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Photography by Moore Photography

Photography by Moore Photography

Photography by Moore Photography

Photography by Moore Photography

Photography by Moore Photography

Photography by Moore Photography

Photography by Moore Photography

Photography by Moore Photography

Photography by Moore Photography

Photography by Moore Photography

Photography by Moore Photography

Couple has traditional ceremony at Albert Lea church followed by reception at Three Oak Winery

Photography by Moore Photography

Bride: Rachel (Jensen) Augustine
Livelihood: Project manager, sales training and marketing

Groom: Kyle Augustine
Livelihood: Power lineman

Wedding date: Aug. 20, 2022

Where was your wedding and reception?

Our wedding ceremony was at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. Our wedding reception was at Three Oak Winery in Albert Lea

Why did you choose those locations?

We chose First Lutheran Church as Rachel is a member of the church. We chose Three Oak Winery because we knew we wanted to keep all components of the wedding local to Albert Lea. Our wedding theme was boho with natural colors and florals. The winery fit that perfectly. The winery is a beautiful space with elements that fit our theme effortlessly.

Did you have a theme for the wedding?

We did! Boho was the base — natural colors with mixed textures and pops of sparkle/glam incorporated throughout.

Tell us about the dress.

There’s a story behind the dress — I’ve wanted a Hayley Paige dress since my mom and I had started watching “Say Yes to the Dress” on TLC, just without the price tag.

I loved her style and her big skirts on every dress. During the process of getting dress inspo and making dress shopping appointments, I had sent my mom one photo of the top half of a Hayley Paige dress that I saw online and said we have to find this dress. Our first stop was at A&Be Bridal in Minneapolis. Though I was nervous when we walked in because the store was not something I could see myself finding a dress at, we started tossing dresses into the fitting room. Low and behold, the dress that I had sent to my mom, made it in there. I tried it on, got overwhelmed and took it off thinking that wasn’t it. Tried on a few more and came back to that dress. Put it back on and that’s when I knew — I knew it was my dress, and I also realized that it was THE dress. The one I was determined to find and try on. The best part? They had it on the sample rack so it was on major sale. A win-win!

The cliff notes version, though, is that the dress came from A&Be bridal in Minneapolis. It’s a Hayley Paige dress with a full skirt (literally 12 layers of tulle) and a beaded top. The top also had rhinestones with straps.

Tell us about the flowers. 

Our flowers were through Stargazer Designs, based out of Owatonna. The bouquets were loosely put together with a mix of light-colored roses, grasses, greenery and other fun textured elements. Our centerpieces were similar to the bouquets.

Other decorations?

All of our décor was also through Stargazer Designs. Michelle is a dream-maker and created our visions so incredibly perfect. We had rattan chandeliers in our tent that brought it to another level. We had fun, textured linens on our accent tables. We rented triangle arches to use at the entrance and behind the head table for a focal point.

Our custom signage was through Paperlane Design. We had acrylic signs painted in our wedding colors for the bar, buffet, dessert and our welcome sign.

Our polaroid guest book was one of the best decisions ever. We ended up with amazing photos from the evening.

Tell us about the cake.

We kept the cake simple but elegant. Sassy Sweets made us a white cake with white frosting that we had a gold cake topper for.

What was your favorite detail?

Our favor table. We weren’t keen on having traditional wedding favors. And we also weren’t keen on honoring those who couldn’t be there with us through a framed photo or lit candle. We wanted more and something substantial, for both. So we combined them.

Our wedding favors consisted of four individual favors, to represent each of the four people in our life that couldn’t be there with us that day. For example, we had a gin and tonic paired together for our grandpa, as that was his favorite beverage. We had packets of flower seeds for our step-grandma, as she loved to garden. Guests could take their pick on which favor they wanted. It was unique and really special to our friends and family.

What were you most nervous about?

Kyle: Watching Rachel walk down the aisle.

Rachel: Being late, for everything. But in all seriousness, everyone says the day goes by so quickly, I was nervous that I was going to miss big moments or not be fully present because I’d be so busy.

What was your most memorable moment?

Seeing the day come together and walking into the tent upon arriving to the reception. You plan ferociously and have this vision that you hope will come to life, and we both won’t forget how perfectly everything came together. We were speechless.

We had a lot of friends and family travel in from out of town — it was incredible seeing all of the people who show up for you — and getting to share the best day of our lives with our best people.

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