Abe & Brenna Gustafson 5.1.2021

1. What was the inspiration for the look and feel of your wedding?

Simple, classic and clean. We wanted to keep everything easy and

laid back as that is who we are as people. We aren’t glitzy or over the

top. We enjoy the look of clean lines, and not too much sparkle

2. What was your color palette? Why did you choose those colors?

Dusty blue, sunflower yellow and gray. We chose the blue palate

because it looks the best with both of our skin tones and hair colors.

The brides favorite flower is sunflower, so we thought the blue would

go nicely with that without providing too much contrast

3. Why did you choose to host your wedding at Celebrations on the River?

 It was right in the middle. The groom’s family is mostly from the

Minneapolis area and the Bride’s family mostly from Milwaukee. La

Crosse was the best and easier place to choose. In addition the bride

and groom went to college in La Crosse and we LOVED being out by

the river. The venue was so beautiful and had everything we wanted.

4. What was your favorite moment of your wedding day?

 Sitting at dinner, looking over the room that was FILLED with family,

friends and loved ones. We hadn’t seen most of them since before

COVID and to realize they were all there for us and to celebrate with

us was the most humbling experience.

5. Would you change anything if you could do it all over again?

Get a wedding planner. There are so many decisions, so many details

and so much coordination to be done over a wedding weekend and if

like us, you will not want to worry or stress about any of them.

6. What was one thing you obsessed over, but realized it did not matter?

Seating charts. With last minute changes to the guest list we realized

that the best way to do it was to reserve tables for the immediate

family but just let everyone else find a place to sit on their own.

Trying to pin down exactly where everyone should sit and why is a

waste of your efforts. People will make new friends during cocktail

hour and connect with family they haven’t seen in a while so letting

them decide who to sit with is more fun for everyone.

7. What advice do you have for future couples planning their weddings?

Everyone says it but it is so true- your wedding day is going to go by

so quickly. Take the time to sit down, listen to speeches, and take in

the moment during dinner. That will the only real calm time of your

day so make it count.

8. How did you manage your guest count?

We just invited everyone we love- we had a traditional wedding

because we wanted all of our friends and family to celebrate with us

and there was no reason to leave anyone out of that.

9. Who were your vendors? How did you choose them?

•  Tiffany Brubaker Photography- recommended highly by a friend
•  Madd Aesthetics- makeup artist, recommended by our hair stylist
•  VLK Cosmo- hair, recommended by my sister in law
•  Floral Visions- excellent reviews, prompt with answering questions and priced very well
• Celebrations on the River- took care of food, decor, helped with planning