New Blog!

I’m excited to announce that I have a new blog:

www.jacquelynsenske.com/blog

This blog will no longer be used by Jacquelyn Senske Photography. Please update your *favorites* as I know I’m on there 🙂 and we’ll see you at the new site! Thanks for stopping by!

Terese & Jeff Engagement Session: Minneapolis Photographer

I have known this beautiful couple for a long time. The bride-to-be, Terese, is my gorgeous and fun cousin. Her handsome groom is Jeff and they met in college at St. Bens/St. Johns. I love different sessions for different reasons. This one was so much fun for me because of WHO I was capturing (love capturing family!), being at Minnehaha Falls and the beauty that surrounded us, the fun we had doing different and crazy things, the fact that I hadn’t had a session in a while, the list could go on.  It was just a really great afternoon and I loved seeing Terese & Jeff through my lens. They really are a fantastic couple together. I don’t know how many times Terese laughed during our session together. Most of them came from something Jeff did or said. They are so in love and just have a really good time together. I love seeing that. Seeing happy and loving couples is part of the reason I love my job so much. But when I have a personal interest, it is that much more fun for me. I am so excited to capture their wedding this Fall. It is going to be a gorgeous location – more to come!

Terese & Jeff, I am so glad this day is finally here! And your wedding is just around the corner! I have loved watching the 2 of you in your relationship and seeing you interact with each other. You have something very special and I am thrilled you found each other!  I am so honored to be doing this for you – and love both of you! Can’t wait for another wedding together with family!

{turn up your speakers and click the ‘play slideshow’ icon below. see below for additional photos}

Britni & Dan, Engagement Session: Minneapolis Wedding Photographer

Similar to a few other sessions I’ve done, the first thing I heard when stepping out at beautiful Centennial Lakes from Britni-the-Bride was, “Dan isn’t really into this picture thing…” ahhh, got it. Apparently anyone who knows Dan would know this about him. I’ve heard this before. And like the times before Dan, after about 1/2 hour, I think he actually started to enjoy our little session (Dan, if you’re reading this, maybe you didn’t – but just humor me). All joking aside, I loved photographing this couple! It was a gorgeous afternoon and I absolutely loved getting behind my lens to observe this couple.  They both bring out different qualities in the other person – I loved watching them interact! I saw them compliment one another the second we started shooting. They laughed, giggled, and did whatever I asked them to, which was fun for me! I’m so excited to photograph their wedding this fall!

Britni & Dan, I am so glad I had the opportunity to do this for you before our second little one arrives. It was my last shoot of the season before baby, and I loved every second of it! I am so excited about your wedding and wish you the best in your planning phases. We will talk soon! Can’t wait!

Love this shot…

Britni, you are stunning!

{Smart Bride Blog}

One of my photos from the recent destination wedding to Mexico was featured on Smart Bride Blog!  Thanks for submitting AJ!

AJ & Nate: Part II

Remember our trip to Mexico in January? Remember AJ & Nate, the beautiful bride & groom? This is part II of their story – one I had hoped to tell a while ago but life got in the way. I’m not going to say much, I’ll let the pictures do the talking. But I will tell you that our trip to Mexico is a week I will never forget. As I’ve said before, as a photographer, taking part in an entire week of a new life starting together as husband & wife is something I will treasure. AJ & Nate have a wonderful group of friends, a beautiful and kind family, and so much love for each other. I loved, loved, loved being there to capture all of the moments, on top of the beautiful wedding.

AJ & Nate, thanks for your patience with me these past 2 months. Congratulations again on becoming Mr & Mrs Lund! Here is something that will hopefully help you relive your time in Mexico:

AJ & Nate Wedding: Riviera Maya, Mexico

This wedding was absolutely beautiful, in so many ways. Shooting a destination wedding was like nothing I’ve ever experienced in wedding photography. I loved spending days with the couple, their family and friends before the wedding even took place. I took pictures on the beach, at dinners together, hanging out playing volleyball in the sand, photos of the groom body surfing in the waves, I captured moments with the bride & groom’s friends that wouldn’t have otherwise been caught. It was an entire weeks’ worth of photos, frozen in time for the bride & groom to cherish forever. I was absolutely honored to be there doing this for AJ & Nate. They are such a fun-loving couple with a great body of support in their family and friends.

I have so much I could write about this wedding. The pictures below (be sure to click on the slideshow icon) are more about the wedding day than the actual week. I plan on documenting the week in another entry. What I really wanted to focus on was the story that was told on the beach at the Sandos Caracol Resort on January 10, 2010. The way the bride had carefully traveled with her wedding gown on the plane, the detail that was put into the invitations, the gift bags for those traveling that included an ’emergency kit’ for anyone who may have forgotten to bring bandaids or chapstick (with SPF). The toasts that were made at countless dinners we all had together, the 80+ people that all made their way to Mexico for this wedding, the laughter that the bride & her bridesmaids had when I asked them to ‘pose like aj’ for certain shots (backstory: AJ is an actual model and has been for years, this was a piece of cake for her!), the true nature of the groomsmen – they were so much fun to be around and, as you can tell, didn’t even flinch when asked to pose. The way Nate looked at AJ as she made her way down the aisle, seeing her for the very first time as his bride…ah, the whole thing was just beautiful. There was laughter, tears, and more memories made than can even imagine.

