Heidi + Aaron | Backyard
THE PLANNING
Heidi and Aaron were such a special couple for the RE team to work with! The grooms’s mom, Colleen, is a dear friend of Kellie’s and has helped Rustic Elegance with our accounting from the beginning. Kellie did a site visit of the family’s farm to talk through the logistics of the ceremony location, tent placement, vendor set-up, and flow of guests, for the wedding day. The ceremony was originally planned to be in the corn field, but upon seeing the location, Kellie noticed the tree by the lake and suggested that this would make an amazing ceremony backdrop. The couple agreed, so this is where the ceremony took place, and it was just stunning!
When the wedding week arrived, Kellie met with the bride and Kristin who would be the lead planner for the day, to review all planning details and solidify any remaining questions. The day before the wedding, Kellie and Kristin visited the farm to check out the tent set-up (by K & K Fun Time), tables, and to make sure all details were in order. The groom’s brother was in charge of hanging all the lights in the tent (and he did a pretty awesome job)!
THE MORNING
Once the wedding day arrived the RE Team got busy placing lanterns all over the property and we had the tent area all to ourselves to set up the details. Kristin, Amy, and Kierra were the RE planners for the day and they were able to knock out the set-up in record time! They were especially grateful for the prep trailer that the family provided for us to store all of the decor in and use as a prep/setup area. While the RE team was working on setting up the last details, the bride and bridesmaids were busy getting ready at the couple’s home. Lauren Jakubowski made sure the ladies’ hair was looking perfect!
After getting ready, the girls made their way to the farm where Heidi put on her dress and grabbed her bouquet from Hy-Vee before doing the first look with Aaron. The couple did their first look in the field at the farm and it was such a cute moment!
The couple then made a trip off site to visit their grandma to take a few photos and have her give them well wishes, I mean how sweet is that?! Upon arriving back at the farm, the couple and wedding party stayed at the farmhouse until it was time for the rehearsal which the RE team led. The DJ from Ignite was also on site for the rehearsal which was super helpful! He was all around amazing to work with and stepped in just 3 short weeks before the wedding since the couple’s other DJ unfortunately canceled (Thanks JD)!! Then, just one short hour before it was time to start the ceremony, the wind started to pick up. Thankfully, the RE team was on top of it and put on the tent walls and adjusted any decor that had blown with the wind.
THE CEREMONY
As guests started arriving, we were thankful to have a 3 person team present! We had Amy directing traffic by the house, Kristin coordinating the procession, and Kierra cueing the DJ. The ceremony location under the tree with the lake as a backdrop was absolutely stunning - definitely a good choice! Just when the guests thought it couldn’t get any more magical, the bride made a grand entrance by riding in on a horse drawn carriage with her dad! The horse carriage was from Independence Horse and Carriage which is the groom’s parent’s company [we love working with them]! The couple did a unity branding at the nearby fire and it turned out perfectly after being stoked for 2 days! After sharing a kiss, the couple was officially married! They opted to do a receiving line post-ceremony and the RE team was able to move all of the chairs from the ceremony to the reception in 15 minutes (with some help from the wedding party and kids)!
THE RECEPTION
The guests enjoyed socializing with drinks served by Steve Illies during cocktail hour while the couple snuck out for more photos with Mattie Loney Photography on the horse carriage! Not too long after, the guests were seated to enjoy a delicious buffet dinner from Hyvee. The couple made a grand entrance to the song “Accidentally in Love” by The Counting Crows and said a welcome. Dinner was followed by mini cupcakes and root beer floats, also from HyVee.
Soon after, the couple did their first dance to “Forever and Ever” by Randy Travis which was so special! They also did two sweet parent dances. The father/daughter dance was to “The Way You Look Tonight” and the mother/son dance was to “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts. King Gicalde Photography was able to capture some sweet video footage of these dances and moments throughout the day! Overall it was a gorgeous night for a backyard/tent wedding! We were able to take the tent walls down and start a bon-fire for guests to enjoy. The couple also provided s’mores supplies which the guests had fun making by the fire!
Heidi + Aaron, we absolutely loved being included in your big day! It was so special and unique, I mean how many brides enter on a horse drawn carriage?! Thanks for including us in your day!
Special shout out to Mattie Loney Photography for sharing these wonderful photos with us!
VENDORS
Venue: Klaers Family Farm (Parent’s Farm)
Caterer: HyVee-Plymouth
Bartender: Steve Illies
Rentals: K & K Fun Time
Decor: Rustic Elegance
DJ: Ignite
Florist: Hy-Vee
Officiant: Groom’s Uncle
Photographer: Mattie Loney Photography
Videographer: King Gicalde Photography
Horse Driver: Independence Horse and Carriage
Dessert: Hy-Vee
Transportation: Stahlke Bus
Hair: Lauren Jakubowski
Bathrooms: Biff’s
Coordinator: Rustic Elegance
Creatively written by: Hope Konkol