I can’t even believe that this is the last love story and wedding of rustic month. I’ll be honest with you, I’m a little sad. Only because I’ve LOVED every single feature, and moment really, of our rustic month. It’s been a good run, hasn’t it? (I make it sound like we’re never going to feature a rustic wedding again, which is so not the case. We’ve got like six lined up for the coming months.) Thank goodness we have this rustic Wisconsin resort wedding from Emily Steffen Photography to send us out with a bang! A very, very pretty bang that is!! With the most incredible floral arrangements (bouquets and centerpieces), the cutest pint glass favors with chalkboard stickers in the shape of the bride and groom’s home state (Wisconsin), and the most adorable flower girls and ring bearers also known as the cutest “here comes the bride brigade”. The details are just so pretty, and so perfectly rustic, and in so many shades of pink. The light strewn dock is just so romantic, and the cake – oh my goodness, the cake – it’s incredible!! Everything about this wedding, including the bride and groom (their love story is adorable by the way) is picture perfect. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to close out rustic month. Truly. Enjoy every single second.

Karlee and Matt have been together since they were fourteen and fifteen. Matt was friends with Karlee’s neighbors and surprised everyone (including her parents who thought for sure he was there for one of Karlee’s sisters and not their fourteen-year-old) by coming to the house one day asking to see her. Their summer love rolled on throughout high school… and college… and grad school… True love that lasts. Sigh.

Their first kiss was during their small town’s annual summer festival. Karlee told her parents she was with her girlfriends, but then snuck off with Matt for a walk by the river. It was there that he made his move! Meanwhile, a mini-search party was looking for Karlee – little did they know :)

Karlee and Matt always say that they were lucky to grow up together and grow closer instead of apart. High school was wonderful, but typical high school with occasional two-day breakups, etc. For college, Matt went to UC-San Diego and Karlee went to UW-Madison. They realized that they had to make a decision – make it work with the distance, or go their separate ways. They chose to make it work, and it did nothing but make them stronger. They were able to create their own lives and friendships while still building their relationship at the same time.

After graduation, they decided to move to Montana (and enjoy the mountains) for six months before Karlee started a nursing program in Denver. It was there that their love moved to the next level. They were finally done with the distance and their shared passion for the outdoors brought them together in such a special way. They’d gone backpacking before, but in Montana they went almost every week and created memories that will last forever.

Six months later, they moved to Denver, and finally to Minneapolis for Matt to start Law School. They truly just love spending time together. They have such a history and share such excitement for their future :) They know there is no other person to spend this life with than each other.

Matt planned to propose on a backpacking trip to one of their favorite places – Pictured Rocks in the UP of Michigan. The ring, however, got delayed and he couldn’t do it. So he waited until their next trip to Door County on a fall weekend getaway.

When they pulled into town, they stopped to pick up some sandwiches to take to a favorite secluded beach they’d been to before. As Karlee set up their picnic spot, Matt suggested she set up the camera so they could take a picture (something they did on all of their trips) while he ran back to the car to get chairs. When she saw him coming back, Karlee set the timer to start and ran to Matt so they could get their picture before the timer went off. As she ran, he got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. The camera went off at the most perfect moment and they now have the most amazing picture of an incredibly special moment.

Karlee was completely blown away by him and the ring!! She loved that he surprised her, that he did it at the start of the trip, and that he asked her dad secretly ahead of time :)

{From the Bride} Looking back on our wedding is extremely emotional. It was a long-time coming and there was so much heart and soul poured into the planning by all of our dear friends and family. Everything took off once we decided to have it at Matt’s grandparents’ property on the lake – a place we’ve been coming to since the start of our relationship. We wanted the setting to speak for itself and to show our guests an amazing evening at the lake and under the stars. Mother Nature more than cooperated and we were able to go without a tent and have the outdoor wedding and reception we had always dreamed of. We would never had any of it, however, without our unbelievable family and friends. We had an army of help the days leading up to the wedding. Everywhere we looked, our loved ones were overwhelming us with how incredible they were!

To make the wedding truly represent who we are, we wanted every aspect to be personal and have meaning. One of our best friends and Matt’s roommate from college was our officiant, my sister sang during the ceremony and for our first dance, we had our favorite Mexican food for dinner, flower vases were beer growlers we’ve collected over the years, tables were named after national parks we’ve visited, guests signed canoe paddles for the “guestbook,” almost all of the signs and crafts were made by family and friends, favors were pint glasses with Wisconsin chalkboard stickers where guests could write their names, the band (drummer was a former neighbor) played some Badger football favorites, and guests were boat taxied at the end of the night to our favorite lakeside bar.

