wedding day: all the details

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Many of you have been asking to see all of the photos from our wedding day–they’re here! I’m excited to be able to share more photos and details of our day with you. All of the photos you’ll see in this post were taken by Gina Zeidler.

When I was younger and more naive, I thought I’d be married young and pop out babies quickly. Oh, how my opinion has changed! I am glad that I found Bob in due time because I was more mature and had accomplished most of my professional goals by the time we met. We started dating in September 2015 and were engaged in October 2017. You can find out how we met, how he asked, and more here.

Planning our wedding day

We had a 15 month engagement and I was so thankful for it! There were key pieces of the day that we discussed as a couple including whether we both wanted to be involved in every decision (the answer was no). The important details came easily: when, where, and type of ceremony. Other details that weren’t so natural: what to invest in and what to save on, who to invite, and how to deal with unforeseen circumstances.

We booked our venue and church first, since those things are so important. After that, the first vendor we booked was our photographer, Gina. I’ve been a huge fan of Gina’s work for quite a while — her photos really capture the story of her subjects. When I got to know her through our first couple of meetings, I realized that she is SO much more than a photographer. She not only helped me make a timeline for our entire day, but on the day itself, she also acted as my day-of coordinator, which kept me calm but excited. I HIGHLY recommend her!

A full list of our vendors and brands of items on our wedding day are listed at the end of the post. If you have specific questions, don’t hesitate to add a comment below!

Details of the day

We got married in Saint Paul, Minnesota on Saturday, January 19, 2019. The day began at the Radisson Blu Mall of America in Bloomington. The hotel is really gorgeous and is close to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), which was important to us. We had quite a few family and friends come from out of town and we wanted them to be able to easily experience the Mall of America (all of the kids loved it).

Getting ready

I was able to stay at the hotel the night prior to the wedding so that the girls and my mom and mother-in-law could easily have a place to get ready the next morning. I hardly slept the night before the wedding — I think I slept maybe two hours because I was so excited for our wedding day.

Peanut’s first hotel stay

One aspect of wedding planning that I grappled with internally was whether to include my dog, Peanut, in the day somehow. We got married in a Catholic church, so he obviously couldn’t join us for that and it was a winter wedding, so photos outside were also difficult to coordinate with a pup. The Radisson Blu Mall of America is pet-friendly, so I decided that he could stay in my room with me the night before the wedding and then through the morning-of. I am SO happy that I decided to do that! The photos with little Peanut are some of my favorite. He has also been a big part of my relationship with Bob (he was just a puppy when we started dating) and is now part of our little family, so it was only natural for him to be part of our day.

Gina is taking the photo behind us; I should mention I wanted as many photos as possible from various angles, so I booked a package with a premium second shooter.

Finishing touches before the First Look

After Peanut went to his own special puppy playdate and overnight stay, we cleaned up the room and got me into my dress. Dress shopping was pretty easy for me – I found a dress I loved on Pinterest. Please, laugh at me. I laughed at myself, thinking I’d never find it. Lo and behold, I decided to go dress shopping at a trunk show by a designer I’d loved and the dress was there! I tried two on before it, but, the others didn’t stand a chance when I put this one on. It was truly my dream dress!

I’ll be honest — one of the most difficult parts of planning your day is hoping that everything comes together in the end and looks cohesive. You pick things out from here or there and just HOPE that they all look good together. I was really happy with how everything looked on our day.

An unexpected, difficult piece of news was thrown my way last October when my grandma passed away much faster than any of us anticipated. I grew up going to my grandma’s house instead of daycare and even when my mom started to stay home with me before I went to Kindergarten, I still lived on the same street as my grandma and grew up very close to her. Our relationship is one that I’ll always cherish and I never expected that she wouldn’t be there for my wedding day. She loved Bob and even when her Alzheimer’s started to set in more, she continued to talk about how she was excited for our wedding and told me that she needed to get a “dress” to wear. The funny thing about the dress comment is that I never, ever saw her wear a dress in my entire lifetime of knowing her.

I knew what I could incorporate into our day that was meaningful and would provide me with good memories of my grandma; feeling like she was with me without making myself cry because she wasn’t physically there. You’ll see some nods to this throughout the photos below, so I wanted to address this first. I’m sure some of you will be planning weddings and feel a bit unsure of how to commemorate loved ones, particularly those that you were really close to. I wanted you to know that you’re not alone and that you really just have to know yourself. Know what will make you feel comfort but not sadness. That’s my biggest piece of advice.

I got this photo charm to pin to my bouquet so that I could see my grandma throughout the day and know that she was “with me”. I plan to put this charm on a bracelet or chain to more permanently commemorate her.

This was my grandma’s actual wedding invitation, which we were set to mail about two weeks after she passed. Rather than recycle it, I kept it for detail shots. I also took a card that my grandma sent me (I keep cards for quite a while) and had the bracelet on the bottom made with her signature. I wore it on my wrist during our wedding day and can now wear it forever. It is made of really nice metal and was easy to order.

Bob also got ready at the hotel with the guys. They have it so much easier than the girls do! I love these shots that Gina and her assistant captured.

