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| photos by Tanja Lippert |
Luke and I are incredibly blessed to have had some of our closest friends and family be a part of our wedding celebration. From the beginning we both wanted our wedding to be intimate, yet fun... like a big family dinner party outdoors. A little rustic, a little whimsical... and with lots of DIY elements. Luke and I being wedding cinematographers in the San Francisco Bay Area, and having seen a lot of weddings we knew we wanted ours to uniquely reflect us, and have a cozy handmade feeling. We chose the Plummer House in Rochester, Minnesota (near Luke's home where he grew up), a rustic Tudor style Mansion which has the most beautiful grounds and charming interior. It has such a fairy tale feeling. I should first say that to have an outdoor wedding in a Minnesota summer is a complete gamble! Most of the summer can be hot, muggy and overcast with frequent summer storms. Having never lived in Minnesota I was pretty optimistic that we would have sunshine (haha), though I was ready to move indoors in case it rained. TaDa! We woke up to bright blue skies and the most GORGEOUS day imaginable!
Another thing Luke and I both wanted was to make as many things as we could ourselves, with the help of others. We love DIY projects and it truly was a group effort! I did all the flowers with the help of my Mom, sisters, and friends (the vintage blue jars are Luke's Mom, Linda's personal collection). I also painted and designed our invitations, signs, and programs, which included a Marauders Map of the grounds (we love Harry Potter!) The animal table markers and fantasy signs are a nod to our love of fantasy and my love of children's books, made with the help of our cousin Donna. Luke brewed his own beers, and our Dads made the wine. Luke's Aunt Jeanie baked all the pies and desserts, as well as made our flower girl Aurora's dress! Our friends did our lighting and decorating not to mention hours of setting up.
And we could not have been happier and excited to have our friend Tanja Lippert photograph the day (as well as helped me do my hair!) and Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV captured our day on film (we obviously can't wait to see it!). These two are incredible talented and creative people, and to have them there enjoy the day with us was an honor, and so much fun!
One element that we knew we had to have on our wedding day was music! Luke and I are both musical (we play the piano) and we were blessed to have Luke's friend Megan play piano, and his sister Audrey and her boyfriend Carlo sing during our ceremony. For our reception we wanted lively gypsy jazz music, and found the Twin Cities Hot Club who were simply amazing! They even did an acoustic arrangement of "The Way You Are" by Ingrid Michaelson, for our first dance.
Sheila Walsh and three other family friends (thank you Connie, Barb & Diana!) did an amazing job of coordinating the entire day for us. Looking back there is no way we couldn't have had a coordinator, and we are grateful to Sheila and the ladies! The list goes on, and we are so thankful for all the talent and help we received. It turned out beautifully, but the best part of our wedding was being surrounded by the people who love and support us most. No matter how our wedding turned out, it wouldn't have mattered because we were so overflowing to the brim surrounded by love! Thank you to all our family and friends for being there, and celebrating with us!!
-Luke & Pamela
Wedding Photography: Tanja Lippert Photography / Cinematography: Studio MSV / Wedding Venue: The Plummer House in Rochester, Minnesota / Flowers: The Bride and Bride's Mom, Dahlias grown by Groom's Mom / Wedding Gown: Alfred Angelo / Bride’s Shoes: Audrey Brooke / Bride's Hairpiece and Bridal Sash: Handmade by the Bride / Hair: Tanja Lippert / Groom’s Suit: Kenneth Cole / Grooms Shoes: Rockport / Flower Girl's Dress: Groom's Aunt / Ring Bearer Nest: the Bride / Gypsy Jazz Band: Twin Cities Hot Club / Pianist: Groom's friend Megan Eagen / Vocalists: Groom's sister Audrey Goodman, Carlo Olmos / Catering: Nupa Mediterranean / Wedding Cake: Daube's Bakery / Pies and desserts: The Groom’s Aunt / Homemade Beer & Wine: The Groom, and Bride & Groom's Fathers / Wedding Invitations & Programs: The Bride Pamela Goodman Illustration / Envelopes: Paper Source / Table Number Animals, Escort Cards, Dessert Table Banner: The Bride, Groom's Cousin The Epicurean Crafter, Bride's sister / Place Card Scrolls: the Bride and Bride's Mom / Chalkboard Signs: handmade by the Bride, Groom's sister / Bride & Groom Chair Signs: Bride's friend / Lighting: Bride & Groom's friends / Officiant: Mark Litzow, family friend / Day of Coordinator: Sheila Walsh, family friend.
