A work romance and five years in the making brought us the Greysolon Ballroom where Scott and Caitlyn pledge themselves to each other in front of family and friends. It was an authentic and wondrous day. Congrats and here’s to the next five and then fifty years.
The one and only Greysolon Ballroom.
Saffron and Grey nailed the bridal bouquet and wow, that dress.
Scott and The Gentlemen.
Caitlyn and The Ladies.
Caitlyn and her mother.
Caitlyn and her father.
The first look in Canal Park.
“A dream is a wish your heart makes.” — Cinderella
Canal Park
The bridal party.
She walked down the aisle with her father and returned with her husband.
This love story starts in high school, that’s right, high school sweethearts. Alex and Abi needed dates to prom and connected through a mutual friend. They both ended up having a great time together and have been inseparable since that night. The two exchanged vows at Greysolon Ballroom in Duluth just a few short blocks away from where Alex proposed at the Portland Malt Shoppe. I’m so happy for you two and thrilled to have been a part of your big day. Congrats.
Alex and Abi exchanged cologne and perfume as wedding gifts.
Abi and the ladies getting ready in The Bridal Suite at Greysolon Ballroom.
Alex and the gentlemen getting ready next door to the ladies at Greysolon. They had a strict no peaking directive.
Abi needed an entourage to hold up her wedding dress before the first look.
Alex and Abi
The colors in Abi’s bouquet perfectly compliment Alex’s blue suit.
Abi and Alex with Greysolon Plaza in the background.
One, two, or three? Or maybe all three!
The bridal party.
Alex and Abi’s wedding ceremony at Greysolon Ballroom.
This is Jesse and Natalie story as told on The Knot, why rewrite history when you can hear it directly from them. I do however want to add that Jesse and Natalie boycotted the traditional “glass clinking” at the reception and instead asked for donations that would be split between the MN ALS Association and Parkinson’s Foundation. With that simple twist of the tradition, they raised hundreds of dollars for their favorite charities!
Thanks to Toby Keith and String Cheese, Here We Are
It all started on October 18th, 2014. Earlier that year, Natalie made the big move from Duluth to begin her career at the Best Buy Corporate Campus while I was in my third year working at SPS Commerce in Minneapolis. Natalie was out with a few of her girlfriends and I was hanging out with my brother Jake and a few childhood friends. Thankfully, both groups decided to go to Toby Keith’s Bar & Grill (no longer in business, RIP) to have a few adult beverages and enjoy some live music. A few of ‘Natalie’s Crew’ and a couple of my freinds found each other and started chatting just as the live band started to wind down their set. My friends invited the crew back to my house to continue the party. Natalie has always known the importance of greeting and thanking the host and, although I was unaware of having a post-bar party that time, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Natalie reached out, shook me hand, and the rest was history.
We quickly bonded over our love for string cheese (see full story below), how great “Timber” by Ke$ha was, and the prospects of the Minnesota Wild that year. As the ‘Natalie Crew’ was starting to leave, I mustered the courage to ask for Natalie’s phone number which, I’m sure Natalie will attest to, was done in a very manly, suave way. The next morning, I tried to play it cool, waiting to reach out to Natalie, trying to hide my eagerness to get to know the beautiful gal I’d met the night before. I ended up asking Natalie if she’d like to meet again in the next couple of days, but it failed. Not once, not twice, but three times Natalie declined and was playing hard to get. Either my Irish charm started to chip away at Natalie, or she just started to feel bad for the desperate sucker who couldn’t stop texting her, but she finally accepted. Since then, if it wasn’t for work-related trips, Natalie and I haven’t been separated for more than two days at a time. Most nights you can find us binge-watching crime TV shows on Netflix, having our Wednesday-pizza-and-Survivor nights, finding a new sushi place (or Crave for the 8 millionth time) to appease Natalie’s cravings, attending a $5 movie night at the local theatre, playing softball, or attending a Wild game. We also absolutely love to travel, and eat our way around the country and world – we’ve been to both New Orleans and Dallas in 2015, Cabo San Lucas and Orlando in 2016 and London & Scotland in 2017. On the docket for 2018 is a trip to Ohio, then a multi-country cruise in early 2019!
