Linn, Second Grade Teacher & Dave, Swim Coach
Photographer: Debi Parker
One sentence sum-up of the wedding vibe: A laid-back evening at the local park, with some music, BBQ, and lots of love thrown in.
Soundtrack for reading: “Get it Out” by Blind Pilot
Other cool stuff we should know about: As soon as Dave and I got engaged, we knew we would hold our wedding in Patterson Park. Just a block from our home, it’s the place where we had our first date and where we got to know each other over the course of many strolls with the dogs. The best part: now we get to walk past the tree where we got married almost every day!
We wanted our wedding to be inclusive and relaxed, and I think we accomplished that with the help of many generous friends and family members. Leading up to the wedding, my mom and I scoured flea markets and secondhand shops to collect our mismatched plates, paper lanterns, and lace tablecloths (which were actually curtains!). My un-bridesmaids helped me sew table runners and make bunting from the leftover linen and lace scraps. On the day before the wedding, my mom, some girlfriends, and I made our bouquets and centerpieces with wildflowers gifted from a wholesale florist whose daughter swims on Dave’s team. One of Dave’s best friends created the design for our water bottle wedding favors, another mixed up a huge batch of his famous margaritas, and two other friends provided drinks from their beer and wine shop. A good friend and co-worker of mine was our DJ.
We wanted to keep our wedding as local as possible, and we found some incredible vendors (almost literally!) right in our backyard. Our caterer, Damian from Blacksauce Kitchen, lives a few blocks down the street, and he worked really closely with us to design an incredible menu showcasing ingredients from our local farmers markets. The amazing Annie Howe from Bmore Papercuts designed our super-cool place mats, and our cake came from a French bakery, Patiesserie Poupon, about a mile from our house. We also found two wonderful vendors through APW—our photographer, Debi, and month-of planner, Katie. I can’t imagine getting through the day without either one of them.
Favorite thing about the wedding: Linn—Having all of my loved ones in the same place at the same time, and the look on Dave’s face during our vows. Dave—Our many DIY aspects, the spruced up pavilion, and my radiant bride!
