As Minneapolis Wedding Planners, we don’t often have couples that are willing to brave the cold of the winter months for their big day. You can imagine our joy when Allie and Dan came to us and wanted to have an elegant winter Urban Daisy wedding!
First, let’s backtrack to how it all started. Allie went to a MN Wild game with her friend and sat next to several of Dan’s coworkers. They all ended up going out to a bar together after the game. The next day, Tony, one of the coworkers, informed Dan that he had passed his number along to Allie. She reached out to Dan the next day and the rest is history!
After Dan proposed to Allie on a family trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina, Allie’s sister referred her to our team for wedding planning services. We worked with Allie’s sister Jess and her now husband, Adam, a couple of years prior (check out their wedding blog too). We are always so honored when couples recommend us to their family and friends!
We had a call with Allie and Dan to learn about their wedding vision, their personalities, and their schedules to see what level of service would be the best fit for them. Our All-Inclusive Package ended up being the right fit for them because of how busy they are and how easily they knew they would get decision fatigue.
As we mentioned earlier, the couple knew that they wanted to have a winter wedding. This was partially to have the opportunity to potentially save on some costs, but also just because they didn’t want it to be too hot! They also knew that they wanted a venue in the Twin Cities so that all of their loved ones could attend, especially with the potential winter weather.
Going into venue searching, Allie let us know that she wanted a big white space with some character. After touring a few venues, they decided on Urban Daisy because of the functionality of the space and how much they loved the green spaces in the Daisy Lounge!
The couple opted to pay for additional morning hours to get into Urban Daisy earlier, so hair and makeup kicked off in the bridal suite bright and early! NE Hair and Co perfected the ladies hair while glam was done by SM Hair and Makeup. They all looked so beautiful!
You may notice a special furry friend in the bridal suite. That is the couple’s sweet pup, Belle. One thing everyone knows about Allie is that she adores Belle, so it wouldn’t be a perfect day without her there! This meant that Doggy Social was one of the early vendors they hired. They even opted for Lara, Doggy Social’s owner, to spend the night with Belle!
Not long later, it was time for everyone to get into their wedding attire. The bridesmaids wore beautiful gold satin dresses from Birdy Grey and the guys wore timeless black suits and ties from Milbern. Jess, Allie’s sister, helped her slip into her gown from Luxe Bridal. She looked stunning!
It was then time for Allie’s first look with her bridesmaids and Belle (although Belle did sneak an early peek). We always love watching the ladies hype up the bride!
Next up, Allie shared a first look with her father. This moment was filled with so much love and emotion. Such a sweet father daughter moment!
Allie’s dad then sent her off to have her first look with Dan. These two had the biggest smiles the second that they saw one another. We love seeing our couples fall in love all over again!
When it came to choosing a photographer, the couple wanted someone who would capture the authenticity of the day. When we shared Kaylah Hammer Photography as an option, the photos left Allie weeping at her desk because the galleries were so beautiful and touching. Kaylah’s aesthetic and personality were the perfect fit for Allie and Dan’s big day!
After their first look, Kaylah captured wonderful portraits of the couple alone and, of course, with Miss Belle. We like to say that Belle stole the show here, she was a natural in front of the camera!
Kaylah then brought in the wedding party for a few group photos. Obviously Belle had to join in for a few shots with everyone too!
Photos wrapped up right on schedule, so we got the wedding party tucked away before guests began to arrive for the ceremony. Allie knew from the beginning that she wanted to use the same florist as her sister did, Wilderland Floral. The bride described her wedding floral dreams as lots of white flowers with minimal greenery. Wilderland Floral nailed it with every floral component from the bouquets to the arch to the centerpieces! Allie also loved twinkle lights, so Phos lit up the wall behind them for the ceremony. We loved this touch! It was all coming together to be the perfect winter Urban Daisy wedding.
As guests arrived, they were greeted by butler-passed champagne, signed the guest book, and took their seats for the ceremony. Once everyone was seated, it was go time! The KUE team cued the wedding party to walk down the aisle. Of course, this included getting Belle down the aisle to stand with the best man. It was very important that Belle was included in the ceremony and able to witness the emotional, love-filled ceremony of her parent’s marriage. Allie and Dan then shared a long awaited kiss and made their way down the aisle as the newest Mr and Mrs! Dana from our team was there to greet them with a congratulatory hug and whisk them away for a bit of alone time to soak up that just married feeling.
Cocktail hour took place in the Daisy Lounge, which has beautiful chandeliers and greenery hanging from the ceiling, a greenery wall, and a wall with hanging daisies. The vibes are already set in this space with minimal decor! Liquid Motion was prepped and ready to handle the surge of people entering the line to the bar, and Chef Jeff had an array of appetizers available. Catering was a difficult choice for Allie and Dan as each one we showed them looked so good! After trying a few options, they landed on Chef Jeff with their delicious braised beef and the wings that Dan really wanted during cocktail hour. We don’t blame them, Chef Jeff is a favorite of ours!
Oh, and before the couple joined cocktail hour, they made their way outside with Kaylah Hammer Photography for evening portraits. It was a bit overcast so the sun didn’t make an appearance for sunset photos, but nothing beats those first portraits as husband and wife!
