If you want to see highlights from Diana's wedding, you can find it here: ua-cam.com/video/j07-QA5uPlE/v-deo.html and what we decided to do with our wedding dresses here: ua-cam.com/video/l1Cgo5Tj6m0/v-deo.html THANK YOU for watching! We love you and hope you have a special Valentine's Day :) - Dawn & Tom
So cute you guys! My wedding anniversary is today! 10years and it was minimalist as well. (People still comment on how wonderful our style was, we were all so relaxed and enjoyed)
We had a minimal wedding. Made the invitations but they looked professional right down to the tissue paper inside. Bought boxed matches made stickers for them with our names and date to match the invitations and bought Hershey’s candy bars with labels we made to match. Bought purple napkins and stamped our names on about 100 of them for the bar. We also printed our names on the cake bags. Everything matched but it was on budget. I only had one maid of honor she carried a rose. Simple. But great.
My husband and I met at a Valentine’s dinner with a lot of other people. We were at different tables and when I saw him walking towards me I knew that he was the man I was going to marry. We held hands and kissed for the first time that night and if he would have asked me to marry him right then I would have said yes. He asked me to marry him in April and we were married in November. That was thirty eight years ago and I love him even more today. God is so good 😊.
Honestly, I think you've gotten even more beautiful with age Dawn! Weddings don't have to be these huge, lavish affairs where the bride and groom go into debt. What matters most is him & her and being surrounded by those who love them!
Agreed! It's insane how people would incur debt to have a wedding. What is important are all the days after the wedding day, the actual marriage. That's where your investment should be.
You looked beautiful! My husband and I decided we wanted to get married and got married two weeks later on New Year’s Eve in front of my sister’s fieldstone fireplace decorated in white tulle and twinkle lights. $50 for the cake. My sister made my dress. My dad got white roses from a gas station 😂. Best day of my life. Going on 17 blissful years now. 😍
I think that is amazing! This is what I want. I don’t want much fuss, it’s not about the amount of people and money you spend. It’s about starting a new chapter with someone you love. That’s why I’ve contemplated elopement
This lifts my heart SO MUCH - I feel like an honored guest at your truly beautiful wedding, which looks like a fairy tale but the real truth of it is how founded in love and devotion it is. It is like watching the birth of a blessed path, and your precious family is its destiny. And I must say that one of the best reasons I come to this channel is to enjoy the love between you and Tom which itself lifts my heart. I promise you that the union you made on that day is a gift to the world almost 13 years later and so many of our lives are better for the two of you so generously sharing yours!
Fancy weddings don’t make a great marriage...my wedding was simple too and on a major budget (we’ve been married 25 years)! I too regret not getting a professional photographer; we have only one snapshot of our wedding that is worthwhile😔
Your wedding looked perfect! You were stunning and absolutely glowing!!! We have a lot in common! My engagement ring is a gold antique ring that my husband and I picked out in an antique shop, for under $200! It's beautiful! Totally agree on the small-ish outdoor wedding being simple and wonderful! We were married at my parents in their gazebo. Our 10 groomsmen wore khakis and white dress shirts, and 10 bridesmaids (mine and my husband's sisters) just picked out and wore their own cream colored dresses. I was in a beautiful lace and jewel embellished dress, barefoot, vintage comb holding my hair. All of our 20+ nieces and nephews went down the grassy aisle before me, holding giant white balloons and blowing bubbles! Everyone was told to bring a picnic blanket for the reception, pick a spot under the many apple trees, then could go through the food line filling a white paper bag with goodies. Louis Armstrong, Michael Bublé, Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald music playing through the evening. Projector screen up and a movie playing for the kids as it got dark and popcorn popping in a red vintage popcorn machine. It was magic!💗🎶
What a beautiful wedding. Thanks for sharing. We got married in my in-laws living room with just our immediate families and my best friend, so there were about 14 of us. My husband's friend played guitar, I wore the dress I had worn the year before when my best friend got married, we got a simple cake and red carnations and got married in front of a Christmas tree covered in red and white satin balls (red and white was our color scheme by accident - we got married 6 days before Christmas and my dress was white with red roses on it and my mother in law's punch set was red/white cut glass). We celebrated our 44th anniversary this past December. Proof that the wedding doesn't make the marriage.
Tom looks like such a baby and your boys are definitely his mini-me's. Dawn's brother is cutie pie and looks just like his sisters. Wonderful video. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you! I have been a Wedding Coordinator for many weddings. The simple weddings have all been so much more enjoyable and successful. The brides that focus on the marriage more than the wedding are more relaxed, fun, and less stressed. I see people over spend on weddings and I think they would be so much better off doing a simple wedding and using the saved money for their future. I wish more people would talk about this. Also definitely the place to put the money into is photography/videography.❤
My husband told me when we were planning our wedding "at the end of the day we will be married no matter what, the days after are more important than that particular day"
I decided to become a Wedding Coordinator for something to do when I retired. I completed the course and found a few Coordinators to work with. I gave it up when I saw how much some people spent on their weddings. Coming from working class background I could not justify the obscene amounts some people spent on a one day/night event. I myself got married at the courthouse, in my pretty graduation dress with a reception at our already purchased house.
I used to be a wedding decorator...I actually LOVE your wedding...it's simple, love the colors you chose and what's nice is that both the guys and the gals can still wear those outfits! Most dresses you can't wear to other outings as they're too formal. I find it fitting...and the two of you are absolutely adorable! Love how Tom swept you off your feet at the end! So romantic! 😁 I always thought that it was better to keep things simple then spend a fortune on the one day. I did this for 5 years plus a few odd ones afterwards...some of those marriages didn't even last. It's sad...I'm happy the two of you are solid and will survive! 🥰❤
I’ve known some brides who went overboard with decorations and made a lot of enemies out of former friends by the end of the night. That has to be hard on the marriage, also.
Very sweet and wow, you realize how tall Tom is seeing the two of you in the wedding video. Your relationship is very inspiring and the love you have for each other was evident that day and today. Thanks for sharing.
That's so sweet. :) People don't need to go into debt to have an extravagant wedding. Simple can be beautiful, too, and at the end of the day, you're married!
I love this. My husband and I did a very different wedding. We literally only had our parents and siblings at the church...then the following week we had a breakfast reception that was a blast...we had games and activities for the kids and we didn't have a photographer...just encouraged everyone to take pictures and boy did they! Then after our honeymoon we had a photoshoot in our clothes...my husband has anxiety issues and this is what worked best for us. Thanks for sharing I think people see too much of the unrealistic weddings/ family events in the media and forget to invest in the relationships vs. the parties.
We did similar, got our wedding photos done after the wedding at Sears Portrait studio (probably used a coupon, too). That way we focussed on participating not performing. Might not work for everyone, but it worked for us impoverished college students.
As a former wedding coordinator it's so wonderful to see a simple, beautiful, wedding that doesn't put the couple or their parents in debt for years. Your parent's farm is beautiful! And I know what August in Minnesota is like, we lived there four years and always tried to be home in Washington state for at least half of month of August. Happy 13th anniversary!
