Josie + Jason | Modern Fall Barn Wedding

One evening at a get together in the small Central Minnesota town of Willmar, two college students happened to bump into one another, began a conversation, and hit it off quickly. To this day, the couple disputes who initiated the conversation and who asked for the other’s number first. And on September 12, 2020, they held an elegant fall barn wedding celebration.

Jason, a Cardiopulmonary Rehab Therapist, and Josie, a nanny, spent much of their early relationship bonding at Jason’s cabin on Nest Lake. This is where Jason would propose on a chilly winter day in December, “I had told Josie that we were going to meet some friends in St. Cloud to have dinner and go out,” Jason explains. “That morning as Josie was getting ready for ‘dinner’, we both very distinctly remember her mom laying out an outfit for her to wear and trying to get her to wear certain shoes rather than her moccasins that she ultimately ended up wearing.” On their way to St. Cloud, Jason said they were stopping by the same cabin they spent so much time in just to see it. Because it was so cold, Josie did not want to get out of the car so he popped the question right outside of the car. Following that, they celebrated with their parents and friends.

As they began planning their 200-person fall barn wedding, it was clear that  Ashery Lane Farms was the venue for them as soon as they saw the spacious and beautiful property. Josie and Jason, who now reside in Shakopee, describe the theme of their day as “elegant and romantic” and chose to incorporate simple greenery, white, and gold elements throughout the floral and décor. As for the design, they wanted their day to feel modern, seasonal, and classic.

To match the timeless elegance of the theme, Josie wore a tulle bridal ball gown with a deep sweetheart neckline and a cascading banded tulle skirt. “I knew it was the one because my mom found it first and I really liked it after trying it on. I guess what they say is true that mom knows best,” reminisces the bride. The bridesmaids chose their own silhouettes in an ombre of blue tones, and the groomsmen looked classy in simple black suits with white shirts and black ties. Jason also wore a black suit but rocked a white tie and vest.

As many modern couples do, Jason and Josie did their first look before the ceremony. They both agreed that this was their favorite moment of the day next to the gorgeous dove release as their unity ceremony.

After their picturesque outdoor vows set in front of an apple orchard, guests entered the modern-meets-rustic barn reception space. For cocktail hour, they enjoyed pulled chicken tacos, goat cheese and cotija paninis, and chicken spring rolls. The main course consisted of a sautéed farmhouse chicken breast with potato gnocchi, parsnips, carrot, parmesan, and black pepper butter sauce. They could also choose salmon with asparagus, crème Fraiche, Yukon gold potato puree and herb pesto. Dessert was a decadent triple chocolate torte or white raspberry torte.

The bride states that for wedding planning couples, they should “Plan as a couple rather than as an individual. Do not rush the process either, allow a sufficient amount of time so that you can enjoy the process as much as possible.” She goes on to say their engagement was about one and a half years long which was a perfect amount of time to plan their dream fall barn wedding. She also advises to “Create a day-of and day-before timeline to send to your wedding party and applicable people to save on unnecessary questions of where to be and when.” The groom emphasizes to focus on what’s really important, “Don’t sweat so much of the small things coming together. On that day the important thing will be having each other and your friends and family present.”

Their original honeymoon plans of jetting to St. Lucia were modified due to COVID, so they took a tranquil trip to South Lake Tahoe instead. “Our favorite part was being able to spend over a week’s worth of quality one-on-one time. We also loved our time hiking in the mountains and driving through the mountains along the lake. The scenery was unreal. We most definitely will be re-planning our St. Lucia trip though.”

Vendors Cont.  — Stationery: Minted | Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids | Bridal Accessories: Nordstroms | Beauty: Lindsay Lickteig | Transportation: Renee’s Limousines | Rings: Jared | Videography: Snowshoe Videography

All images by Vick Photography