Should You Get Married at the Sumptuous Basilica?
Nadine & Kevin ceremony at Basilica Of St Mary Minneapolis Wedding
When you mention famous architecture to gather families in the Twin Cities and Minnesota, your first idea is probably a Richardson Romanesque style building (such as Nina’s cafe in St Paul building). Your imagination brings you into the F. Scott Fitzgerald story, such as The Great Gatsby. Well, despite the fact that it has been built during the prohibition period, today that’s a diametrically opposite style (and the other side of the coin) that Nadine and Kevin have chosen for their religious union, by deciding on the Basilica of St Mary in Minneapolis.
So if you are wondering if you want to celebrate your ceremony in this church, and wonder why you can find only a few good images of wedding celebrations in the Basilica of Saint Mary available on the internet, this article should give you a clue.
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A sumptuous architecture to officialize a couple’s relationship
Built between 1908 and 1927, the Basilica of St Mary features Beaux-Arts Architecture. In other words, it’s a mix of Baroque and classical influence, designed by the Franco-American architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray (who also designed the St Paul Cathedral). Made of granite and marble, this oversized monument is the first basilica built in the USA.
Humbleness, discretion, and modesty are adjectives that can definitely not apply to such construction, where the goal is clearly to make you (a simple human) feel small and intimidated in front of something huge and superior.
Experience Transcendence through the architecture, the light, and the sounds
With its oversize dimensions, this basilica features a special sound cherished by musicians, which makes any speech sound historic. You might also notice an ingenious use of lighting. Most of the church is kept in a very low light atmosphere (too low to allow catching good images without flash), which enhances the reflection of gold leaf sculpture, copper, and contrast with the lightened sanctuary. That’s also a subtle way to control and direct the viewer’s attention to luxurious artistic and religious representations, icons, and other objects.
As you can easily guess, such construction involving synesthesia is the guarantee of a marriage that sounds nothing but special. Indeed, for several centuries (in our Western civilization), art was allowed only for religious purposes. Also, all the smartest artists developed sophisticated techniques to generate transcendence and enhance people’s faith. All those techniques gather in a basilica.
Furthermore, such a basilica is pretty photogenic and could play a good background for photographs. Nevertheless, as you will see, having a beautiful backdrop is not the only condition required to take a good picture; photographers also need the authorization to do so.
Another Catholic church that loves photographer vendors (when they stay far away)
After praising the beauty of this monument, I want to share the limitations of taking good pictures of it. As a French wedding photographer, I have spent almost one third of my last Saturdays (for 14 years) covering weddings in Catholic churches where the priest is usually pretty relaxed. They are happy that the bride and the groom cherish this moment, and that they want to keep a memory of it through photographs. They consider that wedding photographers help to keep people’s faith alive by capturing valuable and intense moments forever.
Good Photographers Work With Discretion and Obey Photography Restrictions
Of course, overseas also, we are asked by priests to work with discretion in order to respect people’s faith. As they say, a wedding is not a Hollywood show, nor a circus. People must focus on the ceremony and not on the photographer. That’s why we remain quiet and we avoid using flash when it’s not needed (and especially during prayer).
Before the ritual, we always share a few words with the priest to know his limits and requirements. Even the more conservative ones are welcoming.
Bride’s Frustration and Deception
Most people are not used to church rules, especially the ones regarding the marriage celebration! Also, my client (the bride) was very frustrated when she discovered the photographer restrictions. She told me she hired me precisely because she wanted a good picture of this ritual.
Now, let’s say that I have also been surprised (and frustrated) to witness in Minnesota a large diversity of attitudes from Catholic officiants, whether it is a priest in a church or in a basilica.
When Restriction is used as a polite way to say NO
If you grew up in the State of the North, you have heard about Minnesota Nice, a polite and hypocritical behavior to say no without going into conflict. As you will see, some churches apply photo restrictions that could be qualified as nothing but absurd. There is a big difference between asking a professional to do everything they can to respect the prayer and the religious time, and not allowing a professional photographer to take good photos. Let’s remind those Catholics and religious people that couples want pictures precisely because they value their religion and that this moment is important for them! They want to remember it forever! Note: Since this wedding, I have created an article with advice on how to negotiate with your priest for your photographer.
Group pictures in front of the Basilica of Saint Mary
Despite the beauty of the historic building, it would probably have been a great background for group pictures, but we were not allowed to take advantage of it. Also, we used the exterior of the basilica (which was probably the best option in terms of lighting).
Another option for people getting married in the Twin Cities at the Basilica of St. Mary could be to use the adjacent Loring Park. Indeed, Loring Park is spread over 33 acres and offers multiple photography spots that guarantee beautiful backgrounds for clients’ photos. Remember that this place works great for engagement and family sessions.
Bridal Suite or Meeting Room?
Then the bridal party went to the bridal suite to eat a sandwich and retouch the makeup. Despite there being no windows and thus no natural light (which is needed to do good makeup), the bridal suite looked like a meeting room, with a big table in the middle, some chairs, some trash, and a white board.
A Priest That Doesn’t Salute Photographers
The officiant (whom I was warned was not photographer-friendly) came to have the witnesses sign the marriage certificate before the ritual. He politely saluted each member of the bridal party, but I kept a sour memory of the moment I tried to salute him, and he just ignored me. One of the best men looked at me and laughed, expressing a sign of emotional support regarding the situation. Can you believe that in the “house of God,” which allegedly welcomes everyone and is supposed to be only love for each other, the priest snubs photographers and doesn’t answer direct salutations?
Pictures are allowed only at the very back of the Church
I was allowed to take pictures (using flash) of people entering the church and walking down the aisle, but only if I stayed at the very back of the church. Unfortunately, I missed all the best parts when the groom looks at his wife-to-be walking down to him, escorted by her father. Whether she laughs or cries, this is usually a real emotional situation to capture, which means powerful and beautiful portraits.
I have to admit that this was, unfortunately, not the first time I was facing such a situation with Catholics.
Very low light environment
I was also glad to have an extremely great camera sensor that allows me to catch a picture in a very low light environment (while other professional cameras would have produced disgusting images with a lot of noise).
The photographer’s spot
I had to stay on the side, on the side of the congregation, and was not allowed to come closer than 100 feet from the bride and the groom. Luckily, I had some big zoom lenses and converters (that multiply the zoom by two).
I was not allowed to move around the altar (which is pretty high above the floor level, so people would not have even noticed me).
Next Part: Cocktail and Party at Nicollet Pavilion!
After walking down the aisle for their religious ceremony, they gathered their families at another sumptuous venue (not the Villa Bellezza award for a destination wedding), but the authentic Nicollet Pavilion, located on Nicollet Island, Minneapolis, MN. I invite you to read the last story about this special day event, which was full of fun and some creative photos.