AJ & Nate, I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to be a part of your incredible journey to Mexico for your wedding! It was truly a blessing for me spending that much time with you guys and your incredible family and friends! What a memorable and amazing week for the two of you. I hope these images are something you treasure for years to come. There are so many more coming your way…but this is your little sneek peek. Enjoy married life to the fullest – blessings to both of you! Love, Jac

AJ, you are stunning!

Loved these shoes! Perk to marrying a guy so tall – beautiful, huge heels!

My husband took this shot of the bride & her dad right before they started walking down the aisle together. I think he’s hired – LOVE it!

Doesn’t she have the best looking laugh?

Back from Mexico!

Brian and I are back from Mexico. We spent a week in the Playa Del Carmen area and had an incredible time! Our friends, Nate & AJ, got married down there on Sunday 1/10/2010 and I was the photographer for their big day. It was my first destination wedding and I loved it! I’m hoping to get a few more of those 🙂 Even though I bawled at the airport on the way there from saying goodbye to Logan, and I cried once during the week after we hung up the phone with him, I was glad we were able to do this trip. I know it is going to be much harder for someone to take our 2 kids than it was for them to take our 1 and it was a great time for Brian and I to just relax and spend time with one another. I’m going to give a full rundown of the trip in a later post…just wanted to say hello!

I’m working on some newborn photos I shot before I left and also getting through the filtering process of the photos from the week of Nate & AJ. There are many photos to come! Stay tuned…

Jamila & Matt: St. Paul Wedding

Jamila and Matt have such a beautiful story. They looked for one another for quite a while. You can tell that they were well worth the wait to each other. Jamila has a smile that just lights up a room and one of my favorite moments of the day was when they were about to meet for the first time. She was crying so hard she couldn’t even start walking towards Matt. It was a beautiful moment to witness and one that I won’t forget! They have been through a lot together in the time they’ve been engaged so it was even more special for me to capture this day for them. Their family & friends were incredible, with such a fun wedding party. We had a beautiful day for their October wedding and the University Club was a great place to shoot! If you want old/traditional in downtown St. Paul, this is a great venue. We had such a variety of photo opportunities. I loved it!

Jamila & Matt, thank you for allowing me the privilege of freezing your wedding day in time for you, giving you countless images to treasure in your many happy years together. I know you will have a lifetime of them! Enjoy your marriage and thanks again!

Brooke & Jeff: Hastings, MN

We had an absolutely beautiful day in October when Brooke & Jeff tied the knot in Hastings! When we started photos that morning there was still snow on the ground and on the trees…but by early afternoon, the sun was shining and it was starting to warm up.  Spring Lake Park Reserve was such a great place to shoot because it has just a little bit of everything. The Mississippi River is directly behind the main visitors center and it is a spectacular view! Trees surround everything with beautiful colors, a great tall-grass field, complete with a farm silo and windmill in the distance. I am a firm believer that you don’t need a ton of space to make a photo great – but I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to shoot there if requested. It was beautiful!

Brooke & Jeff are a couple that know how to have fun together – and love taking photos! Which makes my job so much fun! My favorite part of the day was getting to know their families (and, of course, Brooke’s boots!). When I met them, Brooke & Jeff seemed complete. They have wonderful, supportive siblings, encouraging parents, and friends that knew how to join in the fun. Their ceremony took place under a tent with their reception at the Hastings Country Club.  Everything around them was beautiful! I loved being behind the camera that day!

Brooke & Jeff, congratulations! I hope you enjoy your sneek peek and I can’t wait to hear how married life is going! Enjoy it and keep having fun together! Thanks for allowing me to capture your special day for you!

Jen & Noah

I have been waiting to do this post for a while now.  Mainly because I was so excited about it and I wanted the day to be closer – and now it is! My BEAUTIFUL sister, Jennifer, and her
soon-to-be husband, Noah, are getting married in 2 weeks! I had the extreme honor of shooting their engagement photos one sunny afternoon in downtown St. Paul. We had such a fun
day together and I loved seeing them interact the way they did. They are 2 of the most amazing people I know, and I can’t wait for their wedding day to get here! It is truly going to be a day of celebration and love!

Jen & Noah have been together for about 4 years and on October 3, they will become Mr. & Mrs. Noah & Jennifer Wahl! They are having an outdoor ceremony in Grand Rapids, MN at Ruttger’s Sugar Lake Lodge. Their colors are brown and blue and our dresses are a beautiful midnight/indigo blue. All of us sisters (including Noah’s sister, Sarah) are in the wedding party, along with 2 of Jen’s really good friends. Our niece, Anna, is the flower girl and little Logan is the ringbearer.

Everyone is just really excited for the day to be here and our family could not be more thrilled to officially welcome Noah to the family. After 4 weddings already, it is so comforting to know that the last one is here – and we love all of the in-laws. Noah included. Our family is almost complete.

I love you, Benny & Noah, and am SO honored to be standing up with you on your wedding day. You are both beautiful people with huge hearts for Christ and each other. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for both of you in your marriage. I hope you enjoy your slideshow and know how much you are loved. Yea for October 3rd! Love you!