You called it right, Dawn! Marriage IS hard and it is also GREAT!!!! My next anniversary will be number 29 so I have the experience to agree!!!!! Your wedding looked perfect! I am glad you look back on it as a really wonderful day! The farm looked so good too.
We had a very small church wedding and got so many things super cheap. My mom said it was around $1200. My dress was a white prom dress, so only $90. The band was free because they were already booked for the Moose Club where our reception was in the basement of that evening. Our head table centerpiece was created mainly from flowers from my high school homecoming and prom bouquets ( thank you old boyfriends! Lol) we just celebrated our 36th anniversary... 4 kids and 7 grandchildren so far!
Such a beautiful wedding video! My husband proposed to me on Valentine's Day in 1985 and we got married on August 2, 1986. Five kids and 3 grandkids later I'll agree that marriage is hard but I wouldn't trade a single day of it! You 2 are the cutest and I love watching all your videos!💕
I know Pastor Gary!! Small world! My sister and I both live in Turkey and found your channel independently of eachother. I think we both love the familiarity of a fellow Minnesotan as well as how accessible your content is! Thanks for all the work you guys do!! It’s helped make our homes more restful and mange ministry and family with more peace.
Mine was just like yours, and my in laws took opportunity to do some upgrades to the exterior of the house as we had an outdoors ceremony and reception. We met in February, engaged in May and married in October all in the same year. Here we are 24 years later 😍 You guys are solid!!
What a wonderful wedding day! My hubby and i had a minimalist wedding too. A borrowed wedding dress (only purchased veil and shoes) and hubby wore a Macys suit and shoes. A handful of small floral bouquets, a cheap friend-of-family photographer. The big splurge was the food. My uncle worked in the restaurant business and gifted us a variety of seafood and wine for the dinner reception. We had 60 guests and, oh, an accordion player for music. It was small, it was fun and mostly family....and everyone really loved the food! We did get pretty and yummy wedding cake-3 tier.
I got married on March 7th 1982. Mum was never keen on church weddings and all my sisters had been married in a church (mil pressure). When I asked mum if we could get married in her front garden she was delighted, her whole face lit up. Now, this is how things went. Mum and Dad lived in a small town in south-west Western Australia. My husband and I paid for the Marriage Celebrant, Mum made my dress. It was knee length with shoulder straps and a matching long sleeve jacket, all made out of swiss cotton, she also paid for the cake. The cake was single layer 12 inches by 12-inch fruit cake. Dad paid for the drinks. We had the wedding in their front garden and the reception was a barbecue out the back. We had a best man and a matron of honour (friends who were a married couple) and she made her dress to match mine in daffodil yellow. There were a total of 30 people there, all but 8 of the relatives. The 11 women all got together and arranged for each of them to bring a different dish for the reception. My uncle was a cattle farmer and had one of his steers butchered for the barbecue. The funniest part was I was sitting in mum and dads bedroom all dressed up and going nowhere feeling like something should be happening. Dad came racing in and said, "Come on we've got a wedding to go to". To which I replied, "You bloody well forgot me, didn't you?" He then admitted that he'd been standing outside enjoying the late afternoon autumn sunshine when one of my sisters gave him a huge nudge in the ribs and asked him very loudly in front of everyone "Oi Dad, don't you think you ought to go get the bride?" The whole thing cost about $100 and that was shared amongst most of the adults.
Back in January 2004, we got married after 3 weeks of planning while apartment hunting. My family helped create the silk flower bouquets one fun evening. We got married in church and reserved the apartment club room. My friend catered cheese, crackers, veggie trays and minnie cream puffs and eclairs. Very economical, intimate and fun. You both are so sweet. Beautiful wedding!
It looks a beautiful wedding. Mine was in February so it was cold. My bridesmaids were freezing during the outdoor photos but I was just sort of glowing so I didn’t notice. Ours was a simple wedding too, arranged in about six months and I saved a lot on the dresses. My dress was second hand from someone who lived near my parents( £70) and my three bridesmaids could all sew so I bought them all the fabric and a pattern and left them to it.
And Tom continues to sweep you off your feet! The proposal was the perfect time to influence youth & the wedding was perfection~ The dress was meant for you and yes the food is important. (awesome parents!) Maybe Tom needs one of the new rubber rings ? My husband calls it a stunt ring.
I feel you on the event! Ours was very simple too. I just wanted to make sure we had our preacher, food, & a photographer. 🙏🏻 Our moms made it just right. It came together perfectly. Most of our families were there and it ended up being a great day.
That was really nice picking you up and carrying you! When my daughter called me and said ... she said YES TO THE DRESS! I said ... what ... who? Donna ... my granddaughter! Your Wedding was AWESOME!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🌈🙏🏻🙏🏻🌹
Your parents’ home is breathtaking! Such a gorgeous place! And your wedding was so sweet! Weddings can be done on a budget! Mine cost $200, and we were married 2 weeks after he proposed! My wedding dress was borrowed, my husband was a member of the church where we had the ceremony, reception was a cake reception and my mom’s neighbor and friend baked my cake! My sisters were my attendants and they each made and paid for their dresses. Flowers were kept to a minimum and a friend took all the pictures.
My daughter got married in September 2020 so it was truly a minimalist wedding. The guest list went from 120 to 27. It was beautiful anyway and I was able to give them the money I would have spent on a larger wedding.
You ran out of wine 🍷 at your wedding 👰🏼 💒 too? ❤️🙌😂 Someone call Mary and Jesus we need a wedding at Cana miracle🙏❤️🙌🍷! That is so funny that you had a biblical wedding experience ❤️🙏✨
We also had a simple wedding and it was fantastic. People still talk about it almost 23 years later and tell me how much they loved it. We spent maybe $3,000; married in my parents’ backyard (they lived in a neighborhood with neighbors right next door and all around); and it was super casual. I wore my Birkenstocks. We did the flowers, decorations, set up, take down, everything but the food and it was so much fun. My mom and I had a great time planning it ourselves. Little to no stress - aside from the tornado warnings all around us just before we began (May in Alabama, what are ya gonna do?), absolutely zero debt because of it, and we “partied” for over 6 hours that night. There is no such thing as perfection and too many times I’ve seen brides fall apart over the lack of it. It doesn’t exist. Enjoy it because the day goes by so very fast and before you know it, it’s over. Do you honestly want to be thousands of dollars in debt for one day? Ours was simple, fun and pretty much stress free. Apparently it made a good impression on our friends and family who attended as well.
Looove your wedding! And we have a mutual friend! He is in a bright blue dress shirt - he wore it as an usher in our wedding that same year in June. 😂👏 I was like "Hey that's T! And the shirt he wore in our wedding!!" 😃 I bet I saw you from afar at a campus ministry and didn't even know it. "Weddings are great, marriage is hard." Lol - so true. ❤ Love your channel!
