Tamra and Kris were University of South Dakota (Greek life) sweethearts.
The fun-loving pair planned their big day in Sioux Falls from New York City, and were inspired by recently seeing a play production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
“We are both detail-oriented and love personal touches, so we tried to include lots of small details throughout the day,” said Tamra.
And they truly did. Details included mini-biographies on the wedding party in the programs, “fun fact” napkins about the couple, a sommelier who paired entrées with wine at the tables, a string quartet that played songs by the Beach Boys, The Beatles, and Lady Gaga, and glow sticks and light-up glasses on the dance floor.
“After the ceremony we did a receiving line to make sure we could hug and thank all of our guests for coming. And we were so happy we did that. The day is such a blur and goes by fast, so this allowed us to get a moment with everyone at least once.”
The reason they had such amazing elements in their wedding? They had experience.
“We had been together for 12 years when we got married, and we attended lots of weddings throughout the years,” said Tamra. “One thing that we discussed was ensuring the day was fun, as we didn’t want it to feel uptight or stuffy.”
Guests fully indulged with an array of beverages and food options, and the pair made sure guests could do so without worry by arranging transportation to and from the venue. They also planned different areas for “moments” where guests could chat and enjoy themselves. The evening ended with a tradition they learned from a New Year’s in Thailand.
“Thousands of people throughout the city release paper lanterns at midnight. It was such a special moment to be a part of, and we really wanted to incorporate them into the wedding,” remembered Tamra. “We got so lucky that it was a wet spring season and the wind was minimal on our day. Watching all of our friends and family release the lanterns was really magical.”
Top Piece of Advice
Be transparent with your wedding party and guests about the day. We created a website with Squarespace that had all the information on locations, times, dress code, and such.
