Wedding Inspiration Series // Kristen and Drew Rogers Minnesota

I'm SO happy to get this preview on the blog, finally!  When I shot this amazing September wedding I was taking a serious social media break.  And although I loved this wedding and editing it and sharing it with the couple, I didn't share it with the world so now is my chance!  Kristen and Drew are an AMAZING couple I met as a fellow wedding vendor, they are super cool and talented Videographers behind Drew Gilmore Photo and Video and beyond that they are SUPER fun and they love the office and they have the sweetest pup named Boomer and well I could go on and on about them. I just love these guys and their wedding was a perfection reflection of them at  a private residence in Rogers Minnesota.  A perfect September day in the country was the backdrop of this rustic yet sweet fairytale wedding!  Kristen found her prince!  Here's what she had to say about wedding planning....

What was your favorite memory? 
Favorite memory from my wedding day was our First Look.  It was so wonderful to just have some moments alone before all the crazy happened! And it was just as meaningful when I saw him when I walked down the aisle.

What could you have done without?
I am having a very hard time with this question. I'm not sure there was anything I could have done without!

What was the best advice you received?
Best advice I ever received was to give your phone to a personal attendant/friend so you know where it is all day, so she can take pictures for you, etc.

What did you book first? Venue, Dress, Photographer.....what order would you suggest?
We booked our photographer first because we loved Dani SO much! This made it harder to find a venue with our date open. I would recommend finding the venue first.

 What were you nervous about and was it worth it?
I was most nervous about the weather because our wedding was entirely outside. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend and was so worth it!

What tips do you have for planning brides?
Don't be afraid to delegate tasks! You need helping hands.

If you could do it over again what would you change if anything?
I would make sure out tent sides were down because having a blank white background took away from the scenery.

Tell us about how you chose your dress and bridesmaids dresses
 I chose my dress on the first day I went shopping - MISTAKE! I found one I liked more later and was able to sell the first one but still lost money on it.

How did you stay organized? 
TheKnot.com has great resources to help you stay organized!

Anything you'd like to add?
 Just remember to breathe and have fun. Take it all in, this day only comes once - and it'll be the best day of your life!

Wedding Inspiration Series // Kelsey + Adam // Brighton Acres

Ok this wedding! This wedding was amazing, but what I really truly connected with was Kelsey's bravery while wedding planning. I'm so happy to share her tips and stories with you because she really put together a GORGEOUS wedding but she did it her way and even changed her dress after she purchased one. I am a broken record when it comes to doing it your way and being resourceful. If you want a different dress, get it.  If you need to change your date to get the venue or photographer you want, change it.  No fear.  It's wedding! I loved that about Kelsey! Also loved her input here and I think you will agree she nailed this wedding! So who better to get planning advice from? 

What was your favorite memory? 
So many! But I’ll try to narrow it down to my top three.  I definitely envisioned our wedding to have a certain feel and certain look and walking out into the barn to see it all come together before our guests got there, gave me all the feels. Everything I had pictured had come to life, and that was amazing. My 2nd favorite was waiting out of sight with my dad to walk down the aisle. All the wedding party had walked down and we were hiding behind a house so none of the guests would see me. He gave me some sage fatherly advice and it was a really special moment with just the two of us. And lastly, as cliché as it sounds, but the wedding ceremony. Adam got choked up and I really tried to embrace every second of it, and loved it :) Oh and the bomb dinner food (shout out to Three Guys & a Grill for catering – so delicious and we ate up the leftovers for the next week!)

What could you have done without?
A less extensive dessert bar – we had a cake, cupcakes and donuts and had *so* much left-over, it was probably a little over-board.

What was the best advice you received?
To stay present. I think I actually read that from a previous blog Dani had posted from a bride from two years ago and I really took it to heart. Every part of the day, from getting ready with my bridesmaids, to the ceremony, dinner, dance etc… For every part of it, I tried to just take a quick 30 seconds and stay present so that it all wouldn’t fly by too fast.

