Kaitlin and Mike // Married (post by Desiree)

Take style and class mixed with the right amount of awesome and you get Kaitlin and Mike. Naturally these two were both totally relaxed and enjoying their big day despite the rain showers in November.  It still made for a beautiful wedding at St. Kates Chapel. After meeting these two during their engagement session I knew their wedding was going to be sooooo much fun and they did not disappoint.  One beautiful bride in her stunning gown, one dapper groom, love, friends, family...it was perfect.

Beyond Boundries (post by Desiree)

I wanted to push my creative boundaries and try something new. So I went out into the the woods and did the opposite of what I normally do during a photo shoot.  I liked it!

Modern / Real Life / Boudoir

I've been photographing some boudoir sessions lately and I have to tell you it's soooo awesome! Working with incredible women and helping them see how fabulous they are is so rewarding. I just wanted to share a little peek of a recent shoot.  Nothing over the top crazy, just some modern, real life, beautiful art.  :)

Kaitlin and Mike (Post by Desiree)

I first met Kaitlin and Mike over skype!  The two downloaded it for the first time ever just to talk with me and I'm SOOO glad they did. (Thanks guys!)  After discussing whether to meet in Minneapolis or  near the lakes, the stars aligned and last minute we met downtown St. Paul, just blocks from where BOTH Kaitlin and Mike grew up.  We had a real life meeting at the incredibly cool W.A. Frost Restaurant! Right away I could tell that Kaitlin and Mike go hand-in-hand. They're true adventurers with giant hearts and they're FUN.  We spent a couple hours grabbing drinks and exploring the streets before heading to the old water tower where Mike proposed!! I'm excited to photograph their wedding this fall.

A Destination Wedding in Italy (post by Desiree)

Ooooh, it was a perfect day in Italy for a wedding!  Helge and Hilde were such a lovely couple and I had so much fun spending the day with  them,  6 of their closest family members and their 2 adorable little boys. Spending a week with your closest family and children is a perfect way to enjoy your wedding and life life to its fullest.  The wedding was planned by Bryllupsbyraaet of Norway, who has beautiful exclusive locations in Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, and Norway. After breakfast and getting ready at the villas, we drove to Malcesine and strolled the cobble stone streets.  Like a fairy tail, they were married is the Malcesine castle!  The whole group took an incredible 2 hour boat ride on Lake Garda back to Bardolino for dinner, dancing and of course some amazing Italian cheese, olives, and vino!  Ooooh, bring me to Italy any time!!

TUSEN TAKK Helge og Hilde for letting me be apart of your special day!  I truly felt like family.  : )

A lovely day in Italy (post by Desiree)

Nothing can beat delicious gelato and a gorgeous bride in the colorful streets of ITALY! The other week I had an INCREDIBLE time photographing a beautiful Norwegian model in Northern Italy, on Lake Garda. Whoa is right!!!!  It was so much fun roaming around the city of Bardolino and the absolute amazing hotels and exclusive venues with Cathrine of Byrllupsbyraaet.  Cathrine is one of the FIRST wedding planners in Norway.  We're working on showing how weddings can be something extra amazing and that it's possible to have your dream wedding!  Benedicthe is getting married next month and is also an awesome fashion designer and blogger.  A special thanks to Brudesalongen i Stavanger for loaning us the beautiful Lusan Mandungas wedding gown for the shoot...and for letting us fly it all the way to Italy.

