Ali and Pete knew exactly what they wanted for their wedding day — a vibe and venue that felt like "us," Ali said. " ... only more dressed up," she added. To that end the couple put set their hearts — and appetites — on their caterer first and foremost knowing that to choose the right menu can make everyone cheerful and relaxed. Their favorite restaurant, Brasa, fit the bill, and since the couple met and lives in St. Paul they were excited to discover the Harriet Island Pavilion would host their chosen caterer, their expected guests and boast beautiful views of the St. Paul skyline. "Harriet Island ... exceeded our expectations throughout the entire planning process," the bride said.
Having the right attitude on your wedding day can truly make the day light and memorable no matter the circumstances. It's plain to see Ali and Pete kept smiling even when events didn't go as they had planned.
From the couple: Everything that could have gone wrong with the ceremony did go wrong. We couldn't find Ali's mom when it was time to walk down the aisle. There was horrible mic feedback and Ali ended up running the A/V herself during the ceremony. The readings weren't on the lectern so the readers had to pull them up on their phones. The sun hit the groomsmen straight in eyes for almost the entire service and our recessional never played, among other things. All of that put together could have been disastrous, but we found it funny and just rolled with the punches. All of our bad luck was used up during the ceremony and the reception was magical from beginning to end.
We loved the Macalester chapel because it is such an intimate space that still fits 300 people. It was amazing to get married literally surrounded by our loved ones. As a bonus, Ali is a Mac alum and worked weddings as her on-campus job during school.
The couple selected a pinecone motif for reception décor, falling in love with the unique architectural qualities each cone provides. Ali said the couple became "intimately familiar" with the different species of pine cone-bearing trees in Minnesota and even enlisted friends to scour for different cones while vacationing in California. Some were more personal than others, including fallen cones gleaned from Pete's office grounds since they were the prefect size for decorating.
From the couple on working with Anthologie: We were very methodical in choosing all of our wedding vendors. We knew that we would be spending a lot of time with these people during one of the most important days of our lives and we looked not only for people that could deliver an amazing product but also personalities that would complement the relaxed, comfortable, happy vibe that we were going for. Dan and John were the epitome of the people that we wanted to work with. They were relaxed without being nonchalant and they brought exceptional skill and expertise to the day without being pushy about doing things one particular way. Their photos convey the emotion of every individual moment and truly capture the essence of the day. They understood what we meant when we said we wanted photos of the day, not the day for the photos and their photos showed the day exactly as it was. They were so comfortable to be around, we never felt awkward in front of the camera and I think our pictures convey that trust and ease that we felt all day long.
Photography: Anthologie | Event Planning: Ask for the Moon Events | Wedding Dress: Effie's Bridal Trunk | Desserts • Donuts: Granny's Donuts • Cupcakes and Bars: Rush City Bakery | DJ: Complete Events | Catering: Brasa | Groom's Attire: Martin Patrick 3 | Décor: Majority of the décor was handmade by the bride's mother and grandmother | Jewelry: Family Heirlooms | Hair: Lynsey at Bombshell Inc. | Makeup: Abigail Kelchen | Bartending: With a Twist