Everywhere we looked we saw something that represented our relationship and the family and friends that mean the world to us. One of the best moments of the night was when we slipped away onto the dock and tried to take it all in. It was a full moon without a cloud in the sky, our guests were dancing under the stars, and we were married! We’ve never felt so loved and so honored to have such amazing people in our lives.

{Advice for Couples} If we were going to give advice to future bride and grooms it would be…

Choose a place to get married that has meaning to you. Put a good chunk of your budget towards a phenomenal photographer like Emily Steffen. Your day goes by as fast as everyone says it does. Your experience with the photographer and the pictures are worth every penny. (Emily – you’re truly amazing!) Put a lot of thought into lighting! Our outdoor lighting was one of our favorite parts of the look of our wedding. Thanks to my Clark Griswold of a brother-in-law, the property came to life when the sun went down! (Make sure to have the power you need for the lighting too!!) Enjoy the planning! The days of crafting with my mom, the brainstorming with sisters and friends, the dress shopping, the excitement of the families, the showers, and the new bond with your fiancé – it’s all things you will remember long after the wedding is over. It’s definitely not just about the day. Soak in the special moments when they happen – I took a short walk with my dad the morning of the wedding (even though I had 80 million things to do!) – it was so special and calming! Let people help – it’s easy to want to micro-manage, but people want to be included and a part of the experience! Go on a long Honeymoon! :)

Congratulations, Karlee and Matt, and thank you so much for sharing your wedding and love story with us!! We wish you both so much love and laughter in the many years you’ll share together! Many, many, many thanks to Emily Steffen for sharing their very special day with us today!! We couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to end rustic month :) xoxo

For many of us it’s a little chilly in January, but when it comes to the vendors in the Heart Love Weddings Vendor Boutique, well, we think they are just the coolest! Let the wedding planning begin!

Stationery

We were so excited when the vendors in our Stationery category wanted to offer some amazing rustic wedding invitation designs for our rustic month. Have you seen them yet? Gorgeous, right? Don’t miss all the wonderful specials they’ve offered as well!!

Blush Printables - Rustic Country Chic Wedding Invitation Suite

ALH Designs – Rustic Floral Wedding Invitation

Simply Designed | HLW Signature Collection – Rustic Kraft Wedding Invitation

Wedding Photography

Did you know that it’s officially engagement season? Well, you do now! :) As you begin your wedding planning, a photographer will be one of the most important wedding pros that you will hire and we have some wonderful ones to choose from. They’re all so excited to meet you!

Njeri Bishota Photography – Njeri is now specializing in intimate weddings and has just recently opened a new studio!

Britt Croft Photography - Britt shared an amazing rustic glam wedding with us – have you seen it? Love!

Live View Studios - Brent and Anna are so excited about engagement season!! They always have such creative ideas for sessions – be sure to go to their blog to see the very latest!

Natalie Franke Photography - Check out Natalie’s brand new series Monday Musings and this engagement session – so romantic - sigh!

With Love & Embers - Jillian and Ryan McGrath are now known as With Love & Embers. Please show them some love and check out their new brand and website!

Katherine Henry Boudoir  – Ladies, Valentine’s Day is not far away and Katherine has started her Thursday boudoir sessions again. Give her a call (or email her) today!

Decor, Event Design & Floral Artistry

Speaking of wedding planning…a wedding planner should be one of the first people you contact when getting started. Danielle Pasternak is one of the sweetest and most efficient planners we know. Really. You’re going to love her! Looking for that something extra special something for your wedding? Then look no further than a gorgeous wedding canopy from Olam Wedding Canopies.

Danielle Pasternak, Wedding Coordinator

 Olam Wedding Canopies

Bridal Fashion & Beauty

Are you looking to add a unique piece of sparkle to your wedding attire? Then look no further than Happily Ever Borrowed for something truly special, that you can borrow. So many pretty baubles to choose from!

Looking for more information on these fabulous vendors? Please visit the Vendor Boutique and check out the beautiful inspiration boards that we feature for each of our amazing vendors! Don’t forget to check out their websites and blogs too! :)

I can’t believe that we are almost at the end of January and in our final week of rustic month. We’ve featured so many lovely posts and hope that you’ve enjoyed every single one as much as we have. We’ve got one more rustic wedding inspiration board this month and gosh, it’s so pretty!

