I never get tired of doing wedding photography at Como Zoo & Conservatory in Saint Paul, Minnesota. My favorite things about this venue — the garden is always changing and the venue looks great during the day and evening. With 90-minute rental blocks, we have enough time to capture the ceremony, couple’s portraits, and family photos. It’s a wedding photographer’s paradise.
For you other photographers out there: bring a 20mm lens. Some of the spaces are narrow (like the upper landing), so the wide angle helps with those full-body portraits.
Sarah and Dan opted for a micro-wedding with only eight people in attendance, including parents and siblings, along with myself, violinist, and officiant.
The greenhouse of the conservatory has a way of catching the sunset perfectly as it disappears into the west. This is where we chose to start with first-look photos and portraits.
After the ceremony, we gathered the family on the upper landing (remember that 20mm lens) for portraits as twilight cast a beautiful glow into the sky above the conservatory.
Like I said, Como is beautiful day and night. To cap off the evening, Sarah, Dan, and I took advantage of the night-time ambiance. The star-shaped lights above the garden cast a beautiful glow. These shots were some of my favorites of 2020.
Congratulations, Sarah and Dan!
Planning a wedding at Como Conservatory? Let’s chat photography!
Rachel Lahlum is an award-winning Minneapolis wedding photographer with experience in hundreds of weddings and engagement sessions. She takes a guided approach towards working with couples, from helping with planning and scheduling, to guiding with poses and prompts during the session. Her photography is crisp, clean and bright, with true-to-life colors and a mix of traditional poses and candid moments.