First Look

I was so excited to see Bob and I know that he was excited to see me, too. He kept asking me over text if I was on my way downstairs to meet, while I was trying to get my dress on. I finally made it downstairs to the spot where we had planned to meet and was surprised at how excited I was feeling inside, rather than nervous or jumpy. As I walked toward Bob, I could sense my excitement overcoming me and making me tear up. You can see the progression of excitement to extra excitement and tears, then just normal excitement again in the photos below. I am so thankful that I formally got to see him before the ceremony because my anxiety was at bay and it made it easier, logistically, for the wedding party photos and transportation.

Studio fun before the ceremony

We were lucky enough to have the chance to take some unique, indoor photos, which helped to shelter us from the cold and also have some really cool memories. Gina has a studio downtown St. Paul and it made it logistically easy to get some of the photos with our guys and girls out of the way before the ceremony. These are some of my favorites from the day!

The Ceremony

We headed over to the church on the bus and got ready for the ceremony. We arrived about 15 minutes before the chartered bus we’d arranged for our guests, which was just enough time to do one last touch up, but not too much time where we got anxious. Before I knew it, our coordinator at the church was telling us it was time to line up. Getting married is kind of a funny thing — I wanted to see everyone else walk down the aisle, but that’s not really possible. The ceremony was pretty quick (for Catholic weddings – if you’ve ever been to one, you know what I mean) and our priest said a very nice Homily.

I later learned from family and friends that just after we said our vows and communion was being served, there was a very noticeable blast of sunlight that entered the church, captivating all of our guests’ attention. What our guests didn’t know is that during this part of the ceremony, I was having a really tough time without my grandma there physically. I had been touching the charm with her photo on it over and over while sitting through the rest of communion. When I kneeled, I prayed for her soul and I told her how much I wish she could be there. I truly think she was. Gina and her assistant also saw this burst of light and were lucky enough to capture it, without knowing what it was. So special!

The rest of the festivities

We took some family photos after the ceremony, as we don’t get very many opportunities to have professional photos done. In between them (there was a LOT of family), I took the opportunity to pose for Gina. If we’ve never met in person, the below photo will sum things up pretty well.

After we were done with family formals, we were able to head out and take some more group shots before the Cocktail Hour and Reception. It was an incredibly chilly, windy 10 degrees. I had a Cathedral-length veil that felt heavy under my bun and I couldn’t wait to take it off, but it was gorgeous in photos and I highly recommend it!

What’s a celebration without bubbles?

That exact moment when the bottle pops.

It was back to the Radisson Blu Mall of America for the Cocktail Hour. It was so much fun to have that extra time to be able to greet everyone — it’s true that as much as you try, you still won’t get around to talking to everyone! It’s so tough!

We got the guys personalized cufflinks for their alma mater or favorite sports team.

These cool chairs are in the lobby of the Radisson Blu!

This is the gorgeous Lakes Ballroom at the Radisson Blu Mall of America. We had enough room to spread everyone out and have a large harvest table for our wedding party + their significant others. Our decor was winter wonderland themed, with tons of gold, hunter green, and wine.

My dad was nervous about giving his speech, but he did awesome. He told me on the night of the rehearsal that he had practiced and got to the word “hello” before he couldn’t go any farther. I loved hearing his heartfelt advice and words of wisdom. I’m an only child, so this was the first and only time he had to do this.

He also made me cry.

Next, Bob’s mom, Kim, gave a speech on behalf of his parents. She told me that he’s no longer “my (her)” Bobby and now is “our” Bobby – haha. She also introduced the new family cheer — a play on Boiler Up (his family has a ton of Purdue alumni, including Bob).

Bob’s best man, John, was next. His speech perfectly stated Bob’s personality and told quite a few hilarious stories about their friendship.

He also mentioned so many of the weird phrases that Bob says, which was so awesome. I died laughing. One of the things that Bob says to me (because I’m never done getting ready when he wants to leave) is, “Bus is leavin'”. Bob said that when we were on vacation visiting John and Colleen in Tampa, thus it made it into the speech. What most people don’t know is that the bus might be leavin’, but, 95% of the time I am the one driving the bus. Hahahaha

My cousin, Jenny, was my matron of honor and it was only fitting that she gave the speech. In fact, I’m sure she was excited about it because I said something super embarrassing when I was her maid of honor at the ripe age of 19. She happened to mention it, but it was funny and I’m glad she got to get me back.

Next, we toasted our friends and family, thanking everyone for coming to celebrate our big day. Many of our attendees traveled quite a distance to Minnesota to celebrate with us and we still couldn’t believe how amazing it felt to have everyone we love in one room, just for us. We were and are so eternally grateful for everyone coming to be with us.

After our toast, we were able to sneak outside for a few minutes to be together. There was a beautiful patch of trees next to the Radisson Blu, strung in lights and it was a true winter wonderland. If only we’d had some snow for our wedding day!

When we came back in, it was time for our first dance. We danced to the sweetest song that made me cry the first time I heard it — “Love Someone” by Lukas Graham. If you haven’t heard it, go look it up.

Next, it was my turn to dance with my dad. He was nervous to dance but we had such a great time swaying together to the song I chose. I surprised him by changing the song to “Baby Girl” by Sugarland, which is a song we both love and is kind of true for my life.

When our turn was over, Bob took Kim out to the dance floor for their mother-son dance. They chose “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts.

Then, the true party began! We wanted everyone out on the dance floor with us for the 3.5 hours we had left and boy, was everyone dancing. We had so. much. fun. Here are some photos of that portion of the night – which also included a hamburger and hot dog slider bar. Totally clutch!