Wedding on Harriet Island
Joannie and I are very pleased to share Jake and Johnna’s wonderful photographs from their pretty wedding on Harriet Island in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. This was yet another awesome wedding for us and we’re so thankful that we were a part of their wedding day!
A pretty image of Jake & Johnna just after their first look.
Originally, Jake and Johnna were to be married on June 27th last year. Well, we all know what was going on in 2020, so they selected a new date in 2021 for their wedding celebration, June 4th.
On more than one occasion, I’ve been to Harriet Island for other types of photography, mostly engagement portraits. Many, many years ago I believe that I also photographed a wedding reception there as well. This would be the first time photographing both a wedding ceremony and reception there.
Jake & Johnna with their dog, Cedar.
Family and Wedding Party Photographs
We all know that June 2021 has been just a bit on the warm side. In fact, it hit 99 degrees by ceremony time, a new record for the date. We all drank lots of water and stayed in the shade as much as we could.
With the Mississippi River and downtown St. Paul right there, a wedding on Harriet Island is a very unique wedding venue to be sure. The whole area just gives off a nice relaxed feeling just being there.
Jake & Johnna with their parents.
Due to the heat, we stayed under the shade of some enormous cottonwood trees. I also brought Lightning McQueen along for the day to lessen the load in hauling gear around. We began with photographs of their sweet families and then moved on to their wonderful wedding party. These guys and gals were a lot of fun and didn’t let a little warm weather spoil the occasion.
Jake, Johnna, and their wedding party!
Hot, Hot, Hot!
Upon the completion of the formal wedding photographs, we let everyone cool off and hydrate (us too). Joannie and I prepared for their pretty wedding ceremony at the Harriet Island Pavillion. As mentioned earlier, at ceremony time it was 99 degrees!
On a side note, this wasn’t the first time that either Jake and Johnna have been married (to each other). Nope. Last summer, their friend, Alexis Jannsen, married them in a small private ceremony with close family in attendance.
Alexis got to do a repeat on this day, but this time with all of the guests that Jake and Johnna wanted to have there last June! With a reading from Nora Austin and special music from Zoe DiCicco and Danny Shaheen, Alexis delivered a sweet and fun wedding homily.
Jake & Johnna’s pretty wedding ceremony on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul, MN.
Since Johnna works in forestry (she actually works at Harriet Island), Jake and Johnna then planted a cedar tree as part of their wedding ceremony. Then, before we knew it, Alexis pronounced Jake and Johnna as husband and wife for the second time! Very nice!
Wedding Reception at Harriet Island Pavillion
After their wedding ceremony, the celebration was on! A wonderful social hour was followed by a tasty dinner catered by Boca Chica! Then it was on to dancing and more fun on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul.
Once the dance was underway and the sun had gone down, we took our newlyweds for a little stroll along the river to enjoy our best lighting (and temperatures) of the day. What a beautiful night it was too!
Jake and Johnna kissing at sunset on Harriet Island.
Thank you!
Jake and Johnna, Joannie and I are so happy for you guys. We’re also very grateful that you asked us to be a part of your wedding day celebration, not once, but twice! We’re looking forward to seeing your relationship grow in the years to come! Thank you! – M&J