Ryan and Stacey's wedding at Saint Christopher's in Nisswa was on the same day at the Run for the Lakes race that takes place in Nisswa. When I pulled up, the church parking lot was almost entirely full of racers and spectators. By the time the ladies and gentlemen were done getting ready, the race was over and the entire town was back to its normal population. This is typical in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Weekends see a dramatic surge in population of everything: towns, lakes, stores, churches, everything.

Father Moravitz held a beautiful wedding mass, the weather was FINALLY great after winter extended itself into spring well past it's welcome, and the bride and groom were joyfully wed: mission accomplished!

As an aside, I love the tradition of the Catholic wedding mass complete the eucharist. All hour and fifteen minutes of it. Many people and couples frequently make comments to me along the lines of: "Don't worry the ceremony will be quick." or "I talked to the pastor and the wedding shouldn't take longer than 20 minutes.", etc. From my perspective, both as a photographer, but also as a husband, the ceremony is where all of the miracle of a wedding occurs. Take your time. The ceremony is the cornerstone of the entire day. Without it, there would be no wedding day: no dance, no dinner, no decor, no flowers, no dress, etc. Do not rush the ceremony. It will go quickly enough.

Think about it. This ceremony is when you are promising to change the entire trajectory of your life, perhaps it deserves more than 20 minutes, and even if your tradition doesn't require more than 30 minutes, have the attitude that those 30 minutes are the most important of your wedding day, not the least.

Ryan and Stacey, I LOVED your hour long Catholic Mass and getting to hang with your families and friends.