Now I know why I enjoy watching your videos so much...we’re just so similar. I also had a small wedding, ceremony was outside at a park and I think I wore the other short dress. I remember trying on the one you chose and there was a lace version that reminded me of my grandma who had passed. It was on clearance for $100. Great wedding story! 😁
That is more the style wedding I wanted! It was way more than I wanted (tho it was still wonderful). I love this!!! I wish more people liked this style because I think it is perfect! To me it was more about spending time with the people we loved and cared about than being all fancy (again, there is NOTHING wrong with that lol...) Good job guys :)
Oh, Thank you for sharing the story with us!!! Your wedding was absolutely beautiful!!! The farm was GORGOUS!!! I also had a short wedding dress! So special you've got video of the whole thing!
Dawn and Tom, just loved this video. Loved to see the wedding . Dawn, your family farm is beautiful! Who knew that your wedding would be the foreshadowing of what was to come with minimalism. Didn’t those 12 years just fly by? Try 32! Thank you for sharing. Happy Valentines Day!
What a beautiful wedding and day! Thanks for sharing as too many Weddings now days are too over the top but my best memories was my Great Aunt wrote our vows and married us in a small church with close family and friends 49 years ago in Jan 2021.
Love this!!!!!! 😍 We watch our wedding video on our anniversary every year. When our girls were toddlers and watched it for the first time. They cried, cried the entire time because everyone they knew was there, and they weren't! 🤣 It was very funny, even though we had to console them for awhile! That was one of our best investments also- an awesome videographer!
Your wedding looked absolutely perfect.💯 Praise God for beautiful weather to make your special day the best it could be.🎶 My husband and I have been married 7 & 1/2 years now~! As a Midwestern girl from smalltown Wisconsin, getting married in a fancy wedding hall in Seoul wasn't something I had ever imagined...😂 But we had a gorgeous wedding that was special especially because of all the supportive guests who attended to encourage & celebrate our new marriage~🎉 Most of the guests were our students and coworkers from the private Christian school were we worked at (& met at). We both regret how expensive our wedding was but it paid for itself I guess. That's just the typical way to do it here.🤷♀️ I wouldn't have minded something less elaborate but it was too hard to figure out a venue & all the extras...so we just let the wedding hall take care of all the details for us. They did give us wonderful photos & video, too, so that was nice.💙 Anyway, weddings are fun, but the important thing is the marriage...and a good marriage is all God's grace.🙌 Thanks for sharing your beautiful story & know that I'm cheering on your marriage, too!🙏🎶💞
Your wedding feels lovely. Your dress looks cute on you, Dawn. Aww, those tender moments between you and Tom (more please). It's so cool that your kids actually get to watch mom & dad taking their vows. That will make a lasting impression. May you stay forever young and always (always) be in love.
We were married on my aunt's farm with a tent in the yard. All for $5,000 and it is still the best wedding we've ever been to. Just a big party with all of our family and best friends!
Very fun to hear about your wedding. Ours was very minimalist/affordable. We got engaged in late July and the wedding was at the end of September the same year in a local church. I was operating a home daycare at the time, and planned everything in those few weeks, with help from my daughter (all by telephone and online) and around the daycare kids. We were very budget, as both of us were seniors or almost, and low income. All invitations were created by my daughter and emailed out to about 150 people, but invitations were sorta open to anyone as the reception was somewhat organized potluck!! so we asked people to let us know they were coming and we'd have a spot at a table or them. My mom provided soup from a local restaurant. Church ladies oversaw the kitchen, nieces helped keep the tables loaded and a cousin made an amazing chocolate pecan cheesecake as her gift for the wedding part. I, the bride, was the only person in the wedding party who wore new clothes. I picked flowers from ditches and farmers' fields the morning of, also borrowed potted flowers from neighbours. We said no gifts expected, but if people wanted to give something beyond potluck food, then gift cards are best. We received some cash, a few "items" most of which we haven't really used, 8.5 years later. It is possible to have a lovely wedding with minimal cost. A photojournalist friend took our pictures and gave us a USB key with them on it. That was his gift. Now we're both retired and have no regrets about not having had a big wedding debt (!) and we had as good a time as many weddings without the expense. I highly recommend going minimalist.
This was so beautiful, Dawn! What a beautiful bride you were! I love that the wedding was on your parents farm, that is so special! The farm is absolutely beautiful! God is so good! My wedding day was in June and it was beautiful weather as well! God bless you both!
You two are the cutest couple ever. Your wedding was beautiful and is exactly how I think a wedding should be. Thank you for sharing and Happy Valentine’s.
Tom & Dawn ,you are a perfect example of what a husband and wife is & should be. Your children are blessed to have you as their mom & dad . You've set a Christ like meaning of two people who love each other & work things out together. Don't let anything happen to that precious film of your wedding day.Your children will cherish it forever. May you have many blessed, healthy & spirit filled days together in the coming years.Thanks so much for sharing! ❤💒
Your wedding was lovely. You two are the perfect example of why not to spend or stress too much on a wedding..it’s one day, but you obviously have a wonderful, successful marriage filled with love, friendship and fun.
So gorgeous! How wonderful to have all that footage from the wedding. We also got married in August of 2008!! And we also had the same regret, not investing in a really good photographer. We used a family friend to save $.
"weddings are great. Marriage is hard. I'm glad we have happy memories to look back on." 🤣 I'm also glad you two come across as a happy and healthy couple, and that those of us who've been around for a while know you're happy and healthy together and work hard on your marriage even through the tough spots lol! This was a lovely video and really does look like you had an awesome wedding. I could relate to a lot of what you said about values related to the wedding... I do have some regrets looking back (wish I'd been willing to spend a little more than $40 to get a dress I liked more!) But overall, investing more financially in life after the wedding rather than putting a ton of money into the event was sooo worth it for us. It can be simple and gorgeous and meaningful at the same time!!!
My father was our officiant. The service was in my childhood church and the reception was in the fellowship hall in the basement. Finger food and cake were the only food. Simple flowers, two attendants total, my brother-in-law took photos. The best part of the service was all the music, performed by our college friends ❤️ We were also poor and wanted to keep the day simple.
Beautiful! A friend of mine got married 25+ years ago - I was a bridesmaid and was with her when she “said yes to the dress”. The night before the wedding, she decided she wanted it just below the knee, so she cut it off! She could see, and it was beautiful, but talk about surprises!
I loved hearing your love story. It brought back many memories for me too during that time. I was a volunteer youth leader out of college and all my friends were getting married and so many things you guys did reminded me of that.
