Bright Summer Wedding aka MY WEDDING

I've been trying to find time to "interview" myself and do a blog about my wedding and today is the day! It'll be a little weird but I think the best way to describe my day to my readers is to do a blog like I do for everyone else.. a little Q & A.

The Day

June 18th, 2016

The Rings

My rings are from Wedding Day Diamonds

Biago's is from an online store called Stonebrook Jewelry

Ceremony and Reception

Both took place at the Minnesota Boat Club in St. Paul

The Dress

My dress was a strapless sweetheart neck, empire waste, horsehair ballgown with a lace sequin bodice.
From the Wedding Shoppe in St. Paul.

(I should work at Kleinfeld, shouldn't I?)

*I got my sash on Etsy and I was obsessed with it*

One thing I want to note: I absolutely loved my dress. I wanted a dress that was obnoxious. I wanted people to remember it and I wanted to feel like a princess. One thing I didn't think about, the alterations. They were very expensive. Because of the detail throughout the skirt, it was very hard to hem and because the top was so stiff and had so much boning it was hard to bring it in, which ultimately made my alterations very expensive. So think about that when you buy a dress.

Here's another little tidbit- I didn't allow my dad to see my dress 'til the day of. That was very special. If you know my dad, you know he loves me and my sister more than anything and me getting married was HUGE to him... at times I thought he was more excited than me. Seeing the look on his face when he saw me for the first time in my dress was seriously a tear jerking.

The Bridesmaids Dresses

Jasmine Bridal from The Wedding Shoppe
The personal attendants got their dresses at two completely different places and somehow they totally matched, I told them royal blue and it worked out perfectly.

Tuxes

From Savvi Formalwear

The boys' were grey, Biago's was a deep navy blue.

Hair and Makeup

Chanda from The Beehive Salon in Excelsior did my hair (she's married to my cousin) and did an amazing job, I absolutely loved my hair!

My Makeup was done by Makeup by Dawn, whom I found on Facebook.

Florist

Carver Flowers, Carver, MN 

I originally started with fake flowers because I cannot fathom spending hundreds of dollars on something that is going to die... but then my mom didn't like the fake flowers and stepped up and paid for my real flowers. The budget was still really, really low for flowers and I ultimately wish I could have gotten something much better... but you get what you pay for.  

Cake

Byerly's

 I never really dreamed of my cake, didn't really care about it until I discovered naked cakes. I am in love with strawberry shortcake so I wanted my cake to be berry flavored and let me tell you, it was amazing. We continuously got compliments on how good our cake was.
Our cute cake topper was from Chick Design Boutique on Etsy.

Photographer

Studio U Photography and Design, Carver, MN

Megan is seriously amazing! She was so sweet, a pleasure to work with and the photos really show it, she's so good! If there's one thing I'm happy I spent money on it was our photographer.

Transportation

Good Times Bus Lines

Violinist

Shawn Vougeot

Band

Big Island Band

 One of the grooms speculations was that we had to have a band... we looked for months and months and finally came across the Big Island Band and agreed. We loved them! They were so much fun, everyone was dancing all night, I highly recommend getting a band over a DJ.

What's one thing you had to have on your big day?

We had to have an indoor-outdoor venue. We both have been to so many weddings where it felt stuffy and that's the last thing we wanted. We wanted our guests to be able to go outside and inside while still staying together. The Boat Club was literally perfect. The view of the city overlooking the water, it reminded us of Tuscany. 

What is one memory you wont forget about your big day?

 So many! 

But the one that pops into my mind is almost having a full-blow-pass-out-panic-attack before I saw my groom. I have never had a panic attack before or passed out before, but I imagine this is what it would have felt like... my maid of honor and bridesmaid were getting me dressed in a tight bathroom, they were tugging, and pulling, and pinching at me to get my dress on and suddenly I felt like I needed to breathe, sit down, throw up, scream, pass out, put on a sweater and lie down all at the same time. It was terrifying. I didn't feel nervous. I just felt overwhelmed and needed a fricken minute!

 If that makes sense?

But then, on my way down to him, to our "first look", literally it was like every single emotion melted away. I have never felt more at peace and happy in my entire life. For the rest of the day I was fine. I didn't feel nervous walking down the aisle or tying the knot or kissing in front of everyone. 

Seeing him made everything better.

If you could do one thing differently what would you do?

Because I'm a "wedding whore" and I notice things others probably don't, so I have a lot of things I would do differently, to name a few:

 *I would have invited only people I know would have came (if that's possible). Over 18 guests didn't show, even though they RSVP'd, only 2 of them had a good excuse. There were literally empty tables... as I was sitting there at the head table I was like, "where is everyone?!" It was very frustrating to know hundreds of dollars were spent on those people. I know it sounds petty but, I will never look at those people the same again.

My advice to guests: do not RSVP and then not show up, and if its out of your control, send a gift or money in replace of what the bride and groom probably spent on your meal.

* I would have spent more money on my flowers, even though they die, the pictures last forever.

*I would have did my makeup differently. 

*And I would have spent more on the food, although my guests liked it, I wasn't even really a fan.

Advice for brides on their day?

Take several moments throughout the day to soak it in. Everyone always says, "the day flies by!" and it truly does. I took several times throughout the day to just look around and breathe and remember everything happening at that time and I would definitely recommend that to other brides.
It really feels like the whole day was a dream.

 

We picked our venue!!

Finally... after months of looking and researching and disagreeing, we both decided we love the Minnesota Boat Club on Raspberry Island in St. Paul!

