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.

      bride and groom walking in together in a vineyard holing hands at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      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.

      bride and bridesmaid getting ready

      bride getting her makeup on at the family home in Victoria Minnesota

      bride getting her makeup on at her parents home in Victoria Minnesota

      bride looking at herself in the mirror as she gets ready for her wedding day

      bride wearing a pink robe getting ready for her wedding at her parents home in Victoria

      bride getting help with her shoes and dress

      bridesmaids helping the bride put her wedding dress on

      bride walking down the stairs at her parents home with portraits behind her on the wall in Victoria Minnesota

      bride and groom holding hands in front of the church before their wedding atSt. Victoria Catholic Church

      bride getting her hair fixed before her wedding at St. Victoria Catholic Church

      bride walking next to the church to her wedding ceremony at St. Victoria Catholic Church

      bride holding a bouquet of red roses and getting ready to walk into the wedding ceremony at St. Victoria Catholic Church

      father walking his daughter down the aisle at St. Victoria Catholic Church in Minnesota

      wedding guests and wedding party during the ceremony at St. Victoria Catholic Church in Minnesota

      bride and groom standing at the alter with the priest during the ceremony at St. Victoria Catholic Church in Minnesota

      bride and groom kissing for the first time after the wedding ceremony at St. Victoria Catholic Church

      bride and groom during the recessional after the wedding ceremony at St. Victoria Catholic Church

      bride and groom leaving the church after their wedding ceremony at St. Victoria Catholic Church

      bridesman and groomsman walking out of the church after the wedding ceremony at St. Victoria Catholic Church

      wedding party riding in a shuttle to the wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      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.

      wedding party being laughing in the vineyard of Winery at Sovereign Estate

      casual wedding party playing in the rain at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride and bridesmaid playing in the rain at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride and bridesmaid touching foreheads and laughing in the rain at the

      groom with a blue suit and red tie wearing sunglasses and holding a martini at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride laughing and holding a bouquet of red roses and laughing

      groom hugging a bridesmaid while holding a glass of wine at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      wedding party drinking and laughing at

      bridesmaid holding the bride's cathedral veil in the vineyard at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride holding her veil and walking through the vineyard at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride and groom with the veil over their faces laughing and drinking wine at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

       

      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.

      bride and groom walking into their reception at

      bride and groom walking into the ceremony dancing and celebrating at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride and groom sitting at the head table with the wedding party laughing while listening to speeches atthe Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride and groom toasting with the wedding party while they listen to speeches at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride and groom laughing while sitting at dinner at their wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride and groom laughing while sitting at dinner at their wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride and groom cutting the cake with a sword at their wedding reception at bride and groom laughing while sitting at dinner at their wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate in Victoria

      bride and groom kissing in front of the cake after they cut it at their wedding reception at bride and groom laughing while sitting at dinner at their wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride and groom holding hands and laughing in the vineyard atbride and groom laughing while sitting at dinner at their wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      bride and groom rocking on a swing laughing and holding hands in the vineyard at bride and groom laughing while sitting at dinner at their wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      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.

      bride and groom having their first dance at their reception at bride and groom laughing while sitting at dinner at their wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      first dance between the bride and groom during their reception at bride and groom laughing while sitting at dinner at their wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      groom twirling bride while doing their first dance at their reception at bride and groom laughing while sitting at dinner at their wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      wedding guests dancing at the wedding reception at bride and groom laughing while sitting at dinner at their wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      guests dancing at the wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

       wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate in Victoria Minnesota

      guests dancing at the wedding reception at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      wedding dance at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      wedding dance at the Winery at Sovereign Estate

      wedding reception the Winery at Sovereign Estate in Victoria Minnesota

      Sovereign Estate in guests dancing at

      bride and groom dancing at the wedding reception at Winery at Sovereign Estate

      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.

      bride and groom kissing next to the wedding reception tent at Winery at Sovereign Estate in Victoria Minnesota

      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!

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