NEWLYWEDS Local Couples Share Their Love Stories and Wedding Photos
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NEWLYWEDS Local couples share their love stories and wedding photos. Breanne & Michael text by CARRIE ANTON WEDDING: May 24, 2015 PHOTOGRAPHER: Jeff Sampson Photography CEREMONY: Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church, Minneapolis Anna & Chas RECEPTION: Café Lurcat, Minneapolis HONEYMOON: Zihuatanejo, Mexico WEDDING: June 19, 2015 PHOTOGRAPHER: Melissa Oholendt Photography Breanne Johnson and Michael Stafford met on the job, but the real work came in highlighting their new home of Minneapolis CEREMONY & RECEPTION: Calhoun Beach Club, Minneapolis HONEYMOON: Tofte (mini moon), and Saint Lucia to wedding guests primarily from out of state. Wanting a classic, chic venue and a foodie vibe, the couple chose Café Lurcat, not only for its amazing menu, but also its stone archway halls, chandelier-dripping ceilings and checkerboard floors. Inspired When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. But when life hands you Chas Lemon, as it did for Anna Kovalchuk, you fall head-over-heels in by the color of Michael’s sweater in their engagement photos, Breanne was drawn to the color blue, which popped in accents of love. Meeting as teenagers, this couple tied the knot eight years later at the Calhoun Beach Club, where lemons were the perfect garnish for their all kinds. The only thing not blue? Wedding-day skies. “It rained,” says Breanne. “And when I say it rained, I mean it rained all big day. The sunny citrus fruit had a starring role on personalized napkins, lemon wreaths flanking the doors into the ballroom, the lemon-tree morning, all day, all night. My hair got wet, my curls fell, but I would not change a single thing. I am living proof that rain can place card table and little boxes of Lemonhead candy guest favors. The day was even more aglow thanks to natural light pouring in the venue’s still make for an amazing and special day, and I love my wedding more for it.” grand windows, glittery sequin tablescapes and dipped-in-gold accents and décor throughout the space. But despite the stunning look of this special event, the most eye-catching thing for the bride and groom was one another. “There is nothing quite like seeing the person you are going to marry for the first time that day,” says Anna. “I cried immediately and was overwhelmed with happiness and love.” The two shared vows they wrote themselves, before Mr. and Mrs. Lemon puckered up for their first kiss as husband and wife. GOWN: VERA WANG FROM L’ATELIER COUTURE | SHOES: SOMETHING BLEU FROM BHLDN | BRIDAL ACCESSORIES: BHLDN | BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES: JENNY YOO FROM FLUTTER BRIDAL BOUTIQUE | HAIR: BESPOKE GOWN: POSH BRIDAL COUTURE | BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES: BELLA BRIDESMAIDS | HAIR & MAKEUP: MACKENZIE REINERS AND MOLLY ANDERSON | GROOM’S & GROOMSMEN’S ATTIRE: MEN’S WEARHOUSE | RINGS: HAIR ARTISANS | MAKEUP: MOLLIE ANDERSON & AMY STUTZRIEM | GROOM’S & GROOMSMEN’S ATTIRE: VERA WANG BLACK FROM MEN’S WEARHOUSE | RINGS: SHANE CO. | CATERING: CAFÉ LURCAT | CAKE: THE COP- THURSTON JEWELERS | CATERING & CAKE: D’AMICO | FLOWERS: SADIE’S COUTURE FLORAL & EVENT STYLING | LINENS & RENTALS: APRÈS PARTY AND TENT RENTAL | INVITATIONS & STATIONERY: PAPER ROCK SCISSOR PER HEN | ICE CREAM BAR: IZZY’S ICE CREAM | FLOWERS: ASHLEY FOX DESIGNS | LINENS & RENTALS: RUDY’S EVENT RENTALS; LINEN EFFECTS | INVITATIONS & STATIONERY: PAPER ROCK SCISSOR | DJ & LIGHTING: ENTERTAINMENT: INSTANT REQUEST DJ ENTERTAINMENT | OFFICIANT: DAVE FENSKE | EVENT PLANNING: LASTING IMPRESSIONS WEDDINGS INSTANT REQUEST DJ ENTERTAINMENT | CEREMONY MUSIC: ALPINE STRING QUARTET | TRANSPORTATION: PREMIER TRANSPORTATION | EVENT PLANNING: PARK PLACE PLANNING AND EVENTS 132 MINNESOTA BRIDE l mnbride.com mnbride.com l MINNESOTA BRIDE 133 Briana & Tom Alyssa & Andres WEDDING: June 27, 2015 PHOTOGRAPHER: Rochelle Louise Photography WEDDING: July 17, 2015 PHOTOGRAPHER: Leah Fontaine Photography CEREMONY & RECEPTION: Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis HONEYMOON: Florence, Rome and Amsterdam CEREMONY & RECEPTION: Camrose Hill Flower Farm, Stillwater HONEYMOON: Southern California Briana Hassett and Tom Daymont met at Best Buy corporate offices, where they both work. The two were originally on the same team together, In historic Antigua, Guatemala, Andres Bucaro rented a private room in a restaurant and filled it with 75 flickering candles and a rose-petal path that led to even sitting across from one another. However, it took promotions to separate teams for each of them before they realized love had been staring the spot where he would ask for Alyssa DuVal’s hand in marriage. With such a magical, romantic proposal, it’s hard to imagine how their wedding could top them right in the face. Tom finally got up the nerve to ask out Bri, then proposed about a year