If you’ve been around here for more than five minutes (or less, honestly), you already know I’m a ride-or-die for a slow morning: golden light, latte in hand, a timeline that breathes.

That’s what Kaylyn and Ben built at Edward Anne Estate. And it was everything.

Held at the Edward Anne Estate at Bavaria Downs (basically Tuscany dropped into the Midwest), their entire wedding day moved at the rare speed of slow in the best way. Espresso-martinis-on-the-couch slow. Glam-and-poker-slow.

No-rush-we’ve-got-time-to-feel-this slow.

This is what happens when the couple, the venue, and the vibes all link arms and go full send: a wedding that doesn’t just look good (and it looks so good), but feels lived in, too.

Vendors | Florist: Cosmos Floral | Hair and Make Up: Blissful Beauty | DJ: Karon at Bellagala | Dress Shop: Flair Boston | Dress Designer: Jenny Yoo | Bridesmaids: Azazie and Birdy Grey | Suit: Milbern Clothing | Dessert, Catering, and Bar: D’amico Hospitality | Venue: Edward Anne Estate at Bavaria Downs

The Vision Was Visioning

Kaylyn and Ben, in general? A big ol’ vibe. Capital V. 

Kaylyn came to me with that Vibe and a clear vision for her Edward Anne Estate daydream. Not just for the aesthetics (though, let’s be real, the girl’s got an EYE), but for how she wanted their day to unfold: to embrace the organic, but make it editorial.

She trusted my creative eye completely (can you say terrifying-slash-really-freaking-special?), and that trust gave us the best kind of luxury: space.

And because of said space, getting ready wasn’t this frantic pre-ceremony frenzy. It was college pregame nostalgia, but elevated.

Upstairs? A girl gang in jammies, crowded around the mirrors. Downstairs? Groomsmen playing poker in a former-wine-cellar-turned-grooms-oasis. Kaylyn moving through her morning with grace. Ben in front of the antique bar, giving editorial backdrop straight out of GQ.

All of it, just… chill. Everyone had a lot of time to just exist. Which, for one, makes for the calmest wedding day, like, ever. And number two, it’s an opportunity for me to get those little behind-the-scenes looks of you truly enjoying your day versus feeling like you have to perform it.

Edward Anne Estate AKA, the (Other) Main Character

Let’s talk about this venue, because Edward Anne Estate at Bavaria Downs is the definition of main character energy.

Vaulted ceilings. Dark wood beams. Natural light for days. A balcony that basically begs for a Baz Luhrmann Romeo + Juliet remake.

Kaylyn had one request: capture the house. So her dress got the full tour—over the fireplace, draped in front of those perfect blue doors, and beneath the most STUN-NING window, where she toasted the morning from her chaise longue like the Vogue Italia bride she was born to be.

Her shoes? Staged on the Italy-coded tiled sink she loved. The floor? Covered in details: earrings, cufflinks, the invitation suite, his black paisley tie.

Their slow morning and the character-rich details of Edward Anne Estate gave me the chance to chase every slant of light and textured finish, with each sun-kissed corner and finely-aged finish feeling like it was tailor-made for Kaylyn and Ben. 

And don’t even get me started on the tulip bouquet. It was all Kaylyn. All elegance. All long-stemmed drama that mirrored her lean, glowy, soft-glam energy like it had been made for her—which, of course, it had.

Even the getting ready space felt like her. The height. The sophistication. The timelessness that makes you wonder if time itself bent a little and a Hollywood starlet had wandered into their Minnesota morning.

The First Look and A Delivery Truck With No Chill

Not to toot my own horn but… toot-toot because I picked a stunning first look spot at Edward Anne Estate. Scoped it out. Light was ready. Birds were chirping, like paid actors.

We were thriving. And then?

A delivery truck backed directly into the moment.

Beep.
Beep.
Beep.

I left for literally one minute to go grab Kaylyn and boom: wedding crasher with a CDL license.

And yet, the glowing couple took it in stride, smiling and laughing the entire time. Truly the two of them enjoying the most absurdly perfect moment.

We opted to moved their private vows to the courtyard—quieter, tucked away, sun slipping low.

The way she looked at him and the way he saw her. The thumb-graze. The hand-stroke. Forget rom-com gorgeous— this was the Pride and Prejudice hand flex on steroids.

Maybe it was Ben doing his Anthony-Bridgerton-meets-Mr-Darcy utmost or Kaylyn single-handedly giving the ENTIRE gallery Golden Age energy but I was feeling a little… bold. Like, direct-sunlight-is-calling-my-name bold. And I leaned allll the way in (no regrets). 

