Creative couples session at the Minnesota State Fair
On today’s “fun fact” about me: I love the Minnesota State Fair. Anytime an opportunity arises to combine a passion of mine (like visiting the Great Minnesota Get-together) with my passion of photographing madly in love couples, I’m stoked. Chuck and I are so lucky to have so many adventurous couples who trust our vision. Spending time photograhping some creative couple sessions at the Minnesota State Fair was the best way to wrap up the Summer.
Like I mentioned, I absolutely love the MN State Fair; so much so that I’ve only ever missed it THREE times since I was born. Once, I was a foreign exchange student in Brazil and it broke my heart to miss it. The second time I missed it was when Chuck and I were on vacation. And we all can guess what the third time was (*cough cough* pandemic…). As much as I love the food (stay tuned, I’ll get there) and games, I love the sentimentality that surrounds the State Fair in my life.
Minnesota Wedding and Elopement Photography and Videography | Chuck and Shiloh
The Minnesota State Fair holds a very special place in my heart; it’s actually how my parents met! My mom had a booth up in the grandstand back in the day called Cloud Nine Factory. She began her business when she was 18. She’d travel across the country selling airbrushed pillowcases and personalized piggy banks (such a vibe). In 1988, as fate would have it, my dad went to the State Fair to visit a buddy who had a booth near my mom’s. My dad asked his buddy if he knew anything about the gal selling piggybanks. He found out she was single, asked her on a date, and the rest is history!
I don’t know what it is, but being a native Minnesotan and having my parent’s love story beginning there, one could say it’s in my blood. Having the pleasure to share my love of the fair with Chuck has given me so much joy. But like I mentioned, wow do we love the food at the fair!! So to get you ready for next year, here are our classic go-to food items:
Tiny Tim Mini Donuts
About a Footlong hotdog
Pork chops on a stick
Wild Rice Burger with cheese and fired onions
Nitro ice cream
Deep fried snickers + cookie dough
To be honest, the food list could be a mile long. I’m yet to find a bad food at the fair! Now that you’ve read a bit about my parent’s love story and what I love most about it, keep scrolling to read more about the lovely creative couples session at the Minnesota State Fair.
Minnesota State Fair Creative Couples Session
Annika and Eli first met at ROTC; Eli was her boss. At one point, Annika was seeking advice on how to be more productive at work, so she sought Eli’s advice. After chatting a bit, they found out that they both had a love for Jesus. Now, they’ve been married since May! I loved interacting with them during the state fair couples photos because they are in the sweet newlywed stage. You can just feel the love radiating off them; the pictures to prove exactly that!
The second couple that embarked on the creative couples session at the Minnesota State Fair was Alicia and Garrett. They drove all the way down from St. Cloud for the session which was so sweet. I met Alicia at Wellington’s Pub and Grill way back in the day when we both waitressed while attending Winona State University. I loved that she always had the biggest smile on her face and kept the energy high. Alicia and Garrett are recently engaged and are tying the knot in an intimate wedding on the outskirts of Duluth. But wait: the best part?! It’s at a local green house!! (Don’t mind me swooning over here!)
Having the opportunity to photograph these creative couples sessions at the Minnesota State Fair is something that I won’t ever take for granted. I find myself thinking about my parents every time I step foot onto the fairgrounds. And capturing other couples’ love stories just fills my heart even more!
If you’re an MN native, let us know what your fave food is at the State Fair; send us a DM on the ‘Gram (@chuckandshiloh). And if you’re searching for more adorable couples to swoon over, you can BINGE THE BLOG!
