• Real Weddings

Our next couple had been together eight years before their wedding. They didn't want their wedding to feel like their parents party, but they also did not want the wedding to feel like a beginning... like they were starting their lives together. Instead, they wanted their guests to feel as though the entire weekend was a celebration of a bond that they had grown and nurtured over the past eight years and would continue to grow and nurture. Read on to hear some pretty fabulous tips from the bride.
Enjoy more Preppy Pink And Navy Wedding from one of our absoulte favorite Midwest Weddding Photographer Emily Emily Steffen Photography.

Read this is is pretty awesome:

On August 20, 2010, one year before our wedding, I was looking at one of the blogs I follow and I saw a wedding where the bride and groom wrote their vows together. At their ceremony the bride said one line of their vows and the groom said the next and they went back and forth until the vows were over. And when the vows were over they asked each other if they vowed to be the others husband and wife. I had never met these people but I was crying in my office at work after hearing their vows. It was so moving. I went home, showed Scott and he instantly agreed. We wrote our vows that same night . . . a year before our wedding. Our entire wedding weekend was every thing we could have hoped for--the Twin Cities had absolutely perfect weather, everyone was smiling and laughing, and we felt so incredibly loved.

From The Bride on her inspiration and diy projects.

With wedding blogs for inspiration, I set out to make our one of a kind wedding. I have always been the type of person that refuses to pay someone to do something I can do myself, so a few months before the wedding I made the cornhole boards, thank you place cards, moss letters, lavender hand soaps, and welcome bags. When my Maid of Honor arrived from LA the week of the wedding, we made the bouquets, centerpieces, and table card windows. However, none of the details would have been pulled off without our week of coordinator, Lora from At Your Service Weddings. I loved being a do-it-yourself Bride, but I loved even more that on the day of my wedding I could just enjoy every moment and not worry about a thing.

 When the time came to plan our wedding, we knew we wanted it to be timeless and classic, but not traditional, with a dash of good old Southern Hospitality all the way up in Minnesota. Eighty percent of our guest list was flying in for the wedding and we did not want them to worry about a thing. We rented a charter bus to take them to and from the wedding, and when they arrived at the boat club they were immediately handed either a Mint Julep or a John Daly and an Hors d'oeuvre as they waited for the ceremony.
We love the idea of keeping the Mason jar as a wedding favor. Not only do they get to use it at the wedding, but every time guests use it they will remember your special day.

Emily Steffen is one of our exclusive Hand-Picked Vendors. Hand-Picked Vendors are at the top of their game and provide excellent services! These vendors were chosen because of their commitment to excellence, stylish and fresh ideas, and their overall fresh approach to weddings. To learn more about how our Hand-Picked Vendors are chosen please click here.

Photographer: Emily Steffen Photography Venue: MN Boat Club Makeup: Sara Feldman Hair: Sara Feldman Cake: Wouletts Bakery Coordinator: At your Service Weddings Dress Designer: Melissa Sweet Flowers: The Bride and Maid of honor Groom's Attire: Brooks Brothers