As a Duluth MN wedding photographer, Duluth means so much to me, and I love all the variety it has to offer, especially for weddings, whether you’re wanting to get married next to the water or at one of many charming indoor wedding venues here. If you already know that you want to get married outdoors in Duluth but are searching for the perfect spot, I highly recommend adding the Duluth Rose Garden to your list of places to consider!
Keep reading for more info on the Duluth Rose Garden and take a look at Caleigh + Grady’s stunning summer wedding here to get a better idea of what your own celebration could look like!
Duluth Rose Garden Wedding Venue
The Duluth Rose Garden is an enchanting wedding venue for a whimsical, romantic garden-themed wedding with the gorgeous Lake Superior as your backdrop. You’ll find the Duluth Rose Garden inside Leif Erikson Park. The garden has over 3000 rose bushes and other plants and a charming marble Gazebo to serve as the backdrop for your ceremony. It can accommodate up to 150 guests, and for your ceremony you’ll receive a permit for access to the gazebo space. While the rest of the garden is still public, the area for your ceremony will be reserved just for you. The ceremony site with the gazebo is not only a gorgeous spot, but so are the entire gardens, which have fountains, an array of flora and fauna, and offer you a variety of backdrops. For more info about the Duluth Rose Garden, go here!
C + D’s Dreamy Summer Wedding at the Duluth Rose Garden
This was my first time shooting at the Rose Garden, and it was absolutely gorgeous! I truly loved every moment of being here! Caleigh and Grady’s planned their wedding in the summer, and they got ready at The Garden in Canal Park (not to be confused with the Rose Garden – The Garden in Canal Park is its own event center). Then they had their ceremony at the Rose Garden, and then we headed back to The Garden in Canal Park for their reception. It was all perfect!
Here’s a look into more of their enchanting day and their love story:
Background on the couple
Caleigh and Grady met via Tinder! She first drunkenly FaceTimed Grady, and the rest, as they say, is history…
Caleigh FaceTimed Grady on a Friday, and Grady declined the call and said: “Don’t worry, I’m real, I’m not catfishing you.” She said, “I know, but I still want to talk to you!” Two days later, on Sunday, they met up and went on a walk.
They ended up walking throughout Hartley, then they wanted to keep hanging out, so they continued the walk through Bagley. They talked on a bench in Bagley- by the UMD overlook- for about an hour and felt like they had known each other a lot longer than just a couple of hours. Both thought the other seemed so familiar, and conversation came so easily (mostly for Caleigh because Grady didn’t really talk).
All of this happened on May 3rd, and Grady had planned to leave Duluth a week later once he graduated from UMD, but decided to stick around because he wanted to keep hanging out with Caleigh.
They continued to hang out nearly every day until he moved out of Duluth a week later. They were set on trying to make it work while Grady lived back in Dresser, and they did this for three years, until Grady finally got a job in Duluth and moved back!
G + C both definitely knew there was something special about each other from the day we met because of how easy and organic the date was!
The proposal
Grady took Caleigh back on their “first date” on his birthday, 4 1/2 years after their first date, and proposed next to the bench in Bagley where on their first day they stopped and talked.
Fun side note – my husband and I happened to be hiking through when Caleigh’s friends were setting up the proposal!
Grady was so nervous on the day of the proposal that Caleigh says he hardly talked to her the whole morning. On the hike, he walked 6 feet in front of Caleigh and didn’t talk. Had Caleigh not had her suspicions, she would’ve thought he wanted to break up with her!
Caleigh and Grady told me that they have both loved just going through different steps/ phases of their lives together. Grady loves who Cale is as a person; she carries herself confidently, she’s so nice to everyone, and she genuinely cares about other people. As an introvert, Grady loves following Cale around social situations. Caleigh loves how consistent and stable Grady is. He really is her rock! He is the calm amongst her chaos. He grounds her, reminds her of the “big picture”, and reminds her that it’s okay to “sleep on it” or to sometimes put herself first, before other people.
The wedding
C + D’s wedding ceremony was right next to Lake Superior underneath the gazebo at the Rose Garden, and one of my favorite parts was that they chose to include their dog in their wedding ceremony, which made the ceremony even more special! Their ceremony was lovely and filled with so much love. You could tell how excited everyone was for these two to tie the knot! After their ceremony, we went to the Garden, which was decorated with so many beautiful flowers and lush greenery; it felt like we were right back in the Rose Garden! C + D spent the rest of the night dancing and enjoying time with their loved ones.
C + D’s Wedding Vendors
I wanted to give a special shout-out to C + D’s wedding vendors who made this day so special. All of Caleigh and Grady’s vendors were incredible to work with!
- Ceremony venue – Rose Garden
- Reception venue – The Garden
- Florist- Superior Blooms
- Hair: Laura Schlieman
- Makeup: Derick Cich
- Gown- Anthropologie Weddings
- Men’s suits – Men’s Warehouse
- Rings- both from Genereau & Co (Grady’s band is designed by Nick Altiere)
- DJ- Pro Sound & Light
- Caterer: Bellisio’s
- Dessert food: Crumbl cookies, Drizzled Cupcakery
- Teacup candles as party favors: Reclaiming Beautiful
Ready to Plan Your Wedding at the Duluth Rose Garden?
I hope you found this info on the Duluth Rose Garden wedding venue helpful, and hopefully C + D’s wedding here gave you some inspo and ideas on what your own celebration here could look like.
Now all you need is your Duluth, MN wedding photographer! I’m a wedding and elopement photographer based in Duluth, Minnesota, specializing in playful, true-to-color photos for couples who love Lake Superior and the North Shore. If that sounds like what you’re looking for, I’d love to connect!
You can click here to learn more about my wedding photography services or head over here to get in touch!
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Best Places to Elope Along the North Shore From a Minnesota Elopement Photographer
Your Ultimate Guide to Planning Your Minnesota Elopement on the North Shore
