Last wedding of this marathon wedding year! I can't believe this whirlwind of love and celebrations is drawing to an end. Anna and Kevin made their first appearance around these parts back in July when we threw them an engagement party on my roof...and a few weeks ago we trekked to very, very rural Iowa to celebrate their wedding! Anna and Kevin's day was basically a Pinterest fall wedding fantasy wrapped up in a homemade quilt, drenched in hot chocolate and champagne and love. I kid you not, every detail was absolutely adorable and, moreover, almost all of it was handcrafted by the two of them and their families!
I have to say, VIP of wedding day goes to Hannah, who not only brought us a ton of breakfast options for our 6am departure time, but also came prepared with "8-Year-Old Hannah's CD Mixes," which she DJ'd for us the entire way down. Jamming to N*Sync, Taylor Swift, and Now 6-9 made the 3.5-hour drive fly by...we couldn't stop laughing and singing along. We arrived at the McGregor County Fairgrounds around 9:30am in freezing 37 degree weather. Due to the unexpected cold snap, Anna and Kevin moved their planned outdoor ceremony indoors, and you never would have known that it wasn't planned that way from the start! Just look at these amazing details:
Chalkboard signs...
An abundance of cozy blankets to cuddle up under during the ceremony...
...and my personal favorite, a coffee and hot cocoa bar!
They even had personalized mugs made to commemorate the day. Mine has quickly become one of my favorites for weekend coffee! The photo above also shows the insanely cool set-up of their ceremony...an "in-the-round" structure that literally surrounded them with their friends and family throughout the rite.
Having scored fantastic seats right behind the bridesmaids, we tucked ourselves in and enjoyed a beautiful and heartfelt ceremony! Anna was absolutely radiant, despite the chill, from the moment she met Kevin at the end of the aisle.
One of the most touching and unique aspects of their ceremony was their extremely personal approach to their vows. Kevin had proposed to Anna by singing "Forever Like That" by Ben Rector, so we all knew he was musical. We had no idea that Anna also had a beautiful voice, however, and were accordingly shocked when they started singing their personal vows to each other in the form of the beautiful "No Matter Where You Are" by Us the Duo. Take a listen...the actual video of them singing is personal, but the recording shows how sweet and perfect the song is to be treated as wedding vows.
Having blown us all away with their vocal talent, Anna and Kevin said their vows...
...and shared their first married kiss! Hooray!
After the ceremony, our little foursome decided to go on an adventure of sorts. We had been joking all drive about exploring the surroundings, and having walked around the quaint fairgrounds, we decided to take a little excursion...
...That's right. Because obviously none of us Minnesota girls had ever seen corn before. Our journey down there in heels and dresses would have been quite the sight to behold! We all kept shrieking about thistles and brambles, and ultimately ended up playing in the tall grass and corn for a solid fifteen minutes between the ceremony and the brunch reception. No shame in our agricultural glamourshot game!
Having fully satisfied our "play farmer for a millisecond" craving, we headed back up toward the actual party, stopping along the way to take more photos of all of Anna's handcrafted details.
Brunch totally hit the spot...an abundance of egg bake, sausage, homemade scones, muffins, and breads, and lots of fresh fruit too. Being the basic girl that I am, I used mine to garnish my mimosa. Major props, by the way, to Anna's bartenders...they had the mimosa proportions (95% champagne, 5% OJ, duh!) down perfectly!
We also enjoyed the plethora of homemade cupcakes. Mine was this insane chocolate peanut butter thing WITH an actual Reese's cup baked into the middle. Excuse me while I go drool, thanks.
A funny side story: The gorgeous cake, below, was the unofficial fifth passenger in my car on the way down. Alyssa picked the cake up for Anna and brought it down to McGregor, and I was a borderline nervous wreck the entire trip worried I would somehow damage it with a hasty brake application or too-sharp corner. We did have one close call when I decided to make a turn we almost missed, but my shriek of "OHMYGODTHECAAAAKE!" and Alyssa and Caroline's literal throwing their bodies over it saved the day. It arrived unscathed and looking beautiful!
Having gorged ourselves on brunch eats and sweets, and listened to numerous heartfelt toasts by Anna and Kevin's families (remind me never to play Monopoly with either of them!), we cleared the floor for dances. I, naturally, took advantage of this moment to steal my obligatory "back of the bride's dress" photo. Anna's didn't disappoint and totally fed my continual addiction to dresses with a lot of detail in the back. So pretty!
And of course, a first-dance shot. This one's courtesy of Hannah's genius camera work...I adore the lighting and that look of absolute love between these two. What a gorgeous wedding day and how fun to see a wedding that was a true reflection of who Anna and Kevin are as people and as a couple! I loved every minute of it.
Thanks for a beautiful day, A&K! Loved celebrating with you!