Wedding Date: February 18th 2023

Samantha and Jordan planned a fairytale Saint Paul wedding with some of the best of the best. This dream team pulled out all the stops and made this day a memorable one. When I pulled up to the Saint Paul Hotel I was greeted by Samantha and her excited bridal party. The room was buzzing with excitement and the moment had come for her big dress reveal. She stepped through the double doors looking like an absolute princess. Her friends gasped and welled up with happy tears as she twirled and showed off her look. She and Jordan had decided to exchange letters before their first look, so she sat next to the regal four poster bed and put on her finishing touches before opening her letter. After a few moments of trying, she looked up at all of us onlookers with big doe eyes and asked for help. Naturally they all looked at me since I have the most wedding experience, so I kneeled down and gave our Team Photographer, Steven, my camera while I wrestled with the tiny clasp. In the end, Samantha came to her own rescue and finally got it…whew!

After the letter exchange, I met up with Jordan and walked him to the first look site in front of the big picture windows. This classic couple looked like something out of a movie as they embraced and held one another during their first look. But then their goofy side started to come out as we quite literally danced out of the hotel into the streets of Saint Paul. We all made our way to the ceremony where the gorgeous historic church kept the classic fairytale vibes going strong.

Once they had exchanged their vows, it was time to explore the city and let our hair down! We eventually ended up at The Bulldog where Samantha ordered quite possibly the most dangerous wedding food ever…super saucy chicken wings. She laughed the entire time she ate them and to my surprise, not a drop of that nuclear sauce made it onto her perfect white dress. Color me impressed! We played a few rounds of darts and put back a couple pints while talking and laughing about the day. This juxtaposition of a hot wing eating, dart playing princess, made me smile and realize these are absolutely my type of people.

We made one last stop to take in the last sunlight of the day and recreate a perfect Breakfast at Tiffany’s runway walk. Then it was back to the Saint Paul Hotel where Tyler and his team were waiting to welcome us back with open arms and a completely decked out ballroom. They walked through a sea of white flowers and glowing candles to get to their seats amidst a cheering crowd of loved ones. They twirled on the dancefloor and it felt like Cinderella at the ball after she had found her prince. We went for one last evening stroll through Rice Park where the lights looked like stars in the heavens had been pulled down to earth just for these two to dance among them. This ended up being not one single fairytale, but many all at once, and also completely their own. And of course, they lived happily ever after.

Vendors: Sarah Trotter (wedding planner), St. Paul Hotel (reception and catering), Church of the Assumption (ceremony), Sadie's Couture Floral (florist), Apres (decor), Phos Events (lighting), Thirsty Whale Bakery (cake), Time Into Pixels (photo booth), The Peterson Brothers (videographer), Rivini (dress designer), The White Dress (dress boutique), Vera Wang (suit designer), Men's Wearhouse (suit shop), Luminous Beauty (hair and makeup), Paper Rock Scissors (stationery), DJ Freddy Fresh (dj), Candyland, Inc. (popcorn and candy)