Kenny and Yana’s Stunning Carlson Towers Wedding Album Design!
Last August 31st, Joannie and I had a blast as the wedding photographers at Kenny and Yana’s wedding at the Carlson Towers in Minnetonka. It was a wedding photography experience that we will never forget.
This fun filled wedding day was filled with lots of unique Chinese traditions and wonderful people to be around all day. And the Carlson Towers Rotunda is a majestic and stunning location for a wedding, both indoors and out. You can view highlights of this fun filled wedding day in two parts, Part One here and Part Two here.
So here we are months later and the real fun begins! Creating their family heirloom wedding album from the images they love the most; and there is a lot of them! As we create new page designs for the book, we will post them here. You can watch it grow along with Kenny, Yana and their family and friends. We’ll start off with their cover. It will be printed on artist’s canvas and wrap around the entire book, both from and back. Pretty cool.
Kenny and Yana’s canvas wrap around album cover.
Page one of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
We begin the book with a title page shown above of “the King and Queen” in their wedding clothes and some of the beautiful wedding accessories that they both wore that morning.
Pages two and three of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
The wedding storybook continues at Yana’s home where she and the girls got ready for the day. But this is where this day is quite a bit different than most weddings that we have photographed throughout our careers. Yana would wear a beautiful Chinese wedding gown for this part of her wedding day.
Kenny and the boys would arrive a short time later and Kenny would have to “earn” his way into the house by passing by the bridesmaids at the front door. It would take cash to do that. Lot’s of cash! I’m not sure just how much money it took, probably about a bazillion. Right Kenny?
Pages four and five of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
Once Kenny was allowed in, he then had to pass several tests to see if he was worthy of Yana’s hand. Again the bridesmaids had a hand at making sure Kenny and his groomsmen could pass the test. He and the boys had to entertain them, eat a variety of foods (some on the very spicy hot side; thank goodness for milk and ice cream to put out the fire) and finally write some poetry to Yana.
It was really all in fun and modern technology was used to make sure everyone could see what was going on. Yana viewed all of the events going on upstairs on her iPad using FaceTime. It had to be pretty entertaining for her!
Pages six and seven of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
Once Kenny passed all of the tests the bridesmaids threw at him, we was given permission via a note written on origami to have his first look and he ran downstairs to his waiting bride. Pretty sweet.
The story continues back upstairs where there were many Chinese traditions to be upheld. I’m sure I’m missing some of them but I know that everyone enjoyed the festivities due to all the laughter and fun. Everyone had an opportunity to exchange gifts and well wishes at the Chinese Tea Ceremony with Kenny and Yana
Once the Tea Ceremony was completed, we had a few moments to photograph Yana, Kenny and their wedding party on the front lawn before heading off to Kenny’s house for another Chinese Tea Ceremony with Kenny’s family.
Pages eight and nine of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
Pages ten and eleven of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
Pages twelve and thirteen of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
Pages fourteen and fifteen of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
We continue Kenny and Yana’s wedding album design with the wedding party getting ready at the Sheraton Minnetonka. What’s that you say, they were ready already? I know, but Yana had to put on her other wedding dress for the ceremony. Yes, she had a different dress for the ceremony and it was another beauty!
Pages sixteen and seventeen of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
From the Sheraton Minnetonka, were off to the nearby Carlson Towers for the main event. Once Joannie and I arrived, we got busy with photographs of the stunning Carlson Towers Rotunda ballroom all the wonderful table settings, cake table and all the other decorations that you’ll see throughout the rest of the album design.
Time for portraits of Yana and Kenny’s parents and the family’s and more fun portraits with the wedding party too! Following that with some fun candid moments of family and guests in the moments right before the wedding ceremony.
Pages eighteen and nineteen of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
Pages twenty and twenty one of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
Pages twenty two and twenty three of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
Pages twenty four and twenty five of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
Pages twenty six and twenty seven of Kenny and Yana’s wedding album.
Their ceremony follows and what a great wedding ceremony it was too. It’s hard to go wrong with this fun couple in this beautiful setting and it was full of personal touches that made for a memorable event for everyone there.
The start of Kenny and Yana’s wedding ceremony.
More highlights of Kenny and Yana’s beautiful wedding ceremony.
The stunning Carlson Towers Rotunda at Kenny and Yana’s wedding.
Wedding portraits of Kenny and Yana at Carlson Towers.
Once Yana and Kenny were declared husband and wife it was time to celebrate! Dinner followed along with some fun newlywed games to entertain the guests. There was “The Kenny vs. Yana Game” where they each answered questions to see how well they knew each other. The other game “Guess Whose Hand Is It?” is where Kenny was blind folded and tried to figure out which hand was Yana’s from many hands in the crowd. Kenny nailed it!
Kenny and Yana’s reception highlights at the Carlson Towers Rotunda .
After dinner it was dancing time and the dance floor was a fun place to be all night long with dancing and the garter and bouquet tosses too. Then to top it all off, Yana changed into wedding dress number three! A very pretty red one. Very, very cute!
Kenny and Yana’s wedding dance highlights at the Carlson Towers Rotunda .
Kenny and Yana’s wedding dance highlights at the Carlson Towers Rotunda .
The closing page of Kenny and Yana’s beautiful wedding storybook.
Joannie and I had a blast with you on your wedding day and I think this album shows just how wonderful your wedding day was! Yana and Kenny, thank you for asking us to capture and design it for you!
“Carlson Towers Wedding Album for Kenny and Yana”– All images and wedding album design ©2013-2014 Minnesota’s Husband and Wife Wedding Photography Team at Michael Anderson Photography.