Wedding at Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake

When it came time to choose a wedding location, Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake was the obvious choice. Clare grew up spending weekends at her family’s cabin on the lake, and those memories shaped how they wanted their wedding to feel. Their vision was a full fall weekend where guests could slow down, be together, and actually experience the lake the way they have.

Clare and Parker first met back at the U of M in the College of Biological Sciences, bonding over organic chemistry and sharing a lab bench. They stayed friends for years until 2021, when the universe (aka Hinge) decided to intervene. Suddenly those old lab partners were rewriting the narrative. After Clare headed to grad school in DC, they made long distance work with two full years of flights, FaceTimes, and trust before she moved back to Minneapolis and they built a life together in Northeast.

From the jump, Clare and Parker were clear about what mattered to them. They wanted documentary-style photos that felt honest, unposed, full of joy and motion and the quiet in-between stuff that actually tells the story. That clarity set the tone for the entire weekend.

Wedding rehearsal on Gull Lake in Minnesota

A Full Weekend on the Lake

This wasn’t a show-up-for-the-ceremony-and-bounce kind of wedding. Clare and Parker were all in on the weekend experience, and it showed from the very start. The rehearsal dinner kicked things off with quality time before the big day.

And the details were fully committed to the lake theme. Guest seating name tags were actual retro room keys, such a fun nod to classic resort life. Their cake toppers were fish, which I loved an unreasonable amount because it perfectly summed them up.

October showed up and absolutely delivered. The leaves somehow held on, giving us peak fall color without the bare-tree sadness. It was sunny all day, the temperature was that ideal sweet spot, and the light was perfect.

Getting ready for a Cragun's Resort wedding day

Fall bride and groom photos with colorful foliage

A Church Ceremony & Lively Reception at Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake

The ceremony took place in this BEAUTIFUL Catholic church. The light spilled in through the stained glass windows and I’m so glad we could capture some couples portraits in there. Right after the ceremony, they dipped out for a hot second and took a ride on a vintage boat. It was the perfect pause before the celebration kicked into gear, just the two of them on the water, freshly married, letting it sink in. They rolled up to cocktail hour by boat, to the sound of Parker’s cousin playing the bagpipes on the dock. This wedding was about presence. About trusting the day, the people, and the place to do their thing. And damn, did they ever.

Catholic church wedding ceremony in Minnesota

Bride and groom ride on a vintage boat on Gull Lake

From the Couple

“Maddi is absolutely incredible. After searching for a wedding photographer who was available for our date, I came across Maddi’s Insta and fell in love with her creative vision and photos that looked straight out of a magazine. We worked with her to do our engagement shoot at the MIA, where she knew all of the spots and made the shoot flow seamlessly. Leading up to the wedding, Maddi was communicative and flexible, even spending extra time with us the night of our rehearsal dinner to capture our guests during happy hour. And for the wedding itself, she made us feel so comfortable and got every. single. moment. Our previews (which had 100+ photos) came on our honeymoon, so we got to reminisce, and the full gallery was delivered in around 2 months. Maddi goes above and beyond, and we were so incredibly lucky to have her as part of our day!!”