When planning an outdoor wedding, you always have a Plan B. Claire and Rob, when planning their modern, garden-inspired downtown wedding in Rochester’s Peace Plaza, did just that – they had a tent secured for the reception to protect guests from the elements, and planned to add walls to the tent in case of inclement weather. What no one could have prepared for were the nearly 40mph winds that ripped through the Peace Plaza, creating a ridiculous wind tunnel and a dangerous situation under the tent. The tent walls were ripping off, we couldn’t keep linens let alone centerpieces on the tables, and the few tent poles that weren’t tied down with massive concrete blocks were literally lifting off the ground. It was crazy! I stood under the tent with the other vendors, barely able to hear each other speaking over the noise caused by the wind, and we knew we had to do something.
Brianna of Fox & Fern Floral made some calls and about 1.5 hours before the ceremony started we had secured a new reception location, conveniently located just a few blocks away. It was all hands on deck and all the vendors flew into action. I have never been so proud of a vendor team (check out the full list below)! It was truly a textbook example of why you should hire professional vendors for your wedding. A huge shout out goes to my assistant, Elizabeth, who, with the help of her boyfriend and my husband, rushed to the reception site to get everything set up while I stayed at the Peace Plaza to run the ceremony. We pushed back the ceremony start time by only a half hour (guests killed time in one of the many bars around the Plaza), and by the time Claire & Rob were officially husband and wife, and everyone made their way down to the new location, the reception space had been completely transformed.

The bride and groom were cool, calm and collected, the guests were so gracious with the last-minute change of plans and the vendors stepped up to make sure it was still the best day ever for the couple. It was almost nothing of what they had originally planned but it still turned out to be an incredible and gorgeous day. You can see these beautiful images by Meg Cooper in the spring/summer 2016 issue of The Knot Minnesota magazine and the January issue of Rochester Magazine! Thanks to Claire and Rob for putting their trust in me and the entire vendor team, and for letting me a part of their special day!

Wedding Coordinator: denae brennan weddings & events
Photographer: Meg Cooper Photography
Ceremony Venue: Peace Plaza
Reception Venue: Historic Riverside Building/Cambria Gallery
Florist: Fox & Fern Floral
Catering: Johnny Mango’s Catering
Rentals: Majestic Tents & Events
Band: The Bluewater Kings
Sound Technician: Northern Sun Productions
Bride’s Dress: Effie’s Bridal Trunk
Groom’s Attire: Knight’s Chamber
Hair & Makeup: Hair Studio 52
Invitations: Watercolorful Weddings

Cheers!