If you’re searching for Minnesota micro wedding venues, the North Shore deserves a spot on your list of places to consider! Whether you want an outdoor wedding or an intimate indoor celebration with lake views, both options are available to you. Plus, you can plan your wedding along the North Shore year-round.
Keep reading to learn more about why the North Shore is the perfect spot for your wedding and take a behind-the-scenes look at Danielle + Ryan here to get a better idea of what your own celebration could look like!
What’s the Difference Between a Micro Wedding and Elopement?
Micro weddings and elopements have a lot in common, but the biggest difference between the two comes down to the guest count. Micro weddings typically have 10-50 guests, whereas guest counts at elopements are much smaller. An elopement could even just be you, your partner, your wedding photographer, and witnesses (if needed). With both an elopement and a micro wedding, you will have the ability to create a day that is truly unique to you and your partner. You’ll also have the time and flexibility to add in opportunities and experiences for you and your guests to enjoy that would traditionally not be possible with a wedding!
Why the North Shore Is the Perfect Destination for Your Micro Wedding
As someone who grew up in the Northland and currently lives in Duluth, MN, I’ve spent a lot of time here throughout my life, and I love everything about the North Shore and everything it has to offer. You can truly make your micro wedding an unforgettable experience not only with the place you choose to have your ceremony at but also with all the additional activities that you can include in your day. If you plan your micro wedding here, you’ll be greeted with a dramatic shoreline, rocky cliffsides, towering pines, and so much more. There are so many different options you can choose from as backdrops for your day. Another reason I love the North Shore is because of its accessibility – especially if you want to plan your microwedding next to the lake. It’s incredibly easy to access the best of what the North Shore has to offer.
Best Spots to Plan Your Micro Wedding Along the North Shore
Here are some of my favorite places to plan a micro wedding on the North Shore! I’ve included locations in Duluth, MN, all the way up the shore towards Grand Marais:
- Park Point
- Brighton Beach
- Rose Garden
- Pebble Beach
- Bluefin Bay
- Black Beach
- Grand Superior Lodge
- Artist’s Point
Summer Micro Wedding up the North Shore
This wedding was a dream wedding for me as someone who specializes in photographing elopements along the North Shore. This micro wedding felt like the best of both worlds. It was small, intimate, and each detail from the day was thoughtfully planned and incredibly special. For Danielle and Ryan’s wedding, there were 16 people in attendance total, including my husband as photographer and me – everything about this day for me was perfect from start to finish!
Background on the couple
Ryan and Danielle were first introduced by their mutual friends. Not long after meeting, Ryan asked Danielle out to drinks and then casually invited her on a three-night trip to the Boundary Waters. With no idea how much camping or canoeing experience the other had, they packed their bags and set off on an epic adventure together.
Somehow, between paddling across quiet lakes, setting up camp, and embracing the unknown, something just clicked. That first trip was the beginning of a love story built on trust, laughter, and a shared sense of adventure.
Ryan and Danielle spent the first two years of their relationship long distance. They both quickly realized how hard it was to spend time apart and be away from each other. Danielle made the difficult decision to move down to the city to take our relationship to the next step. After living together for two years in Prior Lake, Ryan made the move to ask Danielle to marry him.
It was only right that the proposal took place in the same place that they first met. Ryan took Danielle on a weekend away and proposed to her along their favorite lake at Brighton Beach. This proposal needed to happen in the same city where they first met each other. Danielle and Ryan decided to get married at the same lake where so many special moments have already happened in their relationship.
The wedding day
Danielle got ready in the salon at Elevated Studios with 4 of her closest girlfriends. Then their wedding ceremony took place at an Airbnb right on Lake Superior, and the attention to detail here was everything. Danielle and Ryan chose to have a brunch wedding, which was so much fun for them and their guests.
They didn’t choose to have a first look, and they planned their ceremony outside overlooking Lake Superior. A powerful moment from their day was when I stepped back right before the ceremony started and got to see Danielle ‘hiding’ behind the sauna, about to walk down the aisle, and Ryan at the front of the aisle waiting for her with excitement. I got goosebumps! It was such an intimate moment and ceremony, but so monumental.
Following the ceremony, the family members and closest friends went to their surrounding Airbnbs and rested for a few hours while Danielle, Ryan, and I traveled north to Black Beach and Palisade Head to take some epic portraits of the two of them. Danielle hiked in heels, and she made it look easy!
By the time we returned, their crew set up the most gorgeous table setup where they were going to be sharing a dinner. They had the owner/chef of New Scenic Cafe on-site cooking their meal, and it was the most perfect night. Their dinner table overlooked Lake Superior, and they ended the night with campfires, jumping in the lake, and a sauna. One of the reasons I love micro weddings is because of how much you can do in a single day and all of the quality time you get to spend with your guests! Unlike a large wedding, micro-weddings give you so much one-on-one time with everyone who attends, which to me is incredibly special.
Danielle and Ryan’s Wedding Vendors
A shout-out to the wedding vendors who made Danielle + Ryan’s day so special:
- Food: New Scenic Cafe
- Salon: Elevated Studios
- Flowers: Flora North Flower
- Dress: The White Room
Client love
Danielle sent me this text she sent me after receiving sneak peeks of her photos the same night of her wedding:
“Omg MORGAN thank you thank you for the most incredible day. You seriously were so incredible and loved having you. Our friends and family keep telling us how much they loved you. This day was everything | wanted and more and you were such a big part of that! These photos are INCREDIBLE and being passed around the campfire now 💍🤍 thank you thank you.”
Ready to Plan Your Micro Wedding in Minnesota?
I hope you found this info on planning a micro wedding on the North Shore of Minnesota helpful, and hopefully D + R’s wedding here gave you some inspo and ideas on what your own celebration here could look like.
Now all you need is your Minnesota 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!
Read these next:
Dreamy Summer Wedding at the Duluth Rose Garden
Your Ultimate Guide to Planning Your Minnesota Elopement on the North Shore
