Part 2 of Kate & Nathan’s good-living Iowa wedding…! (In case you missed it, find Part 1 here!)
“We were engaged on a trip to Bilbao, Spain and it became a major inspiration for us. We served Spanish Cava instead of Champagne to our guests after the ceremony and did a Spanish inspired tapas menu. Our color palette was a variety of greens and oranges inspired by an orangish-red dried flower we’ve had sitting on a shelf in our apartment for years and a green earring of mine. We took the two objects to the paint department at Lowe’s and tried to find a bunch of swatches that seemed to fit. The key to the color palette was that I wasn’t married to everything matching perfectly, I was going for more of a range of colors. This gave us flexibility with everything from the tablecloths to the flowers to my shoes and kept the colors cohesive but not over done.” Love this approach to color—so artful! The beautiful array of cakes below were created by Cake Me I’m Yours.
So much about Kate’s wedding was handmade and when we asked her about details she said, “There were tons! We made the day as DIY as we could while still trying to keep the stress level low for everyone. Our friends and family helped so much, we couldn’t have done it without them. Flowers for the centerpieces were all done by myself and my girlfriends the day before the wedding. I purchased flowers directly from a local flower farmer, Tschetter’s Flowers, the Wednesday before. A few of us have a little experience arranging flowers and we were able to put together some beautiful arrangements for the tables for under $200. Also, Nathan and I bought a cheap chandelier on Craigslist that I spray painted white and my dad hung in the giant tree. In lieu of favors, we set up a cookie station at the end of the evening when some our our guests were starting to leave. We asked my mom and our grandmothers to bake our favorite cookies and my mom searched the local shops for fun, cheap glass jars. We provided paper bags for our guests so they could take several cookies with them to enjoy later.” We’re loving all these special touches! How amazing is the romantic light of the chandelier?
One of Kate’s favorite moments from the day: “The band, Flatland Frank and the Flat Cats, pulled Nathan and me and friends on stage to help play instruments during ‘Mustang Sally’, it was a blast! The band also learned a few songs just for us which really made the evening special. The playlist has become a cherished keepsake to us; every time we listen to it it brings back great memories of the day.”
For advice, Kate offered these words, “Plan in such a way that allows you to totally relax and be a guest at your own wedding. Once the dress was on and everything was underway, Nathan and I were truly able to enjoy every moment without worrying about the details. It was magical. Our biggest goal was that everyone would feel comfortable enough to really relax and enjoy. We wanted it to feel like a great dinner party under the stars—and we totally succeeded. Thank you mother nature for gorgeous weather, we couldn’t have done it without you!”
Kate & Nathan, thank you for sharing your day with us—we’re completely charmed! Congratulations to you both! Thanks also to Cathy & David for sharing their utterly gorgeous photographs!
