Missy and Mike {by Leslie}

You guys remember Missy and Mike? They won my free wedding a few months ago, and I got to shoot some engagement photos for them this weekend. We decided to shoot around Minnehaha Falls as Mike works for the forestry service... or something (he does something with nature and trees and these two are very outdoorsy), and we wanted nature to be a big part of the photos. Several times while hiking around to various spots Missy or I would ask what kind of plant/tree we were seeing, and he could tell us. It was awesome. These two are getting married in the forest on the edge of Lake Michigan in the fall, and I cannot wait to shoot their wedding. I think they make for some pretty lovely images.

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.

Once upon a time there was an enchanted barn... (Post by Louisa)

This. Wedding. Was. Awesome. Mimi & Brian (who are not only beautiful but also ridiculously nice) got married last weekend at The Enchanted Barn in Hillsdale, Wisconsin and I cannot wait until someone hires me to shoot there again. Seriously. This place was nuts! Horses roaming around, a barn with soft, dreamy light and, oh yeah, the most incredible staff...seriously. SERIOUSLY. Brides: if you don't have a venue yet, let me just go ahead and recommend that you check this place out. Okay, enough waxing poetic about this perfect location. Let's talk for a moment about the handsome groom and his merry band of seersucker-clad groomsmen. Dapper for days. And then there was our bride Mimi, decked out in a Tara LaTour gown that couldn't have been more perfect for this bucolic location. All in all, I'd have to say this was one of the most picturesque weddings I've had the pleasure of shooting. Mimi & Brian, I am so thrilled that Jess and I got to be your photographers on your wedding day! We grinned the whole time and I think you're going to like the images we made for you.

Home is where the heart is (by Desiree)

Sometimes home really is where your heart lies...so why not profess your love and marry your favorite person at home?  It's ridiculously fitting for these two.  Here are a few favorites of mine from last weekend with the super awesome Photogen-Inc. crew!

Travis & Teresa Tie the Knot (Post by Louisa)

The Sunday before Memorial Day was supposed to be 96 degrees and raining. You know what happened instead? The weather was GORGEOUS. It was hot and sunny and windy and gorgeous. You know what else was pretty gorgeous? This fine-looking couple. They were married in a quiet ceremony in front of their family and then had a rocking party at the Crowne Plaza. These two thought of everything and their day was spectacular; from the dramatic floral arrangements to the way their entire family dressed in black and white (resulting in some seriously killer family portraits) to the fact that they rented a vintage Ford to drive us around for portraits. Travis & Teresa: thank you for choosing me and for letting me be a part of your lovely wedding day. I wish you all the best!

Raincheck (Post by Louisa)

Minnesota is an unpredictable place. It's hard to know when you can schedule outdoor events and have them go off without a hitch. For instance, you may have scheduled a whole test shoot for a new makeup company with a florist and models and a beautiful location...and then it might rain. And you might not have a backup plan. What to do then? Well, then you make lemonade out of those darn rainy lemons. You call makeup artist Alice Berman and Lisa Roy of Flora Bella and you even convince an old family friend to model for you. If everything goes the way you hope it will, you end up with images like the ones below (and some really tasty lemonade). Special thanks to Elizabeth Messina for inspiring this shoot.

A few favorites {by Desiree}

Just going through some shots and I found a few favorites that I wanted to share.  Isn't she just lovely?

The Dance by: Marc James

This past weekend I had the pleasure of working at the Wisconsin State Ballroom Dance Championships. This was the 25th year celebration and it was quite a wonderful weekend. A special thanks to Dan and Becky Messenger who put together an amazing event and congratulations on 25 YEARS!!

