Olivia and TJ met back in high school when she was a junior and he was a senior. They went to different schools, but met through a mutual friend at an Oscars Award party in 2016. Olivia moved from Wisconsin to Minnesota for college and TJ joined the Air Force and moved to Texas, Ohio, and Virginia for training and tech school. During these two years they talked nearly every day and supported each other on their separate journeys. They grew a lot as individuals during their time apart, which only made their relationship today even stronger! TJ then moved to Minneapolis with Olivia and the rest is history!
Their proposal happened over Fourth of July weekend while they were home in Wisconsin visiting family. On their first night there, TJ asked Olivia to go out for ice cream, but instead took her to their first date location, St. Feriole Island along the Mississippi River and the bluffs of the driftless area. Although he never did take her to get ice cream that night, he did make a beautiful proposal down on one knee!
The couple decided to elope shortly after their engagement, but still wanted a larger celebration with their family and friends post-COVID and after Olivia graduated from grad school. We are actually seeing more couples get the legalities out of the way before the wedding for a variety of reasons, but it certainly makes everything less stressful!
This is where we come in! We worked with the couple for nearly two years to help plan their wedding, including finding a venue. The bride loves downtown Minneapolis, so she knew that’s where she wanted their wedding venue to be, but also wanted to make it easy for people who didn’t want to drive. She was also in the architecture graduate program, so she loved the idea of being in a tall building overlooking the city. This made Windows at Marquette a great fit! They were very excited to see their guests’ reactions as they witnessed the view of the skyline from the 50th floor of the IDS Tower. We can assure you that everyone was thoroughly impressed 😉
The couple had many aspects of the day figured out as they were important to them. One of these things was working with a photographer that they knew from TJ’s hometown, Teri Ziegler Photography. This was another reason that their venue choice was convenient as it is attached to the Marquette Hotel, so out of town guests/vendors could choose to stay there while attending the downtown Minneapolis wedding.
The day started with the ladies meeting up at the hotel to get ready with Warpaint. These amazing artists left the ladies looking and feeling fabulous! The bridesmaids then got into their light teal dresses from Birdy Grey and the guys put on their blue suits from Generation Tux. The guys wore ties that matched perfectly with the bridesmaid dresses which brought the attire together perfectly! Then it was time for Olivia to slip into her stunning gown from My Darling Bridal which looked absolutely amazing on her!
Teri Ziegler Photography then set the couple up for their first look. Moments like these are always so fun to witness! After sharing this special time together, they took a few couples portraits before being joined by the wedding party for fun group photos. Oh, and of course their very special guest, Rumble, had to make it into a few photos! It was important to the couple that their pup be in their ceremony, so they hired Doggy Social as their pet attendant. They were instrumental in making this a great experience!
As ceremony time arrived, the KUE team got the wedding party tucked away for guest arrival. Once everyone was seated, we began directing the wedding party down the aisle. The couple shared a sweet ceremony/vow renewal with their friends and family in attendance.
When the ceremony wrapped up, it was time for cocktail hour. The great thing about renting the whole floor at Windows is that we were able to make it a progressive experience for guests. The ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing were all in different rooms, which allowed guests to always be delighted with a new space! This also allowed the KUE team to get busy repurposing the ceremony decor in the reception without disrupting the festivities. We moved the stunning arch that Studio B Floral created from the altar to the head table. Reusing this saved the couple money, and also gave everyone another chance to admire its beauty! We love the hanging globes with tea lights that added another level of dimension to the arch.
During the planning process, it took some time to decide on a color palette. Ultimately, they settled on blues and greens. As you have seen in their attire and florals, this was a beautiful choice! Another addition to level up their reception and bring their color palette to life were the Chelsea Dot napkins from Linen Effects in the color Sage. We absolutely loved this, and guests did too!
Not long later, guests were invited into the space to enjoy a delicious meal from Windows at Marquette with skyline views. There were a few toasts said, and plenty of socializing to be done!
The couple chose to ditch the traditional wedding cake, so as dinner wrapped up everyone was able to enjoy dessert from the Ben and Jerry’s cart! Many of Olivia and TJ’s dates in high school were going out to get ice cream, and today they still enjoy going on ice cream dates together with their Golden Retriever, Rumble. We loved this special (and yummy) touch that the couple added to their day!
Teri Ziegler then took the couple to the west-facing side of the building to capture sunset photos. We love the uniqueness of sunset photos in this venue, as you get the downtown Minneapolis skyline behind you in a way that not many wedding locations offer!
Everyone was then directed to move locations to start the dancing portion of the night! The couple shared their first dance, followed by the traditional parent dances. Trustworthy DJ then opened up the dance floor to everyone and kept the party going all night long! From people getting onto each other’s shoulders to the bride’s comfy outfit change, we feel confident saying everyone had a pretty great night! Oh, and it got even better when Windows at Marquette brought out the late night snack. Your guests will never turn down a snack when they’re dancing the night away with you!
The night wrapped up with lots of socializing, dancing, and stumbling back to their rooms at Marquette Hotel. 😉
Spending two years working with Olivia and TJ was a blast! Thanks to all the vendors who helped pull this Downtown Minneapolis wedding together:
Venue: Windows at Marquette
Accommodations: Marquette Hotel
Caterer: Windows at Marquette
Dessert: Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream
Late Night Snack: Windows at Marquette
Napkins: Linen Effects
DJ: Trustworthy DJ
Florist: Studio B Floral
Pet Attendant: Doggy Social
Hair and Makeup: Warpaint
Bridal Gown: My Darling Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Birdy Grey
Suits: Generation Tux
Photographer: Teri Ziegler Photography
Planner: Keyed Up Events
Creatively written by: Hope Konkol
