Edina Weddings

Edina couples dish on their big day, and the services, vendors and sites that made all the difference.

By: Sarah Baumann | From the issue: September 2011

Photo: VADA Photography

Cate and John Dugan dressed to impress, thanks to The Dressmaker's Kristen Olsen (gown), Men's Wearhouse (tux) and Spalon Montage (hair).

Most married couples will, without pause, tell you that their wedding day was one of the best days of their lives. Sure, they committed their undying love to one another. But they also threw one of the biggest parties of their lives.

With a combination of friends and family, good food and music, and a fabulous venue in which to kick up their heels, these couples did it in style—using the best hometown resources Edina has to offer. We chatted with these local couples to get the skinny on their big day, and the local resources that made it spectacular.

Tim and Amanda Bratton

Their Story:

An Edina girl now transplanted in Los Angeles, Amanda Bratton (née Murdock) grew up a stone’s throw from the Edina Country Club with her parents Ed and Linda. After graduating from EHS and heading to Texas for college, Amanda moved to Chicago to be a little closer to home, where she met her now-husband Tim (courtesy of a matchmaking pal). A couple years of long-distance dating later, while Tim attended grad school in California, the pair married last year in August.

The Preparations:

For this bride and groom, having a fun and stylish wedding day was top order—and they made sure to get the top vendors to make their vision come true. “My wedding was beautiful, and also done on a budget. So we hunted for the best vendors in each category that were also priced well,” says Amanda. “We splurged on the things that made the most impact.”

Friends and family made a big difference when it came to assisting with planning and execution. “So many people pitching in was so meaningful to us and made us feel so cared for,” notes Amanda. First among them was Amanda’s mother Linda Murdock—who along with a group of her closest girlfriends who all had daughters getting married that year—had formed the “Mother of the Bride” club. These Edina gals gathered every other week, exchanging tips and pictures and hashing out the details of their various celebrations to come. “We couldn’t have done it without them,” Amanda says.

When it came to readying herself on wedding day proper, Amanda sought a beauty team of trusted local experts. A make-up application and a fresh set of highlights came courtesy of Bella Salon, and her chic blonde up-do was created by stylist Shanna Comstock at Edina Hair District. Bridesmaids, meanwhile, went Spalon Montage to have their hair blown out.

Pre-ceremony, Amanda met all the ladies at nearby Flutter boutique (where she used to work), which served as a staging area for the ladies to get ready. “It was certainly a special touch, not to mention Michelle Hanson [former boss/Flutter owner] provided champagne and chocolate covered strawberries while we were getting ready!”

The Celebration:

They couple kicked off the festivities with a casual, outdoor catered rehearsal dinner at Arneson Acres.

On their wedding day, the ceremony took place at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis, where the couple—the bride decked out in a gorgeous Alvina Valenta gown and the groom in a crisp tux from Men’s Warehouse—was greeted outside by well-wishing loved ones in a sea of floating bubbles, before hopping into their transportation for the day, a 1940s Packard car that was hired from a local car collector.

Since she grew up just a few blocks away, Amanda knew the Edina Country Club would be the perfect reception site. The couple fell in love with the classic setting, ample space, and the chef’s menu that, on their wedding day, included a plethora of delicious plates like artichoke parmesan crostinis, chicken and apricot quesadillas, strawberry almond salad and chicken Olivia. A divinely decadent three-tiered cake, decorated with flowers to fit the couple’s French blue and white theme, came from Terri Leckas’s kitchen at Queen of Cakes. “This is one selection my husband insisted on being completely involved in!” gushed Amanda. “Terri made it so fun and we completely trusted her work.”

To keep the festivities (and guests) moving, the couple carefully selected Instant Request DJs out of Bloomington. “To this day, people are still talking about our DJ, Richard, and our music,” Amanda notes.

And as the celebration wrapped up and everyone said their final well-wishes, out-of-town guests headed to the Westin Edina Galleria. Amanda and Tim sent their bridal party home with personalized stationary sets from Epitome; the stationery shop also provided the couple’s engraved thank you notes.

“I could go on and on, talking about décor and dresses and flowers and transportation,” explains Amanda. “But what made our wedding special for us hands down was the people.”