What a lovely video. Thank you for sharing your wedding memories with us. It was obviously a wonderful day. 😍 Our wedding was really simple too - we only had 26 at the wedding dinner including the photographer, who was a colleague of my mum. (Ours was the first wedding he had photographed, and the pictures were lovely.) We didn't bother hiring cars or a hairdresser/make-up artist, we had a store-bought cake and invitations, and we didn't bother with a first dance. It was just about as simple as you could get, but it was a great day and everyone was so relaxed. We opted to have the dinner in a country pub so people could order whatever food they wanted on the day, which was a nice change to a traditional fixed menu. Weddings really don't have to be huge or fancy to be special, and ours was perfect for us. Xx
My husband and I had a minimalist wedding! All that matters is the love you share! Our wedding was beautiful and probably costed no more than 1,000$, we’ve been married almost 13 years now and we love each other more today than then. I have a Sister that had a 10,000$ wedding, they were married a little over a year and divorced. So sad! But all that matters is love not the material side of it ❤️ You and Tom remind me so much of my husband and I, you can tell you love one another ❤️
Love your wedding footage! We did something very very similar with a small wedding. Neither of our parents could afford much so we just had whatever we could afford. My parents hosted in their beautiful back yard and paid for the catering and his parents helped with all of the deserts and some of the decor (putting together bouquets and center pieces). We used the large pickle jars for center pieces and filled them with flowers from a local greenhouse. I made 90% of everything else and my sister did my hair and make up. It was a really great simple day with the theme of garden party and yard games. I wish I could relive it again!
Looks like mine a little bit. We got married in front of the lake, in my parents-in-law backyard, with a celebrant. About 15 people in attendance. My dress was a simple bridesmaid dress in white, with flowers in my hair. We did the flowers 2 days prior, dropping in the flower shop with the demand to make a bouquet and bouquettieres in whatever nice color/flower they had on hands. It turned out beautiful. After the private vows we went for pictures, then had the extended family join us for an afternoon of games, dinner at a local restaurant (pre-made menu), and a night of dancing outside underneath a big tent. It was magic and perfect, and 10 years later it is still a perfect day in our mind
Thank you! 37 years ago I married another missionary in Japan. It was super low budget, but full of meaning, joy, and beauty. Many said it was a best wedding they had ever been to. We thought so, but the marriage has been even better! I always tell people who get engaged the advice we got-rather than hyper focusing on a wedding that lasts a few hours, focus on preparing for your marriage which lasts for years! We don’t regret a thing!
Dawn and Tom, you have the best attitude. A good marriage is the most important thing, not the wedding day. On our wedding day, many, many things went wrong, especially the weather. We had a severe wind and rain storm. But, it didn’t matter. Our honeymoon was overshadowed by a hurricane. But it didn’t matter. All that mattered was we would get to spend the rest of our lives together. And we are blessed to be celebrating 40 years this year. Many God bless you both with many happy (yes, sometimes challenging!) years together. ❤️
Oh my gosh Dawn, you are my absolute favorite! I had the EXACT same conversation about our ring/engagement with my husband when we were dating 😂 And our weddings were so similar...simple but beautiful at the same time.
You wedding was beautiful. I have to tell you that you have been the positive change that I needed in my life and what is so amazing about the change is that I started watching you during COVID. You have been such an inspiration, with living a more simplified life, interacting with my family and lifting up my faith. It is funny because I am pretty sure that one of your bridesmaids grew up in the church I grew up in Rochester, MN. Maybe you attended when you lived here? (Autumn Ridge or if it was in our original location it was called 1st B). Thank you so much for your posts and for sharing a simple, down to earth, positive, faith based (even though you are not obnoxious about sharing your faith you can tell that you are a follower, because of your kind, gentle, and uplifting spirit) and I appreciate that! I look forward to your posts each week and love the Sunday posts with Diana as well. Stay warm and healthy to you and your family.
In my wedding budget, the photos where the most of the whole budget. But I was into photography and when family pushed about the expense, I responded, "after it is over, the photographs are all that I will have left." Which is very true. The video I have was done by my sisiters boyfriend at the time and so not the greatest. It's fine . It was fun seeing your wedding.
I tried to push for even just a mediocre photographer but my husband knew a budding artist and boy did we get what we paid ($150.00) for😬🙄 that is one of our biggest regrets about our wedding.
My husband of 31 years recorded golf over our wedding video. Haha. Thank goodness we did have a photographer. Your wedding looked perfect and beautiful!
I really enjoyed watching your wedding video. I personally loved the flip flops. I'm a California girl so they are right up my alley. This just let's us get to know you better. Thanks for sharing, especially about living your faith out.
Our wedding was much the same. Being poor and young, we stayed within our parents' budget and used a fire hall that cost only $500 and included a bartender and the soda on tap! The band was from the naval base where my dad worked - but they were actually good! The food from the recommended caterer was good and we decorated the hall ourselves the day before. We made the same mistake with our photographer. I love that our friend did it for the cost of film as a gift, but many important shots were missed and he ran out of film. We were broke and 32 years later I finally put them in an album with slip-in 4x6 slots. But hey - we still have the memories and the story to tell! The weather was perfect and guests talked about our wedding for years.
If you want to see highlights from Diana's wedding, you can find it here: ua-cam.com/video/j07-QA5uPlE/v-deo.html and what we decided to do with our wedding dresses here: ua-cam.com/video/l1Cgo5Tj6m0/v-deo.html THANK YOU for watching! We love you and hope you have a special Valentine's Day :) - Dawn & Tom
So cute you guys! My wedding anniversary is today! 10years and it was minimalist as well. (People still comment on how wonderful our style was, we were all so relaxed and enjoyed)
I smiled this entire video!!!💕 love you two!
I love when you guys do chats - you are so funny, lovely , cute & really come across as truly happy :) Bless x
We had a minimal wedding. Made the invitations but they looked professional right down to the tissue paper inside. Bought boxed matches made stickers for them with our names and date to match the invitations and bought Hershey’s candy bars with labels we made to match. Bought purple napkins and stamped our names on about 100 of them for the bar. We also printed our names on the cake bags. Everything matched but it was on budget. I only had one maid of honor she carried a rose. Simple. But great.
So cute to see your younger selves! What did you do for flowers? Were they fresh or fake?
My husband and I met at a Valentine’s dinner with a lot of other people. We were at different tables and when I saw him walking towards me I knew that he was the man I was going to marry. We held hands and kissed for the first time that night and if he would have asked me to marry him right then I would have said yes. He asked me to marry him in April and we were married in November. That was thirty eight years ago and I love him even more today. God is so good 😊.
What a fun story!
Love this!!!
Oh my gosh, that was such an awesome story. Not a lot of people can find their true love that easily. That was such a huge blessing.
So romantic! 😭
Honestly, I think you've gotten even more beautiful with age Dawn! Weddings don't have to be these huge, lavish affairs where the bride and groom go into debt. What matters most is him & her and being surrounded by those who love them!
You’re very kind, thank you!!!
That’s what I was thinking too. She got even MORE beautiful with age!
I was thinking the same thing!
Agreed! It's insane how people would incur debt to have a wedding. What is important are all the days after the wedding day, the actual marriage. That's where your investment should be.
I agree!
Your parents have the most beautiful farm setting!
You looked beautiful! My husband and I decided we wanted to get married and got married two weeks later on New Year’s Eve in front of my sister’s fieldstone fireplace decorated in white tulle and twinkle lights. $50 for the cake. My sister made my dress. My dad got white roses from a gas station 😂. Best day of my life. Going on 17 blissful years now. 😍
That’s so awesome!!!
Wonderful! That's beautiful!!
