Minneapolis Wedding: Merritt & Alex (Part I)

This summer I wandered up to the Minneapolis, Minnesota area to photograph my cousin Merritt's wedding. They definitely embraced the ethos of "A Practical Wedding" even though I didn't point her toward the site until the wedding was already planned. My family is just naturally down to earth and awesome like that, I think. They had an intimate ceremony and said their vows on the Summer Solstice, followed by a celebration and another ceremony on the following Saturday. This is that Saturday. It was definitely a community event. Friends and family all pitched in to every aspect of the day! The wedding was held at the Lodge of the Baker Park Reserve, and most of the guests stayed in cabins on-site that night. The party lived on deep into the night, getting more and more raucous by the hour, I think. Even though I was working, it definitely ranks in the top 3 most fun weddings of my life (including my own). I think the fun, easy-going vibe of the day will be more than evident as you look through the photos below. I love this wedding far too much to cram it all into one post, so check back on Sunday for the reception!

If you're too impatient to wait until Sunday for more photos of this wedding, feel free to check out the entire wedding here.