The last two venues I shared with you, just weren't the ones. We wanted something fairly cheap, with an inside and outside area. We love being outside and we love patio's so the Boat Club was really perfect. The ceremony is outside next to the river and the reception has an inside area and the cocktail hour is on the patio of the Boat Club, so it's exactly what we were looking for.

I will admit it's a little stressful because it's a little more than we wanted to spend but ultimately we decided you only get married once and we knew we'd regret it if we didn't get the venue we wanted. I'd rather cut back in other areas than pick a place I don't love.

So... I put the deposit down today and our date is officially June 18th, 2016! Let the games begin :)


Here are some photos of the Minnesota Boat Club...

 photo credit

photo credit

"You're in this together, now and forever."

Rachael and I were college roommates in Duluth and we have kept in touch since we graduated in 2008. Knowing that I love weddings, she told me years ago that if she ever got married I would be helping her plan, so when her and Nick got and engaged I couldn't wait to help. After months, and months of me annoying her with weekly emails and messages making sure she was on track with her planning, her and Nick finally tied the knot and now I get to blog about it!

When and where was your wedding? Why did you choose this venue/date?

August 1st, 2014 at the Clyde Iron Works in Duluth, MN. We chose the venue because it is in the city where we met and fell in love and it fit our personalities. We didn't want anything too fancy and we wanted our family and friends to be comfortable and more importantly have fun. Once we quickly realized 2014 dates were booking up we picked Friday, August 1st. Although I struggled with the idea of a Friday wedding it turned out great because people got to stay in Duluth and enjoy the weekend. 

Where did you get your tuxes?

Men's Wearhouse (I DO NOT RECOMMEND). They lost our information many times and had horrible customer service. Everything was right in the end mostly because I was psychotically checking up on them.

Where did the bridesmaids get their dresses?  

All over! I sent them an email in February with some ideas and they did the rest. I didn't end up seeing all of them until the day of the wedding and they did an amazing job. 

Who was your photographer? 

Al & Lyndsey Johnson from On3 Photography and they were fun to work with.

Who made your pies? 

Betty's Pies

What was one thing on your wedding day that you absolutely HAD to have?  

A band. I'm a big music fan and I love the energy of live shows. I wanted the reception to have that same feel and I'm glad my fiance' agreed.

 What was DIY at your wedding?  

You mean DiWHY? Kidding... I had a lot of fun making everything even if I got a little over my head sometimes. With help from my Mom/Dad/Nick/Bridesmaids I was able to make: save-the-dates, invites, programs, ceremony backdrop, tree decorations, pie stands, marquee letters, place cards, table numbers, signage and a life-size cut out of our dog Lucy. 

If you could do one thing over what would you change? 

 I would clone Nick and myself so we could spend more time with everyone. The day is such a blur and all of your favorite people are there but there just isn't enough time.

Who helped you most with planning/preparing?  

My mom did so much and was always on board no matter what crazy idea I had. My planner, Amanda also helped me stay on track throughout the year planning and then took care of literally everything the day of, I didn't have to worry about one thing.

What was your favorite part about your big day?  

I don't know if I could choose just one. Walking down the aisle with my parents and seeing Nick up there, the feeling of excitement, and relief after the ceremony and dancing with our family and friends all night would probably be my top three. 

What is your advice to future brides planning their wedding?  

Use Google docs for everything. Start early on anything DIY because I promise you something will go wrong. Don't expect everything to be perfect, this event is an expression of yourselves, but it's not all you'll ever be. Embrace the unexpected, and each others' opinions, and don't let an unattainable ideal sour the big picture: You're in this together, now and forever.

Winter Wonderland Wedding

I've known Larissa for quite a while and the second I found out her and Jeff were getting married, I couldn't wait to help! Sometimes brides don't really have a "dream" in their head of their wedding day and Larissa was totally like that. She is very laid back and okay with pretty much anything. It even took convincing to get her to have a bachelorette party! So, I knew that helping her plan would be a lot of work, but I was SO excited she asked me to help. The wedding was really beautiful and very special, these two are truly made for each other. I couldn't have been happier to be a part of her special day. And now I get to blog about it!

 

 

When and where did you get married?

Feb 15, 2014 Creeksbend Golf Course, New Prague

 Where did you get your dress/veil/shoes? 

Bride To Be Consignment

Where did you get the tuxes? Bridesmaid dress? 

Men's Wearhouse & Bridesmaid at Bride To Be

Which Florist did you use? 

A friend of my mother-in-law did our flowers

 Who was your photographer?  

Bryan Newfield

What was one thing you couldn't live without on your big day? 

All of our friends and family!

What is your favorite memory from your day? 

The feeling after "you may now kiss your bride" and turning to face the crowd and seeing everyone, and then dancing down the isle to Barry Louis Polisar, "All I want is you". Definitely one of the happiest moments in my life!

Who helped you with planning? 

Amanda Daniels. She did a great job!  

What's one advice you'd give to other brides planning their wedding? 

It's your day and there are no rules. You can do anything you want. Cake or no cake, fancy dinner or backyard caterer. Do what fits you both. Also, we highly recommend videotaping your wedding! We both cried watching it the next day. It was amazing!

If you could have done one thing differently on your wedding day what would you do?

I have a fear of microphones so I didn't say anything at speech time. I wish I would have. Oh and I wish I didn't take my flowers outside for pictures, it was cold out and they ended up turning brown and wilting when we came back inside.

What are some things you did to save money on your wedding? 

I bought a lot of stuff at Bride To Be Consignment and then sold them back after the wedding. We didn't do a groom's dinner and just having a winter wedding saved us a ton of money. The room was only a dollar to rent!  I also had a friend do my hair and makeup.