• Real Weddings

The story of Allie and Will is that they met in college and were best friends for a year until they realized there was something more, so they truly have married their best friends! They knew having a traditional wedding, and a big wedding, was not what they wanted, so they were inspired to have a more intimate barn wedding. They chose the gorgeous venue, Riley-Jacques Barn, to tie the knot on their special day. All of the love, support and DIY projects  from their families and friends completed the perfection of their wedding day.
As always, to see all of the simple and sweet details of this wedding, view the full gallery here, all marvelously captured by Brooke Michaelson Photography.

From the Bride:Having such a great blank canvas (the barn) gave me the ability to dream big and really make the space into exactly what I wanted. Doing a lot of DIY decor was a great way to save money but also it was a way to have that personal touch at our wedding that really caught people’s attention and made it a day to remember!

Looking back I would have tried to come up with a fun way to greet our guests TOGETHER because it felt like we spent too much time apart on a day that is about uniting us a couple. A few ideas that I think would have been fun ways to greet everyone together are a champagne toast, group photo with each table, a photo with each family/group of friends. My parents had the great idea of excusing each table to dinner instead of the waitress so that they could say hello to everyone, it worked out great!

From Brooke Michaelson Photography:Allie and Will, their family, and friends made the day unbelievable. Not only were the people terrific, but the attention to detail in the decor was out of this world. For example, that adorable dessert table? Yeah, each one of those desserts was homemade by family and friends (they were delicious)! The flower boxes on the tables? Allie and her parents made those. The lace accents on items are from Allie's mom's wedding dress. Also, the china used is from Allie's late grandmother. The entire family pitched in to help make Allie and Will's day unforgettable.

140 people Total: approximately $12,000
Music/Entertainment: $2,000
Decor: $2,500 (mostly hand made and borrowed, chairs and linens rented)
Flowers: $1,000
Food & Drink: $5,000 (we were able to provide our own alchohol and desserts)
Venue: $750
Dress/Hair/Nails/Jewelry/Shoes: $1,000

• Band: Slip Twister
• Bridesmaid Dresses: ASOS
• Cake: Byerly's (Chanhassen)
• Caterer: Kane's Catering
• Crochet Top: Delia's
• Flowers: SW floral designs
• Groom & His Men: Nordstrom
• Groomsmen Attire: Knight's Chamber Clothiers
• Groomsmen's Attire: DKNY
• Hair & Makeup: Sanctuary Salonspa
• Prop or Furniture Rentals: Apres Party and Tent Rental
• Shoe Designer: Le Soir | Other Desserts: homemade by family and friends
• Venue: Riley-Jacques Barn
• Wedding Dresses: Watters