My Minnesota Purple Rustic Barn Wedding!!

I have to say, weddings are A LOT of work!!  Granted I insisted on doing everything myself because that's what I do!  This barn was such a great empty canvas to work with and believe me I almost filled every space I could!  Every detail was thought out and brought to life with the great help of my family and friends.  We had such a perfect day and I really couldn't have been a happier bride, because in the end I married the man of my dreams!  I got the rustic barn wedding that I wanted.  I hope you enjoy all the pictures and details.

A very rare window fit perfectly with the words, family and all of our names.  Underneath filled with a bunch of old doors.



Old suitcases for the necessities.  Everything from wet ones, bug spray, hair spray, and deodarant.



A table filled with more vintage suitcases pictures and memories. 

The tables were topped with old crates with candles, yummy mints, and our homemade BBQ sauce!

The centerpieces contained of tall glass vases with dark purples and greens and at the very bottom to weight them are nuts and bolts in memory of my dad.   He was your average tinkerer in his garage and kept BUCKETS of every nut, bolt, screw he could find!

Great old barn door repurposed with pictures of our parents and grandparents along with how many years they have been married.

Our gifts table and sign in table. 

This old bottle of DAD'S root beer has a great story behind it.  My dad used to LOVE this brand of root beer.  My mother-in-law went to a garage sale and bought a box of jars.  When she got home and started digging through the box this bottle was wrapped up hiding inside!  What a great sign for our wedding!

We added the curtains and shephard hooks with candles to light the way at night.

An old trunk in front of the head table with a great Norman Rockwell picture that says "Dear sweatheart, I love you more and more everyday". 

A cake and wine table.  Later was used for late night desserts.

Another old suitcase used for our cards.  My in-laws cut a slit on the top and screwed a black painted board on the backside and words that said 'CARDS'. 

My beautiful babies getting ready for the 'SHOW'. 

Even had an old croquet set as part of the games.  We are still looking for all the pieces!

Upstairs of the barn we had a separate table full of coloring books, crayons, and glow sticks.

At my new husbands request, a pig roast. 

The barn!

A very large water tank was suitable for soda, beer, and 2 very cute little boys to play in.

An old light with battery operated candle sticks.

My dad's car got me to the church and was our getaway car.

My husband's reaction when I surprised him with my white Camoflouge dress to match his vest!  And the Camo shoes I had to make because I couldn't find any I liked!

The barn is located in Henderson, Minnesota.
This little Piggy Catering
Kate Botwinski Photography
We stayed at the beautiful Nicolin Mansion in Jordan, Minnesota

Facebook too!

www.facebook.com/CountryStyleAccents

Sneak peek at my Country Wedding in Minnesota!!

Just some sneak peek pictures of what you would find at my County Style Wedding!   (pun intended)

Can you guess why I would have a dresser??

Anything painted in purple is perfection to me!

I just can't get enough of these doors!!  I have to share my story on how I found this barn to hold my reception in.  When Jason and I got engaged I knew right away I wanted a barn!  I am in love with any and all barns!  So my interenet searched started.  And continued.  And after 3 month of not finding much luck I got desperate!!  I would drive down the road and if I saw a barn I liked I would write down the address go home and google it and contact the owner!  I did say desperate!  Then 1 day I took a break from barn searching and started looking on a wedding website for decorating ideas.  I came across a couple married a few years ago in a barn and someone had already emailed them and asked where it was and if the private resident rented the barn out!  Of course she replied and said it was her parents and yes they were starting to rent it out!!  I was so excited I almost fell off my chair!  I called them right away!  Even better we don't have any family that live near us and this barn happened to be almost exactly half way for everyone!  How could this dream be true!!??  But it was and I am now getting married in 1 week!  This wedding has been so much fun planning and really making it our own.  There will be more pictures to follow! 

Check this idea out!

http://craftychicmommy.blogspot.com/2011/04/glass-vinyl-sign-knockoff.html

I have some random pieces of glass laying around my garage and I had no idea what I was going to do with them, until now! 

So instead I'm going to make my own frames from scrap wood I have laying around the garage and liquid nail glue them to my glass to make these great signs!  I will post pictures once I'm done!  Just had to share with you all!

 

GLASS VINYL SIGN KNOCKOFF

I've seen these beauties in a few gift stores around town with a hefty price tag attached to them. 

Purchasing one at $100 would mean my family wouldn't eat for a week so I decided to make my own....the cost you ask??

Under 10 BUCKS!!

I purchased an unfinished poster frame from the dollar store for $5 and painted it black.

I roughed up the edges with my sander

then stained it with my Mini Wax dark walnut stain.

I printed my vinyl letters on my Cricut machine and stuck them onto the front of my piece of plexi glass (this was the hardest part, getting them centred and straight).

Ok so it's not glass like the the big ticket frames but once you get it on your wall you could never tell the difference.

YES Christmas stuff already!!

Who doesn't love reusing things for Christmas decoration?! 

This is a corn seed planter with some cute greenery. 

Don't know what to do with the small old tool boxes??

To explore Minnesota!!

I started refinishing furniture because I LOVED doing it!  But now after doing this for awhile I can look back and remember all the places I've been that I've never been before and all the people I've met while doing this.  I find it amazing that I've lived in Minnesota my whole life and have never been to half the places in this state that I've been too in the past year.  What a great life experience for me.  I think a lot of people say how they want to travel the world and go to all these wonderful historic places.  Yes, I say that as well.  But as I drove to South Minneapolis this morning I realized how old and beautiful the buildings are there.  How much history they hold.  How these wonderful old buildings made Minneapolis where it is today. 

And all the people I've met and how some I've had some sort of connection with.  Some that knew my mother-in-law or people who have the same passion about furniture as I do.  Some that have told me wonderful stories of pieces that I've bought from them.  I just recently bought an old swinging cradle and the older gentleman there said that a good friend of his made that cradle for his first born child 40 years ago!   Or a table and chairs I purchased from a woman whose parents had that table and chairs 50 years ago that used to sit in there basement and that's where'd they package all the meat from the cattle they had slaughtered. 

It's so great being in the job that I do not only do because I love furniture but because I enjoy exploring my own state and meeting such wonderful new people and hearing all the wonderful stories.  Because in the end all we have to leave behind is our stories and our history.   

What's in progress now!! Check out this old buffet!

I just picked this beautiful old buffet up 2 days ago!  I could help but start on it now even though my garage is filled with lots of other unfinished projects. 

This is a another smaller buffet I picked up over a year ago!  (I know!)  It's all a bird's eye maple and the drawers are in excellent condition!  So you'll have to wait and see the finished product.