What did you book first? Venue, Dress, Photographer.....what order would you suggest?
We booked our venue first since we knew we needed a date before inquiring with other vendors. Once this was booked, I reached out to photographers to gage pricing, style and availability and quickly booked this second.  I think this order worked well!

What were you nervous about and was it worth it?
The weather! As I mentioned above, I envisioned a certain feel for the day and that involved having the reception dinner in the barn. Due to the size of our wedding, the venue was unable to flip the barn from the ceremony to the reception so this required our ceremony to be outside.  I was all for this, but was super nervous about the weather being ok.  It turned out to be theperfect day so it was definitely worth it. I think even if it had been raining, we would have made it work :)

What tips do you have for planning brides?
First, stay organized.  Second, ask multiple vendors for prices, don’t just settle for the first one you find.  I inquired with multiple vendors regarding linen & cutlery prices, draping, chairs etc.  Even though it was a lot of work, I think we found some really great deals. And lastly, stay true to you and your fiancé! There were a few very “traditional” wedding things we left out, notably the bouquet & garter toss, my dress and traditional cake cutting. We just didn’t feel that that was a priority for us and something we’d rather not do, so we didn’t. It’s YOUR day, do what feels best to you!

If you could do it over again what would you change if anything?
I would have spent more time looking for a dress. (so I didn’t end up having to buy two!). See below

Tell us about how you chose your dress and bridesmaids dresses:
I don’t live near my parents so my mom came to visit me for a day of dress shopping. Doing it all in one day was a bit much for me – and by the end of the day I was just ready for it to be over so ended up buying one at the last shop we went to.  Well, it came in and I tried it on and it just didn’t “wow” me. Then as I drove home from work one night, I spotted a different one in the window, decided to try it on (by myself!) and I loved it. I had a friend come with me the next day to make sure I wasn’t crazy since it was a little non-traditional, but she loved it and I knew in my gut it was “the one”. So I sold the other one on Ebay, ordered the new one and it all ended up working out in the end.  For my bridesmaid dresses, I knew I had to get one that was available at a national chain as my bridesmaids live all over the Midwest. I just tried to find a color that fit and a style that would look good on all body types

How did you stay organized? 
I was lucky enough to have a wedding planner so that helped keep me organized! She used a program called Aisle Planner that had a checklist based on how far out we were from the big day and various other pages dedicated to catering, dessert, ceremony etc. The checklist method was definitely one that worked for me and I know there are numerous other free ones available online. The checklists are *especially* great for thinking of little details you may not think of

Anything you'd like to add?
I mentioned it above but stay true to yourself & your fiancé! Get the dress YOU want that makes YOU feel good. Get the food you want, even if it’s not traditional. Don’t feel pressured to include traditional parts of the wedding day if you don’t want them. You have one wedding day. I wanted to look back and have no regrets about doing or not doing things – and I can honestly say we have none!

Full Wedding Preview Here with Links to vendors:  Kelsey and Adam

Wedding Inspiration Series // Meghan and Joe

One thing that sticks out to me about this wedding is the fact that my GPS took me to the middle of nowhere with nearly zero service and gratefully I finally called Meghans, spoke with her mom told them what happened and literally NO ONE cared. Meghan didn't care, her mom didn't care, the bridesmaids, no one cared that I was nearly 20 mins late.  And the moment I walked into the door I knew why, because they were brimming with excitement and smiles and joy that filled the room. Little details or timelines were not going to ruin this day.  That made me love it the most.  Because they (Bride and groom and parents)  didn't care about anything except getting married.  This day was about marriage and a family coming together and nothing else.  It just really sits with me because sometimes I feel like that can get lost on a wedding day. I feel like the big picture can get lost in the details, the decor, the timeline, the "stuff".  Meghan and Joe cared about the BIG picture.  I love what they have to share with you all! Joe's point of view is such an added bonus!  

What was your favorite memory? 

