I’ve never ever tire of pouring over a gorgeous, well-planned wedding. And when one such wedding is captured through the lens of Brandon Werth, you can bet it’s going to be crazy beautiful. Crafted with an urban influence and subtle nod to European design, this Minneapolis affair encompasses everything I love in one stunning swoop. The full gallery is bursting at the seams with pin-perfect inspiration and the heartfelt film by MyGuyMedia? Let’s just say it’s simply too good to miss.
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From the Bride…We wanted a wedding that fit the love that we share together complete with a traditional Catholic ceremony and fairytale ending. When we started planning we laid out our priorities and our main focus was that we wanted a fall wedding with a weekend full of events to share with family and friends, all 175 of them. Being that the groom’s mother is beyond amazing at what she does (floral artistry and overall design) we talked through the vision of the events and they were executed without a hitch! Naming our theme as European inspired with an urban flair, I didn’t even see how the table decor was going to look before I walked into the room on the wedding night…I was speechless! She worked around the clock (literally) to pull off these events that were truly perfection!
We kicked off the wedding weekend with a groom’s dinner on Thursday evening at a beautiful property in the country (Independence, MN). Friday was a day to spend with our respective wedding parties. On Saturday morning to kick off our wedding day, the girls got luxury treatment at l’atelier couture where I purchased my beautiful dress designed by Elizabeth Fillmore. The “White Glove Service” as they call it was wonderful, the ladies prepared the boutique for our arrival and had our dresses steamed and a few surprises along the way. We brought in hair and makeup for everyone complete with mimosas, coffee and bites. One of the surprises they had in store for me was a sketch that Elizabeth Fillmore did herself of my gown, talk about amazing, I was shocked! It was truly a luxury to get ready there, every girl’s dream!
The ceremony was so meaningful to us because it was in the church that I grew up going to and we were able to say our vows in the religious setting that we wanted. We wanted the focus to be around the ceremony without adding much flair to the church and did just this! Our guests went to cocktail hour after the ceremony where they were greeted with drinks, h’orderves, and a vintage photo booth. When we arrived at the reception we had a receiving line into the dinner room to greet everyone. The venue is gorgeous and has so much character as a blank slate, but we dressed it up with up lighting and old world chandeliers over the head table. There were three styles of tables (round, banquet, and square) along with three styles of linens, two styles of chargers, and different table centerpieces at each table. Each table had a unique design and the asymmetrical tables made it feel less formal. We also brought the outdoors in by placing trees around the room for a natural look. We wanted guests to feel the love in the room by setting up an intimate feel with a soft palette of colors and a playlist of love songs that we picked out for dinner.
The details of the evening were necessary to us so every guest felt important. We did this by having each guest write an anniversary message in a wine bottle and walk away with CD souvenir filled with love songs we picked out. One of my favorite details was the animal/carrot figurines we used on each guest’s plate to designate which meal they ordered. When I look back, what really made our wedding special was the memories from our lives through a slideshow we created and the speeches from our loved ones. After the tears, the band kicked off playing and the rest of the night is history! For a couple that enjoys true nature as much as they do downtown living; this wedding event was one of a kind.
My favorite thing about our wedding is that it truly was a calibration of all our talents, a full family affair! The love that was put in was felt in the outcome. Bob’s mom was the mastermind behind all of the design elements and Bob and I filled in with the details. We spent many weekends printing name tags and painting table décor. A mother and her three sons made this day happen, and they really went above and beyond!
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Photography: Brandon Werth | Ceremony Venue: Holy Name of Jesus | Reception Venue: Aria | Floral + Event Design: Debbie Bradley | Linens: Linen Effects | Cinematography: MyGuyMedia | DJ: Prime Time DJ | Band: The R Factor | Lighting: Phos Event Design | Invitations + Programs: Paperlou | Wedding Dress: l’atelier couture, Elizabeth Filmore | Jewlery + Veil: l’atelier couture, Penny Larsen | Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid | Groom’s attire: Banana Republic | Groomsmen Attire: H&M + J.Crew | Transportation: MIK Transportation, Inc | Wedding Catering: D’Amico Catering | Hair+ Makeup: E-Salon