Theresa and Adam had a gorgeous Saint Paul wedding at Raspberry Island and Harriet Island Pavilion. This is my third time photographing a wedding for this wonderful family! I photographed two of Theresa cousins’ weddings! It was fun to see this wonderful bunch again! All of Theresa and Adam’s locations were set at their favorite places in St. Paul. They even camped out overnight to secure their date with Harriet Island Pavilion since they have a “first come, first serve” reservation format. The first look took place at Cherokee Park which is a few blocks away from their home. They also included many St. Paul-based vendors, including their one of their “favorite places on earth,” Mojo Monkey Donuts.
Theresa and Adam met during their senior year of high school. They actually attended the same high school but didn’t meet until their spring break trip senior year to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. As fate would have it, their friend groups decided to vacation at the same place! A few of their friends knew each other and the two groups decided to meet up one night. After some tequila and dancing, Theresa and Adam hit it off. Every night for the rest of the trip, they would hang out. When they returned to Minnesota, they continued to spend time together-and they continued spending time together over the next eight years!
In 2015, they went ring shopping together at a vintage, antique jewelry shop. Even after he bought the ring, Adam wanted to throw Theresa off by sending her photos of other rings so she wouldn’t suspect a thing. In August of 2015, Theresa and Adam ventured up to Adam’s parents’ cabin on Bad Medicine Lake, along with Theresa’s parents (they were in on the plan). One evening, Theresa’s parents were “drying the dishes” while Adam and Theresa went down to the dock while the sun was setting. Adam started setting up his fishing gear. To distract her, Adam asked Theresa what she thought about a few different lures. While she was looking away, Adam pulled the ring out of his pocket. He got down on one knee and asked, “What do you think about this one?” Theresa turned to look at Adam and her immediate response was, “…whaaaaat?” Adam said some beautiful words, and Theresa admits she couldn’t pay attention to it at all. Finally, Theresa said “Yes, of course!”
But one proposal story wasn’t enough for these two! While driving back from the cabin, Adam told Theresa he was really nervous- despite that they have been dating for over 8 years and he knew she would say yes. Theresa teased him for being nervous so Adam challenged her to propose to him with his grandfather’s ring. Theresa waited until she was certain Adam had forgotten about the challenge. They went on a trip to Atlanta to see Adam’s favorite band, Radiohead. After the concert, they were sitting in a park on a fountain. Adam said, “Man, it would suck if someone pushed me in here.” Theresa replied with, “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back, and I always will.” She then pulled out the ring. Then they were officially engaged!
For the wedding, they incorporated a lot of unique touches. Adam’s grandma wrote a poem for the couple and read it at the ceremony. Their 15-year-old dog, Gabe, was also a part of the ceremony. He got to walk down the aisle with the flower girl and ring bearer. At the beginning of their reception, their guests were greeted with tequila shots in honor of the couple meeting in Mexico! One of my favorite details though is that Theresa’s shawl, the ring bearer pillow, and the flower girl’s basket were made from Theresa’s mother’s lace dress from 1984. Other special aspects of their day were the log round centerpieces that were cut by Adam’s dad and used in several family member’s weddings, all of their floral was DIY using flowers from the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market, Theresa’s homegrown succulents for the centerpieces, and Adam and his dad created picnic-styled benches for the ceremony seating!
Raspberry Island | Harriet Island Pavilion Wedding | Saint Paul Wedding Photographer
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