Vintage Attire Shines in this Intimate Lakeside Wedding at Como Conservatory
In honor of their relationship story, Katie and Aaron celebrate their wedding day at iconic locations throughout Minneapolis St Paul, like Macalester’s Chapel and Como Conservatory.
Tell us a little about your love story. How did you meet and fall in love?
Aaron and I met the way a lot of couples are finding each other these days- on a dating app. Our first date lasted hours and ended with him giving me a ride on his moped. We had a lot of similar views and interests which led to us talking for hours. This is super cheesy but Aaron said on the first date when I stepped out of the car that he thought to himself “Yep, I could marry her” and when I was riding on the moped with him at the end of the night I found myself wondering “I wonder if this is it,” “it” being the beginning of a life long relationship.
We had many memorable dates such as kayaking, visiting art museums, and having weekly brunch followed by ice cream dates. We met each other’s families and soon realized that we were falling in love. We just loved being around each other and sharing our lives with one another. We found comfort and fun in each other’s presence and built a very healthy and fulfilling relationship. All of these things led us to realize that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with one another and decided to get married!
What are your shared values as a couple and how did you bring them into your wedding?
Our major values are family, faith, social justice, and authenticity. We included each one of our immediate family members in our bridal party so that we could honor the support we’ve received from each one of them over the years.
We grew up in different denominations of our faith and found a beautiful way to blend our faith traditions throughout our ceremony. We had an officiant from my (Katie’s) faith background with liturgy styles from Aaron’s faith background. Our ceremony was probably my favorite part of the day because of how intentional and personal we were with it.
With social justice, we wanted our wedding to help those around us and at the bare minimum not cause any harm. We were very concerned about the wording that our officiant used to ensure all felt welcome at our wedding. We also were very conscientious while planning our wedding of what the lasting impacts of our choices might be. That is why we chose a lot of sustainable options while wedding planning.
Weddings involve many people, even beyond those that you interact with. There’s the baker who makes your cake, the seamstress who sews your bridal attire. There are hundreds and hundreds of lives you are impacting because a wedding is a huge event. We wanted to make sure we were helping and not harming in as many ways as we could.
Tell us about the concept of your wedding? How did you make decisions about the location and approach you wanted to take?
Much of our dating life we spent in the Como area. It was a no-brainer that we also wanted to get married in the community in which we had so many dear memories in. We got married at Macalester’s chapel and had our reception at the Como Conservatory. Not only were these cost-effective options, but they were also beautiful venues, and places that are doing great things. We loved contributing towards Como's conservation efforts at the zoo and conservatory. We also loved the idea of having our wedding at and paying money towards an educational institution like Macalester. These weren’t just venues that were nice and cost-efficient, we were paying our money towards institutions that were growing our community and planet.
“These weren’t just venues that were nice and cost-efficient, we were paying our money towards institutions that were growing our community and planet.”
As a photographer, you’ve seen a lot of weddings. What were some things about the wedding industry that you love and some elements that maybe you wanted to do differently with your own wedding?
Yes, as a photographer and seeing a lot of weddings, I had some pretty strong opinions on how I wanted to do things on my wedding day. I love that within the wedding industry, there are vendors on all different paths in their businesses. I love connecting with those in my community and supporting small businesses. So, when I was looking at vendors I sought out people who were smaller, but still did great work. (A lot of people don’t realize that these kinds of businesses are options in the wedding industry.) This helped with my budget too. It does take time and intentionality though. Aaron and I had a longer engagement which I was very happy about in the end because it allowed time to do research on vendors and get to know them and what they stand for.
One thing I don’t like about the wedding industry is that there are massive businesses that aren’t personalized and don’t connect with the couple as much. When you go to a very large floral, decor, or alterations business, the experience isn’t as personal. It’s just checking boxes of what you want and getting a product on your wedding day. For some, that might be the dream. It’s a lot less work maybe? I, however, was able to find smaller businesses with great sustainable and economical goals in mind. I felt like my vendors were invested in me and our day being the best it could be. Again, I am so grateful for the time that I put into researching all of these vendors. It made me feel a lot more at peace and content leading up to our wedding day because I knew that my vendors had my back.
