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Old Hollywood Meets Rock ‘n’ Roll » Elegant and Timeless » High-Fashion Focus »

Old Hollywood Meets Rock ‘n’ Roll

Blair Steffend & Bryan Shackle, October 4, 2008

Photography by Jayne M. Schulte

Blair and Bryan Shackle have a lot of creative energy—she works as a producer at Twin Cities radio station FM107 and as a freelance photo stylist, and he is a graphic designer and sings with local rock band the ReadyGoes.

Engaged in December 2007 after dating for five years, Blair says, “I thought we knew each other inside and out, but we didn’t know each other while planning the wedding. I think we’ve really grown as a couple, to be honest, with a lot of compromise and communication, from trying to understand each other’s views. It took us awhile to come down that road, and I think a lot of people go through the same thing, but don’t want to admit it.” In the end, she says, they both wanted the other person to be happy, so they found ways to create their dream day together.

Blair was ready to start planning right after their engagement, but, she says, Bryan encouraged her to wait until after the holidays. “I have a vision and strong opinions about things, and so does Bryan,” she says, laughing. “But he’s a lot more diplomatic, which I really appreciate.” So, Blair began pursuing her “vision”—perhaps based on tenacity, budget consciousness, and creativity inherited from her former-newscaster, design-guru mom, Joan Steffend.

Blair’s Advice Just know that everything will work out. Enjoy your day—don’t stress over small things. Remember to grab your new husband at the reception, go off to a private location, look out at all your guests having fun, and share some much-needed down time with him for a few minutes. It really helps you take everything in.

Blair found her dress the first time out—which both excited and disappointed her. She chose a Nicole Miller Grecian-style column gown that reflects her glamorous style, and it features both “sweet and hard elements, like me.” A great dress was a priority in their budget, so she scored a $20 veil from target.com to complement it.

Choosing the venue took a little more time. Initially, the couple considered Jax Café for a “really old-school” event—they wanted an Old Hollywood feel—but family suggested the Varsity Theater. Blair says she and Bryan hesitated, since he had played so many shows at the theater. However, once owner Jason McLean showed them the venue decorated for a wedding, they were sold.

“It was out of a Hollywood movie,” Blair says. “It was dramatic, deep—the lighting was perfect. It was really sensual.”

The theater’s color palette accentuated the rich, warm feel of the wedding: black, burgundy, ivory, and pops of antique gold—one of the bride’s favorites—graced the reception.

The bridesmaids chose their own black chiffon dresses and carried dramatic bouquets of Sahara roses. Blair wanted each bridesmaid to feel comfortable and express her own style, in dresses that suited their bodies—“I’m really into making people express who they are,” Blair says. The groomsmen and groom rocked black suits with skinny ties.

Photo by Jayne M. Shulte

The ceremony, held at Normandale Lutheran Church, included a particularly emotional moment before the service. Before taking pictures, Bryan waited at the altar for Blair to finish getting ready. “I walked down the aisle, tapped him on the shoulder, he turned around, and we both started crying!” she says. “We were so relieved to see each other. It made the day that much more special because we had a private moment together before all the hoopla.”

After the ceremony, the newlyweds hopped in a vintage car and cruised for forty-five minutes, taking in “beautiful Minneapolis” and decompressing from the high they’d just experienced.

Then it was on to the Varsity, to eat lovely passed hors d’oeuvres and enjoy a full buffet catered by the Loring Pasta Bar. “We wanted everyone to feel full, happy, and completely taken care of,” she says. Adding to the Rat Pack feel was a (candy) cigarette girl, a surprise for guests at the reception.

“I do feel like the wedding is a rock star moment to shine, a moment on the red carpet,” Blair says. “I’m OK with that, I think that’s really fun.”

Ceremony: Normandale Lutheran Church
Reception: Varsity Theater
Catering: Loring Pasta Bar
Dress: Nicole Miller, from Bridal Accents Couture
Groom’s Suit: Calvin Klein, from Men’s Wearhouse
Rings: David Yurman, from 
Neiman Marcus
Flowers: Loft Bridal & Design
Cake/Cupcakes: Queen of Cakes
Cake Topper: Blair’s grandma’s
DJ: Instant Request
Photography: Jayne Schulte Photography
Honeymoon: Maui, Hawaii
Planning Assistance: The Loft Bridal & Design