Colors: Tangerine, Orange Sherbet, Steel Blue, Spring Green

We think ring bearers are one of the cutest members in a bridal party and this little guy with a dapper orange gingham bow tie and tweedy vest is no exception. Don’t you just love the little rustic ring “pillow” made from a slice of birch? It’s a super simple DIY, if one were so inclined ;) Homemade jam or local honey make the perfect wedding favor and look oh-so-pretty all wrapped up in burlap and twine. A barn venue for your ceremony and/or reception is definitely something that you should check out. Long rustic tables with mismatched chairs decorated with gorgeous centerpieces and luscious drinks are a great way to welcome and invite your guests to your celebration. Rustic signs are one of my favorite details letting your guests know about all the fun that’s ahead. And this amazing bridal bouquet – it’s breathtaking isn’t it?

I’ve fallen in love with the bright colors of today’s rustic wedding inspiration board! How about you?

xoxo

Row 1: Ring Bearer photo by Christa Elyce Photography via Bridal Musings, Favors photo by Jill Thomas Photography via Martha Stewart Weddings, Barn photo by Eric Kelley Photography via Grey Likes Weddings

Row 2: Drinks photo by Aleah Lovely Photography via Blissful Blog, Rustic Signs photo by Stacey Ramsey Photography via Ruffled, Bridal Bouquet photo by Christa Elyce Photography via Bridal Musings

I’m going to predict right here and now that you’re going to fall head-over-heels for this rustic handmade wedding from Katelyn James Photography!! From the cute-as-a-button bride to her groom in vest and tie. From the wildflower bouquets to the oh-so-pretty purple bridesmaids dresses paired with, you guessed right, cowboy boots!! Then there’s the windowpanes and chandeliers, blue mason jars and stripy straws, burlap place settings and chalkboard table numbers. And let’s not forget the reception awash in such pretty shades of pink, blue, green and yellow; each chair tied with a different color patterned bow!! And the cake – oh, the cake – with its rustic cake stand and pretty as can be bride and groom WillowTree (I love these) cake topper. Every inch of this wedding makes my heart go pitter-patter because it was handmade with love.

Hunter and Rebecca lived 20 minutes apart growing up, but never met until they were at Virginia Tech. All their friends kept saying how perfect they were for each other and urging them to out on a date. So finally, one day, Hunter took matters into his own hands, and asked around for her number.

Over their first phone call, Hunter asked Rebecca if she’d like to go hunting with him over Thanksgiving break. This was in part thanks to her roommate saying she’d like to go. But being alone in the woods with a gun on the first date wasn’t exactly Rebecca’s idea of fun, and so she turned him down.

Hunter wasn’t in the least bit deterred, and Rebecca was secretly glad for this, as he continued his pursuit of her. In January, they finally went for coffee. They both ordered white mochas and talked for hours. While they both thought the other was cute, they both agree that it was sharing the same value system, faith, and ideals that made them most attractive to each other.

Becca said I love you first. But she was so nervous that she jumped out of Hunter’s trunk and dashed into the post office… where she proceeded to buy $5 worth of 1-cent stamps!!! Hunter could only smile and laugh :) He later whispered that he loved her too while dancing at his sister’s wedding. It wasn’t long after that that Becca started writing letters to Hunter as her future husband in a journal that she later gifted to him on their wedding day :)

Hunter proposed in Highland County where his family owns land. He packed a picnic, planned for them to go four-wheeling, and told Becca to pack nice clothes in case they decided to go for dinner at the Highland Inn restaurant. It was a gorgeous day and Hunter was calm, cool, and collected on the drive over so Becca didn’t suspect a thing.

Hunter unloaded the four-wheeler when they arrived at the camp, and Becca snooped through the cooler (but found no ring). Nor did she feel it on the ride as the box was hidden beneath a box of bullets (Becca had insisted that Hunter bring his gun lest they run into the bear rumored to be out and about). And after a wonderful lunch, Hunter turned the conversation to the topic of their relationship. He told her how much he loved her and that he wanted to spend his life with her. He suggested they take a couple pictures to remember this special day and when she turned back to him, camera in hand, she found him on bended knee with a ring in his hand!

{From the Bride} The day was full of distinct memories in between blurs of how fast the wedding went by. We agree the day was absolutely perfect and everything we wanted, but went by way too fast!

The most memorable moment was our first look. We are traditional and had always thought we wouldn’t see each other before. But the more we looked at Katelyn’s other couples, we decided we really wanted that special time together. We had as long as we wanted to cry, laugh, and smile together the first time we saw each other. It was the most special time of our life.

Our first dance was “Everything” by Michael Buble. It was peppy, fun, and different than most. Perfect for us.

We planned out so much of the day and spent many hours before the wedding preparing, and seeing all of the windows, jars, flowers, and fabric set up was just awing. It was everything we wanted and just gorgeous! Our dream wedding was so us.