Sneak Peek

These two lovely people got married on a

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chilly, grey day in Madison last weekend. I think we made the most of it :)

record store day {by leslie}

Some of you may or may not know that I've been teaching a course at the University of Minnesota this semester. It's my first time tackling this kind of work, and it has been invigorating and inspiring and... exhausting. I was pretty naive going into the semester about how much work would be required to put together my lectures. But anyway, summer break is almost here and that portion of my workload is finally lightening up. So why am I telling you all of this? Because I finally (finally!) had time this weekend to shoot some photos for myself. April 21 is Record Store Day (every single year), and it's one of my favorite "holidays." Labels release special editions and all kinds of rare music on vinyl, and in general I love how the community comes out to celebrate these small, struggling local businesses. I make a point of visiting one or two of my favorite shops each year, but this time around I wanted to visit five. I chose the Electric Fetus, Treehouse Records, Hymie's Vintage Records, Fifth Element and Yeti Records.

These shops span a variety of "genres" of customer, but they all have the same details that I love: hand-drawn signage and a good sense of humor about them. Below are a few of my favorite shots of the day.

So next year, you guys should join the party. There's lots of great music, some good food and even live performances around the city -- and it's always fantastic people watching as well!

Rivets and Roses Gives Back to Charity!

We are incredibly excited to announce that for every wedding booking from now on for the 2012 wedding season, $200 from each booking will be donated to charity! Each of us have chosen an organization to support that has been very close to our hearts and we're excited to give back. As a studio, we are all about finding the perfect photographer that fits your style. Now is your opportunity to not only have amazing wedding photography, but also to make a change and donate to an amazing cause, in honor of your big day! [quote]I am thrilled to announce that a percent of my proceeds will go toward the Animal Humane Society. As most of you know, I love taking photos of animals, and especially puppies. I have two very large dogs of my own that I rescued, and I'm a big supporter of saving dogs that are in need of a home. Donating some money to help adopt out more dogs is something I am really happy to be a part of. - Leslie[/quote]

[quote]From photographing newborns and children at play to photographing their wedding day, I'm incredibly blessed to be able to photograph these special joyous moments in families lives. Camp Get-A-Well-A also brings joy to families lives, only they do this during some of the most difficult times in families lives. The organization brings a camp experience right inside the hospital, so kids confined to a medical facility can still experience the thrills of summer camp. Camp Get-A-Well-A believes healing the spirit can help heal the body, and sometimes the best medicine doesn't come from a bottle. After all, kids in a hospital are still kids! I couldn't agree more and am thrilled to be working with this amazing organization! - Natalie[/quote]

[quote]I have an old childhood friend who was diagnosed with ALS a few years ago. I've thought about him often since then and I feel like this is a way to be supportive to him and his family and friends. -Louisa[/quote]

[quote]I have chose to work with the organization ART START. The purpose of ART START is to nurture the voices, hearts and minds of at-risk youth through creative arts workshops conducted daily inside homeless shelters and alternative to incarceration programs throughout New York City. With structure and connection to opportunity, art can be the starting point of a process that turns project achievements into life achievements. - Marc[/quote]

[quote]Giving and helping NAMI is important to me as they are committed to helping those who struggle with a mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. They also focus their efforts on helping the family members and friends of those who struggle with these illnesses. I feel it's important to educate the public about mental health and NAMI is out there to promote community programs, improve services, and reduce stigma. This is close to my heart as I have family members who struggle mental illness and I'd love to be able to help everyone! - Desiree[/quote]

Find Your Photographer

If you are interested in being a part of this amazing opportunity, please check out our portfolios and also the charities we support!

Leslie's Portfolio & The Animal Humane Society

Natalie's Portfolio & Camp Get-A-Well-A

Marc's Portfolio & Art Start

Desiree's Portfolio & The National Alliance on Mental Illness

Louisa's Portfolio & The ALS Association

Feel free to contact us directly for more information and pricing. Cheers to giving back!

- Team Rivets and Roses

Gretchen & Tom | Destination Wedding Photography {by natalie}

Gretchen & Tom decided to get married in Mexico & I couldn't be more happy that they did! The quaint Azul Beach Hotel was the perfect backdrop for their sweet, intimate wedding. And can I tell you, spending time with couples & getting to know them, especially in a situation like a destination wedding, is so much fun for me! These two are seriously so in love...my favorite moment? After the ceremony I had the two of them alone on the rooftop for a few photos in the setting sun & Tom, reached in, pulled Gretchen to himself tightly & sweetly kissed her on the forehead...ahhh...my heart! I am so happy for them & all that lies ahead of them! Congratulations!  

