We keep using expedia to book tickets, which we did for our flights to Hawaii from MSP airport. We had no trouble with them THIS time, but we have had trouble with them in the past! We just keep going back! It took us about twenty minutes of searching and comparing prices, and we were able to book a car and three nights hotel. After three nights we felt we would be confident enough to find other lodgment on the island.

This was quite the experience! This was our first time in Hawaii, and we were planning to have the wedding reception with just the two of us (as part of our honeymoon). There are many services that offer beach weddings in Hawaii, but we chose Aloha Island Wedding because we appreciated how calm and assuring they were over the phone. Also, they understood that we wanted something simple, and we were able to find a package that was reasonable. The minister had such a cool way of speaking to us about marriage before the ceremony! His words for the reception were beautiful and peaceful, exactly what we both felt in our hearts that marriage is and should be. Even if you are already married, I highly suggest you go their with your significant other repeat your vows!

Originally we wanted to design my engagement ring. To get ideas, we started visiting antique stores and jewelry stores all over the city and in Stillwater, too. In Stillwater was where I first fell in love with an antique ring. I thought it was quiet romantic to also wear a ring that had a history of love behind it! With a previously used ring in mind, we shopped around and found THE ring at Gloria’s. It was NOT cheap. This was a 3 carat emerald ring, with small diamonds on the side. The ring itself is beautiful, and so special because we both have Irish heritage. I would suggest walking over there and checking what they have.

This is the easy and cheap way of letting everyone know when and where your wedding will be. The web site lets you create a homepage with all your wedding information on it, with links to the location, venue, events, maps, contact information, etc. You can upload music and your pictures, too, to make it more personal. And there are hundreds of background templates to choose from. You are able to buy actual physical invitations that would look like the webpage, but because we were inviting only family and close friends, we thought the email with the link was enough. It is well worth checking out, and can be a modern day solution to the Save the Date cards.

Funny, but it was my husband that wanted the flowers, not me. On one of our trips to visit the Gathering Place, we stopped off at one of the florists and talked about potentially getting flowers. The salesperson, Kelly, was so wonderful! She knew what would be in season, and came up with a bouquet and centerpieces that were very simple and made from local flowers. She seemed to immediately be in tuned to what we wanted (i.e.: not roses!). On the day before the event, she had everything ready on time, and the prices was very reasonable. I would love to work with her again!

This is a resort with luxury cabins on Red Cedar Lake. Our families were able to rent all the cabins, and then the lodge, where the family dinner and vows were exchanged. It was like we owned the place! They have a small stone beach, which was fun for the nephews, and it’s a very, very beautiful area! We were able to rent boats and tour the lake. The lodge was also SOOO beautiful! They advertise as ‘rustic’, but it’s not! It’s nicer than our house! It has these gorgeous stone floors, a large fireplace, and a full kitchen for the caterers. It was wonderful!

We contacted a local restaurant and asked if they would be able to cater. They were down the street from the resort.We were 75 people, and they came up with a great seasonal menu that worked well with the meat eaters and vegetarians. It was chicken (from a local farm) and then a wonderful risotto, and lots more! We loved that it was local food and produce (for the most part). They also did a wonderful job of being on time, and then waiting for us (we were an hour late as a group)! They also did a wonderful job on the display (which they didn’t have to do!).

We may have tried to save on some areas of our wedding, but we went all out on the cake! And, we had the most beautiful cake in the world. All the details were taken care of in a consultation! We took an idea from her webpage on the specialty cakes, and had a small bride and groom sitting in a tree. We were having the family gathering in nature, so we wanted the cake to look ‘natural’, too. All of it was made from fondant, and was edible. It was also unlike any cake I had ever seen before, and the choice of coconut was excellent! The icing was so tasty, you could tell right away that it was made from fresh ingredients. So many flavors and fillings to choose from! It was my wedding and I ate TWO slices!!

Because I was getting married on the beach in Hawaii, I looked around for a very simple white dress. I came across this bathing suit on the web, and thought it would be super funny to surprise my husband with afterwards! We had it planned that after we kissed, we would run in the water, so this was perfect! They have a chart for sizes, and then it was mailed on time, and was in good condition (i.e.: did not look cheap). This was such the perfect addition to what I wanted my day to be, fun, easy, and a little bit wild!

My best friend told me that she had organized a small wine and cheese tasting event at her apartment for my bachelorette party. This was about a month before the wedding. When I showed up, it turned out that she had rented a limo and me and my girlfriends would be going on a wine tour in style! It was awesome! It was slightly cheesy, but I LOVED climbing into a limo filled with pink balloons and streamers. We sipped champagne, and visited wineries in Stillwater. It was a great way to spend the day!