Maria + Zach | Gardens of Castle Rock
THE PLANNING
As wedding coordinators, we get the opportunity to be involved in a wide variety of love stories. Maria and Zach’s is one that we will never forget! The couple was married 20 years ago, went through a divorce, and decided to get re-married. We were so excited to help them celebrate their rekindled love with 50 of their closest friends and family at The Gardens of Castle Rock! They opted to get married on a Wednesday because of the summer solstice. We learned very quickly that Maria and Zach wanted to lean into a very non-traditional theme for their wedding day. We absolutely loved helping them execute their vision!
THE MORNING
The RE team arrived at 10am when the venue opened to set up their reception decor in the tent. The items consisted of black candles, black fake flowers, tall black vases for the flowers, and black linens which were provided by Lucky’s 13 Catering. Have you picked up on their theme yet? ;)
Meanwhile, the wedding party was busy getting ready. Your Style and D Arrola left Maria with beautiful hair and makeup to last through all the activities of the day ahead! The bride then slipped into her black, sparkly gown. Perfectly on theme!
Dirkes Photography then set the couple up for their first look amongst the rows of trees before taking them around the venue grounds for portraits. Their wedding party popped in for a few group photos as well. Everyone’s attire was so fun!
The day was heating up quickly with that Minnesota summer sun, reaching a high of 90 degrees! The RE Team made sure to keep the wedding party hydrated throughout the day. They were dressed in all black after all!
As photos wrapped up, the RE team pulled everyone aside for a quick day of rehearsal. We also made sure to chat with the ushers to ensure they knew what was expected of them. You can read all about why we love day-of rehearsals on this blog!
THE CEREMONY
Sticking with the non-traditional theme, the couple decided to have a later ceremony starting at 6pm. It was set to take place in the Lath House and had black draping throughout the space. We love this cool ceremony space!
The couple’s officiant goes by the name of Steinarr the Viking. Sound familiar? You may recognize him from the Renaissance Festival or maybe even The Bachelorette! As the ceremony neared, we began to get a little worried that he wasn’t going to show up. After a quick call from us we found out that he had the wrong date. He left immediately and arrived just in time for the couple’s ceremony to start! He brought his gentle giant dog with him, so Rachel from the RE team got to dogsit him as needed.
Once everyone was seated, we sent the wedding party down the aisle. It was then time for Maria to make her grand entrance! The ushers rolled the bride in on a viking ship that had a smoke breathing dragon on the front. Talk about a memorable entrance!
The couple then shared a unique, sweet ceremony before making their way down the aisle as a newly remarried couple!
THE RECEPTION
Dinner started at 7pm with a delicious plated meal served by Lucky’s 13 Catering! As dinner progressed the maid of honor and best man, who were the couple’s children, gave speeches. They were both fun and sentimental for everyone to hear!
For dessert everyone enjoyed a black tiered cake from Target, which was decorated with skulls. We love when couples lean into their personal style in every detail of the day!
The couple then did their first dance together. They decided to have Maria choose the song and leave it as a surprise for Zach to hear in the moment. This was such a fun moment!
R.e.d Percussion Entertainment then kept the party going and got everyone dancing the night away!
The rest of the night guests were busy dancing, signing the polaroid guest book, and making sure to grab their tea cup favor! The RE team was busy cleaning up decor throughout the night, per our clean up package that the couple added on.
Maria + Zach, thank you for trusting us to help execute your non-traditional wedding vision! We had so much fun celebrating your remarriage!
Thank you to Dirkes Photography for sharing these fun photos with us!
VENDORS
Venue: The Gardens of Castle Rock
Caterer: Lucky’s 13 Catering
DJ: R.e.d Percussion Entertainment
Officiant: Steinarr the Viking
Photographer: Dirkes Photography
Dessert: Target
Hair: Your Style
Makeup: D Arrola
Coordinator: Rustic Elegance - Kellie and Rachel
Creatively written by: Hope Konkol