Who knows if fate is real or if there is only one person made for each of us – I suppose we’ll never know – but how else would people from opposite ends of the state meet and fall in love despite no mutual connections? Although Natalie might be a little disappointed she didn’t end up marrying a Johnnie, I’d like to think that she is grateful for finding her Maverick!
It’s Really a Cheesy Story…
When a friend of mine wanted to continue her Saturday night at a friend’s house, I had no idea how badly I would need food. Shortly after clambering out of the taxi, I was greeted at the door of a white rambler in the heart of St. Louis Park.
“Hi,” he said, “I’m Jesse.”
“I’m Natalie,” I replied, “Nice to meet you. Do you have any food?” (I’m convinced it was right there he fell in love with me, but the verdict is still out on that.)
We walked into the kitchen and as Jesse was looking around for food (literally anything that didn’t require an egg or a pound of ground beef) I snuck into the refrigerator and found a lone string cheese. It was over that chunk of mozzarella, as I was sitting on his counter-top, that our love story began.
From our very first date (which consisted of donating turkeys to a food shelter), we bonded over giving back to the community. Both together and separately, we’ve delved into fostering dogs, raising money for ALS research, donating toys and stuffed animals during the holiday season, building homes through Habitat for Humanity, and supporting our local community through Rotary.
Jesse is the most generous person I’ve ever met. Not only with the time he donates and dedicates to others, but also the effort he puts into keeping our relationship fresh and fun. I’m so blessed to have found my partner in crime and can’t wait to marry him.
To the man who always lets me have the last brownie and is the first to pour me a “Natalie” drink, I’ll meet you at the altar.
Fall colors in full effect at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary.
“Love you more.”
Natalie’s something borrowed also happened to be old and blue. It was a gift from her father to her mother when she was born.
Natalie’s first look with her father and grandma.
A stunning bride.
Jesse and Natalie’s wedding party looking fine.
Jesse and Natalie spent 1,425 days together, all leading up to this point.
The sun broke through the clouds with impeccable timing.
Nick and Kelly first met in grade school and ignored each other for nearly a decade until the two exchanged numbers in highschool. Kelly firmly planted him in the friend-zone even though Nick had other plans. It didn’t take long for the friend-zone wall to come crumbing down- I mean who could resist Nick’s devilishly good looks and great personality?!
These two high-school sweethearts were engaged at the Newman Center Chapel in UMD where Nick carefully constructed an aisle of 400 candles. On her way to the chapel, Kelly almost turned around because she figured out what was about to happen. Instead, he walked her down the candle aisle and got down on one knee. She cried, said yes, and then they both noticed the carpet was on fire!
Nick and Kelly had a classic Catholic Mass at St. John’s Parish, the same school she teaches. Their reception at Greysolon Ballroom in downtown Duluth was filled with laughter and the kind of dancing that should be at every wedding. I also discovered that Nick and Moonwalk and Kelly’s father could do the Worm. It doesn’t get any better than that!
Congrats and all the best!
The wedding details.
Kelly and her ladies get dressed in the Bridal Suite at Greysolon Ballroom.
A first look with Kelly’s father.
Nick gave the gentlemen swords to help fend-off any would-be suitors.
The first look!
Nick and Kelly share a quite moment at Ticher Creek.
Look at those two love birds.
Kelly and Nick were wed at St.John’s Catholic Church.
Wedding Mass.
Greysolon Ballroom detailed by Northland Special Events.
Ian and Kristin met while they were both attending college in the Duluth/Superior area. They knew each other as friends for several years and began dating in 2013 after Kristin graduated from nursing school. Neither one of them recalls their first meeting!
Ian proposed in August of 2015. The happy couple had bought a house together the year before, and one late summer evening, Ian suggested building a fire in the backyard. They were sitting outside making smores, and Ian asked for his marshmallow stick. Kristin left to grab it, and when she returned, he was down on one knee asking her to marry him. She obviously said yes! He proposed with his grandmother’s ring, which he had hidden in their basement, waiting for the perfect time to pop the question. Kristin admitted to probably walking by it dozens of time without realizing it!
Kristin walked down the aisle in her gorgeous gown at the United Presbyterian Church in Superior, WI. The beaming couple planted a rose bush together during the ceremony to symbolize their blooming and undying love for one another. From there, the couple and their loved ones made the transition over to the Greysolon Ballroom to celebrate the saying of “I do.” Congratulations, Ian and Kristin!
