Winery at Sovereign Estate Wedding: Megan + Dale
We don’t have wine country like California, but we are starting to get some really nice vineyards like the Winery at Sovereign Estate. Other that a bit of rain it was a perfect Minnesota summer wedding
As told by Megan
How did you meet and fall in love?
I met my husband at his sister’s wedding. My best friend was invited with a plus one and asked if I had interest in going, with the promise of an open bar and free dinner. What 24 year old would say no?!? That evening I was texting with my mom who had asked if there were any cute guys. I said there is one, but he has two kids. My best friend had just ended a relationship with another man with children and it was quite dramatic. However, as fate would have it, he asked if we could go on a date the next day and the rest was history.
How did you choose your venue?
Whew! I looked at so many venues, 11 to be exact. Since 90% of my guest list would be traveling from out of state so my goal was to provide a “Minnesota experience” at the wedding. I originally had my heart set on renting a very large boat to troll around the lakes while we danced the night away. However, I could not find a boat large enough to fit our large families. I then toured the Winery at Sovereign Estate which was nestled right next to a lake and offered alot of outdoor space. I fell in love instantly, plus the wine is fabulous. After crunching all the numbers on a ridiculously large spreadsheet, I realized this was in my budget and said yes.
Thoughts leading up to your wedding day?
I mostly had thoughts of problem solving and excitement. There are some many details that go into a wedding. I was also challenged with planning the wedding from my current residence of Colorado and thankfully had my mom in Minnesota who could run out to sign a contract in person or handle an issue. However, once the week came and guests started to arrive, it was pure joy. Our families partied for five days straight and I was truly happy.
What was your favorite part of the day?
My favorite part of the day was when we first arrived to the venue after the ceremony. It was just the bridal party and we were all on cloud 9. It even started to rain while the sun was out and we had a ball. The stress of the ceremony was over and we could finally relax and have fun.
What is each of your favorite images from your wedding? What makes it your favorite?
My favorite images are of my and my husband after the ceremony once we first arrive to the venue. See a theme from the question above. You can tell in the pictures that we were elating with joy. My husband was being goofy and took a few solo shots which makes me laugh.
Is there anything that you would change?
The only thing I would change is I wished I would have hired a day-of-coordinator. While our photographer did a great job getting all the shots, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to keep to the schedule with me being the point person. Our dinner started late and the caterer later shared he was worried that the food wasn’t going to be just right since he had planned to start an hour earlier. Having an outside person handle the timing of every event would have been helpful.
What is your best advice to anyone planning a wedding?
My advice is to have a detailed plan with monthly to-do lists but BE FLEXIBLE if you have to adjust your deadlines. I realized I created a lot of deadlines for myself and would be disappointed if I didn’t hit them. However, no one knew I had all these deadlines! Once you nail down your date, venue(s), and caterer, the rest is just small details.
Vendors:
Makup: Naseem Rafiei
Wedding Ceremony: St. Victoria Catholic Church
DJ: John Prill-Souled Out Entertainment
Reception: The Winery at Sovereign Estate
I would love to hear about your wedding! Let’s chat!
