Renan and I had been up to Heartwood a few times, once in the winter and a few times in the spring and summer, and we had a good idea of where we wanted the reception. The center is on lots of land, and they even have a walking trail that goes all around. We chose to get married right where the manager first suggested to us, which was right down by the water. The effect was that everyone could see us clearly, and that the lake made for an amazing backdrop. What is good is that in case of rain, they could also arrange to have something inside. I think anywhere on the property would have been great!

The reception was going to be held in the Grand Dining Room. The room is beautiful to begin with, with a huge fireplace and a really elegant rustic feature. They had it all decorated for the wedding, with flowers and white runners and lights. We wanted the place to look magical, and it looked like the inside of somewhere really enchanted. The best part was that once the meal was done, and just before the dancing began, people were able to walk around outside and enjoy the late summer air. I loved it, it was great that we felt like we owned the entire place. Everyone was super relaxed, which made us feel all the better.


They were able to make us a good cake, sheet cake, but good cake and the icing was really tasty.

We had planned that our wedding would be a weekend retreat for all our friends and family. It was great having them stay on site with the reception area and the ceremony area, because everyone quickly took ownership and started making executive decisions on where the vows should be said, etc. It’s great because lots of my family is in the dairy business, so they don’t get to get away often, so I think this small vacation was great for them. The rooms were beautiful, rustic but elegant, and there are all the amenities that one would need on site. There is a trail, too. It was great because there were so many ways for people to spend their time.

I love going to spas! I really believe that part of the key to staying young looking and having beautiful skin is treating it well and getting a facial every few months. We live in a city, I wear make-up, and so it’s a necessity. My closer friends and a few cousins made an appointment at Solimar, and took the wedding care package. It was my present to those who had helped me with all the planning and a way for us girls to all be together before the big weekend. We picked a weekend almost a month before the wedding, just so that we wouldn’t feel rushed, and had set up the appointments almost a full two months ahead of time. Everyone had different treatments, including messages and facials and pedicures. It was a really great way for us to all get into the wedding retreat spirit, and to feel really relaxed about everything that is going on. Solimar is a relaxing place with a calm staff, and I know we all felt so much better when we left.

The Menomonie Wedding Fair was smaller than the Twin City Bridal show, but this was almost better because I was able to talk with more of the vendors and I had their attention for longer.

Lots of Bridal shows! I think this was sort of a must for me, because I needed to see what my options were for my wedding day. I had been to lots of Midwest weddings, but I was the first person that I knew of who was having an off-site wedding. I wanted to know about flowers and music and photographers. This was where I found out about Bridal Central, and I called to book an appointment at Bridal Central because I found the staff at the Fair to be really kind and sincere. There are a lot of good ideas, especially with food and dessert and flower arrangements! This was where I decided that I only get married once, and I wanted to have things that would be beautiful and that meant something. The Menomonie Wedding Fair was smaller, but this was almost better because I was able to talk with more of the vendors and I had their attention for longer.

I am not a girly-girl, so it was hard enough convincing myself to book a consultation somewhere to get a dress for the big day. I think the problem stems from the fact that I am athletic, and I am fairly muscular on my arms and back. My body type just doesn’t suit must frilly things. I explained that over the phone when I booked the appointment, and then again in person, and the staff was so amazing at making sure they didn’t try to push me towards a style that I wouldn’t feel comfortable in. I was shown really simple styles, and I loved the dress I chose. There was no design or print on the material, but it looked like the material itself was making waves across the dress. It was beautiful. They were great with helping my friends pick out dresses that also complimented the style of my wedding dress, really professional, and all the alterations went without a problem. Because the wedding was going to be in Trego, at a retreat, we picked material that looked more organic and casual for the bridesmaid dresses. In the store, we wanted to go fancier, but on site it was perfect. I didn’t feel like I needed to look at other stores once I went there, because they really have it all.

For our joint bachelor/bachelorette party, Renan and my running friends agreed to run one of the Twin Cities Marathon races together. There is so much excitement on race day, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re running the 5km (which lots of the bridesmaids did) or the 10km or the half, which is what most of us did. We weren’t worried about our running time, which made the race more fun. I wore a veil and had pinned a sign on me that said, “Bride to Be”, and Renan wore a top hat! People have so much fun at these big races, we weren’t the only ones getting married the following weekend. The Marathon is really well organized, from the pick-up to cooldown tents, and it was really great being able to incorporate something we both love into our wedding celebrations.