Meghan: My favorite memory was the time Joe and I had alone together between the ceremony and reception. We opted to drive Joe’s parents’ Corvette on our wedding day rather than getting a limo or bus for the whole bridal party. I was nervous that I would regret this decision and want to have everyone together on the drive to the reception venue, but I’m so glad we did it this way. Joe and I had time to gush about how excited we were and to reflect on the ceremony. It was a really special 20 minutes!

Joe: The moment we said “I do.” That’s the most important part!

What could you have done without?
Meghan: I regret nothing!
Joe: Nope! No regrets. 

What was the best advice you received?
Meghan: When creating your plan for the wedding day, add extra time for each part. I am so glad I did, we were consistently running ahead of schedule, which took loads of pressure off of us. As a result, we were able to live in the moment and relax more than I believe we would have otherwise. 

Joe: Hire a good photographer! Seriously. The pictures we have are such good representations of us and they bring back memories of the day. And I’m not just saying that because this is going to Dani. 

What did you book first? Venue, Dress, Photographer.....what order would you suggest?
Meghan: We booked our venue and photographer first. I knew (for years) before we began wedding planning that I wanted Dani to be our photographer, so once we could nail down a date and location we contacted her! 

Joe: Book the venue first. Also, lock in the caterer sooner rather than later. That got us a lower price than it would have been if we waited until the year of the wedding. 

What were you nervous about and was it worth it?
Meghan: I was nervous about EVERYTHING. I was literally pacing around my parents’ house thirty minutes before the ceremony thinking about any tiny thing that could go wrong. All of that worrying was a waste. Because we hired trusted, experienced vendors, the day went so smoothly. 

Joe: The weather, falling during the ceremony, dumb stuff. It all worked out in the end!

What tips do you have for planning brides?
Meghan: Make wedding decisions based on you and your fiance’s tastes, not trends. We tried to inject our tastes and style into the day as much as we could. We had mac and cheese with dinner, mini pies instead of cake, and used a lot of greenery instead of flowers. Weddings are expensive, so spend your money on what truely makes you happy. 

Joe: Do it right! You’re only going to do it once. 

If you could do it over again what would you change if anything?
Meghan: I am so happy to say that I wouldn’t change a thing. It was the perfect day. 
Joe: I can’t really think of anything I would change. 

Tell us about how you chose your dress and bridesmaids dresses
Meghan: We shopped for dresses at Vera’s House of Bridal in Madison. My mom got her wedding dress there almost 30 years ago, and I thought it would be so special to follow in her footsteps. I knew that I wanted my dress to be fitted and lacy. I went with the dress I felt prettiest in! I wanted my bridesmaids to have the same exciting experience of choosing something that made them feel good, so I told them to choose any long dress they liked. Then, we ordered their dresses in shades of blush and mauve. The result was gorgeous! 

Joe: I did a lot of soul searching, thought about my favorite colors. I had to really work hard to find a dress that fit my body. Just kidding :)

How did you stay organized? 
I stayed organized by using the checklist available on theknot.com and spreadsheets on Google Drive. The Knot helped me to remember tasks I would have otherwise not thought of, and I used the spreadsheets to list decor items I purchased, plan and keep track of our budget, and create a detailed schedule for the wedding day. The schedule spreadsheet was especially helpful because I shared it with my wedding day coordinator, and she and her assistant used it to keep the day running smoothly. 

Joe: My wife kept me organized. 

Anything you'd like to add?
Meghan: Above all, enjoy the process and the day! Marriage is beautiful, weddings are beautiful, family and friends witnessing your love is beautiful—so live in the moment! Also, find comfy shoes. Or have really uncomfortable designer shoes for the ceremony and then put on Target sandals immediately after. 
Joe: If you have an idea of something you want to build or create, just do it! We made our wedding centerpieces by cutting wood rounds from a tree at our cabin. We had a lot of compliments on them. 

Barn at Harvest Moon Pond