This is a blog post that I’ve been really looking forward to writing! On September 17th, 2024, my amazing husband Ryan and I got married. It was such a special day and I’m excited to share about it here!

Ryan and I met at our local grocery store at a time when neither of us were seeking a serious relationship. Ryan was working there as a supervisor/manager and it was my favorite place to grocery shop….and not just because of him, haha! He was the hot guy I looked forward to seeing in the checkout line and I got an incredible wave of nerves every time I spotted him; like, heart racing, trouble breathing kind of butterflies! He started conversations with me whenever I went through his lane, and it was obvious that we were both feeling the chemistry. I’m pretty shy, especially with a cute guy, but I eventually got up enough nerve to give him my phone number. We started texting that night and the rest is history!

Brick mansion with hydrangeas on a sunny day.

We instantly had a connection to each other; they always say “when you know, you know” and that was definitely true for us. We both felt so comfortable right away and whenever I look back on our early conversations (yes, I’m sentimental and I saved every single text!), I can’t believe how quickly our talks turned deep and meaningful.

Fast-forward to spring and Ryan proposed! We decided to get married the following September and I was so excited to start planning. We knew right away that we wanted to keep the wedding really small, simple, and intimate: a micro wedding. That cut out a lot of the planning stress, not to mention keeping the budget down! We wanted our wedding to be beautiful, but our top priority was to really keep the focus on the fact that we were celebrating our marriage. We both have complicated pasts, so the joy we find in our love and in each other is really deep and full of gratitude. All we wanted was for our guests and ourselves to feel comfortable and savor the day.

For the venue, we chose The Grand Mansion on Pillsbury in Minneapolis. I found it on Airbnb and was immediately in love with the spiral staircase, brick facade, and countless beautiful interior details! Since it’s not a traditional wedding venue, we were able to book it for much less than the cost of a larger space. It was the perfect location because we could do everything there: get ready, get married, have our reception, and spend the night. It accommodated us and our thirteen guests perfectly.

Now that I had some of the biggest, most time-sensitive details nailed down, it was time to book a photographer. I reached out to my first choice, Jess Hunter, and was thrilled when it worked out. I knew Jess a little from a few projects in the past, and I just adore her imagery. It’s beautifully artistic, and I love how she captures both emotion + personality and subtle, character-filled details.

The next thing I focused on was my dress. I started browsing Pinterest and Instagram and decided I wanted a simple style, with a slim skirt, little to no train, and a flattering silhouette. I kept coming back to the idea of an illusion top with intricately detailed lace or appliqué over a mesh lining. The foundation of my inspiration was the Acto gown by Ines DiSanto. I gasped out loud when I saw it; the floral illusion bodice is stunning and flirty without being too revealing, and the fitted skirt and flowing train were perfect for the more casual feel we wanted our day to have. I couldn’t believe it when I managed to track the dress down at a local boutique, and I was even more surprised when it fit perfectly! I never imagined I would actually get to wear my literal dream dress down the aisle.

I wanted the dress to really shine, so I opted not to wear a veil. I picked out a minimal gold lariat necklace with one tiny pearl on the end, a gorgeous hair vine with more pearls and white flowers, and freshwater pearl drop earrings. I stumbled across the Elvie Pumps by Something Bleu Bridal pretty early on, and once I had seen them, nothing else compared! The gold brocade fabric and ribbon tie detail are so beautiful! They were more than I wanted to spend on shoes I won’t wear very often, so I stalked Poshmark for a few months until I found my size secondhand. For my perfume, I wore Marc Jacobs Daisy Wild, which is a bold fruity floral scent. Ryan and I spent at least an hour sniffing various perfumes and colognes at Sephora to pick out both of our scents, which is one of my favorite engaged memories!

As a former wedding stationer, I was really excited to make our invitation suite. I picked out a neutral palette that felt right for the early fall season, and I found a gorgeous painting through The Met’s online catalogue that really added life to the whole suite. Since we were inviting such a small number of guests, I felt like I could really go all-out with each set of invitations.

First, I drew a wreath of flowers and vines to use throughout the stationery. We chose handmade paper for the main invite and scalloped paper for the Details cards, and I made all of the envelopes from black Canson art paper. I added hand-drawn gold edges to the envelopes, pulled out my rusty calligraphy skills to address them in gold ink, and custom-designed two wax seals for the suite.

Everything was wrapped up in a printed vellum sheet and tied with silk ribbon, then pressed closed with a wax seal. The envelopes were completed with the second wax seal and a collection of vintage postage stamps I selected.

For Ryan’s ring, we worked with Lashbrook through a local jeweler so he could create his own custom design. He chose a zirconium ring with black diamonds and it turned out so well: timeless and unique at the same time. Ryan picked out a linen-colored suit and paired it with a blue-and-white striped shirt for his outfit. He loves ties, so he also enjoyed picking out a navy tie embroidered with intricate green vines. His shoes were leather oxfords and he wore Burberry Hero eau de toilette. Now we save the scents we chose for special occasions and it brings us right back to the wedding day!

