Seasons of Love: Spring

Lake Minnetonka is so inextricably linked to Kelly Bollinger’s life that it was only fitting that her fiancé, Greg, proposed on her parents’ dock on Memorial Day weekend 2007. “I grew up on the lake and have a very close relationship with my parents and their house,” she says. “My memories revolve around being out on the boat and going out to an island and having a picnic, getting an inner tube, and floating all day. It’s a peaceful place where I can be myself. When I met Greg, the lake came to be a huge part of him as well.”

After a long friendship, a confession that they had crushes on each other, and a courtship, Kelly said yes to Greg. Inspired by their time on the water together, she says, “We wanted to incorporate the lake, because it’s really our place.”

Although spring is her favorite season, Kelly says she hadn’t dreamed of a spring wedding. But when she called the Lafayette Club in Minnetonka Beach—the bridal venue she’d dreamed of since girlhood—May dates were her only option until July, which she felt could be too hot.

Spring became the perfect backdrop. A light Tiffany blue was the prominent color—including bridesmaids’ dresses and the cake. White lilies floated in water atop the reception tables, and custom-designed save-the-dates and invitations arrived light and airy in guests’ mailboxes. Kelly planned ahead for inclement weather, warding off potential chill with white pashminas and planning for rain with matching umbrellas. “I was going to make the most of it if it rained,” she says.

Spring can be unpredictable here, but May 17 turned out to be the first beautiful spring day of the year: Tulips lining the road to the venues were at their showy best and greenery exploded into life around shining Lake Minnetonka. After the ceremony at Wayzata Community Church, the bridal party cut loose and climbed aboard a yacht. They set sail across Lake Minnetonka to the Lafayette Club, for a spectacular reception entrance.