Kristen + Mike first met in San Fransisco where Kristen was a waitress and Mike had literally just stepped off the plane (You can read the full story here).

Fast forward and here we are at their wedding day!

Their ultimate goal for the day was to have fun and fully enjoy it. They opted for a very laid back vibe but still made sure it looked ‘put together.’

Kristen writes, “We wanted a venue that had great food, a DJ with fun vibes to keep the dance floor packed, and some tasty desserts to end the night strong. We also were on a pretty strict budget and had a high guest count, so I had to get extra crafty when it came to budgeting our day.

Where I was able to cut down the most money was by getting the amazing vendors deals with Forever Bride vendors. I saved almost $700 in total just from Forever Bride vendors.”

(Pssst. Sign up for free so you can receive these deals + save money on your dream wedding, too!)

Okay, let’s start drooling over the gorgeous photos taken by Brett & Janelle Photography, shall we?!

Fun fact: They had guests fly in from over 13 states!

And you’re special day isn’t complete without your #BrideTribe, of course! 🙂

“My bridesmaids absolutely LOVED their bridal bags. I got them robes from Oh Sugar Studio (buy 6, get 1 free here) that are literally the softest material I’ve ever felt, some custom champagne flutes with their names on them, a hanger for the dress with them names on them from Heartwritten Decor (receive 10% off, click here for the promo code), and tossed in a Resqwater for hangover prevention which really works!”

“Mike and I absolutely loved working with Brett & Janelle Photography. They are so much fun, made us feel super comfortable, take amazing photos, and are just wonderful people to work with. Our day wouldn’t have been the same without them!”

PS Forever Bride-ers: Brett & Janelle Photography are offering you a special deal just for being a member! Click here for details.

EEEK this is our favorite part!!

Kristen writes, “As far as our color scheme, we went with rich fall hues with hints of blush and gold. The guys’ suits were a non traditional colored blue- they were a muted royal blue but it really stood out with the rich wine colored bridesmaid dresses.”

*Cue the tears!

Kristen’s advice to brides:

“Enjoy the planning process! It can be very stressful at times, but just take a step back and enjoy it. This day will come up faster than you know it and it will all come together 🙂

I also would recommend taking a moment to yourself at some point during the day. Add it into your timeline- just take 5 minutes with your spouse to be alone and really soak in the moment. Throughout the whole day you are surrounded by so many people and the day flies by, so stopping to take a 5 minute breather really helped us absorb what all just happened, get a solo moment alone, and just realize how lucky we are.”

Since she’s from San Fransisco, they included a trolley to take the wedding party from the ceremony to the reception. We love this personal touch!

“For table design, we kept it really simple. I love candles so the tables had a mixture of floating candles, tall clear votives, lanterns with a candle inside, and gold and rose gold mismatched small votives. I worked with Audra at Festivities for the design and she was super helpful with making suggestions and coordinating the setup and tear down aspects for me.”

Looking back on her wedding day, she is just bursting with gratitude. And the guests are still talking about the beautiful day!

“Post wedding, all our guests kept talking about was how good the food was at Hazeltine (some even said it was the best wedding food they’ve ever had), how AMAZING the desserts were from Nothing Bundt Cakes, Minnetonka (post people consumed 4-5 Bundtinis each), and how great the DJ was. Our dance floor was packed from beginning to end of night thanks to the awesome talents of Adam from Studio Veil!”

Isn’t this wedding the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?! We are in love!

And we’ve got more inspiration for you! Check out this Modern Romance Wedding with Soft Pallets.