This Low-Key Lakeside Wedding Is a Breath of Fresh Air

“When dating, I was meeting people who weren’t ‘it,’ and I wanted to clarify what ‘it’ was for me,” says Daisy, who lives in Duluth, Minnesota. So, she created a note on her phone with 17 things she was looking for, like ‘emotionally available’ and ‘lives a joyful life’ and ‘can start a fire or change a tire.’ She met Ted in 2019 and said that she manifested him. They got married in July 2021 on Lake Superior. Here, Daisy talks about Goodwill wedding decor and a joke in her vows that people told her not to make…

“During the pandemic, we had date nights where we dressed up, cooked a nice dinner, drank wine, and danced around our apartment. It was very sweet. At one of those dinners, Ted proposed. We try to make things special, but we don’t necessarily do a lot of pomp and circumstance. So, our wedding wasn’t going to be a big production. We wanted to celebrate in a way that felt super chill and true to who we are.”

“I know this may sound like some people’s nightmare, but we picked a date one month away and told everyone. Then we had to find a place. Duluth is gorgeous in the summer, and we wanted to do it outside. We found a community center at the beach with a slot open in the afternoon. I think it was $125 to rent. Day of, we showed up, took a swim in the lake, and then got ready in the community center. I wanted flowers in my hair, and my friend brought baby’s breath. I got the dress off the rack from Nordstrom and did my own makeup.”

“In summer 2021, with Covid travel restrictions, my family and friends from Tanzania couldn’t come. So they Skyped in.”

“We walked down to the beach together, and the tall grass formed an aisle.”

“Before the wedding, we came up with the idea to do the ceremony with our feet in the water. It felt right given our love of Lake Superior. My best friend officiated.”

“We had a gathering the night before for out-of-towners, and I joked that I was going to start my vows with ‘Someday, we’re all going to die…’ Everybody thought that was a terrible idea. In this photo, I’m laughing because I went with that opener. For me, it was about death being a reminder to maximize life. In my vows, I said I wouldn’t want to spend my life with anyone else.”

“It’s a public beach, and when we kissed, strangers nearby cheered and clapped along with our friends and family. That was lovely.”

“The community center is a government building, so it’s not the cutest, but having the party outside helped. I went to Goodwill and found lace panels, which made it feel more private and intimate since the field is pretty big and along a street. A friend who is an interior designer helped with set up. Someone else brought their lawn games.”

“I could totally feel the wedding industrial complex. We briefly worked with a wedding coordinator who was used to doing more extravagant weddings. Whenever we suggested something, they’d take it up five notches. I just kept thinking, I don’t care about this stuff, and I’m not going to go into debt for it. We stopped working with them and put our money toward the particular things we did care about. Like, we cared about food, but we didn’t care if the meal was fancy. We hired a food truck, and it was great. Total, I think we spend around $2,000.”

“Our friend Peter Witrak, a musician, did such a great job as our DJ. He also strummed a guitar on the beach before the ceremony.”

“It felt like a backyard hang with friends when a good song comes on and people just get up to dance. We had the perfect wedding for us.”

Thanks so much, Daisy!

P.S. More wedding posts, including four New York city hall weddings, and a stoop wedding in Brooklyn.

(Photos by Liz Pawlik.)