Agate Bay is not an official inlet on Grand Rapids’s Pokegama Lake. It is a fraction of the 6700-plus acres of water that serve as Itasca County’s primary summer playground for residents and visitors alike. But for one family, it is an integral piece of the land the sons, daughters, and grandchildren have come to love. In fact, it was grandson Jon that named it as such, and it stuck. Much of the family still refers to the little cove at Grandma and Grandpa’s house as Agate Bay.
It is so important, it served as the inspiration for the July lakeside summer wedding between Jon and his new bride, Amanda. Sliced agates of blue, purple, and green dangled in the lake breeze from an arbor, a labor of love led by the groom’s grandparents. A wonderfully DIY-ed geode ring box was carried by a cousin (seriously, the bride made that! She luckily found both halves against all odds). Another cousin carried the Celtic hand fasting cord that ties together their shared Irish heritage. The officiant was the the groom’s dad, who so proudly led his son and new daughter into marriage. Gems and stones of iridescent purples and blues formed handmade hairpieces and boutonnieres for the bridesmaids and groomsmen, respectively.
Love in the time of Corona might have made weddings look a little different than usual. It has taken large gatherings and condensed them to be a bit smaller and more intimate–which made everything about this peninsula on this parcel of land the perfect spot for these two to say “I do.” Family is everything for Jon and Amanda (having photographed this brood on several occasions, I know this for a fact). A pandemic might make large groups a challenge, but it a perfect sense scenario pretty much perfect for these newlyweds.
Congratulations, Amanda + Jon!! Thank you so much for letting me celebrate with you!!
Kayla Lee is a Minnesota-based wedding and elopement photographer. She provides services to elegant, authentic, sentimental couples who not only choose their own adventures, but also live them to the fullest!
Did you enjoy this lakeside summer wedding? You might enjoy this one, too!
