Let us tell you about the sweetest couple, Makenzie and Sawyer. These middle school sweethearts met at Kenzie’s locker in 7th grade, began dating almost immediately, and as they say, the rest is history.

Sawyer proposed on a romantic sleigh ride during their 10-year-anniversary trip to Breckenridge, Colorado in 2021. A year and a half later, they tied the knot at Willow Brooke Farm on Kenzie’s parents’ anniversary!

We were so lucky to work with Kenzie and Sawyer for over 18 months to plan their big day. The couple found us on Instagram and before booking any other vendors or their venue, they shared that they wanted to first confirm we were available on their preferred date. Luckily, we were! So they finalized their contract with the venue, hired us, and we got right to work sourcing vendors and creating a design plan to bring their Pinterest wedding dreams to life.

THE VENUE:

The couple chose Willow Brooke Farm in Red Wing, Minnesota, which was the perfect setting for their celebration. One of their “must haves” was an outdoor ceremony and Willow Brooke has a beautiful vineyard ceremony site. In addition to outdoor spaces, they wanted a venue that felt open and bright. The White Willow Barn is just that! With a vaulted ceiling, sparkling chandeliers, and walls of white wood and soaring windows, this romantic reception space checked all the boxes.

Willow Brooke is easily one of our top 5 venues in Minnesota. The venue has two on-site getting ready areas (always a must for a convenient wedding morning), a large courtyard and pavilion bar for an outdoor social hour, the beautifully modern reception, and a separate barn that can be used for an indoor ceremony in case of rain (without needing to navigate the hassle of a room flip; you can read more about that here).

*The vineyard at Willow Brooke Farm in September // Rachel Graff Photography*

THE VISION & DESIGN:

Kenzie had always dreamed of having a timeless glam wedding, and Sawyer agreed that was the vibe. They wanted elegant place settings, modern signage and mirrored accents, lots of candles, and all-white florals with just a hint of soft green. The bride actually created the faux-floral centerpieces — you’d never guess, right!? They looked amazing on the hand-crafted pedestal stands that the groom built.

In addition to the modern all-white look, the couple wanted to incorporate a touch of fall colors with the bridesmaids’ dresses. The gals looked stunning in perfectly mix-matched velvet and satin dresses in neutral champagnes and rich rosey tones, while the gentlemen wore classy black suits and bow ties.

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For dinner seating, the couple opted for an intimate sweetheart table rather than a traditional head table with their wedding party. Set in front of the large courtyard windows, their table was show-stopping! The wooden farm table was framed with pedestals of baby’s breath and white roses that were repurposed from the ceremony, and pillar candles were used on the table and floor to create the most romantic, glowy ambiance during the reception. The couple cozied up in a white loveseat owned by the venue.

Guest tables also included plenty of candles and white florals, along with table numbers that showed childhood photos of the couple growing up. The venue provided silver reflection charger plates that tied in perfectly with the couple’s mirror signage. With all the details pulled together, the reception space looked so elegant and modern!