When it came to getting ready, I opted to do my own hair and makeup. I knew I wanted my hair mostly down in beachy waves, and I’ve always loved makeup so I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted my face to look like. I watched an Alex Gaboury YouTube video for my exact half-up hairstyle and then loosely attached my hair vine around the back. My Dyson AirWrap gave me some volume to start out with and R+Co Outerspace hairspray helped keep everything in place. For my makeup, I wanted a soft-glam look. My hero products were Armani Luminous Silk foundation, Rare Beauty liquid blush, the Dior Backstage Glow face palette, Lancôme Hypnose drama mascara, and Wonderskin lip stain. I also practiced doing my own gel manicures in the months leading up to the wedding and did a chrome French manicure look for the big day.

It was around this time that we realized we had a major hiccup: my engagement ring was missing. I’d had it soldered to my wedding band a few days prior, and it had stayed safely in its box ever since. I tucked the ring box in the top of a big basket holding lots of other decor. We both had a clear memory of me carrying the basket into the mansion, where I set it in the dining room next to a sideboard. The only people in the mansion were Ryan and I, my parents, my close friend, and the cleaning staff (who were supposed to be out by the time we got there but ended up sticking around until a couple of hours after we arrived). The five people in our party looked high and low all over the mansion and my car, making sure to check the garbages and every nook and cranny. I eventually went back to getting ready and tried not to panic, but it was dawning on me that the ring might have been stolen. As of today, it still hasn’t been found so we have to assume that’s what happened. We looked high and low everywhere and eventually ended up ordering a new ring to replace it. I planned on wearing two wedding bands, one soldered to the engagement ring and one free on the other side. Fortunately, I had worn the free-standing band alone since getting the other two soldered, so we used that to get married with. All that being said, I don’t have any professional photos of my engagement ring, so I’ve uploaded some from Olive Ave Jewelry. We got my diamond wedding band from a different jeweler; I can’t find it online, but I’ll link a similar option at the end of the post.

The mansion was stunning enough on its own that I didn’t feel it needed much decorating, but I knew I wanted to have some big floral arrangements to make it feel special. I worked as a floral designer in the past so I decided to handle the flowers myself, too! I ordered some gorgeous roses from Grace Rose Farm and picked up more blooms from a local wholesale florist, then spent the day before the wedding putting everything together.

I wanted to keep things light but lean into the season with colors like caramel, taupe, and salmon alongside a base of creams and peachy blush tones. Dahlias and roses were the stars, with varieties like cosmos, butterfly ranunculus, and jasmine to add texture. I kept things garden-y and whimsical and I was so happy with how they turned out!

We used white plates from the venue and added a few candlesticks, linen napkins, and gold flatware to the table with handmade menus and placecards. My good friend Emily also wrapped the bannister of the staircase in lots of ruscus branches, which was the showstopper of the decor in my opinion.

Ryan and I decided to do a first look to take some pressure off my bridal entrance. Our photographer set us up in the yard behind the mansion, and when I started walking towards Ryan, my heart rate was going crazy! We both felt so much anticipation leading up to that moment, and it was such a special way to greet each other before the ceremony.

After the first look was over, we did our couple photos to make things streamlined post-ceremony. We also did formal photos at this point, but I’m not sharing those to maintain the privacy of our friends and family members.

After photos it was time for the ceremony. We opted to write our own vows, and I used the last few moments before the wedding to go over mine one last time, then transfer them from my phone into the vow book I made. My entrance was down the staircase, and of course I tripped near the end! That was one of many moments I was glad we had a micro wedding, haha. We kept the ceremony pretty short and simple. Our friend Andy was our officiant and he did a perfect job!

We didn’t want to do the traditional unity candle or sand pouring, so we looked up alternative options and landed on knot-tying. This ceremony involves the couple tying a fisherman’s knot together. The fisherman’s knot is the strongest knot there is and only gets tighter as more tension is placed on it. This represents that the trials couple weathers will bind the two partners closer together and make their union all the stronger. I was so glad we decided to write our own vows; they felt so much more personal and meaningful than the boilerplate versions. After the ceremony, we took a few minutes to absorb our new union before signing the marriage certificate, and then it was time to eat!

We were so lucky with our food! Ryan’s brother owns a restaurant and catering company, so he was our natural choice for providing our dinner. He is so talented and the meal was incredible! We have young nieces, so we went with street tacos and quesadillas for a family-style meal that was flexible and yummy for everyone. It was so nice to sit down to a relaxed and delicious meal after the ceremony. I also love baking, so I made our cake! I made a few recipes in the weeks before the wedding and we picked chocolate cake filled with dark chocolate ganache and frosted with a brown butter buttercream.

Our wedding day was truly the most special day I could imagine. It lived up to every expectation and I am so grateful to have planned and executed my dream wedding! Discovering that my engagement ring had been stolen a few hours before the ceremony was really sad and stressful, but I appreciate it even more now that it’s been replaced. The important thing was that we got married and still managed to have a beautiful day! Ryan is my closest companion and partner, and I truly still pinch myself to make sure it’s all real.

Thanks for reading!
xx, Esther

Our Wedding Day: 9.17.24

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Our Wedding Day: 9.17.24

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