You know when you meet two people that are TOTALLY meant for each other?  That is Blake and Dana.  Their wedding day completely reflected them, their style, and the things most important to them.  Listen to some of the special details of their wedding day that had so much thought put into them to make it completely reflect their relationship:  “We wanted to embrace the nature of where our reception was held, Mahoney State Park!  So, we went with natural colors and designs.

• We had compostable/biodegradable plates, utensils, and napkins for our reception.
• I wore my Mother’s & Grandmother’s wedding dress! I found a wonderful business Vanya Designs out of Wichita.  She took off the sleeves of the original dress, changed the neckline, and took the original tulle off the skirt to uncover the beautiful satin skirt.
• I also wore my Mother’s veil.
• It was Blake’s idea to have pheasant feathers in our flowers, and it was the perfect touch.Both our parents are from South Dakota, and hunting pheasants is a very common activity for both families.  Blake went hunting with my Dad over Christmas and got the pheasant feathers we used!
• The fur coats we wore were actually a last-minute detail.The April weather was a little colder than we were expecting so we borrowed my Great Great Aunt’s fur coats the week of the wedding!
• My Dad & 4 of uncles sang “On Eagle’s Wings” during our ceremony. (One of my favorite songs!)
• I’m a huge Disney fan, so we had Disney soundtracks playing during dinner.  🙂
• We had tortes from Annette’s Catering.  Blake had those for his high school & college graduations.  (And his sister had them at her wedding too!)

Here are a few favorite parts of their day:   Marrying each other was literally the coolest thing we’ve ever done.  How everyone just rolled with the weather!  We so appreciate people braving the April snow to help us celebrate.  Our first dance.  It really brought our story full circle.  We met when Blake asked me to swing dance, and it has been something we have continued throughout our relationship.  It was a non-traditional first dance, but it really was more fitting to who we are.  (We’ve had several people ask how long we practiced.  We didn’t practice at all, haha just went out and danced!). During one of Blake’s favorite songs, Take Me Home (John Denver) we all grabbed an LED candle from the décor and we stood in a circle singing and holding them up.  As the song ended, we all walked towards the center of the circle and “cheers”ed our candles. It was not planned at all, but it was a cool organic moment with friend and family we will always remember.

I asked Dana for some advice for future brides, here’s what she said, ” If you’re married to the right person at the end of the day, none of the details matter. 2) Role with what comes with the day… Weather, vendor issues, family nuances… Remember to re-center yourself on what the purpose of the day is and why you’re doing it!  3) Remember to take 5 seconds during each big moment, and soak in EVERYTHING.  When people say “it goes so fast,” they are 100% correct.