I think that is amazing! This is what I want. I don’t want much fuss, it’s not about the amount of people and money you spend. It’s about starting a new chapter with someone you love. That’s why I’ve contemplated elopement
We only dated 6 months. We just knew! I always felt like weddings were for the guests , not the bridge and groom. Us and the Lord. All we needed. 💕
Oops, bride* 😂
This lifts my heart SO MUCH - I feel like an honored guest at your truly beautiful wedding, which looks like a fairy tale but the real truth of it is how founded in love and devotion it is. It is like watching the birth of a blessed path, and your precious family is its destiny. And I must say that one of the best reasons I come to this channel is to enjoy the love between you and Tom which itself lifts my heart. I promise you that the union you made on that day is a gift to the world almost 13 years later and so many of our lives are better for the two of you so generously sharing yours!
This was so sweet to watch! Proof you don't need to spend a ton of money on a wedding to have a good time & make memories.
Amen!
Fancy weddings don’t make a great marriage...my wedding was simple too and on a major budget (we’ve been married 25 years)! I too regret not getting a professional photographer; we have only one snapshot of our wedding that is worthwhile😔
Your wedding looked perfect! You were stunning and absolutely glowing!!! We have a lot in common! My engagement ring is a gold antique ring that my husband and I picked out in an antique shop, for under $200! It's beautiful! Totally agree on the small-ish outdoor wedding being simple and wonderful! We were married at my parents in their gazebo. Our 10 groomsmen wore khakis and white dress shirts, and 10 bridesmaids (mine and my husband's sisters) just picked out and wore their own cream colored dresses. I was in a beautiful lace and jewel embellished dress, barefoot, vintage comb holding my hair. All of our 20+ nieces and nephews went down the grassy aisle before me, holding giant white balloons and blowing bubbles! Everyone was told to bring a picnic blanket for the reception, pick a spot under the many apple trees, then could go through the food line filling a white paper bag with goodies. Louis Armstrong, Michael Bublé, Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald music playing through the evening. Projector screen up and a movie playing for the kids as it got dark and popcorn popping in a red vintage popcorn machine. It was magic!💗🎶
What a beautiful wedding. Thanks for sharing. We got married in my in-laws living room with just our immediate families and my best friend, so there were about 14 of us. My husband's friend played guitar, I wore the dress I had worn the year before when my best friend got married, we got a simple cake and red carnations and got married in front of a Christmas tree covered in red and white satin balls (red and white was our color scheme by accident - we got married 6 days before Christmas and my dress was white with red roses on it and my mother in law's punch set was red/white cut glass). We celebrated our 44th anniversary this past December. Proof that the wedding doesn't make the marriage.
A lot of people say marriage is just a piece of paper but I disagree. And I am so glad I had a nice wedding.
Tom looks like such a baby and your boys are definitely his mini-me's. Dawn's brother is cutie pie and looks just like his sisters. Wonderful video. Thank you for sharing.
"Weddings are great. Marriage is hard!" So true! Yours looked beautiful! Awesome that you kids love the video.
My minimalist wedding day was "here, sign this"😁
LOL! Mine may be the same!
Mine too 😆
Thank you! I have been a Wedding Coordinator for many weddings. The simple weddings have all been so much more enjoyable and successful. The brides that focus on the marriage more than the wedding are more relaxed, fun, and less stressed. I see people over spend on weddings and I think they would be so much better off doing a simple wedding and using the saved money for their future. I wish more people would talk about this. Also definitely the place to put the money into is photography/videography.❤
My husband told me when we were planning our wedding "at the end of the day we will be married no matter what, the days after are more important than that particular day"
This was exactly my thoughts when I got married in November. It was simple, but I was so happy with how it turned out. It was beautiful.
I decided to become a Wedding Coordinator for something to do when I retired. I completed the course and found a few Coordinators to work with. I gave it up when I saw how much some people spent on their weddings. Coming from working class background I could not justify the obscene amounts some people spent on a one day/night event. I myself got married at the courthouse, in my pretty graduation dress with a reception at our already purchased house.
I used to be a wedding decorator...I actually LOVE your wedding...it's simple, love the colors you chose and what's nice is that both the guys and the gals can still wear those outfits! Most dresses you can't wear to other outings as they're too formal. I find it fitting...and the two of you are absolutely adorable! Love how Tom swept you off your feet at the end! So romantic! 😁 I always thought that it was better to keep things simple then spend a fortune on the one day. I did this for 5 years plus a few odd ones afterwards...some of those marriages didn't even last. It's sad...I'm happy the two of you are solid and will survive! 🥰❤
I’ve known some brides who went overboard with decorations and made a lot of enemies out of former friends by the end of the night. That has to be hard on the marriage, also.
Very sweet and wow, you realize how tall Tom is seeing the two of you in the wedding video. Your relationship is very inspiring and the love you have for each other was evident that day and today. Thanks for sharing.
How tall is Tom anyway...anyone know?
I cared so much more about the marriage, too, than the wedding. So happy 35 years later. This was a fun video to watch.
That's so sweet. :) People don't need to go into debt to have an extravagant wedding. Simple can be beautiful, too, and at the end of the day, you're married!
I love that your dad built a brand new pole barn for the occasion. Love all the stories!
I love this. My husband and I did a very different wedding. We literally only had our parents and siblings at the church...then the following week we had a breakfast reception that was a blast...we had games and activities for the kids and we didn't have a photographer...just encouraged everyone to take pictures and boy did they! Then after our honeymoon we had a photoshoot in our clothes...my husband has anxiety issues and this is what worked best for us. Thanks for sharing I think people see too much of the unrealistic weddings/ family events in the media and forget to invest in the relationships vs. the parties.
We did similar, got our wedding photos done after the wedding at Sears Portrait studio (probably used a coupon, too). That way we focussed on participating not performing. Might not work for everyone, but it worked for us impoverished college students.
As a former wedding coordinator it's so wonderful to see a simple, beautiful, wedding that doesn't put the couple or their parents in debt for years. Your parent's farm is beautiful! And I know what August in Minnesota is like, we lived there four years and always tried to be home in Washington state for at least half of month of August. Happy 13th anniversary!
We eloped, and I'm so glad we did! Marriage has been so much easier than I ever would have thought!
You called it right, Dawn! Marriage IS hard and it is also GREAT!!!! My next anniversary will be number 29 so I have the experience to agree!!!!! Your wedding looked perfect! I am glad you look back on it as a really wonderful day! The farm looked so good too.
Small weddings are absolutely the best!
We had a very small church wedding and got so many things super cheap. My mom said it was around $1200. My dress was a white prom dress, so only $90. The band was free because they were already booked for the Moose Club where our reception was in the basement of that evening. Our head table centerpiece was created mainly from flowers from my high school homecoming and prom bouquets ( thank you old boyfriends! Lol) we just celebrated our 36th anniversary... 4 kids and 7 grandchildren so far!
Such a beautiful wedding video! My husband proposed to me on Valentine's Day in 1985 and we got married on August 2, 1986. Five kids and 3 grandkids later I'll agree that marriage is hard but I wouldn't trade a single day of it! You 2 are the cutest and I love watching all your videos!💕
I know Pastor Gary!! Small world!
