St. Paul College Club Wedding

There are a lot of absolutely gorgeous wedding venues in Minnesota, but one of my personal favorites is St. Paul College Club. This Georgian Revival mansion is in the heart of St. Paul and filled with elegant vintage details that are something you really need to see in person to appreciate. The catering and staff are also top notch, with delicious on-site food service and attentive, kind event staff. They don’t even pay me to say these things, I just have had really wonderful experiences there! A St. Paul College Club wedding is always a stunning wedding.

I was, of course, thrilled when Claire & Tom told me they were going to get married at this venue, and knew it was going to be something special. Claire & Tom met online during the pandemic, and got to know each other through video calls and socially distanced walks in the park. They are both quiet, calm, steady, and incredibly kind. The words they chose to describe their vision for their wedding day were personal, relaxed, and fun! And I think those words perfectly describe them as well. This was one of the most laidback weddings we have attended – think backyard barbecue but make it classy!

The day started with getting ready in the private suites located on the second floor of St. Paul College Club. The beautiful lighting and plethora of mirrors and chic details made these shots some of my favorites of the day!

First Look & Private Vows

Next up was Claire & Tom’s first look and private vows. Writing personal vows is so special and intimate that sometimes it can feel uncomfortable saying those things in front of others, or maybe you just want to keep some things special between you. Sharing personal vows at your first look is the perfect way to still share those words with each other in a more intimate setting. We gave these two lots of space for this moment to make them feel as comfortable as possible.

portraits

The time after your first look and private vows is a great time for some portraits of you and your partner before everyone else is ready and arriving. There are so many gorgeous places around St. Paul College Club it feels like we could have taken photos for hours and still gotten a different photo every time. After the couple’s photos and before the ceremony, we usually recommend wedding party and family photos so no one gets missed in all of the post-ceremony excitement!

A sweet ceremony

After group photos and before the ceremony, we like to give our couples some space to breathe and relax before the big moment. Which also gives us the perfect time to capture some venue details and candids of your guests as they arrive! When the ceremony finally arrived, you could feel all of the love everyone had for Claire & Tom, and how much they had for their people as well. A lot of people think you need to invite everyone you know to share in your wedding day and feel celebrated, but we’ve found that the more intimate the crowd, the more palpable the love in the room feels. After a short and sweet ceremony officiated by a friend of the couple, it was officially time to celebrate!

followed by an even sweeter s’mores bar

Now it’s time to get to my absolute favorite part of this day: the s’mores bar. A lot of couples cut and serve cake at their wedding, but these two opted for a “first roast” instead with the help of North Mallow. North Mallow is a family owned, local gourmet marshmallow company with a variety of tasty marshmallow flavors (vanilla bean, chocolate chip, and caramel swirl!), who also offers catering in the form of their sweet little s’mores bars! Along with a variety of chocolates, marshmallows, and graham crackers (both gluten-free and gluten-full), you get your very own Roast Master to watch over the sweet treats and make sure everyone has a safe and fun roasting experience. Again, not paid to say this, we just love a good s’more, and so did everyone else at the wedding!

Time to dance!

The evening ended with first dances, everybody getting out on the dance floor, and a little time to sneak away for a few golden hour photos before heading home. Claire & Tom, we are so grateful to you for trusting us with your wedding day!