St. Paul is home to long-established Scandinavian and German families alongside one of the largest Hmong communities in the United States, as well as many other cultures. For couples, that means weddings rich in family custom. Here is how to photograph and preserve those traditions in a keepsake.
A city of many heritages
Minnesota's Twin Cities draw on Scandinavian, German, Irish, Hmong, Somali, Mexican and many other traditions, and St. Paul weddings often blend more than one. A ceremony may include a blessing in a family's first language, a traditional dress or a dish that has been served at weddings for generations.
If your family has customs that older relatives care about deeply, tell your photographer in advance what they are and who should be photographed. Some moments happen only once, and knowing what is coming allows the photographer to be in the right place.
Marriages that bring two cultures together create especially rich photographs. Ask each family which moments feel most important and invite both sides to contribute names and short explanations to keep alongside the photographs.
Hmong wedding customs
Hmong weddings are typically multi-day family events with elaborate traditional clothing, ritual exchanges and negotiations between the two families, along with shared meals. Many couples hold both a traditional celebration and a separate modern ceremony or reception.
If this applies to your wedding, consider devoting a full section of the album to the traditional portion. Portraits in traditional attire, elders giving blessings and the details of clothing and jewelry are all worth giving generous space. Keep a written note of who appears and what each custom means, so the record travels with the book.
Respectful photography matters here. Ask elders for permission where appropriate, and let the family guide you on which ritual moments may be photographed and which should remain private.
Scandinavian touches and Midwestern warmth
Couples with Norwegian, Swedish or Danish roots often include small nods to heritage, such as a family recipe, a pastry table, a folk-art motif on invitations, or a grandmother's embroidered linens. These details are easy to overlook, and they are exactly what descendants will love to see later.
Photograph objects as well as people, and consider a spread that gathers the heirlooms together. Write down whose each one was and how it came to be part of the day, and keep that note with the album.
A grandmother's handwriting on a recipe card or the stitching on a family tablecloth is just as valuable as a posed portrait. Make a point of photographing these before the guests arrive.
Historic settings and intimate ceremonies
St. Paul's older neighborhoods offer stately homes, a grand cathedral, the Mississippi riverfront and leafy parks. A smaller ceremony in these settings, with a larger family gathering held separately, makes planning gentler and photographs calmer.
If you are planning a micro-wedding, think about creating a short album that pairs a few formal portraits with candid moments of the people who were there. A small book of 15 to 20 spreads can be as meaningful as a long one.
Consider a quiet portrait session along the river or in one of the city's parks. These are good places to get relaxed images of the couple away from the crowd, and they provide a calm contrast to busy family pages.
Keeping it with Folio Forever
Folio Forever lets you design the book online. Upload your photographs and Smart Auto-Layout designs every spread. Rearrange the sections, adjust the images and approve every page before printing. Albums run from $240 with 15 spreads and a photo cover, and come in 12x24, 16x24, 15x30 and 20x30 inch sizes, in classic or lay-flat binding.
A 20-page wedding magazine at $70 makes it easy to send copies to relatives. We are a Florida-based online studio and orders ship to Minnesota with tracking. If a book arrives with a print or binding defect, transit damage, or anything that does not match the approved proof, report it within 14 days of delivery for a free reprint or a full refund.
Choose a cover that your relatives will recognize at once, such as a portrait of the two of you with both families around you. Leather is $25 more and acrylic is $39 more if you want something special.
Planning for several generations
Think about who will open this book in fifty years. They may not know the names or the language, so write the explanation down as if for a great-grandchild and keep it with the album. A photographed family tree, or a handwritten note from an elder, can also be included as an image.
Questions
How do I record what each family custom means?
Write the explanation down, then place it on the spread in the Smart Auto-Layout designer so it prints next to the photographs. You can also photograph a handwritten note and include it as an image, or choose the wedding magazine, where the editorial text on each page is yours to rewrite.
Should I make a separate album for a traditional ceremony?
That is a personal choice. Some couples build one album with a dedicated section, while others order a second smaller book or magazine.
How many copies can I order for relatives?
You can order as many as you like. The magazine is $70 each and is a popular choice for family gifts.
Planning an album from your St. Paul photos? Design it online; you approve every page before it prints. See wedding album sizes and prices or the 20-page wedding magazine.