Wedding planner Sara Nivala’s advice for couples: + There are no rules. You don’t have to be traditional. Or, you can be traditional, but make your wedding personal. + Don’t try to outdo other weddings you’ve seen. Make it your own. + Some of the most memorable, creative, personal weddings are those on a very tight budget. + Sometimes it pays to hire a consultant, even if you have some ideas. A planner can save you time and money in the long run, and connect you with vendors you might not know. Ask if the consultant has an hourly rate. + Don’t do flowers or invitations yourself unless you have the right tools and experience. Often, you’ll end up spending more doing it yourself. + Before you meet with a consultant, try to choose some of the following: venue, dress, color palette. + Think about how you want to remember your day. Then, focus on those things. + You’re spending a lot of time and money, and this can be an emotional process. Remember why you’re getting married in the first place. —Sara Nivala, The Loft Bridal & Design, Lakeville, 952-469-5638

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Elegant and Timeless

Katy Arrell & Jacob Schultz, April 18, 2008

Photography by Olive Juice Studios

“When I look back in thirty years, I want to feel like my wedding is still beautiful,” newlywed Katy Schultz says. “I really wanted it to be elegant and timeless.”

Some of Katy’s ideas were in place even before she and her husband, Jacob, got engaged—she’s attended the Basilica of Saint Mary for about eight years, for one. Then there was Katy’s self-professed “type A, I like things how I like them personality” that might not allow her—and by extension, her mother—to relax and avoid being consumed by details throughout the planning process. What she wanted, especially on her wedding day, was to enjoy it all.

Photo by Olive Juice Studios

So, when Katy fell in love with St. Paul’s Landmark Center and its historical context and intrinsic beauty, she knew she didn’t want to figure out what vendors to hire for the reception there. The Landmark lets couples choose their own caterer, for example, unlike many other venues that provide services in-house. Enter wedding and event planner Joan Nilsen of Ambiente, who Katy simply describes as “awesome.”

“She kept us really on point and gave me checklists, and that way I knew everything was taken care of,” Katy says. “If some little snafu happened, I had no idea, which is great. I’m so lucky to be able to say that. I kept telling myself, ‘Don’t be THAT bride, don’t be the bride that freaks out!”

Nilsen helped Katy and Jacob navigate their way through vendors—choosing D’Amico for catering—and added fun, little surprises for guests to discover around the reception site, such as a photo booth, hidden lounge, a sweets table, and a trolley that transported the wedding party from the church. One of Katy’s co-workers advised the couple to keep the bar close to the dance floor, to keep the floor looking full. Finally, they added late-night mini-burgers and fries. “It wasn’t over the top, but it wasn’t predictable, either,” Katy says. “If you can afford a planner, it’s indispensable and pays for itself over and over.”

Katy’s Advice Planners are indispensable if you can afford them. Remember to enjoy your time and soak it up! It goes fast.

Hiring Nilsen allowed Katy time, for example, to be with her husband, Jacob, watching friends and family have a really good time—a priority, she says, that topped the list. They tried to memorize the moments as the party unfurled around them. “It does go so fast, and I looked around at one point in the reception and saw everyone laughing, and friends smiling and relatives kissing and hugging,” she says. “I just took it all in and felt the love that was in the room, with all the people who had come to celebrate that day for us.”

Photo by Olive Juice Studios

There were other emotional moments, too, like right before she walked down the aisle with her mother. Standing at the back of the church with the doors closed, the organ began to play “Trumpet Tune” by Henry Purcell—which Katy had listened to on CD for so many months—live. “I started breathing really quickly and crying, and realizing we weren’t listening to the CD, it was all really happening,” she says, her voice breaking a bit as she recalls the moment. “But my mom calmed me down, and it was so overwhelming, so surreal to suddenly see all those people who know you’re about to get married.”

Looking back, there isn’t much Katy would change. “I loved it, to be honest. It was everything I wanted it to be.”

Ceremony: Basilica of Saint Mary
Reception: Landmark Center
Dress: Reem Acra, Macy’s
Wedding Bands: Kay Jewelers
Catering: D’Amico Catering
Cake: Cakes by Jan
DJ: Instant Request
Photos: Olive Juice Studios
Video: United Video
Flowers: Pazzobello
Honeymoon: Maui, Hawaii
Planning Assistance: Joan Nilsen, Ambiente

Event planner Joan Nilsen’s advice for couples: + Colors are the best way to attack your plan—color comes into every decision. Color is a highly personal issue. + Cut out photos of things you like—linen, floral arrangements. Then cut out pictures of things you DON’T like. That’s as important for a planner to know as what you do like. Mix what you like for a custom look. + Everything is about planning in advance. Planning your wedding is like peeling an onion, and the actual wedding is at the center. Make a list of the details, to keep track. + Hire a planner whenever you think it’s time. Maybe it’s five minutes after you get engaged. Maybe it’s two months into planning, or maybe you just need help the day of. + The day of, you should only be thinking of your groom and yourself. + DO NOT lose focus of the incredible day ahead of you. Enjoy your engagement and first year of marriage, and married life ahead! —Joan Nilsen, Ambiente, Minneapolis, 612-285-2955