Meanwhile, the couple’s vendor teams were busy setting up the finishing touches of the reception space. The couple wanted a simple, timeless wedding, which resulted in the most stunning white and gold theme along with plenty of candles and twinkle lights. The couple selected many items from our rental inventory to use throughout the room as well! The light wall that Phos added for the ceremony was repurposed to light up the head table and mark the spots of the VIPs. We also added twinkle lights to the guest table centerpieces. All of this was placed on the crisp white linens from Linen Effects. It was truly such a dreamy setup for a winter Urban Daisy wedding!
Once everything was ready, we invited the couple in to reveal the final space. Allie’s face says it all! This is what we strive for as your wedding planner. We love seeing you in your happy, heart-shaped bubble!
The Chef Jeff team pre-placed the salads, so as guests found their seats they didn’t have to wait to dig in. Allie and Dan made their grand entrance shortly after and guests erupted into cheers for the newlyweds. The room was filled with chatter and laughter as everyone enjoyed their dinner from Chef Jeff. Soon after, everyone dug into a fan favorite dessert – bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes!
One thing Allie and her mom have in common is a love of cotton candy. When we told Allie that we knew a vendor that could come and spin during the dance, she was sold! Our team had worked with Sweet Clouds Cotton Candy the year prior, and we were so pleased that they were available to do this extra special service! Plus you can never go wrong with a cotton candy couple portrait!
The couple kicked off the night with their first dance, followed by the traditional parent dances. All of the guests were then invited onto the dance floor for a large group photo. We are always so grateful to the photographers that pull this off, as it is such a fun memory for couples to have!
When it came to the dance floor, Allie and Dan knew they wanted a solid DJ for the day. We knew that getting the Black Tie experience with Instant Request would be the perfect fit. Eric was epic and kept the dance floor hype all night long!
As the night progressed and drinks were flowing, we knew it was time to call in the late night snack. The couple had a hard time deciding what to offer, but ultimately Allie knew that there was only one thing that would do: Taco Bell! A failed online ordering system meant a run to the restaurant and a little bit of a wait for Dana on our team, but it was well worth it in the end to see the couple and their guests enjoying this classic drunk food. There was not a taco left by the time they were done!
When the night began to come to a close, guests had a safe ride back to the hotel with MN Coaches. It was an amazing day celebrating Allie and Dan’s love with their amazing group of loved ones!
If you are planning a winter wedding at Urban Daisy (or anywhere in Minnesota), our team is here to offer all of our expertise. Send us a message to see how we can help!
Here’s what Allie and Dan had to say:
“We hired Dana/Keyed Up Events as our wedding planner, and all I can truly say is, “wow.” 🙂 We met Dana & some of the other KUE team members originally at my sister’s wedding back in June of 2022, as she had hired KUE to handle her planning/day of coordination. I was absolutely floored at how beautiful and seamless my sister’s wedding was that I knew immediately once I got engaged that we’d also be hiring Dana/KUE for our wedding this past February. 🙂 Not going to lie, in the beginning, I was definitely a very stressed out bride. We’d had a bit of a miscommunication regarding the pricing for our venue, and that led me to a very frantic call to Dana sobbing and concerned about the pricing discrepancy. However, Dana was immediately able to not only resolve the issue WITHIN A DAY of my call (due to her extremely strong, long standing relationships with venues & other vendors), but she also was able to completely calm me down and reassure me that this issue was NOT going to be how the rest of our wedding planning would go with her and her team by our side. And she was absolutely right. Dana and her team completely took over all vendor communication and made sure everything was smooth sailing going forward. 🙂 We truly had the best wedding planning experience ever, and Dana was truly a mountain mover when it came to some last minute requests and changes we had throughout the process. We also worked very closely with Hope & Lauren from the KUE team too, and they were absolutely amazing as well. Keyed Up Events truly made the very overwhelming task of wedding planning a really positive experience, and when it came to our Big Day, everything literally went perfectly. 🙂 All of their vendor suggestions were amazing and they honestly gave my husband and I the absolute best day of our lives. 🙂 I would highly recommend Keyed Up Events and Dana to anyone thinking about hiring a wedding planner, and I cannot thank them enough for giving us the most beautiful wedding day ever!! :)”
One more huge shoutout to all the vendors that helped create this beautiful winter wedding at Urban Daisy:
Venue: Urban Daisy
Caterer: Chef Jeff
Bar Service: Liquid Motion
Dessert: Nothing Bundt Cakes
Cotton Candy: Sweet Clouds Cotton Candy
Late Night Snack: Taco Bell
DJ: Instant Request
Florist: Wilderland Floral
Transportation: MN Coaches
Hair: NE Hair and Co
Makeup: SM Hair and Makeup
Lighting: Phos
Linens: Linen Effects
Pet Attendant: Doggy Social
Photographer: Kaylah Hammer Photography
Bridal Gown: Luxe Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Birdy Grey
Suits: Milbern
Planner: Keyed Up Events
Creatively written by: Hope Konkol
