Vienna + Austin | Cozy Corners Campground
THE PLANNING
Vienna and Austin came to us with plans for an elegant outdoor wedding at Cozy Corners Campground, but they needed some help to bring it to life. They had definitely come to the right place! In case you didn’t know, Rustic Elegance specializes in outdoor weddings, and we know how to make them seamlessly elegant too! The couple opted to book our Elegance Package paired with our Backyard Package. This gave them exclusive access to ALL our rental decor for their date as well as delivery, pick up, and an on-site consultation of the venue site.
The couple and family own Cozy Corners Campground, which made the location extra special! Lead planner Kellie went to the campground upon booking to get the lay of the land and help figure out where the tent would be placed. This also gave us the opportunity to get a feel for what rental items would be needed. We created a layout utilizing 2 tents, one for dinner and one for cocktail hour/dancing. The couple invited about 250 of their friends and family, then invited the campers and additional friends for drinks and dancing after dinner. Because of this, we wanted to have specific areas for each group, but still have them close together. Kellie met with the bride many times over zoom and also had a specific meeting to chat about decor rental (this additional meeting is included in our Elegance Package).
The Thursday before the wedding we were on site to supervise the tent setup. Friends and family pitched in to help set up the tents and tables. It was awesome to see everyone come together to help this sweet couple prepare for their big day! While we were on site, we also delivered a ton of our rental decor and set up as much as possible to prep for the big day.
THE MORNING
When the beautiful fall day arrived, it was all hands on deck to bring Vienna and Austin’s day to life! The couple got up bright and early to get ready at an Airbnb off site. Arbor Alissa Martin and IDecorateFaces worked together to create beautiful glam for the ladies that would last all day long.
Meanwhile, the RE team stopped at Nothing Bundt Cakes in Minnetonka to pick up a ton of bundt cakes before heading to the campground. Fun fact: our office is located right by NBC Minnetonka, so if our clients order cakes from there we can pick them up!
Upon arriving at the venue, the RE crew was ready to get to work! We had a large team consisting of Kellie, Carlie, Kasey, and Greta to pull this day off. From greeting vendors to setting out the decor we couldn’t prior to the wedding, Rustic Elegance was moving quickly all over the venue to ensure everything was ready by the time guests arrived!
As the ladies wrapped up hair and makeup, Vienna slipped into her gown from Wedding Connections. She looked absolutely stunning! The bride began by doing a first look with their son, Sawyer, who was the ring bearer. Afterwards, she headed down to the dock for the first look with her groom. Both of these moments were so sweet!
The wedding party then joined the couple for a few group shots before we pulled everyone aside for a quick day of rehearsal. We always love having a rehearsal the day of the wedding! You can read all about why on THIS blog post.
THE CEREMONY
The lakeside ceremony site at the campground was so beautiful! Albany Floral added an amazing installment to our arch to give it that extra touch of elegance. The entrance to the ceremony space was marked with our ceremony doors and wine barrels, along with a few other items from our inventory. The florist tied greenery to the chairs with burlap and the scene was set!
The bridal party consisted of 5 members on each side. The couple’s daughter, Madison, was the maid of honor! Once the guests had taken their seats, the wedding party lined up as we had rehearsed. The groom escorted the bride’s mom, then went back to walk in with his parents. The rest of the wedding party made their way swiftly down the aisle, followed by the couple’s son (who nailed the ring security job) and the flower girl who was the couple’s niece. The bride then made her grand entrance with her step father and shared a hug with him before joining her groom at the altar.
The couple shared the vows that they had written, which were so sweet and left everyone feeling all the love in the air! Their children then joined them for a tree planting unity symbol (you can sneak a peek at our tree branch table here)! After watering the tree, the couple came back together to share their first kiss as husband and wife! They wrapped up their ceremony with a receiving line to quickly share their thanks with each guest. As the guests made their way out of the ceremony site, the RE team and a few helpers that the couple hired to help with misc tasks moved the chairs to the dinner tent and repurposed the ceremony decor.
THE RECEPTION
Guests then made their way to the cocktail tent to enjoy some social time and drinks from Brinky’s Liquor before dinner. We set up our wood tables, chairs, bars, cocktail barrel tables, sofas and other various items in the cocktail/dancing tent to create a comfortable space for guests to mingle in. Matt Lease, who played the music for the ceremony, continued to provide beautiful live music for the guests during cocktail hour. The couple provided a few yard games, but also included games from our inventory for entertainment throughout the evening.
The dinner tent was also decked out in plenty of RE decor and looked stunning! Our wood tables were used for the head table along with our chairs. We decorated the table with our candlesticks, candle holders, and chargers. We reused the flowers from the ceremony arch here as well. The guest tables were numbered with our table numbers and also had our gold candle holders dispersed throughout. Everyone found their seats via the seating chart that was placed on our tall chalkboard to act as a frame.
Once all the guests were seated, the wedding party and couple made a grand entrance into the tent. We love how excited everyone was for Vienna and Austin! As the cheering died down, the couple said a welcome and Uncle John sang the Johnny Appleseed song as a prayer. Then it was time for a delicious buffet dinner from Chris Denn Catering! While everyone was enjoying their meal, speeches were given by the maid of honor, best man, and groom’s dad. Guests also made sure to indulge in the bundt cakes that we had picked up earlier that day, which were displayed on our dessert stands on our hutch.
Not long later, Tom Thornton Photography took the couple out for golden hour photos by the lake. They turned out absolutely stunning - what a beautiful Minnesota evening!
Once the sun set the glow of string lights made the tent feel extra cozy and romantic! It set the perfect scene as the couple entered into their first dance. After sharing a sweet moment together, they did joint parent dances before Cody Aksamit opened up the dance floor to everyone. There were lots of people dancing for the remainder of the night and Cody kept the vibes up! The couple did a bouquet and garter toss which their guests had fun cheering on!
The RE team made sure to set up our 3 tier table by the fire pit with plenty of s'mores supplies to be snacked on, but Marnanteli’s arrived not long later to provide a late night snack of pizza to enjoy as well!
As the night came to a close, the RE team got to work cleaning up, as the couple had purchased our clean up package. We took home some of our decor, then came back to get the rest the next day. It was officially the end of a very successful wedding day!
Vienna + Austin, we had such a great time on this journey with you and we are so glad you chose Rustic Elegance to be on your team. Cheers to you and your wonderful family!
Big thank you to Tom Thornton Photography for sharing these wonderful photos with us!
VENDORS
Venue: Cozy Corners Campground
Caterer: Chris Denn Catering
Late Night Pizza: Marnanteli’s
Barender: Brinky’s Liquor
Rentals: Rustic Elegance
DJ: Cody Aksamit
Ceremony + Cocktail Music: Matt Lease
Florist: Albany Floral
Photographer: Tom Thornton Photography
Videography: Chasing Cotton Candy Skies - Sarah Adolphus
Dessert: Nothing Bundt Cakes - Minnetonka
Hair: Arbor Alissa Martin
Makeup: IDecorateFaces
Bridal Gown: Wedding Connections
Bathrooms: Nelson’s Sanitation & Rental
Coordinator: Rustic Elegance
Creatively written by: Hope Konkol