Being in the wedding business and seeing a lot of couples on their wedding day, I’ve seen people who are and aren’t stressed. The ones who aren’t stressed have a lot of time to plan and get things organized for their wedding. They delegated tasks for the day and didn’t save a lot for the last minute. If they did, they assigned wedding party members or family to the task. A piece of advice I’d give to those getting married is to remember that the people who love and care about you also want your wedding day to be stress-free and as special as it can be. Most people are more than happy to be assigned a task, so do not hesitate to pass things off! Even if it’s researching venues, setting up your wedding website, or helping mail invites, there’s a lot you can ask for help with along the way, and DO IT when you can. There are many tasks only the couple can do or make decisions on, so when there’s an opportunity for someone to help, take it.
Last thing in this section, I also have seen a lot of the responsibilities of weddings fall largely on one person within the couple. There is usually one person who is more stressed than the other on the wedding day. While this can relate to personalities or that one person enjoys planning more than the other, I think it’s great to be intentional about both people taking equal responsibility for wedding duties. We did not hire a wedding planner, because I love planning events and am good at it. I willingly took that role on. When it came to getting things done on our to-do list though, Aaron and I split up the tasks evenly. We had monthly, and sometimes weekly, times that we set aside to figure out who was doing what tasks within that month. I researched vendors, and Aaron booked them. Aaron booked hotel blocks, and I ordered save the dates. We delegated and that way I wasn’t the only one knowing what was going on on our wedding day and I didn’t feel like the pressure was all on me.
“I first started getting into sustainability when I listened to a lecture on social justice in the fashion industry. It made me realize that the decisions I make every day have a ripple effect on others in my community and around the world. I knew I wanted to know the effects of the choices I was making for my wedding as well and be intentional about them.”
Why was it important to you to incorporate sustainability and your values into your wedding?
I first started getting into sustainability when I listened to a lecture on social justice in the fashion industry. It made me realize that the decisions I make every day have a ripple effect on others in my community and around the world. I started to be more intentional about my choices one by one after this. It only naturally flowed into my wedding planning after this too. I knew I wanted to know the effects of the choices I was making for my wedding as well and be intentional about them.
How did you approach thinking about sustainability? How did you incorporate eco-ethical touches into your day?
Because I had done a lot of research on sustainability and the effects certain industries have on our planet, I had a sense of which aspects of my day I could easily be sustainable about. I had done a lot of research on the fashion industry and I knew that thrifting or revamping articles of clothing is a very sustainable option.
That’s how I found Saint Strange - a dress alterations company that purchases vintage dresses and works with you to style a one-of-a-kind gown. I also knew of clothing companies that would be good for bridesmaids’ dresses, and I knew that anything I could thrift for my wedding would be a pretty sustainable choice as well. We thrifted almost all of our decor or rented it from local vendors. Aaron wore a suit he already had, and we didn’t have groomsmen get full suits to save on clothing waste.
What were some of your favorite elements or moments of your wedding?
I looooved the brass vases we thrifted for our centerpieces. We would make date days of going a bit outside of the cities to visit thrift stores in smaller towns where prices were lower and there was more selection. It was so fun to find these beautiful vintage pieces on our wedding day, and have something that reminded us of the fun memories we had thrifting them together.
I also loved that we included my grandpa in our ceremony. He was very old and a little out of it due to dementia, but we still included him even though we didn’t know exactly what we would get. He was a minister and so it felt special to include him as he gave a blessing prayer over us. I am especially grateful we did this because he actually passed a month after our wedding. So that’s another piece of advice that I have- include and enjoy the moments with your most special people on your wedding day. They will be treasured memories, even if it’s people that will still be around for a while, you’ll never regret including someone in your day that is special to you.
What were your biggest challenges when planning? What resources were most helpful in the process?
A lot of larger, less personal, and not-as-sustainable options will come up when you are searching for vendors. They are the most well-known. I found that sparking conversation about my wedding with friends and family, and also those I met in my community pointed me towards the smaller, more personal and more sustainable options.
Any advice or tips for other couples who want to incorporate their values into their wedding?
Again, research, and get help with research if it’s not your thing! Reach out to people you find on social media who are also into sustainability and ask them if they know of resources or have advice for you. There are a lot of good resources out there, and even strangers are more than happy to offer advice or direction if you reach out and message them! You can also ask your vendors to specifically work with your sustainable requests. Our florist was awesome in helping us source native flowers like my fiance wanted. She also was flexible with us finding our vases. Find vendors who are flexible and willing to work with you in your efforts to be more sustainable!
Dream Team Vendors:
Wedding Dress: Saint Strange
Florist/Decor: Kalie Nicole Events
Photographer: Poppy and Iris Photo
Venue: Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
Follow Katie Holmberg-Pietsch’s photography work on instagram at @kpimagery
