Abby and Geno’s wedding was truly a community effort, one that was both heart warming and amazing to witness. As photographers we get to bear witness to a lot of stories from weddings to documentary projects, but seldom do we get the chance to capture the story of a community coming together to collectively launch the fruits of their efforts.

Farm communities, unlike their more urban cousins, have a history of pulling together whether it be recovery from a natural disaster or raising their kids in ways that ensure the survival of generations worth of legacies. Abby and Geno represent such a collective effort.

Their wedding had an additional level of meaning since Abby’s mother Kaye, widely known and respected in the community, succumbed to cancer several years ago. Abby is also an Iraq war veteran.

The Galleries below represent our interpretation of their story, beginning with their engagement photos, Abby’s star light bridal portrait and culminating in their wedding.

Click the thumbnail photos to see the collection then click each photo to enlarge it or click “show as slideshow” to see the collection as a slide show.

Abby and Geno Engagement

Abby and Geno live in Southwestern Minnesota where Geno farms the family farm and Abby runs a local insurance agency. We photographed them in three locations in order to capture their wide range of interests and the context of their lives together. The first location was in SW Minnesota , we used the shoot not only to capture Abby and Geno but also to scout the location of their wedding reception...unfortunately our shooting was limited due to heavy spring rains. The second location was here in the Twin cities at one of our favorite urban locations; St. Anthony Main and the historic Mill District in Minneapolis. Both of these sites offer range of locations that include vistas of the Minneapolis riverfront and the historic Stone Arch Bridge. The final location was on and around their farm in Winnebago.

80 Photos

Abby_geno_wedding

29 Photos

The problem is that after the ceremony everyone wants to get on to the party and it becomes a real challenge to coral all the right people. If  family and group photos happen prior to the ceremony it is less likely that family and friends will drift away. All this aside, we work to make the photos go fast and most importantly be fun for all concerned.

[Show as slideshow]