later over a picnic of favorite foods and wine at the it. But on a flower farm in Stillwater beneath sunny blue skies, the wedding turned out to be a fairy-tale day in a league of its own. Since color was in bloom end of a walk together through Thomas Lowry Park in Minneapolis. When it came time to say “I do,” selecting a venue was easy. “We fell in love as far as the eye could see, the couple kept their palette neutral to play up more rustic touches such as white lights artfully tangled in wooden branches and with Orchestra Hall when we first walked into it,” explains Tom, who says it was the bright and airy feel of the atrium that captured their hearts. vintage chandeliers. “The reception was adjacent to the ceremony area, in an old wooden barn connected to a large tent; it was straight out of my dreams for Making the space their own, the two called on a vivid and bold color palette for their florals and touches of preppy navy and white stripes to give a my big day,” says Alyssa. Andres is from Guatemala and most of his family lives there, so the couple incorporated his family background with bright colors and personal touch to the clean backdrop of their modern venue. traditional textiles, many handmade. The event was a wonderful mixture of cultures, much like the very-in-love newlywed couple. CEREMONY GOWN: J.CREW | RECEPTION GOWN: BCBG | BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES: J.CREW | HAIR: LACEY SWIFT | GROOM’S & GROOMSMEN’S ATTIRE: MEN’S WEARHOUSE | RINGS: WEDDING DAY DIAMONDS | CATERING GOWN: ALLURE ROMANCE | EARRINGS: BHLDN | BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES: FOREVER 21 | HAIR & MAKEUP: AMBER ROSE HAIR & MAKE-UP | GROOM’S ATTIRE: ALDO CONTI | GROOMSMEN’S TIES: HANDMADE IN GUA- & CAKE: THREE SONS SIGNATURE CUISINE | FLOWERS: ZINNIA DESIGN FLORAL | INVITATIONS & STATIONERY: DAYMONSTER DESIGNS | DJ: INSTANT REQUEST DJ ENTERTAINMENT | EVENT PLANNING: TERE HASSETT, TEMALA | RINGS: ZALES | CATERING: BRIE CATER | CAKE: THE COPPER HEN | FLOWERS: CAMROSE HILL FLOWERS | LINENS & RENTALS: ULTIMATE EVENTS | INVITATIONS: MINTED | STATIONERY: ANGIEHEARTSJARED MOTHER OF THE BRIDE VIDEOGRAPHER: PHOENIX MEMORIES | MUSICIAN: NATHAN ANDERSON | DJ: INSTANT REQUEST DJ ENTERTAINMENT 134 MINNESOTA BRIDE l mnbride.com mnbride.com l MINNESOTA BRIDE 135 Brittney & Dustin Carina & Ben WEDDING: July 4, 2015 PHOTOGRAPHER: Liz Banfield Photography CEREMONY & RECEPTION: Private residence HONEYMOON: “Mini-moon tour” to New York, Seattle and Southern California WEDDING: May 24, 2015 PHOTOGRAPHER: Olive Juice Studios CEREMONY & RECEPTION: Aria, Minneapolis “Small” is a relative term when it comes to weddings. However, for Brittney Stewart and Dustin Tauer, it was literally a relative term, with Carina Preskill and Ben Himes started as medical school friends before increased study sessions led to the diagnosis that they were in love. Three a mere 15 family-member guest list. Following a February proposal, the two didn’t wait long to gather their immediate family scattered in years later, they chose dual residencies at Mayo Clinic so that together they could call Rochester home. However, with the bride’s family from different states to a July 4th backyard garden wedding at Brittney’s childhood home in Minnetonka. The couple’s three siblings served as California, the groom’s from Philadelphia, and medical resident friends working across the country, bringing everyone together for their big day the best man, maid of honor and officiant, and the first dance was the only dance of the night. The groom assembled all of the floral pieces, was an equally big task. “One of the best parts of our wedding was having all of the people we care about the most in one place,” says Carina. The including the bride’s bouquet, which was presented during the first look, to call to mind when Dustin picked up Brittney up for a first date. couple celebrated their regional differences, with cocktail hour servings of mini-tacos to represent the West Coast and mini-Philly cheesesteaks for While the couple had mini-celebrations with friends outside of the wedding itself, the ceremony’s small guest list allowed for a bit of splurg- the East Coast. Recordings from Carina’s singer/songwriter grandfather serenaded guests as they were seated for the ceremony, while her maid- ing, greater attention to detail and ultimately less stress. “Couples usually talk about their weddings as being a blur, but I’m happy to say that of-honor sister took the mic to rap her toast to the theme of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The night ended with doctors’ orders of lots of dancing, I can remember every moment of that amazing day,” says Brittney. dessert-table gummy dinosaurs, and a late-night snack of soft pretzels—all of it a perfect prescription for fun memories. GOWN: OSCAR DE LA RENTA | MAID OF HONOR DRESS: ADRIANNA PAPELL FROM BHLDN | HAIR: THE BEAUTY ROOM | MAKEUP: CREATIVE BEAUTÉ AGENCY |