{Advice for Couples} Enjoy dating!!!!!!!! Marriage brings about all kinds of changes and figuring out household rules. We both recommend taking full advantage of dating and doing fun things when you’re engaged!! We loved getting to just hang out and so much of our engagement time was spent planning the wedding, worth it, but definitely have FUN together!!! We also were obsessed with our Honeymoon. Skimp on some wedding things if need be, because the honeymoon is a chance to take a once-in-a-lifetime vacation with the excitement of being newlyweds!

Congratulations, Hunter and Rebecca, and thank you so much for sharing your wedding and love story with us!! We wish you both so much love and laughter in the many years you’ll share together! Many, many, many thanks to Katelyn James for sharing their very special day with us today!! We’re so thankful to have you be a part of our rustic month :) xoxo

Oh, how I love the rustic vintage wedding from Erica Rose Photography I’m about to share with you today. I can’t get enough of the sweet bride and groom, which might explain why I chose to overload this post with pictures of them :) But don’t worry, I went overboard on the detail shots too. Like the bride’s beautiful BHLDN dress, lace shawl and jewelry, the mismatched, yet perfectly coordinating bridesmaids dress in shades of beige and gray, and cowboy boots. The groom and his men all wore jeans!! He wore a dark gray vest and light beige coat. The men wore darker coats. And it was really quite the perfect look. There was a supremely pretty ceremony site with a weather beaten board backdrop, lace ribbon draped entrance, chiavari chairs, and thick fur blankets that kept guests warm. A conveniently mismatched reception where no two tables looked the same in decoration, all resting beneath a tent strewn with thousands of twinkle lights. You know, I think the reason I love this wedding so, is that it’s magical. Rustic magic and true, true love. Oh, what a pretty post it makes for :)

Britta and Cody met while attending the University of Iowa at the house of one of Cody’s teammates. Something about her must have caught his attention because the next thing Britta knew a mutual friend of theirs was asking if it was ok to give her number to “that tall guy over there”. She said yes, but didn’t really think too much of it.

The next morning she had a text from Cody, and a few days later they went out on their first date. But because she had a sorority meeting and he had football practice, it was more or less of a meet up than an actual date. They met at a local burger joint where she had a diet coke and he a full meal. She believes he liked that she was a cheap date ;)

Their first kiss was at his house in Iowa City. It wasn’t after any special date really, it just happened. And it was wonderful. Britta just remembers feeling butterflies… and lots of them :)

Britta wasn’t looking for a relationship when she met Cody, but after just a week of talking every day/night, Cody took Britta to meet his older sister and her new husband. She was kind of terrified, thinking, wow, he must really like me if he wants me to meet his sister! That night they all watched a movie and talked and later that night, Cody and Britta had that conversation that all couples have. They stayed up talking for hours, like they were best friends, like they had known each other forever. That’s when she knew there was something between them.

The first time Cody asked her to be his girlfriend she told him no due to the fact that she hadn’t even really told anyone they were dating yet! A week later, he asked again, and she said yes! They made it Facebook official, and that was that :)

It was a really simple act on Cody’s part that made Britta realize she was falling for him. She’d been complaining how gross her car had become (winters in Iowa tend to be a bit messy) and how she just didn’t have time to get it washed. So one day, Cody drove Britta to work in her car. She came home later that day to find that it had been completely detailed… inside and out!! Cody had done it all, didn’t bring it to a gas station to do it, but spent hours cleaning her car. No one had ever done something so thoughtful for her before. She was hooked :)

They said “I love you” that first summer together. She’d come over to his house for dinner and later that night when they were alone, he looked at her and said something about how when she walked in to his place that night it hit him. But before he actually said the words he asked her if she loved him too. She told him she did and the rest is history!!

There wasn’t one single moment that alerted Britta to the realization that Cody was the one. It was more that there came a time when she knew that she couldn’t live without him, that her life wouldn’t be the same if he wasn’t there. He challenges her to be a better person, they are open with each other at all times, and he reads her like a book. No one knows her better and he is her best friend in the world.

In January, Britta’s grandmother gave her an antique wedding band that had belonged to her Aunt. She in turn, gave it to Cody with the suggestion that it might make a great band for an engagement ring one day, if he had the urge to give her one, and if a setting could be added to it. A few months later, Cody suggested they go look at diamonds as he didn’t want to put anything on a family heirloom that she didn’t like. They went to a local jeweler and found a diamond she loved, but after that, Cody left Britta completely in the dark about everything, which drove her nuts. She hates surprises.