My sister and I both live in Turkey and found your channel independently of eachother. I think we both love the familiarity of a fellow Minnesotan as well as how accessible your content is!
Thanks for all the work you guys do!! It’s helped make our homes more restful and mange ministry and family with more peace.
Mine was just like yours, and my in laws took opportunity to do some upgrades to the exterior of the house as we had an outdoors ceremony and reception. We met in February, engaged in May and married in October all in the same year. Here we are 24 years later 😍 You guys are solid!!
Your parents’ farm is beautiful❣️ You people are salt of the earth, and I really, really appreciate your channel. 😚
Oh my gosh look at you guys!!!! 😍 So sweet! (Tom’s taking NO PRISONERS on these dates. 🤣)
I would've paid good money to get married on a farm like this. So beautiful! You two are so sweet!🥰
I dont know why I got teary eyed watching this. Beautiful wedding.
What a wonderful wedding day! My hubby and i had a minimalist wedding too. A borrowed wedding dress (only purchased veil and shoes) and hubby wore a Macys suit and shoes. A handful of small floral bouquets, a cheap friend-of-family photographer. The big splurge was the food. My uncle worked in the restaurant business and gifted us a variety of seafood and wine for the dinner reception. We had 60 guests and, oh, an accordion player for music. It was small, it was fun and mostly family....and everyone really loved the food! We did get pretty and yummy wedding cake-3 tier.
“I’d like that in the video.....” Lol🤣
Happy Valentines Day weekend Dawn and Tom!💕
Loved seeing that footage of younger Tom and Dawn! Your wedding did look like fun! Thanks for sharing.
I got married on March 7th 1982. Mum was never keen on church weddings and all my sisters had been married in a church (mil pressure). When I asked mum if we could get married in her front garden she was delighted, her whole face lit up. Now, this is how things went. Mum and Dad lived in a small town in south-west Western Australia. My husband and I paid for the Marriage Celebrant, Mum made my dress. It was knee length with shoulder straps and a matching long sleeve jacket, all made out of swiss cotton, she also paid for the cake. The cake was single layer 12 inches by 12-inch fruit cake. Dad paid for the drinks. We had the wedding in their front garden and the reception was a barbecue out the back. We had a best man and a matron of honour (friends who were a married couple) and she made her dress to match mine in daffodil yellow. There were a total of 30 people there, all but 8 of the relatives. The 11 women all got together and arranged for each of them to bring a different dish for the reception. My uncle was a cattle farmer and had one of his steers butchered for the barbecue. The funniest part was I was sitting in mum and dads bedroom all dressed up and going nowhere feeling like something should be happening. Dad came racing in and said, "Come on we've got a wedding to go to". To which I replied, "You bloody well forgot me, didn't you?" He then admitted that he'd been standing outside enjoying the late afternoon autumn sunshine when one of my sisters gave him a huge nudge in the ribs and asked him very loudly in front of everyone "Oi Dad, don't you think you ought to go get the bride?" The whole thing cost about $100 and that was shared amongst most of the adults.
I know this is a super old comment, but my goodness, your wedding sounds like it was just delightful. Many well wishes!
Photos are always worth the money. Lovely to have permanent memories!
Back in January 2004, we got married after 3 weeks of planning while apartment hunting. My family helped create the silk flower bouquets one fun evening. We got married in church and reserved the apartment club room. My friend catered cheese, crackers, veggie trays and minnie cream puffs and eclairs. Very economical, intimate and fun.
You both are so sweet. Beautiful wedding!
It looks a beautiful wedding. Mine was in February so it was cold. My bridesmaids were freezing during the outdoor photos but I was just sort of glowing so I didn’t notice. Ours was a simple wedding too, arranged in about six months and I saved a lot on the dresses. My dress was second hand from someone who lived near my parents( £70) and my three bridesmaids could all sew so I bought them all the fabric and a pattern and left them to it.
I think this is one of the best videos you have done together! This needs to be shown more often! Your parents farm is amazing! Loved it! 💕💕💕
And Tom continues to sweep you off your feet! The proposal was the perfect time to influence youth & the wedding was perfection~ The dress was meant for you and yes the food is important. (awesome parents!) Maybe Tom needs one of the new rubber rings ? My husband calls it a stunt ring.
I feel you on the event! Ours was very simple too. I just wanted to make sure we had our preacher, food, & a photographer. 🙏🏻 Our moms made it just right. It came together perfectly. Most of our families were there and it ended up being a great day.
We can all tell you have a Great marriage by how much you laugh together!!
Wow, Dawn, your bridesmaids dresses are totally adorable and could definitely be worn any time as a fun summer dress. Good choice!
That was really nice picking you up and carrying you! When my daughter called me and said ... she said YES TO THE DRESS! I said ... what ... who? Donna ... my granddaughter!
Your Wedding was AWESOME!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🌈🙏🏻🙏🏻🌹
Your parents’ home is breathtaking! Such a gorgeous place! And your wedding was so sweet!
Weddings can be done on a budget! Mine cost $200, and we were married 2 weeks after he proposed! My wedding dress was borrowed, my husband was a member of the church where we had the ceremony, reception was a cake reception and my mom’s neighbor and friend baked my cake! My sisters were my attendants and they each made and paid for their dresses. Flowers were kept to a minimum and a friend took all the pictures.
My daughter got married in September 2020 so it was truly a minimalist wedding. The guest list went from 120 to 27. It was beautiful anyway and I was able to give them the money I would have spent on a larger wedding.
I slightly envied 2020 weddings. Mine was very simple but to not have so many people would have been nice lol
I got married in June, 2020. We had a small, intimate wedding, and I actually liked everybody who was there. 🤣
@@Muchacha2024 And knew them all as well, not friends or coworkers of parents or dates of relatives.
You ran out of wine 🍷 at your wedding 👰🏼 💒 too? ❤️🙌😂 Someone call Mary and Jesus we need a wedding at Cana miracle🙏❤️🙌🍷! That is so funny that you had a biblical wedding experience ❤️🙏✨
Hahaha, love it!!!
@@TheMinimalMom Yay 😃 Lol Glad you love 💕 it! 🙌
That's what I thought as well... the sky parted, Jesus came down and transformed the water into 🍷🍷😂😂
We also had a simple wedding and it was fantastic. People still talk about it almost 23 years later and tell me how much they loved it. We spent maybe $3,000; married in my parents’ backyard (they lived in a neighborhood with neighbors right next door and all around); and it was super casual. I wore my Birkenstocks. We did the flowers, decorations, set up, take down, everything but the food and it was so much fun. My mom and I had a great time planning it ourselves. Little to no stress - aside from the tornado warnings all around us just before we began (May in Alabama, what are ya gonna do?), absolutely zero debt because of it, and we “partied” for over 6 hours that night.
There is no such thing as perfection and too many times I’ve seen brides fall apart over the lack of it. It doesn’t exist.
Enjoy it because the day goes by so very fast and before you know it, it’s over. Do you honestly want to be thousands of dollars in debt for one day?
