Brittany + Mitch | The Barn at Stoney Hills
THE PLANNING
Brittany and Mitch were such a pleasure to plan with! Rustic Elegance’s owner, Kellie, did most of the planning with Brittany. Then about a week out from the wedding, their lead planner Danielle helped out to make sure all the details were set and communicated. The couple had their wedding at the beautiful Barn at Stoney Hills with their 200 guests. Prior to the wedding day the couple came to our office to pick up a few rental items, so keep an eye out for those throughout the day!
THE MORNING
It was a foggy day as the RE team of Danielle and Kacey drove to the venue. It provided a mystical vibe to the wedding morning and as the day went on blue sky began to show! The wedding party had the entire property for the weekend, so they were able to be on site first thing in the morning. This helped the ladies sleep in just a bit longer before Captivating Beauty showed up to do hair and makeup. The ladies spent their morning in the bridal suite and the guys were in the groom's room. The bridal suite has a large 3 way mirror like the one you have when trying on wedding dresses, so you are sure to feel like a bride all morning! Brittany’s brother also spent his day with the ladies as he was the man of honor. How fun is that!?
The groom’s suite has a shuffleboard table, which kept them busy all morning while they had drinks and chatted. Once it came time to get dressed the maid of honor helped the groom tie his bowtie by watching a tutorial video. It’s all about teamwork on the wedding day!
Brittany slipped into her beautiful gown from The Wedding Shoppe before stepping outside to do a first look with her dad. After sharing a sweet father-daughter moment together, it was time for the bride and groom’s first look! Ashley Thiel Photo led the couple to the pond that is located in front of the bridal suites. The beautiful barn venue was the backdrop of these photos! After sharing a kiss, the couple made their way back to the rest of the wedding party who had been cheering them on from the suites.
After a quick lunch, Brittany and Mitch hopped on the venue’s golf cart with Ashley Thiel Photo to stop at various locations around the barn for photos together. Check out the stunning bridal portrait with the oversized, loose bouquet from Celebrations Floral Design! They even had their two cute pups join them for a few photos! Once the couple portraits wrapped up, the wedding party joined them for group pictures.
Once the couple and wedding party were finished with photos, we pulled them aside for a quick day of rehearsal. This is when the sun decided to come out with a beautiful blue sky. It was perfect timing! The overcast skies were great for the lighting in portraits, and the blue sky was exactly what they wanted for their outdoor ceremony. The Minnesota weather had our back that fall day!
THE CEREMONY
The ceremony site at The Barn at Stoney Hills is a bit of a trek, but the view is totally worth it (plus they have golf cart rides for those who need it). With wide open grassland and beautiful trees surrounding the area, it feels like you have two separate venues in one location!
The venue has 2 barn doors that the RE team was in charge of opening and closing during the ceremony. We opened them right before the wedding party walked down, then closed and reopened them when it was the bride’s turn to walk down the aisle to make her grand entrance with her father. Once Brittany got to the altar, their dogs Harley and Sadie were walked to the end of the aisle and released to run to the bride and groom. Check out their cute halo floral arrangements from Celebrations Floral Design! After sharing a few sweet words and a special kiss, they were officially husband and wife!
THE RECEPTION
As cocktail hour wrapped up, guests made their way to their seats in the barn and were met with stunning decor! The tables had simple lanterns, eucalyptus, floating candles that were in glass yogurt jars, a few of our wood slices, and our wooden table numbers. They had a mix of circle tables with linens and long wooden tables. The head table was placed in front of the garage doors that would be opened after dinner. Brittany and Mitch opted to hang draping from the doors to add a touch of elegance which looked so good!
Once everyone had taken their seats, it was time for the grand entrance. The bridesmaids went first, followed by the groomsmen. The bride and groom surprised their guests by sneaking upstairs and making an entrance down the stairs! As all the excitement calmed down, Old Southern BBQ was ready to serve up a delicious buffet which everyone thoroughly enjoyed! After dinner, everyone indulged in various yummy treats from Cold Spring Bakery. There was a mix of cookies, donut holes, cupcakes, lemon tarts, and cheesecakes on our dessert trays. We placed the trays on our rustic table which is made up of a wood door and barrels. To add more elegance to the area, we added our twigs with twinkle lights next to the barrels. It was the perfect touch to the space!
Ashley Thiel Photo then snuck the couple out to capture a few sunset photos which turned out amazing!
Upon their return, the couple did their first dance in front of the open garage doors. It was such a sweet moment! As the special dances wrapped up, guests were welcomed to the dance floor by Premier Entertainment to get the party started! Everyone enjoyed dancing the night away and using the photo booth from Premier Entertainment. Oh, and we can’t forget the late night pizzas that everyone loved!
Once the night came to a close, Trobec’s was right on time to shuttle guests safely back to their hotel rooms. Unfortunately, there was a mix up with the hotel rooms and one of the bride’s family members was left without a room. Dani and Kacey, the RE duo, decided to give up their room and stay the night on the pull out sofa in the bridal suite. When we say we have your back the entire wedding day (including before and after), we mean it!
Brittany + Mitch, thank you for having Rustic Elegance on your team! We hope that married life is amazing!
VENDORS
Venue: The Barn at Stoney Hills
Caterer: Old Southern BBQ
DJ: Premier Entertainment
Florist: Celebrations Floral Design
Photographer: Ashley Thiel Photo
Photo Booth: Premier Entertainment
Dessert: Cold Spring Bakery
Transportation: Trobec’s
Hair/Makeup: Captivating Beauty
Bridal Gown: The Wedding Shoppe
Rentals/Coordination: Rustic Elegance
Creatively written by: Hope Konkol