Each and every portrait ate. No crumbs. No notes. All organic. 

This is why I preach building time into your morning. Not for the content. Not for the aesthetics. For the actual living.

An Untraditional Ceremony and a Collective Gasp

First tradition told to shove it? Ben’s dad officiated their wedding. And he rocked it.

Minnesota rocked it too, giving its very best blue sky, puffy puffy clouds, and greenery right by the Edward Anne Estate pond. And the florals? Cosmos Floral did NOT come to play.

But what made it most special was the people. Ben’s mom walking him down the aisle. His dad standing right next to him when Kaylyn walked in. And her: cape trailing, wind cooperating (ish), both parents on either side walking her down the path toward her almost-husband.

They read their own vows, and let me tell you, there’s just something about those ‘I-love-you-because’ lines that hit different when you’re standing in front of the people who raised you, shaped you, know you. You can see it in your parents’ faces right when it hits: that soft joy of recognizing the little quirks they’ve watched unfold over decades, being named out loud by the one person who loves them on purpose.

And then Kaylyn and Ben did something ELSE I rarely see couples do… they skipped the dip kiss (*collective gasp*). No over-dramatic lean. No “count to three and hope we’re in sync.”

That man picked her all the way up and spun her around like, “WE JUST DID THE MARRIAGE THING.” 10/10.

A Candlelit, Fruit-Filled, Espresso Martini Lover’s Dream at Edward Anne Estate

Okay, but like Cosmos Floral was out here creating literal Dutch still lifes with these tablescapes.

And the espresso martini moment? She evolved (yes, theme continuity!), from cozy morning sips to an it’s-on-and-popping reception bar. And cheers to that, because it made for some of my favorite reception photos I’ve ever taken. Like… ever ever.

Some photographers like to pull people to smile for photos. I’m more of your fly-on-the-wall type—cinematic and stealthy, over here catching you being accidentally iconic.

I mean, yeah, I will totally follow a couple around for those impossibly cute, touchy-feely moments (because let’s be real—you’re not not going to kiss on each other when I’m around). But I’m also catching your dad swapping stories in the corner, your groomsmen’s arm around someone mid-laugh, you and your sister messing around between hugs. It’s intimate and raw in a way you couldn’t replicate if you tried. 

Kaylyn and Ben did something else I rarely see: they introduced their wedding party by name, and by story. Each person. Why they mattered. And the whole room felt warmer because of it.

The Juiciest Golden Hour of the Summer AND a Private Cocktail Hour at Edward Anne Estate

Golden Hour was a big non-negotiable for Kaylyn and Ben. So when I say we slipped out to snag their moment in the setting sun, I mean we literally sprinted out of dinner so fast. But not without their pup Louis, of course.

And the light? Juiciest of the summer. I said what I said.

Kaylyn wanted playful. We got full-on frolics. Sun flares. Kisses that got a little deeper as the sun slipped lower.

And then? A private cocktail hour. Just the two of them, tucked away on a velvet couch with their drinks and their post-sunset glow (Louis, respectfully, not invited).

They knew what mattered to them, and here’s the kicker: they made time for it.

Not the Lift They Were Expecting But the One We Needed

Every frame of the reception felt like a window into how Kaylyn and Ben love each other: steadily, sweetly, without spectacle. And when they finally took the floor, after letting the moment earn its magic? They delivered.

Ben’s first dance with his mom? Immediate tears. (Only child solidarity, it’s fine, I’m fine). Kaylyn and her father trading matching nose crinkles and smiles? A close second. Their parents weren’t just attending, they were woven in.

And then came the party.

Cue: the reception dress, signature dad moves, and joyful-chaotic vibes. Ben got hoisted up on shoulders like this was a championship win (even though he is the LEAST athletic person ever… his words, not mine).

Kaylyn hesitated for half a second… until her tiny powerhouse of a maid of honor singlehandedly lifted her into the air like it was nothing. And once she was up? Living.

And then, for their final break from tradition? Kaylyn and Ben stayed together. So often couples float apart for the formalities, but not these two. Together, start to finish.

Final Thoughts on This Edward Anne Estate Wedding

Honestly, their whole wedding sends me (you know, if you couldn’t tell by now).They weren’t asking “what’s next?” They weren’t watching the clock. They were living their espresso-martini, Louis-approved, velvet-couch love story.

This wedding didn’t follow “the rules.” It followed them. Unposed. Unbothered. Undeniably them. And I’d photograph it again— yours, too— in a heartbeat (beeping delivery truck and all).