Ojiketa Regional Park, located outside of Forest Lake in Chisago City, MN, has a cute little camp perfect for outdoorsy, canoe loving people. It also is the home of Strom Hall, the venue for Jess and Hannah’s summer wedding.
And when I say camp, I’m not talking about the sleeping in tents type of camping you’d normally associate with regional park camping. Rather, there were clean cabins some with had actual showers!
Jess and Hannah met several years ago and were actually really great friends before they ever acknowledged that they had feelings for each other. In fact, when Jess gave birth to her second child, Hannah was the person who cut the umbilical chord!
As they tell it, they were kind of afraid to take a chance on a relationship for fear of ruining a beautiful and important friendship. Thankfully they did take the chance because their relationship blossomed into a love that words can’t come close to describing.
Their connection is pretty profound too. They’re so in sync that they both, individually, went to the same jewelry store, bought the same a ring (which wasn’t advertised as an engagement ring), and planned to propose within a few days of a trip they were going to take. Jess was the one who asked the question but as so as she did, Hannah ran and grabbed the ring she bought for Jess.
I just about died from cuteness when they shared this story with me when we sat down for our consultation last fall. And I died a second time when they retold the story at their engagement session.
Jess and Hannah’s wedding was perfectly them and a celebration of all things love. Love for each other and love for their family and friends!
And it’s clear that their friends love them too. Many lent the couple their creative talents by assembling all of the floral arrangements and bouquets, decorated Strom Hall for their reception, and even created a band to provide the tunes for their dance!
I wish Jess and Hannah all of the happiness in the world. Love you two so much and thanks for sharing your special day with my team and me!!
VENDOR CREDITS
Venue: Strom Hall at Ojiketa Regional Park
Photographer: Lauren Baker Photography
Caterer: TST Catering
Florist: Created by the brides and friends
Cake Artist: Buttercream
Band: One Time Only (Friends of the brides)
Makeup- Artist: Friend of brides
Hair Artist: Designers Salon Spa
Bridal Gowns: The Wedding Shoppe | Designers: Casablanca and Mori Lee
Bridesmaid Dresses: The Wedding Shoppe
Suits: Savvi Formal Wear
Rings: Rogers and Hollands Rosedale and Ash Hilton
Officiant: Jean Hay
Stationary: Vistaprint
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How do we even start to say thank you for all the work and effort you put into our wedding day?
- Josie and Scott
Lauren played such a meaningful role in our wedding, capturing the day in photos that we'll look back on for the rest of our lives. She kept Scott and me calm and sane - Lauren is a miracle worker! She put in 100% effort and gave us her very best, and that means so much to me. Seeing our photographs makes me so excited and so happy that Lauren was with us on this journey.
Lauren made the process so easy and made us feel so comfortable!
- Amy and Luke
We just wanted to say thank you again so much for your amazing work. You were seriously incredible to work with and we loved the locations you suggested for both our engagement shoot and the spots in Stillwater. We were very worried about getting professional photos done since we had never done it before, but you made the process so easy and made us feel so comfortable. Thank you!
Working with Lauren was easy breezy and FUN! She gave us our most treasured photos ever!
- GRACE AND NICK
There was a chunk of time in our wedding planning when we thought we'd go without a professional photographer to save on cost (terrible idea!) but once we met with Lauren, we knew we'd be in good hands. She checked in often and asked questions that got us thinking about other parts of the wedding that we probably would've missed. Lauren captured exactly who we are as a couple!
Lauren's enthusiasm and passion make the photo-taking process so fun – she made me feel like a star!
- Alisa AND Adam
Lauren and her team are so much fun to work with! She made us feel so comfortable on the day of our wedding, providing both silly and helpful cues to help us relax and be ourselves in our photos. Lauren’s background in dance is super helpful in recognizing simple posture changes that make a big difference, too. Oh, and the photos we got are just stunning!
Lauren was pivotal in making our wedding day perfect!
- Emma AND Erik
My husband and I looked FOR MONTHS to find the perfect photographer and after meeting Lauren we knew was the best fit for us. She made our day so much fun and easy. She found little opportunities to make the perfect photo all with a calm ease that comes from someone who has an artistic eye along with experience in understanding the flow of a wedding.
Not only is Lauren an amazing human being, but she is an awesome photographer!
- Haley AND Erick
I've been in several weddings and have worked with a multitude of photographers and I never felt as confident as I did with Lauren. I love how professional she is. She helped with the timeline way in advance and we stuck to that timeline the day of. She was also able to professionally and firmly keep unruly family members settled and focused and navigated family drama beautifully!
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