Vail Wedding Expedition / Day 2 (post by Desiree)

"Keep close to Nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."   - John Muir I know it may be difficult to look at the snow here as it has juust finally left and spring has officially arrived...but really...this spring snowy mountain wedding is worth the view ; )

Family, friends, good food, wine, music...just a few things Courtney and Keith's wedding expedition was all about. Originally the two are from Bemidji, Minnesota but have a deep love of the mountains. They actually met while Courtney was living in Israel!  Yes, it's so cute that Keith flew all the way to Israel to meet her for the FIRST time. So, all the Minnesotans flew out to Colorado and everyone made it up to Shrine Mountain, about 3 miles from Vail pass in Colorado. (Check out our Day One hike here!) Yes the weather man predicted APRIL blizzards ...but that was not about to deter Courtney and Keith from getting married! The wind died down JUST when Courtney walked out with her dad down the aisle.  Both families have strong Scandinavian roots and are very tied to their heritage. Swedish and Norwegian poems were read and of course Keith's family wore their Norwegian knitted sweaters too!  For a moment, I forgot I actually had left Norway and flew to the US.  Capturing their story was so awesome....and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Much love to you Courtney and Keith!!!!

Vail, Colorado // Day 1 (post by Desiree)

This wedding was SO special to me and there were sooooo many photos I had to break it up into two posts. : )  My big sister, one of my biggest role-models, the one who loaned me money to buy my very first camera, and walked for hours with me under the sun in Israel taking street photos....was getting married!!!!! We all knew Courtney and Keith's wedding was going to be something out of the ordinary. They're true adventurers and with Keith as a pilot - true vagabonds as well. They are in LOVE with the outdoors, so it wasn't a huge surprise when they said they were getting married atop a mountain in Colorado. We soon found out that we had to ski or snowshoe 3 miles up to get to the top of Vail Pass - Shrine Mountain - Elevation 11,209 to reach our destination ! Yes, it was difficult to breathe, especially coming from sea level but we did it!!!  We even brought cans of oxygen!  Courtney and Keith's immediate family with a few of their closest friends spent 2 nights up in the Shrine Mountain huts...and it rocked.  Stay tuned for - the wedding day!

Spring Styled Shoot // Published! (post by Desiree)

I've been working on a few styled shoots over here in Norway.  Just like Minnesota, the Norwegians are itching to get rid of the snow and soak up some spring time sun! I was SOOO HAPPY to have this styled shoot PUBLISHED on the Norwegian Wedding Blog.  How cooool!?  Just had to share a few of my personal favorite here too of course! Thanks to all the fabulous vendors who worked on this!

Cake: Chelsea's Cool Cakes

Styling & Design: Desiree Mostad & Chelsea Hill

Model: Victoria Revina

Photography: Desiree Mostad

Dresses & Accessories: Brudesalongen i Stavanger

Flowers: Sølvberget Blomster

Location: Tou Scene, Stavanger

Lumberjack Knickers Boudoir (post by Desiree)

Red, black, with just a touch of pin up and you get a sexy lumberjack!  The 2nd edition of Mrs. Depew Vintage.  These awesome lumberjack knickers are handmade by Ohhh Lulu lingerie and Apparel, based out of Ontario, Canada.  The store carries aaaaadorable "romantic lingerie with a vintage flair," and it's all custom made to fit!  Check out more of her collections HERE.

Bridal Fair Madness! (post by Desiree)

In case you didn't get a chance to head out and visit us at one of the bridal fairs last Saturday, here is a little peek into our European Booth!  The Rivets crew had a booth at Den store Bryllupsfesten (The big wedding party) and MN Bride's, Look of Love.  I had such an AWESOME time meeting all the bride-to-be's, grooms, designers, and stylists.  I was also lucky enough to be right next to Chelsea's Cool Cakes...which kept an incredible aroma of sweet chocolate cake surrounding me all day.  Yes, yes I ate lots of samples.....Oh dear. Don't forget // You can still get in on the fair offer if you book by this Friday!  Just give us a hollar! 

Vintage Boudoir (post by Desiree)

Here's a little pre-Valentines day boudoir inspiration! I was so lucky to meet the lovely and talented Mrs. Depew Vintage.  I know I use the word 'lovely' a lot...but seriously this girl is the definition of lovely!  She designs and creates vintage lingerie patters.  She sewed these gorgeous pieces and together we created a sweet, simple and classy shoot for her one-of-a-kind designs. Now I'm wishing I would've listened when my grandmother was trying to teach me to sew!  ;)  Check out Mrs. Depew's online store here. 