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High-Fashion Focus

Ashley Farbo & Anthony Schulzetenberg, September 5, 2008

Photography by Joshua Stokes Photography

“My absolute mantra is to explore the fantastique of everyday life. Make something unique out of simplicity, but always stay true to yourself,” says Ashley Schulzetenberg, who married her husband, Anthony, on September 5, 2008.

Ultimately, Ashley says, she didn’t want a big wedding. “I just wanted to marry my soulmate,” she says—but there was the need to plan a party for friends and family. (Her family is small, his is large.)

Ashley, who studied under a fashion stylist in New York City and worked with Elle and Interview magazines, now works as a concept designer at Peterson Milla Hooks advertising agency. Anthony is a personal trainer at Calhoun Beach Club and model with Moore Creative Talent, so he has an interest in fashion and design, though Ashley describes it as more “level-headed.”

Photo by Joshua Stokes Photography

Between help from her mother—who served as the bride’s “planner, caterer, and sanity” during this hectic time—and help from friend James Rutherford at Brosseau PR, the couple’s haute wedding began to take shape. Rutherford pointed Ashley to Envy nightclub for the reception and helped her find fashion photographer Josh Stokes, who captured the wedding day with an eye suited to the editorial pages of a fashion magazine.

Ashley chose a high-style strapless Watters dress from a Macy’s sample sale—simple, close-cut, yet with movement. She added a sash to make the dress more of a halter and wore moonstone earrings as her only accessory. She completed the look with suede platforms by Miu Miu.

Ashley says she didn’t want her bridesmaids to wear dresses that would be stashed in the backs of their closets forever, so she chose strapless, knee-length, hot pink dresses from J. Crew. She also asked her maids to purchase blue iris heels from J. Crew.

Ashley’s Advice You can get really worked up and obsessive, like you have to find the perfect napkins, and then it costs a ton, and it doesn’t need to be done that way. There’s this myth that you don’t want the bridesmaids to outshine you. That won’t happen, so let them have fun, too.

“It’s a fun dress I would want, and you could even wear it on a Friday night if you wanted. The shoes, too. They can definitely wear those other times,” she says.

Ashley and Anthony wed at the Basilica, and Anthony’s father, a deacon, performed the ceremony. “I took it seriously, but I wasn’t intimidated by the ceremony,” she says. “To have his dad marry us meant a lot.

“We just wanted the purity of the church and us” and did not decorate the church, she says. Ashley and her bridesmaids carried gladiolus in pink, purple, yellow, and orange.

Photo by Joshua Stokes Photography

The vivid colors and energy carried over to the reception at Envy nightclub. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails kicked off the celebration. The nightclub supplied a DJ, but Ashley and Anthony created much of the playlist to fit their Paris lounge vibe.

“I wanted it to feel like a swanky Oscars afterparty,” Ashley says. “We played Brigitte Bardot, Paris lounge, Monsieur Gainsbourg. We danced to Sinatra, too.” The film Casablanca, projected onto the back wall of the bar, added to the glam feel. “I’m really happy,” the bride says. “We didn’t have any expectations, and it turned out cool, fun, and gorgeous. We had a blast . . . we had to force ourselves off the dance floor!”

Ceremony: Basilica of Saint Mary
Reception: Club Envy
Dress: Watters, from Macy’s
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J. Crew
Rings: Helzberg Diamonds
Flowers: Farmers’ Market
Photographer: Josh Stokes
Invitations: Designed by the couple, paper from Paper Depot
Suits: Groom’s suit by Hugo Boss. Groomsmen rented from Savvi Formalwear.
Honeymoon: Grand Cayman Islands
Planning Assistance: Brosseau PR

PR guru James Rutherford offers these suggestions: + Planning something of this magnitude requires lots of creative thinking, so think about what you want the impact of the wedding to be, what you want your memories to be. + Event planners bring a wealth of connections and creative thinking that might not be open to you otherwise. + You can absolutely have a smashing event on a budget. + Keep communication open with your planner or vendors for best results. + A lot of people tailor their wedding for their guests, but the wedding is about you, for everyone. + Incorporate things you love—and people will love it. James Rutherford, a friend of the couple, is the regional director at Brosseau PR.

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