Leah and Jake are just about the sweetest love birds you can find! They met in college at a college town bar called Plum’s, and again the next night at Cowboy Jacks. You could say their love was written in the bars 😉
After a couple of years passed, the couple took a trip to Washington State to see the bride’s aunt and do some sightseeing. Leah had a feeling the proposal would be happening on this trip, but didn’t know when. To be safe, she got ready and cute every day to be prepared for the special moment. They visited National Parks, fancy restaurants, the beach, and even the only rainforest in North America… and Jake still hadn’t popped the question! It didn’t happen until the last morning of their trip when they had no plans other than to sit around the Airbnb. They slept in, finished their show, and made their way down to the dock to eat their late breakfast. The temperature was strangely high and had people out on the lake tubing and enjoying the usually freezing glacial water. Jake asked Leah to go see if the water was warm that morning (it was). After getting up from dipping her toes in and turning around, she was met by Jake down on one knee asking her to marry him! Of course, she said yes, morning breath, pajamas, and all!
The KUE team was overjoyed to hear of Leah and Jake’s engagement! We frequently work with Jake’s mom, Kim, who is an owner of a few Nothing Bundt Cake locations in MN. We know that Kim works with various planners, so we are honored that Leah and Jake decided to book with us for our Full Planning package! We planned with the couple for almost 2 years, so we got very close throughout our partnership. These relationships we form with our couples are truly invaluable!
When they booked with us, they had two vendors booked: catering and venue. They decided on Pinewood in Cambridge, MN as their venue. They wanted to be out of the cities and in nature, but didn’t want to sacrifice the modern vibes that many of the city venues offered. This made Pinewood the perfect choice for them! With the towering pines surrounding the modern interior, it’s truly a beautiful space.
The wedding party arrived on site bright and early to begin getting ready. The ladies were joined by Heather Trachsel and Hair by Teresa who perfected their glam for the big day ahead! Calisto and Hope from the KUE team arrived shortly after and checked on everyone before unpacking and setting up the decor the couple provided. Candlelight Floral arrived around the same time and began prepping the florals to be set out. They looked amazing and were spot on with Leah’s vision! Lesa from Candlelight Floral actually was a part of the KUE team for this day as it was a long drive and she had to come back at the end of the night anyways. Plus, we’ll never say no to more professional hands, especially for Full Planning clients!
Once Leah was done with hair and makeup, Dana from the KUE team led Lesa up to the bridal suite to meet the bride for her first look. This wasn’t your typical first look, instead Leah was seeing her bridal bouquet that she had been dreaming about for years! Just looking at these photos, you can tell how much she loved it!
The bridesmaids then all slipped into their dresses and waited outside the bridal suite for their first look with Leah in her wedding dress from Che Bella. Their reactions were all spot on, because the bride looked absolutely stunning!
Leah then made her way down the stairs for a sweet first look with her dad before meeting her groom outside for their first look. The couple got teary-eyed immediately upon seeing each other, then took a step back to admire just how dang good they looked!
Whitley B Photography then took the couple around the venue for a few portraits before inviting the wedding party to join them for group photos, and even their dog Kona got to get in on the action. We love how these turned out with the beautiful scenery!
As you may have noticed from the decor and attire so far, Leah had a good vision all along for what she wanted their wedding theme/vibe to be. She very much leaned into wanting lots of black and white before it became trendy. Plus, the simple colors looked amazing at Pinewood! The bride also made all of her own signage and personal touches, so be sure to peek at the awesome work she did!
The ceremony site had white floral arrangements lining the aisle and white arrangements on Pinewood’s triangle arch. It was the perfect way to add a pop of elegance while still embracing the nature that surrounded them. The couple shared a sweet ceremony that was officiated by Jake’s father. He did a great job making everyone feel the love between the couple and share a few laughs while also staying on track. The newlyweds then shared a kiss before happily making their way down the aisle to share a bit of alone time in the groom’s suite. We always encourage the couple to take a few minutes to themselves to take in the day and enjoy each other’s company. After all, you two are the ones getting married! During this time, the KUE team helped bring in the ceremony arch as a photo location and cleaned out the bridal suite.
Guests then enjoyed a social hour with drinks served up by Liquid Motion, passed appetizers from Fork & Flair, and yard games provided by Pinewood.
Everyone was seated in the reception area by 6:00 pm for the wedding party’s grand entrance. The whole crew definitely had fun putting on a show! A fun fact about Leah and Jake is that they are dessert-before-dinner people, so obviously they didn’t want to make their guests (or themselves) wait for the sweets! We decided to place a stand on each table that held bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes and macarons from Lunds & Byerlys. This was a huge hit and such a fun touch! This meant the couple also opted to do their cake cutting in between the salad course and the main meal. Even the cake matched their wedding vibe! Fork & Flair then served up a delicious meal that everyone thoroughly enjoyed!
A very important element of Leah and Jake’s wedding day was making sure that they had people at their wedding by whom they truly felt loved and cared for. They wanted to ensure that they would feel free of judgment or negativity on their special day. They also incorporated a donation kissing jar to minimize all the glass clinking and for a close and personal foundation called the Jordyn Clark Foundation. A foundation that helps end the stigma around mental health.
While dinner wrapped up, Whitley B Photography took the couple out for sunset photos. We love the carefree happiness these two have in these images!
Upon their return, they did their first dance and parent dances. Harmony DJ then opened up the dance floor to everyone and the party officially started! It wasn’t long later that Leah had an awesome dress change that included silver sneakers (the ultimate dancing shoe)! It had a few wardrobe malfunctions, but it was nothing that Bella from the KUE team couldn’t handle!
Later in the night, Fork & Flair brought out a late-night snack and the dance floor turned into a silent disco. Pinewood said that they didn’t think they had ever seen a group so excited to participate in it! We have to say, it was pretty epic!
The night wrapped up with Mary Ann Tours dropping everyone off safely at their hotels. It was truly a very touching and emotional day. Leah and Jake, thank you for having Keyed Up Events be a part of your big day at Pinewood and the last two years of planning!
One final shoutout to this amazing vendor team we got to work with to pull Leah and Jake’s day off:
Venue: Pinewood
Caterer: Fork & Flair
Bar: Liquid Motion
Dessert: Nothing Bundt Cakes / Lunds & Byerlys
DJ: Harmony DJ
Bridal Gown: Che Bella
Florist: Candlelight Floral
Hair: Hair by Theresa
Makeup: Heather Trachsel
Officiant: Jake’s Dad
Photographer: Whitley B Photography
Transportation: Mary Ann Tours
Planner: Keyed Up Events
Creatively written by: Hope Konkol
