Sarah + Randy | Almquist Farm

MN Day of CoordinatorAlmquist WeddingMN Outdoor CeremonyMN Outdoor WeddingOutdoor CeremonyOutdoor Fall WeddingMN Wedding PlannerMN Wedding Coordinator

May 16

Written By Kellie Heinen

THE PLANNING

Sarah and Randy were planning a beautiful fall wedding at Almquist Farm for their 160 guests and decided to hire Rustic Elegance to help coordinate all the details! Our owner Kellie did the pre-planning with the couple, then passed everything onto their lead planner Marissa H as the wedding day approached. The couple also opted to use a few of our decor rental items, so keep an eye out for those!

THE MORNING

The day started with overcast skies and light rain showers, but that didn’t impact the anticipation and excitement for the day ahead! The good luck sprinkling wrapped up around 11am, so we were left with perfect weather the rest of the day. The ladies got ready in the granary barn on site with the Warpaint team joining them to perfect their hair and makeup! The guys arrived around lunchtime, excited to play some pool and hang out before the busy day began.

The RE team of Marissa and Amy were on site to set up decor and greet all the vendors as they were arriving. The venue was buzzing with life as everyone was out and about completing their tasks. Even Almquist Farm’s goats were roaming around waiting to be pet and fed!

Once the wedding party finished getting ready, it was time for the first look! Sarah and Randy met up outside of the red barn to see each other for the first time. The wedding party made sure to sneak a few peeks of this moment through the granary windows! After sharing an embrace and admiring one another’s snazzy outfits, they made their way around the venue with Tim Larsen Photography to capture a few couple portraits and wedding party photos.

The RE team then pulled the wedding party aside for a quick 5 minute rehearsal. We were there to guide the flow of everything and answer any questions that came up. Once we wrapped up, we got everyone tucked away before guests began arriving. It was nearly time to get Sarah and Randy married!

THE CEREMONY

As guests began taking their seats, we made sure the wedding party was lined up and ready to go. The bride and groom were cool, calm, and collected as they awaited the cue for go time. We worked with their DJ from Minnesota Wedding Party to time the music perfectly, and the wedding party began making their way down the aisle.

The ceremony site at Almquist is always so breathtaking, but when the beautiful bride made her grand entrance guests couldn’t help but shed a happy tear! The couple shared many sweet words and Kaitlin, one of the bridesmaids, read a sweet quote about love to pull everything together. Sarah and Randy then shared a long awaited kiss and made their way down the aisle as husband and wife!

After the ceremony, the couple waited to greet each of their guests in a receiving line. Once they had a moment with everyone, they headed back to the bridal suite to have a few minutes alone to soak in the fact that they were officially married!

THE RECEPTION

As guests enjoyed cocktail hour, the RE team began cleaning up the ceremony site and repurposing the decor into the reception space. The couple wanted simple yet elegant table decor, and they definitely achieved it! The beautiful flowers from Pristine Floral paired with our battery candles were the perfect combo. The table numbers had the number on the front with favorite photos of the couple on the back. This was a fun element for guests to look at as they found their seats.

Meanwhile, guests were enjoying the beautiful weather while playing our bean bag game and visiting the guest book table. This table was decorated with our bird cage card holder and gifts and cards sign. Everyone was also invited to grab a wedding favor which were bird feeders made with wood from their land and dog treats with a cute note from the couple’s dogs! The cocktail napkins also had a photo of their dogs on it since they couldn’t physically be with them on their wedding day. They turned out so fun and guests loved them!

As dinnertime arrived, we invited the guests in to find their seats. The couple decided on assigned seats with escort cards to direct guests to their tables. Once everyone was seated, the wedding party did a grand entrance which they all had a lot of fun with! Tinucci’s Catering was ready right after to serve up a delicious buffet (we couldn’t get enough of the mac and cheese)! While enjoying their meal, guests listened to speeches from the father of the bride, best man, maid of honor, and the groom. Dessert consisted of various flavors of bundt cakes which were a huge hit! We especially loved the custom neon light that the couple had at the dessert table!

As everyone finished indulging in the delicious food, we helped move the head table and decor to make room for dancing. The couple shared a sweet first dance, followed by the traditional parent dances. Minnesota Wedding Party then turned up the tunes and got the party started! The DJ also had monitors playing the music videos to the songs which was a unique touch to the dance floor!

Throughout the night the dance floor stayed pretty full, but there were many other activities for guests to enjoy as well! Several people opted to use the photo booth from Minnesota Wedding Party, while others enjoyed time outside with the goats and using our s’mores supplies barrel at the bonfire. And we can’t forget the stunning golden hour photos taken by Tim Larsen Photography!

Later in the evening, after a beautiful Minnesota fall wedding, it was time for guests to load into the shuttle from Northfield Lines for a safe ride to their hotel. It was truly a great day!