The first week of May he told her, regretfully, that they were unable to attach the setting to the band, that the band was just too old and fragile, and adding anything to it would potentially damage the entire thing. Britta was sad, but hopeful that it could still be used as a wedding band. That conversation was two days before Britta’s birthday. She’d previously thought that he’d pop the question on her birthday, but after that conversation, her hopes were dampened somewhat.

The day before her birthday, Britta went out for margaritas with a friend. Cody met them after work but was anxious to get home the entire time. He claimed it was to change out of his work clothes, but Britta knew something was up, she just didn’t know what. When they got home she went to the bathroom and when she came out found Cody sitting on the bed beside an envelope. He claimed it was something 401k or something business-related and asked if she would open it for him. She didn’t have to look inside the envelope to know what it was. The return address of the jewelry store on the outside gave it away. But inside was her grandmother’s aunt’s ring with the diamond she loved attached. She doesn’t remember what he said (she was too shocked at how sneaky he’d been). She thinks he said those famous words at some point, but mostly she just remembers crying, and hugging, and kissing, and crying, and hugging some more. It was the most perfect proposal for her and we couldn’t agree more :)

{From the Bride} We got married 5 months after our engagement. Fast, I know, but we knew we wanted to be married in the fall, and didn’t want to wait until 2013. I had always dreamed of getting married at our lake house in southern Wisconsin, and knew that it would be beautiful in the fall. After much discussion we decided to ask the local bar on the lake if they would be willing to let us have the reception there. They had never done anything like it before, but were excited and eager to begin the planning, sure that we would be able to pull it off. This meant the world to me. I had grown up going to that restaurant and was so excited that a piece of my childhood would be included on our special day. The next decision was finding a ceremony location. My mom had been to Northwind Perennial Farm before and suggested that we take a look at it. It was perfect.

We spent the months leading up to the day collecting things for decorations, including candleholders, lanterns, lace, fabric, etc. etc. etc. Much of the decorations came from inspiration from Pinterest :) I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to decor, I think being a photographer, my attention to detail might be above and beyond normal. I had it clear in my head that no two tables were to be the same. I wanted different arrangements and “looks” at every table… I kept telling everyone I wanted it to look conveniently mismatched :) Thankfully my Mom was AMAZING and did a ton of the leg work for me. She is amazing and should seriously be a wedding planner.

My favorite moment from the day, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was our first look. We had our first look on the dock of our lake house and the moments leading up to it, and the moment itself I felt emotions I will never forget. I still get tears in my eyes when I think about it :) When Cody turned around we both started crying, overwhelmed with the emotions we were feeling, so happy to see each other. I will never, for as long as I live, forget the look on his face when he turned around :)

The day was perfect. Not stressful at all (that was sort of our goal), the time before the ceremony was spent taking both group and couple shots, giving us the opportunity to be with our close friends and family before all of the craziness began. We wanted our guests to feel that they could be as relaxed as possible, able to enjoy just being with each other. We encouraged “boots & jeans” on our invitations, and I think people LOVED the idea! The rustic feel was a perfect combination of the Iowa farm Cody grew up on, and the Lake Home memories that I grew up with.

Our ceremony was just family and close friends, and this gave us the opportunity to visit with people who were in from out of town before heading over to the reception. We had a time for visiting, appetizers, and champagne right after the ceremony, giving our guests the time to explore the beautiful grounds at Northwind.

The reception was bigger and very backyard, rustic feeling. We had a pig and chicken roast which provided for some AMAZING food, and a great beer selection provided by the bar we had the reception at. The first dance was to Neil McCoy’s No Doubt About It. We hadn’t originally planned on this song, but a month before the wedding we were at his concert and both looked at each other and said, “That’s it! That’s our first dance song!”

All in all, besides the unexpected cold weather, the day was perfect. As a photographer, I knew that Erica would do an amazing job capturing all of the moments, emotions, and details of the day, and this gave me the ability to sit back and not worry about making sure I was mentally noting every detail. We are both so happy with how the day went and look back at the photos with joy.

{Advice for Couples} Be honest, say when something is bothering you, keep what is important to you, important to you, it’s ok to have interests different from one another. Schedule dates, say “I love you”, compliment each other, appreciate the little things, think before you speak, trust each other fully… etc. etc. etc. ;)

Congratulations, Cody and Britta, and thank you so much for sharing your wedding and love story with us!! We wish you both so much love and laughter in the many years you’ll share together! Many, many, many thanks to Erica Rose for sharing their very special day with us today!! We’re so thankful to have you be a part of our rustic month :) xoxo