Hair/Makeup:  Charlene Nedrum Lingerie:  Mrs. Depew Vintage Photography:  Desiree Mostad Special thanks to Cafe Stills!

A Stroll Downtown (post by Desiree)

This week is a week of inspiring meetings and prepping for our upcoming Bridal Fairs! Before catching the bus on my way home this morning, I snapped a few photos.  Yep, it's quite cold and people are bundled up here in Norway too! (ok, maybe it's not as cold as Northern MN..hehe) Let's embrace the cute hats and scarfs...the bit of sun....and the cold?!  ;)

A Wintery Golden Love (post by Desiree)

I throughly enjoyed myself collaborating with Chelsea of Chelea's Cool Cakes on this GORGEOUS winter cake shoot! We wanted to push our creative minds so we literally drove out into the Norwegian woods and found the perfect spot with aaaawesome golden light! Maria, our model, was such a trooper sticking out the cold temps.  With Scandinavian clean and Norwegian red magic happened! Wether you're getting married in January or having a February Valentines theme, I hope you find some inspiration here!

Brudesalongen // Vendor Love (post by Desiree)

I've been walking by Brudesalongen in Stavanger for weeks now. Admiring, finding inspiration, and staring in awe at their beautiful window displays! I knew it was a must to pop in to say hi and see their dresses up close. The owners Birte and Hege, both trained as tailors and designers, met in the theatre department and decided to partner up to open Brudesalonngen 8 years ago. Brudesalongen translates literally to 'Bridal Salon' from Norwegian! They've transformed this adorable antique building into a modern bridal boutique with one of a kind service, gorgeous gowns, and accessories. I think they offer some of the best dresses in the area and most of all they care about their brides and customers!  "We're not too old and we're not too young - we can relate! We want the bride to be comfortable and be true to their personality." says Hege.  For their own line of dresses they get inspiration from following the latest trends, magazines and nature, but also "We choose what we'd want to wear ourselves." she says. The two travel across Europe and love going to the London trunk shows hand-picking every gown to hang in their store as well as unique fabrics to design and sew their own!  "We are quality tailors and we want to make sure the dress fits very well." I have noticed that weddings in Norway are a bit different from American weddings so I was courious to ask the two what  changes they've seen in the last few years and how the American bridal market has changed their business.  Birte mentioned,

"Norwegians are a bit more laid back when they shop, sometimes a bride will come alone to pick a dress out herself. But now they see they want something different, something magical, something to share!.  So, it's a challenge for us but of course it is our service!  Brides that are watching the TV show 'Say Yes to the Dress' are influenced by it. They want to have an experience similar. They want to find a dress and share an experience with their friends and family. It should be something extraordinary. "

Stop in to see their own line of dresses and the cute wallpaper (see below...aaadorable!) - or check out their website online and view the incredible designers! They feature Norwegian designers Sadoni and Leila Hafzi, who has a very bohemian look and uses a lot of silk. They also offer Danish, Spanish, and English designer gowns!

Below: Birte dressing a mannequin for the window display.  The pink dress is one of their own designs!

Below: Hege

The salon also carries to-die-for, designer shoes, hats and accessories!

 Rivets and Roses, Brudesalongen, and Leila Hafzi will all be showing at an upcoming bridal fair this winter.  We're pumped for it - so stay tuned for more info!

Desiree is in Norway (by Desiree)

You may have been noticing a few blog posts and Facebook updates at the wee hours in the morning.  You may have noticed some photos from new places and quite a few coming from a little Scandinavian country especially!  It's because I'm living in NORWAY!  :) I'm maximizing my passion for travel and I love taking photos all over the world!  I'll have to thank my mother for instilling in me this desire to travel and the need to constantly be wanting to see new and exciting things.  I'm what many would call a "Vagabond," which also describes my photographic style.  This truly does shine through in all aspects of my life, just ask those who know me personally...they'd probably agree! I had lived in Norway before and was drawn back in September, just at the tail end of the wedding season in Minnesota, and I'm now living in a town called Stavanger.  (Pronounced sort of like: Sta - vaughn - er) I'm here with my super amazing boyfriend, Yrjan, who I've known since college and met while working together as photographers at the University of North Dakota. (Go UND/SIOUX) Yes, I have a difficult time pronouncing his name....still.   Slowly, I'm learning to speak Norwegian and luckily my Minnesotan/Norwegian heritage helps me fit in just fine with the Norwegian people.  What a learning experience it has been so far!

