S T A C Y + D A V I D

{ Barclay Horner }

From a traditional church ceremony to a unique reception in a converted theatre, Stacy and David's wedding was a fusion of modern style and old-school charm. The couple entertained their guests with a dessert bar, live entertainment and even a surprise choreographed first dance to 'Uptown Funk' by Bruno Mars.

F R O M T H E B R I D E

We first met...

The first time David and I met we ran twelve miles together. We both belong to the Calhoun Beach Running Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We ended up training for and running the Twin Cities Marathon together. He helped me qualify for my first Boston Marathon!

We knew it was love...

Since then, we have run many marathons, half marathons, and competed in triathlons together. Our passion for fitness, adventure, traveling, and music are just a few reasons we fell in love.

The proposal...

We were engaged in May of 2015. I came home from work to find envelopes with my name on them leading to the door of my house. As I approached the door, I opened each card where a sweet sentiment had been written. As I walked into the house there were more envelopes and rose petals leading to the dinning room table. On the table was a large box. I opened the large box to find an open ring box and one more card that read, "Will you marry me?" I shouted, Yes!" and David appeared around the corner, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. I was so excited! We immediately called my family, went to my sisters and brother-in-law's house for champagne, and then out for a romantic dinner at Lurcat.

T H E W E D D I N G

Our dream wedding...

Our wedding was a mix of classic and modern. We were married at The Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas which was built in 1918 and designed in the Byzantine style used for basilicas in several northern Italian cities during the Renaissance.

The beautiful organ music led us down the aisle where a 1940's vintage car that took us to our reception.

We knew we didn't want a traditional reception space, so we choose to have it at an old theatre that was converted into an event and concert space. The Varsity Theatre in Minneapolis was a perfect venue for our five piece band, The Blue Water Kings.

The colours for our wedding were, ivory, white, and gold. Everything had a touch of gold sparkle.

Our wedding photographer...

Our photographer was Barclay Horner. After many days of researching photographers, I kept coming back to his website. I loved that all of his photos creatively used light and space to capture unique images. He was amazing and we are thrilled with our wedding photos. Barclay was enthusiastic, passionate, and detail oriented. I love looking back at our pictures and being able to relive that day over and over.

Ceremony location...

The ceremony was held at The Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas on the University of St. Thomas campus in St. Paul Minnesota.

Reception venue...

The reception was held at The Varsity Theatre in Minneapolis Minnesota. It was originally called the University Theater, a vaudeville house that opened in 1915.

Pre-wedding celebrations...

My sister and I went to South Beach Florida a month before the wedding. We were able to relax by the pool, walk the beach, and we went paddle boarding in the ocean. It was a wonderful sister's trip before the big day.

The bridal party...

We had three bridesmaids and three groomsmen. My maid of honour was my sister, one bridesmaid was David's sister, and the other bridesmaid was a friend from our run club. David's best man was his brother, one of the groomsmen was my brother-in-law, and the other was David's friend from college.

The bridesmaids wore...

The bridesmaids wore a matte gold-sequinned floor-length Sorella Vita modern metallic dress. It featured a boatneck design that highlighted an elegant and classy cowl back.

The groomsmen wore...

The groomsmen bought fitted Kenneth Cole black suits from Macy's.

The groom wore...

David bought a fitted, black Clavin Klein tux from Macy's and black and metallic John Fluevog shoes.

The dress...

I bought my wedding dress at Posh Bridal Couture in Wayzata Minnesota. It was an ivory Maggie Sottero, Lovai dress. I loved that it had a timeless romance, but was updated in a classic mermaid silhouette. A striking bold patterned lace on tulle cascaded down the bodice and traced the hemline. A layer of glitter tulle added a subtle hint of sparkle. The dress had a delicate scoop neckline and crystal buttons were over zipper in the back. I added a crystal bridal belt from Etsy to add more sparkle. I wore a cathedral length vail, INC heels covered in rhinestones, and chandelier earrings.

Flowers...

The flowers were kept very simple and monochromatic. They were white, ivory, and a very pale pink.

Reception décor...

The Varsity Theatre is not your typical wedding reception venue. The Varsity Theatre was originally called the University Theatre, a vaudeville house that opened in 1915.

We were able to put our names on the marquee in-front of the building. The reception was beautifully decorated with large candelabras on each table. The room is two stories high and lights were strung high above the room. The floor is a deep maroon colour and the lights were kept low. It all played into the romantic feel of the evening.

On the menu...

After the ceremony, the wedding party took picture around the city while our guests headed to the reception for cocktail hour. The band played while guests enjoyed appetisers and drinks. When we arrived, everyone found their seats and dinner was served. Our guests enjoyed grilled salmon, chicken piccata, or beef short ribs.

In-order to keep dancing the night away, our guests refuelled on desserts from Angel Food Bakery. They created an exceptional dessert bar filled with mini donuts, cupcakes, and deconstructed cupcakes.

Memorable moments...

The entire day was amazing and memorable, but one of my favorite moments was our first dance. We hired choreographer, Julian Hines, to help us choreograph our first dance to Uptown Funk. It was a surprise to all of our guests, not even our parents knew we were planning to do this. Near the end of the song everyone joined us on the dance floor. It was an awesome way to start the party. I loved dancing with everyone the rest of the evening.

M A R R I E D L I F E

The honeymoon...

The morning after the wedding we were on a plane to Paris, France for our honeymoon. It was amazing and everything we wanted our honeymoon to be. We also took the EuroStar to London. London was wonderful as well. We loved the beauty of Paris and the energy of London. We can't wait to go back.

Future plans...

For our one year anniversary, we plan to take a trip to Spain. We love to travel and can't wait to explore the world together. Both of us would like to complete the six world marathon majors, Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York. We have completed two, so only four more to go! We also hope to compete in an Ironman one day.

In 40 years you hope to...

In 40 years we hope to be traveling the world, running, enjoying good food and wine, and falling even more in love with each other.

W E D D I N G W I S D O M

On the day...

All of the planning, preparation, and stress has lead to the day of your wedding. For me is was a relief. At that point I said, "It is what it is." I knew everything would be fine, and it was. Looking back, I would say to not sweat the small stuff. It really doesn't matter at the end of the day. Enjoy every moment of the day because it goes by way too fast. Be sure to take a moment with your partner to look around and savour it. There is so much love at your wedding and everyone is there to celebrate the both of you. It was an overwhelming and wonderful feeling.

Wedding dress: Posh Bridal / Bridesmaids dresses: Raffine Bridal / Photographer: Barclay Horner / Dessert: Angel Food Bakery / Reception: The Varsity Theatre / Reception band: The Blue Water Kings / Choreographer: Julian Hines / Flowers: Fleur De Lis