The North Shore in Minnesota is such a beautiful space. I swear there is nothing else like it in the United States (perhaps there is, but I’ll continue to think there isn’t, so it stays forever special). I remember when I was a little girl in 6th grade and we had to come up with a trip around Minnesota where we would visit three different cities, plan our the actives, the hotels, transportation, etc. I chose to bring my mom along and we would go to Austin to visit the Spam Museum, then head up to Bemidji to visit Paul Bunyan and finish out trip with a visit to Grand Marias to eat at the World’s Best Doughnut Shop. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved to travel and adventure.
Jess is my cousin and her and I grew up basically as sisters. I spent countless days at their house on the lake, spending as much time outdoors and playing on the Nintendo 64. She met Gunnar through Bible Study and formulated a friendship which in turn blossomed into a relationship. Jess has always been an outdoor enthusiasts, loves trips up to the North Shore and will take any opportunity to hike and camp. When she told me she was getting married, I just had to ask if her and Gunnar would be interested in heading up to Tettagouche State Park to take some more wedding photos. I knew she wouldn’t say no, so the planning began!
We stayed in a cute little Air BnB in Grand Marias, spend our Friday at the Lutsen Mountains snowboarding and had Saturday as our planned wedding portrait day. That morning, Chuck went and picked up the doughnuts from the World’s Best Doughnuts because what better way is there to start your day with? At Tettagouche State Park we had glorious sunshine, 40º weather and couldn’t have asked for a better day! We made our way out to Shovel Point, basking in the sunshine and capturing Jess and Gunnar in their natural habitat. They are the most snuggly couple, Jess is adventurous and Gunnar is there to enjoy the ride. It was the best kind of winter adventure!