Sneak Peek | Destination Wedding {by natalie}

Here's a little sneak peek of what I am working on right now! This little gem of a wedding was so! much! fun! I can't wait to share the rest of the images! For now, just a little grooms dinner teaser. Enjoy!

My day with the City House (Marc James)

A few days ago I had the pleasure of working with the City House. The City House is a group  that connects those on the margins of society, who might be homeless, in prison, or in recovery, with those in the mainstream of our society, for mutual listening, learning, and transformation. I was able to document the days of mentors and leaders in this group and talk with them about the lives they have lead and the lives they currently lead, an experience I won't soon forget.

Looking ahead (Post by Louisa)

In a couple of weeks I'm going to be doing an awesome test shoot with these two talented makeup artists, Romeny and Alice. If you are a bride looking for gorgeous, flawless makeup on your wedding day, look no further. These two have amazing skills and delightful personalities. Here are some shots from a 10 minute portrait session we shot last week. Keep your eyes open in early May for our upcoming test shoot!

Studio Lights

I had the pleasure of attending the latest MINNe-SHOP taught by the fabulous Eliesa Johnson. We practiced up on on studio lighting techniques.  It's such a different world from shooting an outdoor engagement or a wedding, but I'm finding it so much fun to do both!  I just wanted to share a few of my shots with ya'll.

the end of winter | engagement session {by natalie}

The end of winter means the beginning of wrapping up wedding plans for these two! I had the idea for this session in the works for quite some time and I'm incredibly lucky that Stephanie an Aaron were willing to wait until I said "Today is the day!"...from the crisp white snow and warmer-than-cool temperatures to the setting sun I think it all came together beautifully! Stephanie and Aaron were quite the troopers for me as well...the road to this particular park was closed so we had to hoof it there through the melting snow...I thought it was pretty treacherous, my boots were soaked (!) but that's nothing for these two. As avid campers, hikers and mountain climbers, and by mountain climbers I mean SERIOUS ROCK CLIMBERS who like hang off the side of cliffs, I think they got a kick out of my apologies about having to walk in the snow!

puppies make everything better {by Leslie}

So you all know by now that besides photographing weddings, I love to shoot some good old rock'n'roll. But you know what else thrills me to no end? Photographing dogs. I love, love, love capturing the emotions of canines. And you know what I like photographing even more than dogs? PUPPIES. I mean, seriously, what could possibly be more fun than a wiggly little pup? Yesterday, I had the chance to shoot this little girl, Kalie, and holy moly, you should see that cute little Buddha belly of hers.

Rivets and Roses Vendor Happy Hour!

This past week, our crew hosted a lovely little meet-and-greet happy hour for wedding vendors! We love getting to know the people we work with on weddings, and we also find some face-time incredibly valuable! The Modern Cafe, in Northeast Minneapolis, were our hosts for the evening and the staff there absolutely WOW'd us with their cocktails and appetizers! (Brides - did you know that the Modern now offers liquor catering?!?! What a fabulous idea for your party....) Creating lasting relationships with people in our industry is so important, and it was so great to take a moment and show our appreciation. Thank you to all of the vendors who came out, it was great to meet you! -Team Rivets and Roses

sxsw {by Leslie}

Last week I ventured down to Austin, TX for SXSW. This isn't much of a surprise, considering how much I love photographing bands -- and it's something I try to do every year. This year was different, however, in that I picked up an additional freelance assignment to shoot street style for Women's Wear Daily. I have never shot street style before, but my day job has me editing such photos a lot, so I felt comfortable with the job. And man, was it fun! The people watching in general at SXSW is pretty stellar, but when you're really *looking* for unique and pulled-together looks, it made it that much more fun.

Below are a few of my favorite fashions, thrown in with just a quick sampling of some music shots as well. Enjoy!

If you'd like to read about my favorite bands from SXSW, I wrote up a quick roundup here.

And if you'd like to see more street fashion, you can see the full slideshow from WWD here.