1. Real Weddings

Denise & Joel: An Outdoor Wedding in Grand Marais, MN

The one thing Denise had asked Joel (her boyfriend of nine years) not to buy her for Christmas was a pair of women’s waders. “We’re camping, hunting,

The one thing Denise had asked Joel (her boyfriend of nine years) not to buy her for Christmas was a pair of women’s waders. “We’re camping, hunting, and fishing enthusiasts,” Denise explains, “and I had a pair that worked just fine!” But on the evening of December 23rd, Joel arrived home with a rather large box that he couldn’t wait for Denise to open. The Bride Denise Denny, 27, photographer The Groom Joel Mack, 29, electrician The Date July 30 Since he clearly couldn’t contain his excitement, Denise agreed to exchange one gift early. She opened the box to discover...well, waders. “They seem very nice,” Denise said, managing a smile. At that point, Joel drew her attention to the smaller package nestled inside the box alongside the rubber pants. Six months later, the couple married on the Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais, a location especially meaningful to them for the many hiking and camping trips they’d taken there together over the years. And beneath her elegant strapless gown, the bride wore (no, not waders) hiking boots, complete with lacy anklet socks! Sometimes, beautiful things come in surprising packages.

The Gunflint Trail in Grand Marais was a natural choice for this outdoorsy pair’s union. “We couldn’t think of any place more meaningful to us,” Denise says. The ceremony took place atop a wooded overlook with striking rock formations and views of Gunflint Lake below.
The Couple
The bride carried a wildflower pomander accented with pine cones and dried oranges.
Denise and her mother decorated the reception and ceremony areas with wildflowers in galvanized pails and milk vases filled with birch twigs.
The three-tiered square cake was decorated with yellow and white daisies and topped with a ceramic bride and groom moose figurine.
Joel and Denise are no slouches on the dance floor. Denise surprised her father with a father-daughter polka, and Joel stepped out with his mother to “Sleepwalk” by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Later the newlyweds wowed the whole party with an energetic swing dance.
Denise and Joel paddled away in a canoe for two. “We returned to the dock and gazed at the sunset before returning to the celebration with family and friends,” remembers Denise.
The Rings
The two bridesmaids wore knee-length dresses in a rich chocolate brown. The groomsmen wore black pants and shirts accented by copper vests rented from Men's Wearhouse.