We’re very excited to introduce yet another gorgeous real wedding on Truly Engaging. This one especially tugs at our heart strings because once upon a time–Jamie used to work with us here at MagnetStreet. So it is our pleasure to feature he and Brittany’s Minnesota vintage winter wedding. Their big day begins in the warm and innovative style of Bigelow Chapel. Be inspired by the capturing of a couple in love on their wedding day and by the wise words of our beautiful bride, Brittany.

Colors- blush pink, gray, navy, and ivory

Ceremony- Bigelow Chapel I saw this chapel first when I visited it for a college art class. The swooping ceiling let in the light beautifully and made the ceremony feel very warm and intimate.
Reception- Vadnais Heights Commons
Photographer- Imagen International My co-worker Lizzy Hausladen did our pictures. It was strange to be on the other side of the camera, but it was really fun to have someone I know so well do our pictures. She also did a great job of helping us both relax and forget the camera, I know she captured some really great moments! {Brittany is also 1 of 3 head wedding photographers and co-owner of Imagen International}

Save the Date, Wedding Invitations & Suite- MagnetStreet Weddings
Magnet street was great. We were doing DIY projects for many other aspects of our day that we didn’t have the time/energy to make every invite too. We did save the dates and invites through MagnetStreet. We got the personalization we were looking for without having to craft each invite. We got so many compliments on our stationary–really set the tone for the day.

{Save the Date Magnet- “Devoted”}

Flowers- The Flower Guys Our flowers were beautiful. Lynn our florist had to make a last-minute substitution, but it was an upgrade to peonies in my bouquet. It was so pretty and vintage, perfect for the day.
Day of Wedding Coordinator- The Bliss Life Kari did such a great job making sure the day ran smoothly. I am sure there were a million little problems that needed to be solved, but I never knew about any of it!
Catering - Creative Catering by Molly We had chef-cooked pasta stations. The meal was a lot of fun and even though the food was being cooked on the spot, they got everyone fed fairly quickly. I also heard after the fact, that the kitchen lost power before the meal was served, but I had no idea! The food was tasty, fresh, and hot even with out power!
Vintage Lace Veil- etsy designer EricaElizabethDesign

Highlights of the day- The whole day was just a blast. We were just able to celebrate our journey and this big-step we were making with all the important people in our lives. It was great to see all of our work and dreaming for the last 9 months come together in such a beautiful and memorable day. The weather was beautiful, almost 40 in the first week of January must be a Minnesota first.

{Above: Jamie & Brittany personalized “Matchless Beauty” wedding invitation design & Enclosure Card}

Best part of the whole wedding day- Our vows. We wrote them ourselves and surprised each other. There were lots of tears, but I will never forget how beautiful and special that moment was.

Advice you’re glad you took- Have someone in charge of your day. We hired a day-of-coordinator. Kari Warwick from Bliss, made sure that everything ran smoothly so we got to enjoy our wedding instead of stressing over details.
Advice you wished you took- Don’t take on too much. We had multiple DIY projects. I loved how personalized our day was, but there was definitely a lot of work and stress before the wedding.
Advice you’d like to give- Don’t stress the small stuff, just sit back and enjoy the fact that you are getting married. Make sure you have points in your day where you can both sit back and reflect on what is happening–and the  huge step you are taking together.

Congratulations Jamie and Brittany! Thanks for sharing your day and savvy advice with us. We wish you all the best! And if you dear reader would like to wish our couple well, please leave them a comment below!

xo

We featured Anna & Valik’s ultra-fabulous country engagement session last summer and today…we have the privilege of featuring their equally fabulous and eclectic, vintage-country wedding! So fun and full of color and personality–from all the rustic elements in attire and decor, to Anna’s ceremony entrance on a horse, to their barn reception venue and loads of DIY details! It’s the sweetest of love stories–where all of their wedding dreams came true! Read along as our beautiful bride and country girl Anna, shares the day, the details and the people that made it possible.

