HOME!
Is where we finally are after spending 16 of the past 33 hours in the car driving to northern Minnesota and back. It was totally worth it though, to reunite with old friends from our days in Minneapolis for a beautiful, lake-side wedding! :D
Ben and I left at the crack of dawn Saturday morning and witnessed the most beautiful sunrise at 6:30am,
passed our standard tunaCORN Fantasy Football Adopt a Highway sign around 8:00,
breezed through the Twin Cities at 10:15,
and hit the open, rural roads of northern Minnesota about an hour later!
I’ve never driven further north in Minnesota than Minneapolis/St. Paul, so I was not prepared for how stunningly beautiful and picturesque the countryside was.
Whimsical hay bales, grazing horses and red barns dotted the landscape,
and big, puffy clouds made an impressive backdrop.
We reached the hotel around 1:45pm, which left me just enough time to shower and get ready before catching our 3pm shuttle to the ceremony. One problem: check in wasn’t until 3:30!!! Nooooo!
After a slight panic attack, the woman working the front desk let me shower in the unisex pool bathroom and get ready in a dirty hotel room.
Serenity now. Serenity now. Serenity now.
As you can probably imagine, I got ready in record time and made the shuttle with a few minutes to spare, before we were ushered off to the ceremony held at a private home on 10 Mile Lake!
This place was absolutely incredible.
We drove down a long, windy driveway to get to the front door, walked around the back, then BAM.
There’s the killer view.
(There’s my killer view! ;) )
The air was warm and there was a slight breeze coming off the lake – it was perfect!
Now Ben and I met Kristy & Jess, the couple getting married, when we moved up to Minneapolis after college.
They are two of the nicest people we know and a BLAST to hang out with. (Still thinking about the pool bathroom, apparently…)
The ceremony got underway promptly at 4, and the bridal party walked down the aisle.
Don’t you ADORE these bouquets? They’re just baby’s breath – I thought that was so clever and elegant!
Plus I loved the turquoise color of the dresses. They looked great on everyone. :)
The ceremony was beautiful, meaningful, and before we knew it, the knot had been tied!
Whee! :D
After the ceremony, the couple and their bridal party immediately walked down the dock off the house and into an awaiting boat for a cruise around the lake.
I loved this!!!!!
While the wedding party was having their pictures taken, the guests convened at the reception site – Chase on the Lake Resort.
The back of the resort had a little beach area with docks and slips that we explored a bit.
Soon enough the girls were back and it was time to get the party started!
This is a fun bunch, people. ;)
We sipped on cocktails and nibbled on apps before heading into the ballroom for toasts and dinner. (Jeremiah Sweet Tea Vodka what what?!)
I loved the decor in here. The couple’s family had strung all the lanterns,
and the camp where Kristy and Jess met provided the centerpieces at each table!
Birch tree sections had been hollowed out for pretty tea lights, and mason jars (!) were filled with happy white and yellow flowers. :)
(yesssss.)
Dinner included a nice, light salad,
and perhaps – no definitely – the best walleye I’ve ever had. It was BUTTERIFIC.
After dinner, things really got kickin’…
at the bowling alley next to the ballroom – HA!
The girls threw a couple strikes,
While I made out with a spare.
Robbed, I tell you!
Your standard wedding shenanigans rounded out the entirely too-much-fun evening,
and fun was had by all. :) Oh, and there was pie in lieu of cake. Genius. I had Strawberry Rhubarb and it was amazing.
May you have a long and happy marriage, Kristy & Jess! Thank you for including us on your special day!
Ben and I are heading out for a nice long walk to stretch our legs before calling it a night. We are tuckered out but happy to have spent the weekend with some really good friends. :)
Have a great night!
~~~~~
What’s the most unique thing you’ve seen/done at a wedding?
The past two weddings I’ve been two have been absolutely epic. Bowling at this weekend’s and an 80’s cover band at the one I attended this spring?! Awesome!
Looks like a fabulous wedding! Love the bowling. Nothing unique at the weddings we’ve been to, unless you count a bunch of polish music and dances.
That location is stunning!!!! What a fun wedding! I love how they incorporated bowling into the fun.
Umm, Minnesota is freaking gorgeous. Reminds me there there is still so much to see in our own little (enormous) country, and wonder why I gallivant across the world instead of exploring more locally!
