Lakeside Minnesota Micro Wedding | Minnesota Wedding Photographer

I feel the need to preface this blog post with a statement to let you know that I don’t always have a lot of words on my blogs. Mostly because I feel like the imagery tells the story and I don’t often have the right words to convey the emotion that goes into a wedding day. But it felt cheap to not give more words to this post or to talk about the decor and dress designer. And if you read on, you’ll know why.

Barb reached out to me late summer about her son, Joel, getting married. She told me that Joel and Ali weren’t super interested in having a photographer at first; but Barb, a wedding photographer herself, wanted these images not just for her but for Joel and Ali too. She wanted Joel to have beautiful portraits that he could look upon during some tough days that were on the horizon. She told me Joel had stage four cancer and while she prayed for a miracle, she didn’t know what the future held. And Barb knew the comfort a photograph could bring.

Joel and Ali looked at my work and agreed that my documentary style was the perfect fit for two people who just wanted to be present in the moment and have a day full of precious memories and love, not a day filled with overly posed and curated memories. And that is exactly what I did for them. And what I experienced by simply being present and honoring the day, is something I want to experience at every wedding. Though I know this one will stand out for me always. Joel and Ali and their family were full of so much love and light and peace. Of everything, the peace is what really stood out to me. Peace was felt in every moment.

Due to the pandemic, I didn’t photograph anything inside but you can see our day starting with Joel editing his vows and adding some things he wanted to say. What looks like just a few minutes was actually Joel running about 45 minutes behind; to which everyone smiled and explained was so typical of Joel.

Joel and Ali had a very unscripted first look and took some time spent perfecting Joel’s bowtie. It had to be just right. The a lakeside ceremony at his Aunt’s cabin followed. The property was so special to them, having spent many days together on this lake. My favorite part of the entire day was the boat parade that followed. Other local cabin owners donated two pontoons to the parade and we took our time in the warm evening sun laughing and telling stories. Many residents knew of the parade and met us on their dock to wave and celebrate with us. It was so totally perfect and totally them. Like I said, I’ll never forget it and I could have sat on that pontoon with their family for hours.

I left Ponto Lake that day feeling so fulfilled. Not that it’s about me, because it’s definitely not. But it is truly an honor to be trusted to provide them with photographs to document the precious memories that will live forever. I like to remind people often of the photographs that will outlive all of us. Pictures have this beautiful way of telling our story and allowing us to relive a time that exists only in our minds. And while I know not everyone loves or values a photograph the same way I do, I think we can all appreciate the way a photograph brings our memories to life. Because as we move through life and seek miracles during dark days, sometimes the miracle we seek is not always the miracle we find. The miracle I saw that day is the light that Joel spread to those in his universe and will be felt always. You can feel his light just pouring out from every image below. And while I know Joel and his family wished for a healing miracle, I believe the miracle was Joel himself - to know him, love him, and have him in their lives.

Just a few short weeks after their wedding, Joel passed away. But I still feel the presence of his life every time I look through their gallery. And I hope that anyone who comes across this page or looks through their wedding gallery will feel Joel too.