love in lake country - Ruttgers Bay Lake Lodge

love in lake country
WEDDING MEETS WEEKEND GETAWAY WHEN COUPLES TAKE THE PLUNGE
IN BRAINERD’S SWATH OF MINNESOTA LAKES.
berit thorkelson
photography by tim larsen photography
by
All of a sudden, there it was. The moment he’d been
waiting for... Lee and his girlfriend, Keri, fresh off the twoand-a-half-hour drive from the Twin Cities,
settled into one of those quintessential Up
North weekends that unfolds, at its own pace,
around the lake, the boat and the cabin. The
couple talked over a flickering bonfire as the
dark August sky overhead urged the stars to
shine, crisp and persistent. Perfect. After saying
he was headed inside to make a couple of cocktails, Lee nodded toward the fire. “Why don’t
you throw the big log on,” he asked Keri, “so
when I propose, you can see the ring?”
The big log was thrown, the ring
was accepted and the wedding planning commenced. After mulling over different location
options, the couple chose the proposal spot, the
little slice of lake country
Keri and Lee Hanson belonging to Keri’s parents.
chose a family cabin in “We decided we wanted a
the Brainerd Lakes Area true Minnesota wedding,
for their summer nuptials. and the best way to do that
Both grew up vacationing
Up North. would be to head to the
cabin, one of our favorite
places,” Lee says.
They aren’t the only ones
in love with the Brainerd
Lakes Area. For decades,
people have vacationed on
and around the plentiful
sandy-bottomed, tree-lined
lakes here, smack-dab in the
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middle of the state. They’ve bought homes or
nestled into cabins at their favorite resorts,
which serve as bases from which they boat, fish,
swim, golf or just hang out and enjoy the view.
The area has a longstanding reputation as prime
vacation territory; a great place to relax and to
spend quality time with friends and family. More
and more couples are finding out that, for those
same reasons, it’s also a great place to get married.
“People have made wonderful memories here
and they want to continue them,” says Cheri
Petterson, who’s helped plan many weddings as
the food and beverage director at Ruttger’s Bay
Lake Lodge in the Brainerd Lakes Area. “Or
they just think it’s a beautiful place to kick off
new memories.”
2007
Darcy and John
Boentje selected
Ruttger’s Bay
Lake Lodge for
their weekend
wedding.
While Lee and Keri fall into the former category,
having vacationed in Minnesota lake country their
whole lives, Darcy and John fit into the latter. Darcy
had never laid eyes on Brainerd. John had, but only
on his way farther north. Still, an exploratory visit
confirmed their suspicion: This was the spot for them.
“We liked that it felt as though you’re hosting a wedding in your parents’ backyard,” Darcy says of the area
resorts. “It felt personal, more close to home, than a
hotel or a ballroom. We wanted all our guests to be able
to just come and stay and relax.”
The couple decided to hold their wedding at
Ruttger’s. It turned into a weekend-long event, as destination weddings in the Brainerd area often do, with a
barbecue groom’s dinner, a Friday-night lakeside bonfire,
and pre-wedding Saturday events including coffee with
the bride, golf with the groom and a bridesmaids’ spa
outing, where champagne flowed. All events took place
on lodge grounds, except the ceremony, which was held
at St. Francis Catholic Church in Brainerd. “John and I
got to interact with our guests Friday, Saturday and
Sunday, and it was because everything was right there,”
Darcy says. “You didn’t lose anybody for anything.”
rate during high season. Some venues even require a
two-night minimum. Shop around at least a year in
advance to make sure your guests have options.
It’s not a bad idea to send out a save-the-date card a
year in advance, either, so people can budget the necessary time and money. And since your wedding will also
serve as a mini-vacation, make sure guests know about
different activities. Don’t feel like you need to plan out
all these, though. Most guests will appreciate a little
well-informed free time.
Of course your wedding will, somehow, take advantage of the great outdoors. Good idea, but have a rain
plan, too, says Laura Hotvet, who has organized
Brainerd-area weddings for Mother of the Bride Wedding
Planners in Excelsior. “Think of the people who are
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“[The wedding] felt personal,
more close to home, than a
hotel or a ballroom. We wanted all our guests to be able to just
come and stay and relax.” — DARCY BOENTJE
More events means more planning, especially since
they’re taking place far from home. Even after they
selected their location, Darcy and John traveled to
Brainerd over a couple of weekends to meet with vendors and get site-specific details ironed out. “We were
forced to be very organized,” Darcy says, “but it was
actually easier for us than getting it done in small
chunks over a lunch break or an afternoon.” Darcy
recommends using local vendors for personal service
that supports the local economy. Plus, transporting
people or goods such a distance can get costly while
adding room for error.
Accommodations are key, since most guests will need
them. Remember: This is a popular vacation area. Don’t
assume there will be vacancies, and don’t expect a low
making such an effort, coming such a far distance,”
she says. “Plus, it will help you sleep up until the
wedding day.”
The weather played out beautifully for Lee and Keri’s
big day last July. They said their “I do’s” in front of
family, lakeside, on a peaceful Friday evening. After the
wedding party’s cruise on a pontoon, decorated with a
“Just Married” sign and trailing blow-up beer cans,
came dinner at a lodge across the lake. The next day,
more than 200 friends and family gathered under white
tents for dinner, drinks and dancing into the evening,
the latest in the couple’s ongoing collection of memories
connected to their beloved Brainerd-area lake. !
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