Wedding Date: December 17th 2022

When I first met Natalie and Jim, I knew this thoughtful and caring pair were the perfect match. It wasn’t long after our first talk that I joined them for a dual-city engagement session that showed off their favorite parts of both Minneapolis and Saint Paul. They even invited me back to their home to meet their dog and share some wine while dreaming about their wedding day. Now, their dreams became a wonderful winter wonderland reality.

They invited me to start their celebration at the beautiful St. Paul Hotel for their rehearsal dinner. The forecast called for snow so I kept my fingers crossed since I knew they had their hearts set on a snowy winter wedding. Just as we went outside to enjoy the lovely Rice Park, the skies opened up and started snowing. The air was filled with fluffy white snowflakes that made it feel like we were standing inside a dreamy snow globe in the middle of St. Paul. We were all overjoyed with our luck as the pair laughed and danced in the picture perfect snowy evening.

The next day I met them in my neighborhood at The Westin to begin the wedding festivities. There were lavishly decorated Christmas trees and big bright windows overlooking the newly fallen snow outside, so I knew this was the perfect spot for their first look. The smile that filled Jim’s face was the biggest I’ve seen yet. That moment when he saw Natalie in her wedding dress, it will always give me goosebumps! Once everyone was finished getting ready, we all traveled to Interlachen for a few photos before going to Mount Olivet for their ceremony.

The church was filled with evergreens and the smell of pine was refreshing and made for the perfect holiday setting. The lights were dim as Natalie walked down the aisle towards Jim, who once again wore a huge smile filled with love. To the applause of their loved ones, the pair were pronounced husband and wife. We all made our way to downtown Edina to celebrate their union and pop a bottle of bubbly in front of the festive lights glowing behind us.

We made a few more stops on the snowy drive back to Interlachen so we could capture the very best of the holiday lights and decorations. Then once again, the skies let loose and big snowflakes filled the air! With the falling snow and the bright lights, it made for quite an incredible spectacle. The snow really started falling by the time we arrived at the reception and the guests all arrived just in time as well. There, more tall and elegantly decorated Christmas trees lined the ballroom and candles and sweet smelling flowers filled the table. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect holiday season wedding!

The newlyweds entered to a sea of applause as they danced across the ballroom floor. Their loved ones gave toasts to remember and Santa even made an appearance! I want to give a HUGE shoutout to our dear friend, Terry, who brought his signature Santa suit after talking with Natalie. He even joined the Crazy Cam which resulted in some of my favorite memories and moments from the year. He’s such an amazing big personality, and really is the perfect Santa. After the Crazy Cam, guests enjoyed the dance floor as Natalie, Jim, Santa, and I all went outside to enjoy the freshly fallen snow. When I think about a winter wedding, this will now be my default memory with the soundtrack of our laughter playing in the background.

Vendors: HoneyHill Weddings (wedding planner), Interlachen Country Club (reception venue and catering), The Westin (hotel), Mount Olivet Lutheran Church (ceremony venue), Kindred Blooms (florist), Apres Rentals (decor), Chrom Expo (decor), Buttercream (cake), Crazy Cam (photo booth), Irvseg Films (videographer), Eva Lendel (dress designer), Anna Be Boutique (dress boutique), Atmosfere (suit), BeautyXSal (makeup), Emily Alexander Artistry (hair), Champagne Press (stationery), Bluewater Kings Band (music), The Saint Paul Hotel (rehearsal venue), Thomas Joseph (rings)