I loved her Converse shoes under that beautiful dress, wish I had worn something more interesting under mine!
The coolest thing that ever happened at a wedding I went to was the bride and groom bringing out a famous Persian pop group to put on a ‘concert’ at the reception– SOOO much crazy, sweaty Persian dancing!!
Looks awesome! My hubby is from Minneapolis, and I secretly dream of relocating there someday :)
Small world-My twins had your father for their teacher last year at Crossroads. I found your blog a while back and love to read it. My daughter dreams of opening a bakery some day so she has really enjoyed your recipes! My husband’s family has a cabin on Ten Mile (he grew up in Bloomington, MN) I always get excited when someone mentions that lake-a beautiful place!
I second the comment above. A) I had no idea how pretty Minnesota is and b) sneakers under your wedding dress rocks!! I also really like the dress, that headpiece, and the red lipstick. All together it just looks so old Hollywood glam!
That’s totally what it looked like! She had these awesome turquoise/green feathers in her hair too. Sylin’!
This made me cry. Thank you for a lovely post :)
No worries – weddings always make me cry a little too :)
What a fun wedding – I love how the couple looks SO excited in every picture!!
After 4 years of living in the Midwest, I can honestly say that the summers are what I miss most. They are gorgeous and the wedding looked beautiful!
I love how they had pie instead of cake…totally goes with the outdoorsy/more rustic wedding theme!
Beautiful wedding! Yay, America! =)
What a beautiful and happy couple. I just teared up a little bit. Thank you for sharing the celebration with us.
Bowling – that is awesome!
I have been patiently awaiting this post. I have known kristy since I was little, and met Jess the year Kristy met her at camp :) I love those two. They are so great. and that wedding was GORGEOUS. Northern Minnesota will always have my heart. So perfect.
ah and I totally missed that Birchwood provided the centerpieces. Oh my gosh- I die. So amazing.
OMG I didn’t know you know J + K!
I LOVED this post! What a beautiful wedding and couple.
Love, love, love the dress! Beautiful summer wedding!
This is one of my all-time favorite IGE posts. Beautiful wedding!
Looks like a beautiful wedding!
Just stumbled across your blog and wanted to say hi. I lived in Iowa for the past 5 years and just moved back home to the Pacific Northwest. I’m inspired by your running and one of these days hope to be able to run faster and longer too. :)
What a lovely wedding that must have been! GORGEOUS wedding gown! Congratulations to the brides! <3
I think the neatest thing I've seen at a wedding was when the bride's young daughter walked her down the aisle. The little girl's father was not a part of her life, so her step-father-to-be was going to be adopting her…and she walked her Mama down the aisle. Talk about a tear-jerker! :)
where did you get your dress you wore to the wedding?? ive been looking for a dress like that and cant seem to find one i like, yours is adorable!
Target! :)
How fun! Past two weddings we went to were from the same friend circle – totally different. The first brought in Grecian dancers who performed and led the crowd in some Greek wedding dances (the couple met in Greece); the second included music composed by the groom’s mother, readings from Shakespeare & Ovid, and an Indian buffet for dinner (which was AMAZING!!). We have one coming up in December that’s using a Never Neverland/Alice in Wonderland/50’s theme…I can’t wait!!!
Your segment with channel 5 was great, by the way. :)
Wow, your pics of the countryside are bea-uuu-tiful! The wedding looks fun :D Bowling?! Totes cool!
I LOVE your blog ! I was wondering where you got those beige sandals ? They are awesome !! I need to get a pair :)
Thanks again for such a FAB blog.
Jackie
PAYLESS, believe it or not! :)
Gorgeous wedding! I love LOVE!
Congrats to the newlyweds!
That looks like a FUN wedding! I also like the baby’s breath bouquets and the cruise around the lake–AND the bowling alley! haha Very cool, everything looks lovely. :) Glad it was fun!
When I married my husband I had a 5 yr old from a previous marriage. At our wedding we had a three ring ceremony. He put a ring on her little finger and he repeated after the preacher. ” Do you promise to love and take care of Madison and promise to be the best step father you can” he said I do.. and there was not a dry eye in the
house.. and then he said to Madison.. ” do you promise to love Scott and be the best step daughter you can” and that little sweet voice said I do.. it was awesome.
