Minnesota winter wedding: Shandra+Random

This was my very first outdoor Minnesota winter wedding ceremony! The only thing that would be been more perfect would have been gently falling snow.

“There are dreamers and there are realists in this world. You’d think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not the opposite is true. You see, the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists, well, without dreamers, they might not ever get off the ground.” – Cameron, Modern Family

As told by Shandra

How did you meet and fall in love?

I was at a country bar in North Carolina, playing pool with some friends, when I saw Random. He looked exactly how I felt and I was drawn to him immediately. It turns out, we had both just gotten out of relationships where the other person cheated and lied. So I introduced myself. He said he would be there that weekend and I came back, asked if he remembered my name. When he said no, I told him I’d just put it in his phone. He didn’t realize I was flirting until days later, in spite of friends telling him that.

We soon became inseparable. I was never really romantic, and so Random told me he loved me before I said the words. It was seven months after we started dating and he’d just met my parents. He knew I wasn’t the romantic sort, so he explained to me he didn’t expect anything to change, that he just wanted me to know. I said it back two months later. It’s hard to explain to people what it was that made me fall for him when I’d been so adamantly against relationships before. He is the kindest, most understanding, patient person I know. I tried not to love him, but I failed, and I’m happy I did.

How did you choose your venue?

We first researched online, knowing we would be in Minnesota summer 2015 for his brother’s wedding. When that time came, we were able to look around our two favorite venues. While the first one we looked at was nice, it was a slight drive away from Random’s grandparents, a bit more expensive (okay, a lot more), and had more of a “corporate” sort of feel. When we got to Edgewood, I fell in love. It’s such a beautiful property and Joyce was so easy to work with. She’d been communicative and helpful from the start. Not only did I like her immediately, she also knew Random’s family well and was in the same town as his grandparents. It was a perfect match and place for our Minnesota winter wedding!

What were your thoughts leading up to your wedding day?

I was nervous about everything coming together and a few times wondered if we should just elope, but Random kept me grounded (as he always does). To be fair, I wound up in the ER a few days before the wedding (Christmas Eve, in fact), because I got the flu! I was a little disoriented, which I think helped with nerves. By the morning of the wedding, I felt well enough to enjoy everything.

What was your favorite part of the day?

Do I have to choose one? From start to finish, it felt like a perfect day. However, there was something wonderful about seeing our loved ones at the reception, mingling and talking. And dancing! Though most of that was me and my nephew Jaiden.

What is each of your favorite images from your wedding and why?

Random apparently had an easier time choosing than I did. He chose this image because he loves how happy Manuel is to have me pinning the boutonniere on him.

I finally chose this image because I love how goofy Random is in it.

Is there anything that you would change?

I don’t think I would. It was pretty amazing. Random says he would have liked if the guys had come and gotten ready with him.

What is your best advice to anyone planning a wedding?

Long engagements seem like forever, but they give you so much time to plan everything, find all the perfect vendors, and still enjoy being engaged. Don’t feel the need to set a date within a year just because that’s considered the norm. Take your time and enjoy the process.