Lauren and Noah sat facing each other in the empty Chapel, with handwritten pages between them. Noah leaned forward. Lauren looked up at him and smiled. Before the guests arrived, before the rings and the walk back down the aisle, there was this stretch of the day with room for just the two of them.
It rained much of September 18 at Grand View Lodge. But looking through their photographs, I keep coming back to the way they reached for each other: Lauren’s arms around Noah on the steps, his eyes closed against her shoulder, the laughter that kept showing up between portraits.
Getting Ready at Grand View Lodge, With People Close
In the Garden Cottages, Lauren’s preparations happened a few hands at a time. Someone threaded the laces at the back of her gown. Someone knelt to fasten her shoe while she looked down, smiling. Those are small things to photograph, but they are part of how people care for you on a wedding day.
I like the photograph of Lauren looking into the little handheld mirror. Her smile is sharp in the reflection; the room and the people around her fall out of focus. Then there is the embrace by the window, her bouquet held behind a shoulder. The details matter, and so do the people just beyond them.
A Little Time Together in the Grand View Lodge Chapel
Lauren walked up behind Noah for their first look, one hand reaching toward him and the other holding her flowers. There is something lovely about that moment just before he turns: she can already see him, and he is still waiting.
Afterward, they pulled up chairs and sat together with their handwritten pages. I don’t need to repeat what was on those pages to tell this part of their story. It is there in the way Noah leans toward her, and in Lauren’s face when she looks back at him.
They met in the military, and both continue to serve our country. That shared part of their lives was present here, too: their military chaplain would be the one to marry them.
The Grand View Lodge Chapel Fills With Their People
A string trio played by the windows as guests gathered. The room that had held their first look and letters now held the people who had come to witness their marriage. Lauren and Noah stood together with their chaplain, exchanged rings, and finished the ceremony with a dip and a kiss.
Then Lauren’s bouquet went straight into the air. They came back down the aisle holding hands, with guests turned toward them on both sides. The quiet photographs from earlier belong beside this one. Together, they tell more of the day.
I keep coming back to the small distances between them: chairs pulled close, a hand at the waist, a face tucked against a shoulder.
Close Embraces and Laughter at Grand View Lodge
At the Heritage Room reception, Lauren folded into a hug with two guests. She and Noah danced close together, looking down between them. Later came raised glasses, arms around shoulders, and the kind of smiles you can see even when someone’s face is partly hidden in an embrace.
Outside, the path was wet and the lodge lights were on. We made portraits on the stone steps and among the flowers, including a dip with the whole lodge behind them. I give direction during portraits, helping couples settle in and know what to do. And I keep watching as we go: in one of these frames, Lauren has her arms around Noah and is laughing with her whole face.
That laugh carries right through from their Grand View Lodge engagement session. I love getting to photograph a couple more than once and recognizing those little things about how they are together.
The evening ended in these photographs with everyone moving: hands up, drinks in hand, Noah’s jacket off, Lauren dancing in the middle of the group. There is room in their story for the quiet letters and for this. Both look like them.
Kerry at The Haven Events + Design helped with the planning, and Celebrations Floral Design created the blue and white flowers that carried from Lauren’s bouquet into the Heritage Room.
Your People, Your Grand View Lodge Wedding
When I photograph a Grand View Lodge wedding, I’m paying attention to how you are with the people you love. The close photographs, the room around you, the editorial portraits we make together—all of them have a place. You don’t have to arrive comfortable in front of a camera. I’ll help with that.
I know the Chapel light, the lodge steps and the garden paths, and I’ll help build room in your timeline for photographs and time with your guests. Explore my Grand View Lodge wedding photography guide, then reach out with your date to check availability and tell me about the people you want beside you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Chapel is an indoor ceremony space at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, with a vaulted timber ceiling and stained glass. Lauren and Noah held their September ceremony there, with their military chaplain officiating while rain shaped much of the day outside.
The Heritage Room is a reception and dining space in the Main Lodge overlooking Gull Lake. It has skylights, wood floors and a fireplace. Lauren and Noah used it for their wedding reception, with blue and white flowers, dinner tables and space for dancing.
Yes, with a flexible plan for the weather. Lauren and Noah’s photographs included window-lit portraits inside the Chapel, as well as outdoor portraits by the Chapel and on the Main Lodge garden path. Keep sheltered locations in your timeline and work with your photographer on when outdoor photographs make sense.
Lauren got ready in the Garden Cottages on Grand View Lodge’s main property. The cottages kept her preparations at the resort before she joined Noah at the Chapel for their first look.
