A Timeless Wedding in Bismarck: Cole and Amy Gullickson

Bismarck, North Dakota Wedding and Portrait Photographer: Brittany Schnell, Brittanyography

Cole and Amy wed on September 4th, 2021 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church near downtown Bismarck. They hosted their reception and dance at the Ramkota Ballroom right off the Bismarck Expressway.

Bridal Getting Ready Photo: Buttoning Up The Bride

Mother of the Bride Putting on The Bride’s Jewlery

Cole and Amy each chose classic bridal attire- Amy wore a beautifully draped, off the shoulder mermaid gown from Bridal N’ More located in Bismarck. Amy’s Hair and Makeup was done by the team at Escape On Third Salon near downtown Bismarck. Cole’s sharp, black suit is from Men’s Wearhouse. The couple’s flowers are by Dutch Mill Florist in Bismarck.

I made a few new friends and got to see some old ones!! Ben and Tia are a videographer duo from BWeis Media. They were wild fun to collaborate with and I would be stoked to work with them again!! Haley and Matthew, whose wedding I photographed last year, were in the wedding party. Haley actually introduced Amy to Cole!! It was so cool to see the love birds nearly a year after their vows.

Detail Photos

We started the day with Wedding Detail photos at the hotel. Amy brought a custom hanger for her dress detail photos. Indoor lighting can sometimes be less than desirable for photos, so I brought in one of my strobes to illuminate all the details properly.

This big day had two first looks planned. One with Amy’s father, Jerry and her first look with Cole. Both took place at the Capitol near the Governor's Mansion. This area is perfect for a first look. It’s right pretty, right next to the road, there are lots of places to hide a bride or groom so they don’t see each other before the first look- so many reasons to pick this spot!!

Unique Bride & Groom photo with long wedding veil

We arrived at St. Mary’s Catholic Church at noon and took formal photos of Amy & Cole, the wedding party and their families.

After formal photos, Amy and Cole read letters they wrote to each other. When they pulled their letters out, we realized they wrote letters based on what they expected the other person to write. Amy thought Cole would write a short letter, so she did as well. Cole thought Amy would write a long letter, so he did as well. Here they are, before their wedding and they have already learned one of the pillars of being in a relationship: meeting each other halfway. Except, these two don’t do anything halfway!!

Bride & Groom reading love letters to each other

Bride & Father of the Bride walking down the aisle

Groom looking at his bride walk down the aisle

Bride & Groom during the wedding ceremony

Bride & Groom kiss at the end of the aisle

I have photographed several weddings at St. Mary’s Cathedral and I have enjoyed all of them. The Father’s who officiated always have a funny story to tell and I’m starting to appreciate some of the Catholic traditions that we don’t have in the non-denominational church. Communion, in particular, is such a beautiful ceremony.

Father of the bride during the recessional

Mother of the Groom greeting friends and family

After the ceremony, the wedding party loaded up in the Hummer Limo by Night Life. We bumped to music and celebrated Amy and Cole on the way to the USDA Northern Great Plains Research Center off Highway 6 on the south side of Mandan. The research center offers many gorgeous backgrounds for photos- trees, flowers, grass and a couple pretty, old houses. The grounds are extremely well kept.

Wedding Party at USDA Norther Great Plains Research Center

The USDA Northern Great Plains Research Center is my new favorite place to take photos in Bismarck. I’m going to stop there as often as I can from here on out!! Do you want to know how I heard about it? An elder photographer cornered me at a wedding once and told me this was a prime location for photos, yet no one knew about it. I mentioned it to Amy and she was sold!!

Wedding Reception Decorations, Table Center Pieces

Back at the Ramkota Ballroom, cocktail hour was in full swing. The staff at the Ramkota kept guests out of the reception hall to allow Ben, Tia and myself to capture those beautiful detail shots when we arrived.

Wedding Cake with Drapery and Floral Design

Grooms Cake with Cow Bride & Groom Cake Topper

My favorite detail of the entire reception has to be the Groom’s Cake. While looking for cake toppers, Cole mentioned that he liked this set of Black Angus bride & groom cake toppers but Amy didn’t feel like they went with their elegant cake design. Instead Erin at the Cake Life in Gladstone, ND made Cole a grooms cake decorated in a painted landscape design and topped with the angus duo- perfect for the North Dakota Cowboy.

I’m a dessert person, but I don’t try cake at every wedding. Eventually it adds up. But based on how in love Amy and Cole were with their baker, I had to try a slice. It’s either my number one or number two favorite. I can’t decide. (The other cake was baked by the bride, who runs her own cake business out of her home!) The cake was thick and moist, almost like a brownie and was served with an amazing frosting that melted in my mouth. They had two flavors: strawberry lemonade and vanilla bean, which is the one I tried. SO GOOD!!

Dinner was served by the Ramkota Hotel, who had staff serving every table. The menu included Cesar Salad with popover buns and Chicken or Beef served with steamed sweet corn. I enjoyed my dinner with Ben and Tia who told me about their adventures. This duo loves hiking and they have some awesome hiking content on their Instagram. Such an inspiration!!

There were so many good stories and sweet words said during toasts, but Amy’s speech has stuck with me. She told us a story about failing a test by three questions and needing to retake a class. This was a big deal because it was her senior year, so she wouldn’t be able to graduate when she thought. She was upset- not at herself. Nay nay. She was upset at God! How could he let her go ride her horse when she had studying to do? Silly God!! It led to a bit of a dark hour in her life. But she pushed through and in that class that she had to retake, she met Haley. Haley wouldn’t shut up about this Cole guy that would be just perfect for Amy and eventually the two connected. The rest is history. Remember, when one door closes, another door opens. Sometimes in your darkest hour, God has something amazing planned for you. He certainly does for Amy and Cole.

The MC & DJ for the night was Tanner with Power Play DJ out of Fargo. He was high energy, professional and kept the party going the whole time I was there. Tanner and I schemed together to include Cole & Amy’s guests in their first dance by setting up the “starry nite.” Tanner asked everyone to surround the dance floor and pull out their phone flashlights and point them at the couple. Every light in the background of their first dance is a loved family member or friend, supporting & celebrating their relationship.

Bride & Groom’s First Dance Animated GIF

The Ramkota has a few walls covered in a beautiful green vine. So we had to grab Cole and Amy for a few more photos before the sun set. Ben took one of me with the couple, I’m so thankful for this photo!!

Brittany SchnellFebruary 19, 2024