Wedding Date: June 19th 2026

Some love stories take a detour through the desert before finding their way home. Nicole and Joseph's engagement happened on top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, a proposal with the entire city glittering below them, capping off a stretch of time neither of them could have fully predicted. Joseph had taken a leap earlier that year, chasing what he assumed was a long-shot job, only to land it and pack up his life in St. Paul for Las Vegas. What followed was a season of long-distance love, monthly visits, and quiet faith that the distance was temporary. By the time their wedding day arrived, Joseph was already planning his return to Minnesota, back to the home they now share, closing the loop on a journey that started with one bold decision and ended with both of them right back where they began, just deeper in love than before.

That sense of homecoming ran through the entire day at Hope Glen Farm. Their first look happened out among the vines in the vineyard, and I don't think either of them stopped smiling the whole time. Their wedding party joined shortly after, and the whole group buzzed.

The ceremony itself began outdoors, surrounded by trees and green in every direction, and it was every bit as beautiful as you'd hope. But just as Nicole and Joseph were finishing their vows, the sky decided to have its own say in the matter, and the rain came down in an absolute downpour. Guests scattered, laughing and shrieking as they sprinted for cover, and honestly, there was something wonderful about the chaos of it all. We regrouped inside the reception hall, where the ceremony picked back up amid a room full of slightly damp, thoroughly delighted guests.

By the time things wrapped up, the skies had cleared completely, and I pulled Nicole and Joseph back outside to celebrate properly, popping champagne under a freshly washed sky. We wandered the grounds together afterward, stopping to visit the farm's baby goats, because really, what better way to celebrate surviving a surprise thunderstorm than a little time with baby goats?

Back inside, the reception kicked off to cheers as Nicole and Joseph made their entrance, moving straight into their first dance. The floor stayed packed the rest of the night, full of energy and warmth that never let up. We closed the evening the way every great wedding deserves to close, sparklers lighting up the dark as Nicole and Joseph made their exit, sent off in a blaze of light after a day that had thrown rain, sunshine, goats, and pure joy at them in equal measure.

Vendors: Hope Glen Farm (venue), A'BriTin Catering (Apples 2 Apples) (catering), Buttercream (cake/desserts), Colby John Bridal(dress designer), Midwest Sound DJ Entertainment (DJ/emcee), Style Society (florist), Gabriel & Co. and Gold'n Treasures (ring designers), Blush + Blondes (Ashley) (hair), Generation Tux (tux/suit designer), Dos Goats Plans(wedding planner)