Wedding: Final Review

It’s the last wedding post. By the time you read this…I’ll be 30. Old. Married. And potentially boring. However, I'll be sure to point out that I wasn't when I was married! I was young!

This is a reflection post.
Some of the things I loved….

The photographers - Shout out to Yetter Photography (Ken Yetter with Kim Symington) who worked to capture our memories….we haven’t seen them yet but I’m so excited to see the turn out.

The locations – Hawktree provided a great backdrop. The location and view was beautiful and the staff was accommodating with our menu request. I also loved that they were totally good with us taking pictures on the course and borrowing the 2 carts.

Radisson- holy crap were Matt and I impressed. The facility was great to preplan with (Cheers to Mike), the front desk was friendly and accommodating, the wait staff for the banquet was on point and wonderful, the bartender was thoughtful, the meal was amazing, the night manager was helpful, accommodating, and understanding. Their rooms were beautiful and their moving the “party room” versus shutting them down was the picture of customer service. Would recommend them to anyone! And we loved having people cut down on driving after the night was over.

Our decorator – Lynell and her team was great. They required 2 meetings, and a couple emails and created the image that we were going for perfectly. Talk about stressless and maintenance free. We showed up and it was set up and beautiful…better than we could have imagined and then the next best part…she took it all down and we didn’t have to do anything with them!

Our arbor – So glad Gary looked at it and Dad was there to put it together and then even take it apart in the rain the next day. It was the perfect addition for the ceremony.

Elvis Entertainment – our dj, Kenny, was great. Kept people on the floor, played some great music, was willing to work with us and ensured that the pieces that we wanted were there. He had a great price especially considering what he delivered.

The details – I know Matt was worried I was burning up time and energy with silly things but the programs were what I wanted, the hotel packs complete with crossword and recommendations were something that was low cost to Matt and I but personalized (by the way…I promised someone a copy of the crossword and I couldn’t remember who it was…sorry…if it’s you tell me!). I liked our mileage sign of where we’ve been and going. I liked how the guest book turned out…and I really liked the streamers that the ushers handed out after the ceremony.

The food – from rehearsal with the Chicago dogs (complete with poppy seed buns) to the meal at the Radisson …all the food of the weekend was amazing. Mom and Michele put together great spreads at their house. The cakes (Shantelle’s, my grandmothers, and our cupcakes) were all fabulous and enjoyed by me. And the snack bar with pretzels, cheese balls, and pub mix was a great idea that we are glad we pursued that only got better as the night progressed with party sandwiches! What amazed me was the punch! We had taste tested the punch when we decided to get it. It’s a pineapple lemonade type. We’ve seen so many places where the punch is terrible and doesn’t get drank. This was not the case, I didn’t even get a glass as it was gone! We were happy that we did decide to go forward with it because was a hit.

The personalization – that was a big thing for me…I knew people knew Matt or I and maybe even Matt & I, but I knew that number wasn’t as big as I’d liked. I wanted people to get to know us a bit better. We were careful in planning out the ceremony from the processional to the vows and readings to the receiving line. I put information in the program, in the hotel pack, on the path way up to the club house, on the sign at the reception, in the shoe game…I tried to show people Matt and I as best as possible…it was a great way to celebrate and make me think of how far him and I've come. But also for people to see how we are together.

Escorting – this isn’t a broad stroke like the rest I’ve mentioned, but I loved that Matt walked my mother down the aisle to start the ceremony. We had the ushers play a vital role in the ceremony.

Actually, here’s how the processional went:

Burke Gardner

Jess Erickson escorting David Evans

Tyler Berger escorting Darlene Dagman

Jeff Thompson escorting Elaine and LaVerne Moser

Fern Moser escorting Michele and Randy

Matt escorting Diana

Todd Ehresmann escorting Kate (Moser) Black

Jayme Tenneson escorting Stacy Sturm

John Pinkerton escorting Shantelle (Monger) Petroff

Eric Remynse escorting Alaina Moser

Brendan Dean escorting Tiffany Kuntz

Perry escorting Amanda

The fashion – Yes, I loved my dress. The corset and the crinolines. And I loved that Matt loved it too. (I’m not sure that David’s Bridal was worth dealing with to get it…PS Don’t use David’s Bridal). I loved the charcoal tuxes (White Lace in Bismarck was amazing)…I was so happy with just how good all the men looked. I loved my bridesmaids in their dresses. I know the matching dress thing is SO 1980’s…and I don’t care…they all looked dang good and it worked with every body type. I loved my shoes with Matt’s socks that Michele found and grabbed for us at Kohl’s. I loved our mother’s dresses…they looked so stylish and everything looked so good. I loved the little boys in their bowties and Kemma in her dress. I loved that Grandpa David and the Baker boys wore shirts that matched the wine/burgundy color. And then you add that with another favorite…the flowers (made by Tiffany)…and everything even sang even more. Not a regret in my head for having artificial! Did you see my bouquet!!!

Our guests – I was so glad to be surrounded and supported by friends and family. There were so many people having a great time and the smiles were amazing. The fact that we'll never get to see that room of that love of people again....completely amazing!

Our wedding party – I’m not just talking about our bridesmaids and groomsmen…The day wouldn’t have been as wonderful if it weren’t for the flower pinner, the gift attendants, the beer pourers, the program attendants, the gift book attendants, the ushers, the host couples, the readers, my personal attendant, and our family and parents. You took care of us. You made sure that I wasn’t crazy and that Matt was taken care of. You were the reason we had an amazing day and the fact that you wanted to be part of our day, we are so greatful. I love that so many people added so much to our day.

So yes, in closing, I loved our day… there are so many details that I want to remember for the rest of my life. So thank you for bearing with me as I recounted them time and time again. It’s truly amazing that I remember hundreds of positive details. And while I loved all these details and the culmination of them is what made the day so happy, it is the love that I share with my husband that made the day the best of my life.

MJR (on the processional): I’ll take a Moser down the aisle and I’ll bring a Remynse back.

Something old: My great-great-great Grandmother Lydia’s wedding ring with a garnet and pearls in it. I wore it on my right hand.

Something new: My dress, which was purchased by my parents.

Something borrowed: My veil, which Sara had used in her wedding as well

Something blue: For Matt.