Wedding Style Vintage, Southern, Rustic
Wedding Colors Mustard Yellow, Turquoise, Plum, Brown.
Ceremony & Reception Lindsey Plantation Taylors, South Carolina
Wedding Photographer Julie Izotov of My Forever Images

Highlights of the day The weather was perfect, but the day before it was really cold…but we prayed and God took care of it all. It went by very smooth and relaxing. It was like a dream!
Advice you’re glad you took Don’t spend a lot of money on your wedding! Spend more on your honeymoon. We saved money every chance we could and God blessed us abundantly with a beautiful wedding that we shared with our close friends and relatives.
Advice you’d like to give There’s no reason to stress, or spend lots of money. Think about what you’d want, not what others would like because you’ll never impress everyone.
Best part of the wedding day Riding in on the horse and seeing my now husband beaming with joy!

And what about all of your lacy details? Yes. Yes. Yes! I love lace! I think it makes any setting look romantic.

Can you tell us about the eclectic attire of your bridesmaids and groomsmen?
We let them chose their outfits. To the guys, we gave an idea and to the ladies, I gave colors. They wore what they wanted to wear! I never liked the idea of the bride choosing some dresses and everyone looking the same–and then after the wedding, you don’t know what to do with the dress. So, my bridesmaids wore what they had or something they could wear again.

And your cowboy boots? Yes–gotta love em. They’re just like lace… they complete any outfit.

Oh my! You rode in on a horse?  Yes, that was my dream, the whole barn wedding idea. I wanted it to be different–not something everyone is used to, and something that represented us. We both love horseback riding. My next dream is to live on a ranch with a view and horses.

How about your barn venue? A few years ago I fell in love with a barn wedding idea and told my parents about it. Funny, my parents got married in a barn too–not because they wanted to, but because that was the only place that could fit all their guests! But, yes I love everything country…the barns, the fields, the view, the hay bails, the wildflowers, etc.

Tell us about your Sweetheart Table In the Russian culture, they like to sit the whole bridal party with the bride and groom at the reception. The American weddings that I’ve been to, I loved the fact that the bride and groom were by themselves and it was all about them–and that’s what I wanted. And because of the way this barn was set up, we couldn’t fit the bridal party up there with us and I wanted it to be one long banquet table–which my husband and brothers built in 9 hrs! Yep …all those picnic tables!!

Your tablescape is so creative: burlap, books, buttons, and spools! My cousin (who was my wedding planner) had them or found them at the flea market. She came up with the idea and I loved it!

Birds & Nests I saw the idea for the cake topper in a magazine and thought it would so go for our wedding–two lovebirds! And, my other cousin made the delicious cake.

The Hanging Pictures I saw the idea online and loved it! I was going to just have pictures hanging, but one of my bridesmaids made us a slideshow too…so that was sweet.

2 Dresses = ceremony + reception I bought them both brand-new and online–one on ebay and the other one on Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses and both were less than if I would have bought one at the bridal shop! I liked the idea of 2 dresses–but I kind of  had to…because I really wanted a mermaid dress–but would not have been able to ride on a horse with one. So, I got an a-line dress too–I loved both of them!

Special Acknowledgements from Anna…

Nothing would not have been possible without our Amazing God that took care of every little detail. My husband–who was willing to do something different and be there by my side through it all! My cousin, Irina Murzagildin–for running around town and searching Craigslist and eBay and going to flea markets and garage sales to find us the best deals on everything. And, who put the whole thing together days before and day of the wedding. My amazing friend Nadia Grigorchuk–for doing our flowers and going and picking wild flowers the day before the wedding. My dear friend and bridesmaid Marina Bachinskaya–for doing my hair and makeup. My Aunt Galina Arbatskiy–for altering my dresses. My cousin Julia Rovinsky–for baking the delicious cake. My best friend and cousin Julie Izotov–for capturing the day with her camera. My cousins David and Dima Zaytsev–for capturing video of our wedding. And because of all our friends and family who helped out, the list would be endless if I start. But God knows who they are because He sent them to us.

Aww, how sweet and thoughtful. Anna & Valik’s wedding is proof that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have your dream wedding come true! But, with the love and support of family and friends, you can accomplish just about anything! Congratulations to you both–thanks so much for letting us in on your big day–so full of personality and creativity! Here is their wedding video–watch it. you’ll love it. I promise!

See more eye candy and glean more ideas for a country-rustic wedding at My Forever Images! By the way, Valik & Anna are photographers themselves–you can check out their site here.