(Stavanger is known for Preikestolen, or 'Pulpit Rock'...that's me teetering on the edge of a cliff above a fjord)

(Left: Yrjan and I atop a mountain called Dalsnuten, with the city of Stavanger behind us!  Right: A much warmer place)

I'm so fortunate to be able to experience these new things everyday, like looking out my window to watch boats sailing by, seeing the stunning view of the mountains, watching the hustle and bustle of Norwegians wearing wool knitted sweaters downtown, catching cheap Ryan Air flights to other European countries, and hearing 4 different languages simply by going to the market for a loaf of bread.  I'm so glad we're in an age where flights are abundant and we have many ways to communicate and see each other.  Most of my family is now spread out with siblings living in Minnesota, Colorado, sometimes Israel, South America, or Germany....keeping in contact is a MUST and I LOVE iPhones free FaceTime and Skype.  I've been meeting new clients and friends on Skype meetings so please, give me a call anytime.  :)

(I LOVE Skype.  Here I'm video chatting with my twin sister, Kelly!  Who's Who?!...Take a guess.)

I've been meeting with vendors here who travel globally and sharing with them what Rivets and Roses is all about.  (Stay tuned for a Vendor Love post!)  It's quite a different wedding market here and it's been interesting learning all about it.  Traveling inspires me and I feel like it's a fast track in making me a better photographer!  I can't wait to work with more amazing people and create inspiring photo shoots.  I'm currently taking wedding bookings in Minnesota and Europe....book me here!

(Below: I can't believe it...but this is the view from my living room window.  OMG is right.)

(Did you know Edvard Munch was Norwegian?)  In lieu of the season...I've decided to share below this holiday reindeer special with you all.)

If you'd love to see more feel free to follow me on Instagram!  There is sure to be tons more photos of Norwegians on skis and wool knitted sweaters!  Oh, and Happy Holidays!

Aparna + Ajeet (post by Desiree)

Aparna and Ajeet are quite the international couple.  Originally from India, they've lived all over the States and now have come to Norway!  Aparna really wanted to do a shoot with her husband wearing their traditional clothing from India!  She's wearing her mothers sari and necklace - absolutely stunning and beautiful.  We had so much fun, dodging the rain, exploring vintage vespas, and grabbing coffee downtown at the local hang out 'Bøker & Børst.'  We incorporated some of their fun ideas into the shoot...who doesn't love the mustach!?  Thanks to both of you for making me love what I do!  :) Aparna and Ajeet wrote down what they meant to each other and kept it a secret until they saw their photos for the first time!

Waiting for your First Kiss (post by Desiree)

Would you wait to kiss until your wedding day? There is something special about a couple who has the willpower to save their love for the one and only person they will marry.  When you're just 15 years old, how do you know?!?  I went to middle school and high school with these two and watched their relationship go from Sarah giggling on the sidelines watching Jeff play football, through graduation, and onto their wedding day.  Sealing your love and promise to each other with a kiss on your wedding day is a special event...but for Sarah and Jeff, it meant so much more!  I asked Sarah to share a bit about her experience and why they choose to wait.

Photography by: Karen Feder

Q: Why did you choose to wait until your wedding day to have your first 'Real 'kiss? 

#1 - I knew I didn’t want to date someone I COULDN’T marry so in some ways I had thought about marrying Jeff, but because we started dating so young (10th grade) I didn’t know for sure that he would be my husband. (Although I was hoping he would be!) That being said, we both wanted to respect and honor our future spouse and save the next kiss for them. It was a way we could each guard our hearts and each others.

