What can I say about Jana and Ben’s wedding at Creekside Farm Weddings in Rush City, MN? I mean, aside from, “IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING!!!!!” Jana and Ben are the kind of people you want to be best friends with; they’re funny, smart, have great taste in wine and food, and are also Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit fans.
They’re both nature lovers, too. So much so that they’d happily spend the evening watching the sunset, with a beer in hand, and play a board game. It’s fitting that Ben proposed to Jana whilst on a hike in West Glacier on their annual camping trip, don’t you think?
I got a firsthand taste of their adventurous spirit when we took their engagement photos last fall at Jay Cooke State Park. Go check out their engagement session blog post. And I can only dream of where they’ll go and what kinds of adventures they’ll have on their honeymoon!
Which brings us to their wedding at Creekside Farm Weddings in Rush City, MN.
Jana, her mom, and all of her bridesmaids couldn’t hold back their excited laughter as Jana stepped into her wedding dress.
Ben and his dudes were hanging out and loudly playing games (provided by the lovely people at Creekside Farm Weddings) before their first look.
After Jana’s Father of the Bride dress reveal (which was one of the sweetest moments in wedding history) was Jana and Ben’s first look. We decided to do their first look near the babbling creek that runs throughout the grounds of Creekside Farm Weddings. Their first look was so dreamy. In fact, I’m still gushing from all of the romance! After their first look (and after we all wiped the happy tears from our eyes), we walked around the lush grounds of Creekside Farm Weddings. The picturesque environment gave us all of the timeless, romantic vibes we could ever dream of.
I’m seriously in love with Creekside Farm Weddings. Y’all know that I love greenery and this venue did not disappoint. There are glorious tall trees, fields of tall grass, trails that run along the creek, multiple romantic willows, and neutral barn doors. Speaking of barn doors, they worked perfectly for their wedding party and family photos!
Jana and Ben’s pal Dan officiated their wedding. Dan made the ceremony personal, sweet, and I couldn’t help but grin when Arwen’s famous line made its way into their wedding vows — “I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.” (!!!)
When I photographed Jana’s sister’s wedding, Jana and her dad gave lovely, heartfelt toasts. So it was no surprise that they did the same at Jana’s wedding. They also brought back the mother daughter dance from Dani’s wedding. Which, I’ve said before, is a dance that should really happen at every wedding!
After dinner, we snuck out to take some romantic and glowy “Just Married” photos. And it was so worth it! They were such troopers and didn’t bat an eye when I asked them to go deep into the field which, we discovered, was crawling with grasshoppers. As a result, we were able to get some pretty spectacular golden hour photos. And yes, we absolutely bug-sprayed up. Bug spray lives in my car’s emergency kit because I’m terrified of ticks and I will offer it to you if I ask you to get into a field of tall grass.
Jana and Ben, I can’t thank you enough for your friendship and for trusting me with your wedding day. Have a great time on your honeymoon and hit me up soon for that happy hour we talked about!!
Venue: Creekside Farm Weddings & Events
Photographer: Lauren Baker Photography
Videographer: Savstrom Studios
Florist: Marah Cole Designs
Dessert: Rush City Bakery
DJ: Mark Haugen DJ
Makeup Artist: Amanda Chen, Kelsey Bickell
Hair Stylist: Palindrome
Caterer: This Little Piggy Catering
Bridal Gown: Our Shop Bridal
Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie
Suits: Atmosfere
Rings: Wedding Day Diamonds
Invitations: The Knot
Officiant: Dan Faster (find of the bride and groom)
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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