Victoria and John met on a dating app back in 2017 but didn’t start dating until March of 2018. They made it a goal to hike every state park in Minnesota, so each summer they have slowly been checking parks off of their list. John kept taking Victoria to different parks, so she didn’t think anything was out of the ordinary when he asked her to pick one on a Sunday afternoon. She picked Banning State Park and they drove up there to do some hiking. John wasn’t planning to propose but snuck the ring into his pocket just in case there was a scenic spot to pop the question. During their hike, they rested on a rock out in the Kettle River and John asked Victoria to marry him! She was so excited that she wouldn’t let him get down on one knee!
John and Victoria both like places with some history, and were looking for spaces that had exposed brick and wood for their wedding venue. They also wanted the venue to allow open-flame candles so that they could really capture the romantic feel they were going for. After looking around at various options, they landed on the Hall of Kings at Aster Cafe in March, almost exactly 5 years since they started dating!
The Keyed Up Events team got the opportunity to work with Victoria and John thanks to The Wedding Shoppe. We have had many clients use this dress shop per our recommendations and Victoria happened to work there at the time!
The couple had a very distinct style, and we were more than happy to help bring it to life! A great representation of their style is Victoria’s engagement ring. It is a pink sapphire from the early 20th century that was repurposed into her current ring by Filigree Jewelry. How cool is that?! The perfect combo of vintage and modern flair to match their colorful St Anthony Main wedding vibes.
When the wedding day arrived, everyone was so excited to bring everything together for this sweet couple! The ladies arrived bright and early in the Hepburn Suite at Aster Cafe while the guys met up at Canopy by Hilton. The ladies were joined by Vibez Salon and Beauty Painters who worked together to perfect the glam for the day! Meanwhile, the KUE team of Dana and Calisto were busy greeting vendors, setting up decor, and making sure everything was prepped for the day ahead.
Once the ladies were finished with their hair and makeup, they slipped into their dresses from the Wedding Shoppe. Since Victoria worked at the Wedding Shoppe, it was only fitting that she and the bridesmaids wore dresses from here! The guys were also looking spiffy in their suits from Heimie’s Haberdashery.
The couple then did their first look outside of Aster Cafe before making their way around the venue and snowy Minneapolis for couple and group portraits with Empiria Studios. They turned out amazing!
Victoria and John were most excited about becoming married and wanted a ceremony to reflect that and their personalities. They chose music which was mainly 60s-70s rock music that they enjoyed playing throughout the service. They also wanted their community to feel like a part of the celebration, so in place of a unity symbol, they did a community blessing and unifying of the marriage. Prior to and during the ceremony, they had guests write them notes of advice, well wishes, blessings, and prayers. These were collected during the ceremony and placed in a special piece of pottery which they will read through on their first anniversary! Immediately following the ceremony, the bride and groom stepped aside for some alone time. The KUE team brought them a beer to enjoy and Calisto helped Victoria bustle her dress.
While guests were enjoying cocktail hour, the KUE team was busy wrapping up the finishing touches in the reception area. Victoria’s mother does rosemaling painting, a specific style of Scandinavian folk art. The couple was drawn to the colors found in that artwork, including reds, blues, greens, and yellows. They incorporated these colors into the flowers from Studio B Floral, the taper candles, and other decor pieces. You’ll notice that the wedding party is dressed in neutral colors. This was intentional to get those colorful bouquets by Studio B Floral to stand out! The KUE team brought decor from our inventory to go with the candlesticks that Tori had collected over the year prior. It all looked stunning together and really pulled together the vibe for their colorful St Anthony Main wedding! Based on the bride & groom’s reactions during the room reveal, they thought so too. 😉
Victoria’s mother graciously painted rosemaling onto wooden coasters with people’s names as place cards for the guests to take home after the wedding. She also painted the plate that the couple had guests sign the back of as their “guest book”. We loved all of these little touches that were special to the couple and their families!
The remainder of the night was spent socializing with loved ones, eating delicious food from Aster Cafe, and dancing the night away with Luxe Entertainment. As the party came to an end, Dana from our team had to scoot everyone out of the room to give Victoria and John the private last dance that they had wanted. It was truly a perfect day of celebrating love at this colorful St Anthony Main wedding!
One last shoutout to the awesome vendor team that pulled this day together for Victoria and John!
Venue: Aster Cafe – Hall of Kings
Ladies Prep Venue: Aster Cafe – Hepburn Suite
Guys Prep Venue: Canopy by Hilton
Catering / Dessert: Aster Cafe
Florist: Studio B Floral
Hair: Vibez Salon
Makeup: Beauty Painters
Photographer: Empiria Studios
Bridal Gown: Wedding Shoppe
Bridesmaids Dresses: Wedding Shoppe
Suits: Heimie’s Haberdashery
Jewelry: Filigree Jewelry
Planner: Keyed Up Events
Creatively written by: Hope Konkol
