Broadcasting Their Love

As fairytales go, the story of Amy Hockert and Chris Dowling is a classic—with a 21st century twist.

Amy, weekend anchor for KARE 11 News in Minneapolis, had all but given up hope of starring in her own Cinderella story, until mutual friends introduced her to California native Chris in June 2005. The catch? The two didn’t actually lay eyes on each other until October. Chris, a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State who was based in Miami, and Amy, busy with reporting duties in Minnesota, met and fell in love over the phone. After four months of phone calls, Chris hopped a plane north to meet Amy in person. The mutual feeling when they first laid eyes on each other?

“We knew right away, it was so easy, there were no games,” says Amy. “It is so magical and beautiful, and the fit is so right, but at the same time I feel like [our relationship] is very realistic.”

After an intimate proposal with the perfect ring , the two set the date—July 8, 2006. Then Amy launched into full planning mode. With a window of ninety days from proposal to aisle walk, three-hundred invitations to assemble by hand, two receptions (one in Minnesota, one in California) to plan, and a fiancé living nearly 2,000 miles away, the stress could have been overwhelming for the thirty-something professional, but she recruited her family and friends and walked away with the wedding of her dreams. Her advice? Do your homework, shop around, and don’t compromise on what’s important.

Read on to learn Amy and Chris’s top tips for planning a perfect event in a hurry, shared exclusively with the Mpls.St.Paul Wedding Guide.

Makeup: “Bonnie Erickson, who is the stylist for KARE 11, doesn’t just use any old makeup—she is a wizard with her air-brush machine. It gives you a flawless look, but isn’t heavy. In fact, it’s so light, when you wash it off, you can hardly see it go down the drain.” You don’t need to be a news anchor to get a lasting look for your big day. Erickson is a freelance makeup artist who often works out of MarcDaniel Salon in Maple Grove.

Bridesmaid’s Dress: “I had just one bridesmaid, Sarah, and her dress fell through about eight days out, so we had to start from scratch. Flutter Boutique has samples in the store. There was a full-length, very plain, A-Line dress in a pale pink, and when we put a brown sash around the waist, it was just adorable.”

Wedding Gown: “I narrowed it down to a couple of different dresses that I loved, but I realized that my dream dress only existed in my dreams.” After trying on lace sheath gowns at Bridal Accents Couture and Monique Lhuillier, Amy recruited the help of Twin Cities seamstress Donna Duchene, purchased vintage lace from a fabric store in New York, and pieced together her dream gown. “It was more affordable than I thought, and I worked with the seamstress every step of the way. I was so thrilled with the dress when it was finished—definitely my dream dress.” 

Rehearsal Dinner: “We wanted to have our rehearsal dinner at M&S Grill for a few reasons: The food and service are amazing, but more important, it was where we ate the night we got engaged.”

Wedding & Reception Site: “I was on the Internet, and the moment Cedarhurst Mansion popped up on my monitor, I knew that’s where I wanted to have it. It’s a Southern plantation in the middle of Cottage Grove! The only difficulty was trimming our guest list, because the venue only holds about a hundred people for dinner.”

The Guests: In addition to a guest list of one-hundred-plus family members and friends, “Five of my relatives [flew in] from Korea. I’m so flattered they came all this way. They don’t even speak the language, but it didn’t matter.” As a special gift to Amy’s out-of-country relatives, the officiant prepared a welcome in Korean.

Giving off Sparkles
Chris Dowling, a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, is the kind of guy who plans ahead. In fact, when he began looking at diamonds during a business trip to Israel (a country famous for the gems), his long-distance romance with Amy Hockert was just getting off the ground.

“I figured, ‘I’m not planning on getting engaged right now, but while I’m here I might as well look into it and get myself a diamond for when I do get engaged.’” 

Chris’s research led him back to the U.S. and to the Harry Kotlar Cushion. Introduced in 2003, the Kotlar Cushion is based on an antique cushion cut popular in the 1800s, but modern cutting techniques and sixty-one facets increase the diamond’s brilliance and sparkle.

“When I saw it I was just blown away; it was kind of like it was on fire,” says Chris.

With Amy somewhere in the back of his mind, Dowling selected a Kotlar Cushion diamond set in an artisan band.

“I wanted to keep the band small and delicate, like I would give to a princess,” he says.

When the time came to propose, Chris’s planning paid off. On March 24, 2006, his princess said yes—to him and to the gorgeous ring. —S.A.
The Kotlar Cushion is available in the Twin Cities exclusively at Scheherazade Jewelers in Edina at the Galleria. 952-926-2455.