that ended with dancing and a killer sparkler exit. Thanks for trusting us to document your wedding and for being so easy to work with. We hope this past year has been filled with moments that remind you why you said "I do".

A special THANKS to these Vendors:

Wedding and Reception Venue : Glenn Acres Farm

Coordinator: Katie Patterson of Glenn Acres Farm

Florals : Created by Savannah's mom

Wedding Dress: Breeze Boutique

DJ : Complete Weddings + Events

Videographer: James Powell

Second Shooter: Sadie Thibodeaux

Lana Eklund

Apr 7, 20203 min read

Beautiful Innsbrook Resort Wedding: Sophia and Ryan

One of the things I love about photographing weddings is spending time getting to know my couples. The engagement session is a really wonderful opportunity to watch them connect and laugh and ask them questions about each other. Sophia and Ryan are fun to be with and they also share a strong faith. They laugh a lot and they know each other so well. It seems they are a perfect match. Sophia is into marketing and creating beautiful things and happens to be AH-MAZING at make-up. I mean flawless. Ryan is into biochemistry, hunting and hopes to become a brew master. Sophia said that Ryan is, “the best man I know”. I think that’s pretty sweet to love each other so well.

You can check out Sophia and Ryan’s engagement session here. It was a sweet lead up to their wedding on February 29th (yes, Leap Day) at the Innsbrook Resort in Innsbrook, Missouri. It was an absolutely stunning winter Missouri Wedding Day! It was unseasonably warm and the sun was shining. Grateful for that gift as a wedding photographer.

Sophia and her bridesmaids had access to the Innsbrook Resort’s Bridal Suite overlooking the lake. The wedding florals by Bloominous were made up of classic whites and tiny pops of yellow with bold green accent leaves. They worked so well with the hunter green bridesmaid’s dresses. I couldn’t believe that Ryan’s mom created all the lovely bouquets!

Sophia’s mom and Ryan's mom tucked themselves away and helped Sophia put her stunning Blush by Hailey Paige wedding dress on. This was a special moment for them and then a great way to have a reveal with her bridesmaids afterwards.

The guys got ready in a lodge room right inside the clubhouse over a few beers and laughs. Before long, it was time for the ceremony to begin. Sophia remembers this as her favorite part of the whole day. She shares, “Ryan’s cousin Gwen Schwartzkopf was our officiant, and we actually hadn’t heard the ceremony she had written until the actual ceremony, and it was so beautiful. Her metaphor about life and the faith journey being like a bike ride was really beautiful.” It truly was.

After Sophia and Ryan were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Schwartzkopf, the cocktail hour began. Sadie and I whisked Sophia and Ryan off for some portraits. As the sun started it’s decent on the horizon, Sophia asked to wear a fur coat that happened to be a family heirloom. It was the perfect accessory and she rocked it! As we were finishing up portraits of Sophia and Ryan, he noticed a group of white-tailed dear just hanging out in the field next to the clubhouse. We laughed about it and I’m sure he wished he could have gotten a little closer. Wink. Wink.

The reception began with a yummy meal catered by Innsbrook Resort followed by the first dances. I loved their choices. Take a listen.

Sophia and Ryan danced to Forever Like That by Ben Rector.

Sophia and her dad danced to Daughter by London Wainwright III and Ryan and his mom danced to a cover of You Are My Sunshine.

Enjoy.

Sadie and I loved documenting your beautiful day Sophia and Ryan. We can’t wait to feel super jealous when we see all your beach photos from your upcoming honeymoon. (get out of here Corona). Thank you a million times over for being so incredible.