Wedding Date: September 9th 2022

Duluth has a special place in my heart. I sprung a surprise road trip on Janelle when we were dating and proposed to her on a cold night on a bluff overlooking Lake Superior while a camp fire kept us warm. She’s a Duluth girl, so we decided to get married there not long after that and ever since, to me, Duluth feels like the city of love and celebration. It’s where my love story began so I’m always thrilled to see the beginning of more Duluth romances.

Katie and David are an amazing couple. She’s a flight attendant and the first Zoom meeting I had with them, she was on a plane just after landing in some unknown city and he was serving in the military. They knew one another long ago and after a few twists of fate, they found each other again and were able to start their own love story together. They decided on Duluth so they could celebrate with their family from Minnesota and I couldn’t be more excited. The west end of the city is a beautiful hot spot of breweries, restaurants, and now this historic venue, Clyde Iron Works. It has the rawness of Minneapolis Event Center (MEC) and the history of The Machine Shop. This perfect combination made for some breathtaking backgrounds at every turn!

They say rain is lucky on your wedding day, so they must have had a lot of luck. To avoid the heavy showers, we explored the inside of the venue, starting with their first look on the balcony. David had his eye on a beautiful military sword for years, so when Katie surprised him with it he was shocked and thrilled! After admiring it for a while he secured it to his belt to be worn throughout the rest of the day. Their ceremony took place below in a large hall flooded with bright natural light. You could tell how in love they are with each glance as they exchanged their vows. It was as if they were the only two people in the entire room.

After the ceremony the rain cleared and we were able to visit one of their favorite places, Park Point, along the shore of Lake Superior. No trip back to Duluth would be complete without dipping your toes in the water, so Katie made sure to run to the chilly water right away. The moody clouds above made for a perfect backdrop as the shore grasses blew in the wind. There’s something about the call of the lake that makes a place feel like home again.

Back at the venue, their reception was in full swing and they were joyfully welcomed by all of their guests. A few very sweet and heartfelt toasts later, the couple made their way to the dance floor with a slideshow ready in the background. As they twirled around, it was revealed that they were actually celebrating their anniversary and were married 1 year ago in Key West. Everyone gasped and cheered at the surprise and the couple took a bow. The running joke for the rest of the evening was this was the best anniversary party ever! They loved revealing the big surprise of their elopement and everyone was buzzing the rest of the night. We ended the celebration with a beautiful sparkler send off which lit up the inky Duluth night sky.

Vendors: Clyde Iron Works (venue), Superior Blooms (florist), The Vault (decor), Elizabeth Graham (dessert), Sounds Unlimited (photo booth and dj), The Wedding Studio (dress boutique), Monica Tarvas (hair)