Beautiful and fun…is there anything better?!? I loved the adirondack chairs by the lake. Heaven.
That looks so fun. I am very jealous that you were in MN though, you wench ;) You looked amazing btw!
Omg I just laughed for like 5 minutes over this. I have not heard the term “wench” in ages. Thanks for the giggle. ;)
Sounds like a fun wedding, but wow, that was a lot of driving! Then you still made a blog post? Weren’t you tired? North of the cities, Minnesota looks beautiful! I love driving through rural Wisconsin, too!
…Ben did all the driving… tehehehe He loves it though!
At one wedding, people had to tell stories about the couple, to make them kiss. At my cousin’s wedding, they had a little putting green and you had to sink a putt to make them kiss. LOL! Other than that, most weddings are pretty ordinary!
This summer, I had a lot of weddings. 2 co-workers’ daughters got married, plus my best real-life friend’s daughter also got married. I’d known my girlfriend’s daughter, since the day she was born!
Ahhh Minnesota…someday my love for my home state will pull me back. In the meantime, I will continue to fall head over heels in love with Iowa.
Northern MN IS gorgeous…My husband’s best friend got married in Duluth at Glensheen Mansion (his bride worked there in college & was fascinated by the history of it–a couple of murders occurred there back in the ’70s)–That was a really cool wedding. Especially getting to walk across the grounds & then be right on Lake Superior! And during the reception, he sang a song he’d written for his new bride. Looks like you had a really good time. And at the wedding I attended last month, in order for the couple to kiss, you had to stand up and sing a song with “love” in the title!
What a gorgeous wedding! And I love the shoes you wore!!
Gorgeous wedding! Love that there was a bowling alley and the personal touch of the centerpieces was so precious :)
What a beautiful wedding!! I adore the bride’s dress and the venue!
What a beautiful couple – they look so happy! Congrats to them!
The pics are georgeous as usual!
;-)
I love your shoes !!!
What a fabulous-looking couple! That dress=amazing. I also changed into Converse sneaks for my wedding dance. Looks like a fantastically fun and gorgeous weekend!
i LOVE your site. i visit daily now. good pics. good talk. now even a broader perspective. love. love. love!!
Wow gorgeous is the right word for this wedding, I love their style. Especially the babysbreath!
I can’t believe you were in Walker. That’s 45 miles from where I live. Glad you enjoyed the beauty of the northwoods.
What a beautiful wedding! The color of the bridesmaids dresses is so pretty and summery! :)
The bride’s dress was gorgeous! All those ruffles–love!
Beautiful wedding and location! I’ve run Grandma’s marathon in Duluth twice and the drive up is stunning.
Weddings for us mostly took place in the mid to late 90’s where it was still pretty traditional (boring). The most recent wedding we attended a few years back had dueling pianos which rocked!
Love Ten Mile Lake! I got to visit there years and years ago. My best friend in high school her family had a cabin there. Still do as far as I know. It was the best! Water so cold and clear! Not like these Texas “bath tub” lakes.
The photo of the tree lined road with the boat in the center is beautiful! What an great weekend :)
My 21 year old daughter is getting married next May and I love the idea of the bouquets of just baby’s breath!..so pretty ..and congrats on the tv spot..I’ve told my friends about your blog at work and how much I enjoy it!
Thank you Robin!
That was a beautiful wedding!! The baby’s breath was such a cute idea too. Also, where did you get your nude colored shoes that you wore?? I need that color shoes ASAP!
Payless! :D
I just got engaged a couple weeks ago, so I am just beginning wedding planning. This was a fun post to read. I really love the idea of being married outdoors, but I would be so devastated if it rained!!
I thought Minnesota has a ban on marriage between same sex couples. It is great that this couple got married without waiting for the state to “allow” them to do so.
Congratulations on the engagement! One of the girls is from Iowa (which allows same-sex marriage,) so I think that’s how they got around it. I’m not 100% sure on the details though!
Looks like you had tons of fun this weekend, great pictures! I went to college for a year in the Twin Cities and I miss it. I visited some friends and family there earlier this summer. It looked like gorgeous weather for an outdoor wedding!
As part of a wedding photography business, it takes a lot to impress me… everyone thinks they’re unique & original… but, big ups to these ladies! They managed to wow me! Here’s hoping for a bowling wedding in our future as well!!