This midwest wedding redefines the traditional destination wedding

Kaden and Devon's love story started at Principia College in 2019. After catching eyes and passing each other on their way to their separate sports practices, Kaden announced to his friend, "I am going to marry that girl". After a slow start and many determined attempts, Kaden finally got Devon to go on a date with him. Their love for each other grew quickly as they found every opportunity to get to know each other. After living shortly in California for two years, the couple knew it was time to head back to their roots in the Midwest.

They packed up their things and began the road trip to St. Louis. Unknown to Devon, Kaden was planning an elaborate secret proposal in Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, where they shared many of their favorite memories. Kaden told Devon they were going for a special work trip. So they flew to Minnesota and while Devon thought Kaden was in work meetings all day, he was really preparing for this special proposal. Kaden's family and Devon’s family traveled in to surprise Devon. That night the couple walked up the dock stairs and were greeted with a walkway lined with Devon's favorite flowers. At the end of the walkway was a little black box. Devon was SHOCKED and couldn't have been any happier. They walked the path and Kaden got down on one knee and asked Devon to spend the rest of her life with him right at sunset. SHE SAID YES! The two families spent the rest of the weekend celebrating and enjoying the beautiful lake together.

From the first moments of their engagement, the couple dreamed of a destination wedding on a spacious ranch with lake views. Devon and Kaden’s destination wedding was a weekend packed with events. Friday afternoon, the couple hosted a welcome party where each guest received welcome bags filled with custom wedding newspapers, hangover kits, and custom cookies with the destination’s city iced on them. Devon and Kaden also rented a large house near the venue and hosted the wedding party all weekend. After a full day of activities, they had their rehearsal dinner at the house on Saturday night. The rehearsal dinner’s design accented the nature of the property and was catered by a private chef. The couple were surrounded by their loved ones the entire weekend which made their wedding day even more special!

Devon wanted her bridesmaids to complement the neutral colors of the venue by dressing them in champagne dresses from Bec + Bridge. The bride’s beauty team kept their looks simple and clean. Devon’s hair was in soft beachy waves that beautifully accented her backless dress. Meanwhile, Kaden and his eleven groomsmen dressed in sophisticated black suits and neat bowties.

During cocktail hour, all 190 attendees found their names on a large wall with envelopes containing the couple’s 3 favorite qualities about each guest. Everyone was raving about this wall and you could really tell it meant the world to them that the couple thought of them!

Our advice to everyone is to reinvent your ideas about destination weddings! Destination weddings do not have to be outside of the country or far away for guests to travel. Tying the knot in a new state surrounded by loved ones can be a very special and unique way to change things up. Embrace the culture of another city with fun welcome parties at local gems, or host a fun post-wedding brunch with your wedding party! Destination weddings also don’t have to be intimate with smaller guest counts. Devon and Kaden celebrated their love with 190 of their friends and family–and it was SUCH a fun experience!