Ours was simple, fun and pretty much stress free. Apparently it made a good impression on our friends and family who attended as well.
Absolute attention to detail performed with much love. A rare occurrence. ❤️
Your wedding was beautiful. I love how simply elegant everything was.
Tom had such a baby face! You had a gorgeous wedding and looks like you had fun ❤️
Looove your wedding! And we have a mutual friend! He is in a bright blue dress shirt - he wore it as an usher in our wedding that same year in June. 😂👏 I was like "Hey that's T! And the shirt he wore in our wedding!!" 😃 I bet I saw you from afar at a campus ministry and didn't even know it.
"Weddings are great, marriage is hard." Lol - so true. ❤ Love your channel!
Now I know why I enjoy watching your videos so much...we’re just so similar. I also had a small wedding, ceremony was outside at a park and I think I wore the other short dress. I remember trying on the one you chose and there was a lace version that reminded me of my grandma who had passed. It was on clearance for $100. Great wedding story! 😁
That is more the style wedding I wanted! It was way more than I wanted (tho it was still wonderful). I love this!!! I wish more people liked this style because I think it is perfect! To me it was more about spending time with the people we loved and cared about than being all fancy (again, there is NOTHING wrong with that lol...) Good job guys :)
Oh, Thank you for sharing the story with us!!! Your wedding was absolutely beautiful!!! The farm was GORGOUS!!! I also had a short wedding dress! So special you've got video of the whole thing!
Dawn and Tom, just loved this video. Loved to see the wedding . Dawn, your family farm is beautiful! Who knew that your wedding would be the foreshadowing of what was to come with minimalism. Didn’t those 12 years just fly by? Try 32! Thank you for sharing. Happy Valentines Day!
Thank you for sharing these beautiful memories with us! And much appreciation for the giraffe print on the bridesmaids' dresses!
What a beautiful wedding and day! Thanks for sharing as too many Weddings now days are too over the top but my best memories was my Great Aunt wrote our vows and married us in a small church with close family and friends 49 years ago in Jan 2021.
Love this!!!!!! 😍 We watch our wedding video on our anniversary every year. When our girls were toddlers and watched it for the first time. They cried, cried the entire time because everyone they knew was there, and they weren't! 🤣 It was very funny, even though we had to console them for awhile! That was one of our best investments also- an awesome videographer!
Your Wedding Day was not simple it was "Simply Beautiful!" Friends, fun, and good food are the most important parts. They are the memories!
Your wedding looked absolutely perfect.💯 Praise God for beautiful weather to make your special day the best it could be.🎶 My husband and I have been married 7 & 1/2 years now~! As a Midwestern girl from smalltown Wisconsin, getting married in a fancy wedding hall in Seoul wasn't something I had ever imagined...😂 But we had a gorgeous wedding that was special especially because of all the supportive guests who attended to encourage & celebrate our new marriage~🎉 Most of the guests were our students and coworkers from the private Christian school were we worked at (& met at). We both regret how expensive our wedding was but it paid for itself I guess. That's just the typical way to do it here.🤷♀️ I wouldn't have minded something less elaborate but it was too hard to figure out a venue & all the extras...so we just let the wedding hall take care of all the details for us. They did give us wonderful photos & video, too, so that was nice.💙
Anyway, weddings are fun, but the important thing is the marriage...and a good marriage is all God's grace.🙌
Thanks for sharing your beautiful story & know that I'm cheering on your marriage, too!🙏🎶💞
Your wedding feels lovely. Your dress looks cute on you, Dawn. Aww, those tender moments between you and Tom (more please). It's so cool that your kids actually get to watch mom & dad taking their vows. That will make a lasting impression. May you stay forever young and always (always) be in love.
How nice of you to share this, a lovely wedding and you all looked fabulous! A special, beautiful time and day.
We were married on my aunt's farm with a tent in the yard. All for $5,000 and it is still the best wedding we've ever been to. Just a big party with all of our family and best friends!
Very fun to hear about your wedding. Ours was very minimalist/affordable. We got engaged in late July and the wedding was at the end of September the same year in a local church. I was operating a home daycare at the time, and planned everything in those few weeks, with help from my daughter (all by telephone and online) and around the daycare kids. We were very budget, as both of us were seniors or almost, and low income. All invitations were created by my daughter and emailed out to about 150 people, but invitations were sorta open to anyone as the reception was somewhat organized potluck!! so we asked people to let us know they were coming and we'd have a spot at a table or them. My mom provided soup from a local restaurant. Church ladies oversaw the kitchen, nieces helped keep the tables loaded and a cousin made an amazing chocolate pecan cheesecake as her gift for the wedding part. I, the bride, was the only person in the wedding party who wore new clothes. I picked flowers from ditches and farmers' fields the morning of, also borrowed potted flowers from neighbours. We said no gifts expected, but if people wanted to give something beyond potluck food, then gift cards are best. We received some cash, a few "items" most of which we haven't really used, 8.5 years later. It is possible to have a lovely wedding with minimal cost. A photojournalist friend took our pictures and gave us a USB key with them on it. That was his gift. Now we're both retired and have no regrets about not having had a big wedding debt (!) and we had as good a time as many weddings without the expense. I highly recommend going minimalist.
This was so beautiful, Dawn! What a beautiful bride you were! I love that the wedding was on your parents farm, that is so special! The farm is absolutely beautiful! God is so good! My wedding day was in June and it was beautiful weather as well! God bless you both!
You two are the cutest couple ever. Your wedding was beautiful and is exactly how I think a wedding should be. Thank you for sharing and Happy Valentine’s.
Tom & Dawn ,you are a perfect example of what a husband and wife is & should be. Your children are blessed to have you as their mom & dad . You've set a Christ like meaning of two people who love each other & work things out together. Don't let anything happen to that precious film of your wedding day.Your children will cherish it forever. May you have many blessed, healthy & spirit filled days together in the coming years.Thanks so much for sharing! ❤💒
Sounds like a dream wedding to me! Absolutely beautiful!💕
Your wedding was lovely. You two are the perfect example of why not to spend or stress too much on a wedding..it’s one day, but you obviously have a wonderful, successful marriage filled with love, friendship and fun.
So gorgeous! How wonderful to have all that footage from the wedding. We also got married in August of 2008!! And we also had the same regret, not investing in a really good photographer. We used a family friend to save $.
Silicone rings!!! Safe for working with your hands and where there is risk of having hand crushed or getting caught on a tool or machine
I second this! I wear one now & wish I had them while pregnant (with finger swelling). So comfortable.
"weddings are great. Marriage is hard. I'm glad we have happy memories to look back on." 🤣 I'm also glad you two come across as a happy and healthy couple, and that those of us who've been around for a while know you're happy and healthy together and work hard on your marriage even through the tough spots lol! This was a lovely video and really does look like you had an awesome wedding. I could relate to a lot of what you said about values related to the wedding... I do have some regrets looking back (wish I'd been willing to spend a little more than $40 to get a dress I liked more!) But overall, investing more financially in life after the wedding rather than putting a ton of money into the event was sooo worth it for us. It can be simple and gorgeous and meaningful at the same time!!!