#2 – It seems like so many things in a romantic relationship get watered down and lose their meaning. The words, “I love you” don’t have the same meaning when you say it to multiple boyfriends who, in the end, you don’t end up “loving” after all. In the same way, I wanted my kiss to mean something. It was a physical way of showing my husband I was committed to him for life and that it was worth making sacrifices now so that he knew how much he meant to me. Jeff didn’t tell me he loved me till the day he proposed (and that was the first time I’d told him). It was one of the sweetest sentences I had ever heard.

#3 – Not kissing freed us to focus on our friendship more than our physical boundaries. As ironic as it feels, setting clear boundaries we both agreed on was really freeing. I didn’t have to wonder if I “should” kiss him or if my kissing was causing him to lust. We didn’t have to worry that kissing would lead to the next thing, and to the next. We were committed to save ourselves for our spouse. We didn’t have to worry about being that awkward PDA couple. We were free to spend time together and really get to know each other as a person rather than a set of lips. ;)

Q: How long did you wait? (after you decided to not kiss) Was it tough?

A: We had been dating for about a year when we decided to save our next kiss. We had been dating 4 years when he proposed and it was just over 5 years we’d been dating when we said “I do” and kissed as husband and wife. Was it tough? I asked Jeff and his immediate response was “Yes!” I think for both of us in some ways, yes, but in others, no. The benefits so outweighed the sacrifices – I wouldn’t do it any differently.

Q: Do you think it was especially tough since you had actually already kissed in the past? A: In some ways yes. We knew what we were giving up. But again, the benefits were much more important than the temporary satisfaction.

Q: Once you decided to wait, did you know you wanted to marry each other? A: I knew I didn’t want to date someone I would never marry so he was always a candidate. And actually, in 7th grade I specifically remember thinking I wanted to marry someone like Jeff. I guess I decided “Why try to find someone like him? I’ll just marry him!” As time went on in our dating relationship I knew I would say yes if he asked! I think even if we wouldn’t have ended up married, and maybe even more so, I would have been glad we saved that next kiss for our future spouse.

Q: When you finally kissed on your wedding day, were you nervous? A: I think I was more nervous to have all the attention on us as the bride and groom at the front of the church than for the actual kiss. I’m not a huge “center stage” kind of girl, but it was probably one of my favorite and one of the most important decisions I have ever made to stand at that alter and say “I do.” The kiss was like the cherry on top.

Q: What did you friends and family think? A: I think our families were really supportive. I don’t remember talking about it a ton with them, but I know they trusted us together! My friends? Some I think were really supportive, I’m guessing some didn’t understand, and others maybe thought we were crazy, but looking back at the possible regrets we likely avoided, I don’t mind being a little crazy.

(Oh boy...I'm on the right in the light purple.  WAY back in 2005!)

Q: Anything surprising about the overall experience? A: I think this decision has given us more opportunities to tell others about the most important relationship we have with Jesus Christ. He is really the reason we decided to honor each other and our future spouse. He has changed us and blessed us in ways we could never have imagined and I think He’s used this part of our relationship for us to be able to share Him. Our verse for our relationship, inscribed inside our rings, and used at our wedding was Psalm 37:4. It says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Delighting in the Lord was not the means to an end, but when we made that our first priority, our heart’s desires have been surpassed countless times.

Their wedding KISS!  :)  Thank you Sarah and Jeff for sharing this special part of your life  with us!

Crazy cool cats (post by Desiree)

These crazy cats are too cool for words. Which is why last Sunday we took lots of engagement photos in Minneapolis last weekend! Jenny and Bart are seriously hilarious and m.a.d.e. for each other. If you're with them for even one minute you would see how crazy they are about each other. Bart makes Jenny laugh like no other and seriously...check out her smile. GORGEOUS. I'm pumped for their wedding this summer.

Boom...yea, we're fierce.