Nick + Chelsey | Snowy Winter Wedding in Minnesota
Snowy Winter Wedding in Ottertail & Fergus Falls, MN
Nick + Chelsey
1.23.21
I’ve got to admit — I am quite the sucker for winter weddings. ESPECIALLY when we luck out so completely with the perfect, slow snowfall. That was the ONE thing Chelsey was hoping for (outside of marrying Nick, of course!) and I was checking the forecast constantly leading up to that Saturday, hoping we’d see even a 40% chance of snowfall that day.
Maybe all that wishing went a little TOO far, because we ended up getting more or less buried in snow! Honestly, which my second photographer Alecs and I left the remote reception at Folden Lutheran Church, the only reason we could navigate the roads was thanks to a truck that left 5 minutes beforehand. Without those tracks in the snow, we surely would have ended up in the ditch.
Okay, less about the snow and more about this wonderful couple.
Two things caught my eye when Chelsey first reached out to me — (1) she has a rockin’ first name and (2) she wanted to get married in January, just like me!
There aren’t too many people in the world who readily opt for a winter wedding, but that was one “must-have” for Chelsey’s wedding. Although I am less than thrilled about subzero temperatures, I’m always willing to risk it for a day like Chelsey’s wedding day.
Chelsey is a cool, laid back, joyful and energetic woman. I cannot BELIEVE how much this one human being works — and still manages to have such a positive demeanor.
Nick, on the other hand, is filled with enough dry humor to rival my dad. But, right past that is a genuinely caring and loyal person. I didn’t miss the fact that all of Nick’s groomsmen either called him brother or went out of their way to tell him just how proud they were to stand next to him on his wedding day.
Despite all the complications and unknowns from the pandemic, this couple made their day happen. The reception was supposed to be at Thumper Pond Resort, but could no longer be held there due to the pandemic. We still started the day and took photos there, but relocated for the ceremony and again for the reception. And personally, I LOVED the beautiful, smalltown church the reception was held in. You don’t see architecture like that in churches anymore!
Overall, I’m thrilled I got spend such a perfect winter wedding day with this couple. Even when the sky got dark far too quickly and we questioned whether we should take more photos, we ended up capturing my favorite photos of the day with some off-camera lighting and that lush, beautiful snowfall.
Oh, and this is one of the best parts! Chelsey was formally trained as a pastry chef. So from the start, she knew she was going to make her own wedding cake.
When we got to the reception, she donned her chef coat and assembled her own cake, which she had baked prior to the wedding. Each layer was a different flavor — and let me tell you, they were all FANTASTIC.
Congratulations, Chelsey & Nick! I’m so happy for the two of you and the life you’ll get to continue building together.
Wedding Dress: Now & Forever Wedding Gallery
Bridesmaid Dresses: The Special Event Boutique and Bridal
Florals: Broadway Floral - Alexandria, MN
Ceremony: Bethel Lutheran Church
Photo Location: Thumper Pond Resort in Ottertail MN
Reception: Folden Lutheran Church
Cake: The Bride
Makeup: Kiss & Makeup, LLC
Hair Stylist: The shimmer shack
Photographer: Chelsea Joy Photography
Photos by Chelsea Joy Simdorn, photographer and owner of Chelsea Joy Photography. I'm a Fargo area wedding photographer, capturing weddings throughout North Dakota and Minnesota!