My father was our officiant. The service was in my childhood church and the reception was in the fellowship hall in the basement. Finger food and cake were the only food. Simple flowers, two attendants total, my brother-in-law took photos. The best part of the service was all the music, performed by our college friends ❤️ We were also poor and wanted to keep the day simple.
Beautiful! A friend of mine got married 25+ years ago - I was a bridesmaid and was with her when she “said yes to the dress”. The night before the wedding, she decided she wanted it just below the knee, so she cut it off! She could see, and it was beautiful, but talk about surprises!
I loved hearing your love story. It brought back many memories for me too during that time. I was a volunteer youth leader out of college and all my friends were getting married and so many things you guys did reminded me of that.
Beautiful. We had our wedding in a friend’s parents backyard 😃 & Kept it simple. Only regret- not having a videographer or video of it.
👰💖👍Wonderful celebrating story! Beth cheerfully and faithfully Subscribed in N.W.Montana
What a lovely video. Thank you for sharing your wedding memories with us. It was obviously a wonderful day. 😍 Our wedding was really simple too - we only had 26 at the wedding dinner including the photographer, who was a colleague of my mum. (Ours was the first wedding he had photographed, and the pictures were lovely.) We didn't bother hiring cars or a hairdresser/make-up artist, we had a store-bought cake and invitations, and we didn't bother with a first dance. It was just about as simple as you could get, but it was a great day and everyone was so relaxed. We opted to have the dinner in a country pub so people could order whatever food they wanted on the day, which was a nice change to a traditional fixed menu. Weddings really don't have to be huge or fancy to be special, and ours was perfect for us. Xx
LOVE the comment ''Weddings are grate Marriage is hard" !
My husband and I had a minimalist wedding! All that matters is the love you share! Our wedding was beautiful and probably costed no more than 1,000$, we’ve been married almost 13 years now and we love each other more today than then. I have a Sister that had a 10,000$ wedding, they were married a little over a year and divorced. So sad! But all that matters is love not the material side of it ❤️
You and Tom remind me so much of my husband and I, you can tell you love one another ❤️
This was so beautiful! Thank you for sharing. It’s always nice to see your parents and Uncle Eric.
Love your wedding footage! We did something very very similar with a small wedding. Neither of our parents could afford much so we just had whatever we could afford. My parents hosted in their beautiful back yard and paid for the catering and his parents helped with all of the deserts and some of the decor (putting together bouquets and center pieces). We used the large pickle jars for center pieces and filled them with flowers from a local greenhouse. I made 90% of everything else and my sister did my hair and make up. It was a really great simple day with the theme of garden party and yard games. I wish I could relive it again!
Looks like mine a little bit. We got married in front of the lake, in my parents-in-law backyard, with a celebrant. About 15 people in attendance. My dress was a simple bridesmaid dress in white, with flowers in my hair. We did the flowers 2 days prior, dropping in the flower shop with the demand to make a bouquet and bouquettieres in whatever nice color/flower they had on hands. It turned out beautiful. After the private vows we went for pictures, then had the extended family join us for an afternoon of games, dinner at a local restaurant (pre-made menu), and a night of dancing outside underneath a big tent. It was magic and perfect, and 10 years later it is still a perfect day in our mind
I just watched this for the first time. Beautiful. And wow- your boys look like their dad- and you looked more like your sister than you seem to now.
The beautiful wedding of two beautiful people! Thanks so much for sharing it with us!💕🥂
"Yesterday it was not!" Laughing so hard!!!!! Beautiful video, I enjoyed the journey.
Thank you! 37 years ago I married another missionary in Japan. It was super low budget, but full of meaning, joy, and beauty. Many said it was a best wedding they had ever been to. We thought so, but the marriage has been even better! I always tell people who get engaged the advice we got-rather than hyper focusing on a wedding that lasts a few hours, focus on preparing for your marriage which lasts for years! We don’t regret a thing!
Love this so much! You two were so young and beautiful. But I have to say, you’ve only gotten better with a little age. You inspire me!
That was a beautiful wedding , you looked so pretty
Dawn and Tom, you have the best attitude. A good marriage is the most important thing, not the wedding day. On our wedding day, many, many things went wrong, especially the weather. We had a severe wind and rain storm. But, it didn’t matter. Our honeymoon was overshadowed by a hurricane. But it didn’t matter. All that mattered was we would get to spend the rest of our lives together. And we are blessed to be celebrating 40 years this year. Many God bless you both with many happy (yes, sometimes challenging!) years together. ❤️
Oh my gosh Dawn, you are my absolute favorite! I had the EXACT same conversation about our ring/engagement with my husband when we were dating 😂 And our weddings were so similar...simple but beautiful at the same time.
You wedding was beautiful. I have to tell you that you have been the positive change that I needed in my life and what is so amazing about the change is that I started watching you during COVID. You have been such an inspiration, with living a more simplified life, interacting with my family and lifting up my faith. It is funny because I am pretty sure that one of your bridesmaids grew up in the church I grew up in Rochester, MN. Maybe you attended when you lived here? (Autumn Ridge or if it was in our original location it was called 1st B). Thank you so much for your posts and for sharing a simple, down to earth, positive, faith based (even though you are not obnoxious about sharing your faith you can tell that you are a follower, because of your kind, gentle, and uplifting spirit) and I appreciate that! I look forward to your posts each week and love the Sunday posts with Diana as well. Stay warm and healthy to you and your family.
In my wedding budget, the photos where the most of the whole budget. But I was into photography and when family pushed about the expense, I responded, "after it is over, the photographs are all that I will have left." Which is very true. The video I have was done by my sisiters boyfriend at the time and so not the greatest. It's fine . It was fun seeing your wedding.
yeah I spent a 1/3 of my budget on photos! I will never regret that!
I tried to push for even just a mediocre photographer but my husband knew a budding artist and boy did we get what we paid ($150.00) for😬🙄 that is one of our biggest regrets about our wedding.
My husband of 31 years recorded golf over our wedding video. Haha. Thank goodness we did have a photographer. Your wedding looked perfect and beautiful!
You two are so sweet! But since the moment you mentioned ring shopping, I've had the Rochester Lapidary Jewelers jungle stuck in my head. 😄
I really enjoyed watching your wedding video. I personally loved the flip flops. I'm a California girl so they are right up my alley. This just let's us get to know you better. Thanks for sharing, especially about living your faith out.
Our wedding was much the same. Being poor and young, we stayed within our parents' budget and used a fire hall that cost only $500 and included a bartender and the soda on tap! The band was from the naval base where my dad worked - but they were actually good! The food from the recommended caterer was good and we decorated the hall ourselves the day before. We made the same mistake with our photographer. I love that our friend did it for the cost of film as a gift, but many important shots were missed and he ran out of film. We were broke and 32 years later I finally put them in an album with slip-in 4x6 slots. But hey - we still have the memories and the story to tell! The weather was perfect and guests talked about our wedding for years.