Micaela + Ben || Northern MN Lake Wedding

With every wedding that was held or postponed since March or so, each couple had to agonize over which choice to make: to have it as planned, have it with great modifications, or postpone it until next year. They’ve had to weigh the cost implications, cutting guest lists and the heartbreak of some of their favorite people not able to attend, or rearrange plans that were supposed to help curate their dream wedding. All scenarios are real and valid. Some couples chose to postpone until next summer, some couples chose to modify their original plans to include a smaller, more intimate celebration, and some couples choose both.

This is what Micaela and Ben did. They just wanted to be married now, and host their BIG party next year when they celebrate their first anniversary (come back here next year for photos of that fun!). Together with their daughter Ava and their immediate families, they said “I do” on the shores of Elbo Lake up in Cook, Minnesota. This location is special to Ben’s family who have been spending their time here for years.

The bride styled the grooms sister’s hair, the groom dressed their daughter and kept her occupied in the meantime, and everyone walked down to the big rock on the beach for the bride’s brother to perform their nuptials. The family (and maybe their friendly photographer) shed tears of joy and stood by to show their love and support. After, a celebratory dinner was held while everyone drank wine, kept the kids occupied, had a camp-fire by the water, and relaxed into the evening. That’s a perfect celebration in my book!

While I can always say that I appreciate the time, expense, and detail that goes into the large-scale wedding day, there is something so intimate and emotional about only standing in front of the most important people in your life and committing to the love of your life for the rest of your life.

Congratulations Micaela, Ben, and Ava (and the rest of the Carey / Bell family!). Thank you for letting me be a part of your incredibly special day in Northern Minnesota and I can’t wait to party with you all next fall!