The joy and emotion is so evident in George & Katina’s lovely September wedding. Theirs was a classic wedding–complete with modern elements to complement their style and personalities. A gorgeous couple, Katina looks amazing in her stunning asymmetrical gown with beaded trim and hot pink platform pumps. And George–looking quite debonaire in his all white tux. Enjoy this elegant wedding–so tender and sweet and beautifully captured.

Wedding Style – Traditional
Wedding Colors – Sage green, Gold, Ivory
Ceremony St. Andrews Episcopal Church, College Park, MD
Reception Martin’s Crosswinds Greenbelt, MD
Photographer Michael Clark Photographers
Videographer: Video By Design
Wedding Thank You Cards- MagnetStreet Weddings

Highlights of the day – Seeing my husband to be standing at the altar, waiting for me with a smile on his face was priceless!
Advice you’re glad you took – Take your time planning!
Advice you’d like to give – Take your time and enjoy every moment of the day because there are no do-overs!
Best part of the day – The reception and seeing all my hard work come together…seeing how beautiful everything looked was amazing!

Perfect for their color scheme, George & Katina personalized “Eternal Roses with picture” Save the Date Mini Magnet and “Green Hue” fold over Thank You Cards. And, music to our ears, here are a few sweet words from Katina regarding her experience with MagnetStreet …

“Shopping MagnetStreet for our Save the Date magnets and Wedding Thank You cards was one of the easist tasks while planning my big day! Being able to personalize our magnets & cards was a great touch! Our shipment arrived within days and they looked fantastic! I will definitely use MagnetStreet again and encourage any Bride to shop here first! It’ll be your first and last stop! Kudos!!!”

Such a beautiful and stately wedding! Congratulations! Thanks George and Katina for sharing it with all of us. We wish you every joy and happiness … always!

xo

Rebekah & Jeremiah, saving the date 11-17-2012

Photographer: Kristy Vest Photography
Save the Date: MagnetStreet Weddings
Wedding Colors: Navy, Taupe, and Ivory.
Wedding Style: Very clean, elegant, and chic 

Girl says “yes” to boy on bended knee! I love everything about this session–from the sweetest wedding proposal ever told, to the pure, raw joy–so beautifully captured in these vibrant images!

Go ahead, we’ll wait. Grab a few tissues … you may need them as Rebekah tells us about her proposal, sitting in the middle of a field, under a setting sun. How cool is that?

Rebekah’s Proposal Story

The pictures were intended to be a “mini” session with Kristy–it was her Winter/Christmas special. I knew the pictures would be outside around sunset and near a barn, and the chair in the open field was a total surprise to me! Upon arrival for our session, I was SO excited when I saw the chair in the open field. I had seen pictures like that before but never thought I would have any of them. We began taking pictures around the barn, and right near sunset is when we made our way to the chair.

I was sitting in the chair and Jeremiah was standing behind me for the first few pictures, then Kristy suggested we try something different, I looked down to fix my hair and dress, and Jeremiah said “like this?” When I looked up he had the box in hand, and got on one knee in front of me. I immediately covered my face and cried. Finally! This man I love was asking me to be his wife! I was so excited but so overcome with love, that tears were all I had.  

I quickly realized that there were more pictures to be had, now that I was getting engaged!! So I tried to dry up my tears and then those sweet words I had been longing to hear came out of his mouth, “Will you marry me?”  Before he could get the question out I screamed YES!  I couldn’t kiss and hug him enough, I could have exploded with excitement! I just kept squealing.

Jeremiah and Kristy were SO relieved! Kristy was in on the surprise, and they had been planning for over two months. Kristy said she had lost sleep over our session, hoping it would go perfect! All day she said, she thought she had been more nervous than Jeremiah was! They did such a wonderful job and I am SO grateful Kristy was there to capture our once in a life time, special moment.

(Bold and attention-grabbing, Rebekah & Jeremiah chose “Devoted” Save the Date Magnet design. What a keepsake–not only for the big day, but the powerful emotions of the day! Bravo!!}

Gorgeous, right?! All of nature chiming in on their perfect day–so perfectly captured. Congratulations Jeremiah & Rebekah. Thanks for sharing your sweet story–we can’t wait to see your wedding pictures now!

OK Tennessee brides-to-be, love the natural light photography style of Kristy Vest … find her, like her and follow her on facebook here. She’s a gem!

xo