LONG BEFORE THE WEDDING, the preparations begin.
Date chosen. Check.
Church, reception venue, caterer and floral designer booked. Check.
Dresses and dress shirts and other wedding attire selected and purchased. Check.
It takes hours and hours and hours, more than I ever imagined, to pull off a wedding.
It takes families working together and patience and love and endurance.
It takes trusting in others and prayer and encouragement and support and focus.
All of this I’ve learned. My eldest daughter’s wedding day on Sunday was near perfect from the weather to the pastor’s message to the ceremony to the toasts to the food to the venue to the flowers and everything in between.
There were only a few minor flaws, like running out of paper towels and a key that wouldn’t work for the supply room; two wedding party crashers who wandered in off the street and were about to help themselves to dessert before being escorted out; and an usher (the bride’s brother) who was in a Massachusetts hospital emergency room eight days before the wedding with an asthma attack and a severe viral infection (lots of people praying for his recovery; he was healed by wedding day).
Now, days after the wedding, I am sorting through photos and reflecting on everything, feeling blessed beyond measure that my daughter, Amber, has found the love of her life in Marc. Anyone who has seen the two of them together can see their deep love for one another. They are blessed. And so is this new mother-in-law. Blessed beyond measure.
TODAY I BRING YOU the first in a series of wedding posts, this one focusing on wedding reception venue prep and images. Enjoy this peek inside, in my opinion, one of Faribault’s most beautiful reception spaces, The Loft in the historic Bachrach Building along Central Avenue in downtown Faribault.
The Bachrach Building in downtown Faribault was beautifully restored several years ago to its original appearance. The Loft space is on the second floor in the back half of the building. It features exposed brick and limestone, wood floors and a bank of western windows. Great space with exceptional natural light.
The bride’s brother, Caleb, steam presses tablecloths while the father-of-the-groom, Eric, places napkins on tables.
The groom, Marc, worked just as hard as everyone else to transform The Loft.
The bride assumed sash tying duties. Only 115 sashes to tie.
Best man and brother of the groom, Jon Eric, folds napkins.
The ironing crew, from left, maid-of-honor Miranda (the bride’s sister), Lynn (mother of the groom) and Stephani (sister-in-law of the groom and reader). Ironing was, by far, the biggest and longest task. I ironed all of the sashes and napkins prior to set up day, so did little ironing of tablecloths.
The Helbling and Schmidt families working together.
The father-of-the-bride, my dear husband, swept the downstairs Atrium area used for the social hour. He also vacuumed the stairs and other carpet, wisely avoiding any ironing or sash tying duties.
Outside, my floral designer sister, Lanae of Waseca Floral, fills urns with hydrangea from my yard and with ornamental kale and curly willow and greens from her yard. She is one talented floral designer and the BEST sister ever.
The floral designs my sister created outside the Bachrach Building and still in place. If you like what you see, go to the “About Us” page on the Waseca Floral website and send her an email.
The first floor Atrium in set-up process. The table to the left held Faribault made cheeses purchased at The Cheese Cave which is just off this room to the right.
Looking down from The Loft into The Atrium. My husband, Randy, and I set up this area Sunday morning. Missing from this photo are a vintage suitcase used for cards and set on the gift table, to the left.
Back upstairs, work continues on the reception set up.
After hours of teamwork…it all comes together.
My floral designer sister, Lanae of Waseca Floral, created these stunning centerpieces using mostly flowers from her garden and that of her friend and co-worker, Carol. The flowers were perfect. The vintage blue Ball canning jars were rented from Mike, who lives two blocks from me. I stopped at his garage sale this summer, saw the jars and learned about his jar rental.
Just another view of the beautiful The Loft space on the upper level of the historic Bachrach Building.
A “sweetheart table” just for the bride and groom. It’s covered in one of the vintage tablecloths from my collection. The table was purchased for $15 months ago at a Montgomery, Minnesota, used furniture store. At the time of purchase, my husband asked why I was buying it. “Because I like it,” I told him then. Little did we know our daughter would use it at her wedding reception.
Vintage wine glasses, gifted by the groom’s grandparents, Herb and Norma. The Schmidts flew in from the groom’s native California for the wedding. Other of the groom’s family flew in from places like New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Mississippi.
One last view of the reception venue with a space left open for the dance floor. By around 5 p.m. Saturday, The Loft was ready for guests to arrive 24 hours later. Thank you, Schmidt family and my family and sister Lanae for all of your hard work in creating a beautiful reception setting.
Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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