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WATSON BLOCK WEDDING | DANA + MICHAEL

Weddings 07.30.2019

Hi!! Some of you may know me only by my email signature and flooding your inbox with all things 220 weddings, but I was just like you 3 months ago ( wow time flies!!) as I said I DO to my forever. We planned our wedding in 40 day’s notice! YUP! 4-0!!! Also, we were out of the country for 10 of those days, so to say things needed to happen and be booked quickly was an understatement!

So believe me when I tell you, I know what your going through! YOU GOT THIS!!!

I knew that dress shopping was going to be a little tough with such a short timeline and while I went to a few shops, I didn’t find what I was envisioning. I wanted something simple, comfortable and while scrolling the good old internet I found Katie May, the bridal gowns were stunning so after a little digging I found her sample site, and saw her Intrigue Gown. Ladies, it was $75.00!!!! YUP, my frugal self was SOLD! With some slight alterations by the wonderful ladies at A Stitch above the Rest, it was perfect!

We chose the Hewing as our getting ready location, we took our fist stay-cation after Nico was born and fell in love with it the moment we walked through the doors and we just knew it would be perfect! Also, their bloody mary’s are amazing come morning 😉 just saying!

If your looking for a great shop for your groom, check out Ace General Store
they have a ton of amazing products!

Michael & I met almost 2 years ago through mutual friends, to say things progressed quickly would be another understatement! ( getting the theme here?!?) From the moment we were introduced we were hooked, we got engaged on December 30th 2017 while on a ski trip with friends in Oregon. Fast forward a month or so, and instead of planning a wedding…..we were planning for a baby! Wedding planning and having a newborn was just a bit overwhelming, so we held off a little while.

The first look is something I always encourage couples to do if they are on the fence about it. I always think the anticipation and reactions of both the Bride and Groom are so raw, and genuine in this moment. As you walk up to your soon to be spouse, you feel giddy, like the first time you were about to go on a date, those emotions come flooding over you and the moment they turn around it’s pure joy! Then that moment when you are about to walk down the aisle I feel like the nerves disappear and it is pure excitement and this radiates through both you and your spouse.

Having our little guy along for the ride on our day was perfect, he was such a little ham and was quite the little poser! Another piece of advice that I would extend to couples with kids, make sure to get some fun moments as a family, but the true focus should still be you are your spouse. This is a day that you are taking your commitment to a new level and please do not get me wrong these moments with Nico are something that make my heart melt, and we are both completely obsessed with. However, it was important to us that we made the focus on Michael and I as a couple because it is so easy to loose focus on this, especially with kids, they tend to take top priority.

I was SO nervous to be behind the camera! I feel like I get so awkward the moment the camera comes out, like all of the sudden my face forgets what to do and I either look like an overly animated cartoon character, or I have a resting (you know what) face!! SO….. Murphy & Andrew were warned from the get go, and they were AMAZING at making this SO fun!!! While I obviously knew they were there, it felt like we were all just hanging out joking around and I am so in love with the moments they captured!

If you are still looking for a venue and haven’t checked out Watson Block, do it! Bria was absolutely incredible to work with, she helped us execute our vision with our limited timeline, she dealt with my indecisiveness, and believe me, I tend to be a go with the flow kinda gal but when you are planning a wedding, decisions have to be made and quickly! That is defiantly one of the reasons we did this with 40 days notice, I knew I wouldn’t have time to put it off and procrastinate, or change my mind 50 million times! This venue is located in the warehouse district and from the moment you walk in the doors you just feel the history and we loved the modern flair & just the overall vibe of the space as a whole. Bonus, this venue itself is so pretty by itself that not much needs to be added! All the furniture and decor that you see is ALL included!! UM, YES PLEASE!! We just added some floral & greenery to the tables along with gold accents and candles to just add a some added ambiance.

I was most nervous about the vows, Michael and I decided to write our own so for me not only was the pressure on to find the perfect words but to say them in front of 100 people, made me sweat just thinking about it! I am a very outgoing person, but speaking in public is NOT something I am comfortable with! Needless to say, I began to read the words on the page, then about 3 sentences in, threw the paper and went off the cuff! I may have snorted, swore & maybe said the word snot bubble…YUP you read that right, s-n-o-t b-u-b-b-l-e!!! But, it was real, raw and completely us!

I am sure you hear it all the time, your wedding day will fly by, make sure to live in the moment. The reason you hear this….is because IT’S TRUE!! All the time you spend planning, talking with vendors, researching, pinning, all of what feels like a full time job is over in an instant. So to all the couples out there planning their big days, no matter where you are in the process, my one piece of advice…..DO YOU!

Michael & I are never shy when it comes to whipping out some sweet dance moves and let me tell you Harmony DJ Entertainment killed it!!! Josh was absolutely amazing to work with and kept the party going all night! If you are looking for a DJ, look no further as they are an amazing company to work with and Josh’s love for weddings and his clients is something that is so rare and is truly reflected in all they do!

Did I mention how FUN the 220 Family is!?!?!

I love weddings and all they represent, but I also know the stress, emotions, and time that goes into planning, just make sure that at the end of the day it truly is a reflection of you and your soon to be spouse. It is a day that should be filled with laughs, tears ( happy of course!) and lot’s & LOT’S of FUN!!

This day was truly one that I will cherish and relive a million times over!!

Vendors || Studio 220 Photographer: Murphy & Andrew | Venue: Watson Block |DJ: Harmony DJ Entertainment| Hair & Make-up: La Grande Salon| Wedding Gown: Katie May

SEMPLE MANSION WEDDING | KATE + LIAM

Weddings 05.14.2019

The forecast was calling for rain(and possibly SNOW gotta love MN right), for Kate & Liam’s spring wedding ceremony held at The Basilica of St. Mary’s with reception at Semple Mansion. Luckily the day turned out to be nothing as the forecast called for, the sun came out and the day was simply perfect! With the combination of white, green, and gold, accents throughout in their decor it highlighted the beauty of their venues Semple Mansion for reception and Basilica of Saint Mary for ceremony. Kate also designed and made the seating chart along with the welcome sign and the signature drinks chalk board herself!

We of course always love hearing about every brides planning process and what made them say YES to the dress 🙂 We asked Kate how did you choose your wedding day look?

Kate: I always envisioned a long sleeve dress with a lot of lace, but when I tried on the dress that I ended up saying Yes to, it was short sleeved, no lace and very simple, clean A-line skirt. Although it wasn’t anything I first imagined, I fell in love with the dress. It was actually the very first one I tried on. I tried on several after it, but ended up going back to the very first one.

You can just see the love and joy that was filling this room as Kate was getting ready at The Semple Mansion.

We asked Kate & Liam what was your most anticipated or special moment of the wedding day you were most looking forward to?

Kate: our most anticipated moment was seeing each other for the first time that day as the church doors opened.

Were your emotions during that moment what you were expecting?!

Kate: I didn’t really know how I would react at that moment because so many emotions are running through you. As soon as the doors opened though and I saw Liam down the aisle, I relaxed and just tried to be present in the moment.

Now that the day has come and gone what advice do you have for couples planning their weddings? (maybe something you wish you would have done, or not done!?)

Kate: Spreadsheets are your friends! Make a budget and get as detailed as possible. In the end, it’s all the random small costs that add up to a lot, so make sure you build in enough room for those extra costs. Also, do as much as you can early on so that you’re not stressing yourself out the month before the wedding and can actually enjoy the last few weeks of that engaged life!