Navy and Yellow Wedding in South Dakota
On a bright and sunny day late in the month of August, Allie and Jordan exchanged vows in a formal church ceremony followed by a fun filled hotel reception in South Dakota. Wanting to combine Jordan's country roots with Allie's timeless, classic tastes; this couple succeeded with reception decor that defines "rustic elegance." The navy, yellow and gray color scheme was carried throughout their special day, and was joined natural shades of green and brown in the moss and wood that decorated the reception.
Continue reading to hear so much more from Allie about their special day, including a few things she would have done differently. You can view more of this navy and yellow wedding in the full gallery here, all beautifully captured by Jeff Sampson Photography.
From the Bride:When Jordan proposed to me three months into our relationship, I knew I had to plan a wedding that would live up to the fairytale that had been set in motion. I knew my main objective would be to incorporate Jordan’s background (country life and farming). For myself, I am a girly girl…. I gravitate toward all things chic, timeless and classical. So I had the challenge of marrying (no pun intended) the two concepts. I took some of my favorite things from both …. Lace and antique silver accents along with the colors of late summer on the farm, mustard yellow.
Immediately after our 1:00pm ceremony, we began our celebration with a social hour so our friends and families could spend time getting to know each other. We again focused on combining the traditional and formal, with the casual and country. We had a cookie bar with assorted lemonade and iced teas. We got our formal feel by having butlered hors d’oeuvres, but kept it casual by serving classic comfort foods like breaded corn nuggets, BBQ pork skewers and shrimp cocktail in miniature mason jars.
At 5:00pm, we opened the doors to the main dinner hall. We kept our guests in the atrium to heighten the anticipation for the arrival of the wedding party and the big reveal of all of our planning. Our main objective was to keep everyone together and enjoying each other’s company.
We placed the elevated head table on the opposite end of the reception hall to the dance floor. We created a “U-shaped” head table and invited all of the “significant others” of our bridal party to join us. This unique table shape provided a great space for a moss-inspired focal point in the center as well as keeping the wedding party interacting and conversing. We wanted to be able to see our bridal party and talk with them during our dinner. This pushed the other 350 guests closer to the dance floor, which proved to be invaluable later on in the night.
We incorporated barn wood from the barns built by his great-grandfather on the farm where his family still lives. We used vases filled with the grains that provide our living as well. Other elements included natural branches and lots (I mean lots) of moss. We went with the color scheme of deep navy blues, mustard yellow and tones of gray. We made sure every last detail was conducive to keeping our guests interacting and engaged with each other. Our design team, Mood Signature Events, had some very inspired ideas to help us with this goal.
We served a traditional country menu: Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Chuck-wagon corn and the best cornbread we have ever tasted. In addition to that, our meal was served “family-style.” We thought the passing of the dishes would foster conversation among our guests and make them feel at home.
Dessert was centered on Cherryberry Frozen Yogurt. Assorted toppings were served in dishes that we collected throughout the year of our wedding planning. Baked treats from Mary B's Cakes provided another choice for those with a sweet tooth. We offered a dairy-free choice of frozen yogurt as well as several sugar-free cupcakes and cookies. We wanted no guest to feel like they didn’t get the full experience of our wedding event.
Read on to hear what the Allie would have done differently!
Even though I believe our wedding was one of the most amazing events in our area to date there are still a few things I wish we would have included in our day. Jordan and I did have a videographer record an engagement video we played at the reception and the videographer also recorded our ceremony but I wish we would have recorded the speeches at our reception. The speeches given by my father, twin sister, little sister, and Jordan's brother are something we do not want to forget. Now looking back upon those moments I wish we would have a video to reflect on such an emotional time and some of the most wonderful and kind words that were said by some of the closest people to us.
Also, I read over and over again on planning websites to make sure that we had a list of "must" photos. Our photographer did have the list and it was followed perfectly but as I found out a bride cannot think of every single detail. Some of our family photos were taken inside of the church. The reasoning for this was because of my 82 year old grandmother (our favorite grandmother ;)). We now look back and realize we wish we would have taken these family photos outdoors (quickly) and then we would have had a nice and natural lit photograph of my side of the family.
It's very difficult to even tell you what I just did because I look back at mine and Jordan's day and know that we are so thankful and happy with the way our day went, start to finish! I do not want to complain or criticize anything/anyone because the amount of work that went into such a large event does not go unnoticed in any aspect of our day!
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- Accessories & Lingerie: Vince Camuto
- Bridesmaids Dresses: Kennedy Blue
- Cake: Mary B's Cakes
- Caterer: Minervas Restaurant & Bar
- DJ & Lighting: Empire Productions
- Dress & Apparel: BHLDN
- Dress Designer: Jenni's Bridal Boutique
- Event Designer: Mood Signature Events
- Flowers: Lily's Floral Design & Gifts
- Frozen Yogurt: Cherryberry
- Groom & His Men: J.Crew
- Groom's Attire: Tip Top Tux
- Hair & Makeup: Revive Day Spa
- Jewelry: Anthony Jewelers | Officiant: Father J. Joseph Holzhauser
- Stationery: Confetti Creative Co.
- Venue: Best Western Ramkota Aberdeen