A Glamorous, Modern Wedding at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Holli Wilber (25 and a marketing specialist) and Menzie Henderson (25 and an advertising account executive) met as interns at the University of Minnesota athletic department. On their first encounter, Menzie stood up, shook Holli’s hand and introduced himself (an introduction that his friends would later tease him about). The two really got to know each other after being assigned to work together four times a week for a semester. “I think he fell in love with me after I taught him to properly set up a staple-sort on the printer,” Holli says. Eventually they were up for the same promotion. When Holli was offered the job, “he got over the defeat by asking me out,” she says. Since Holli’s family is from South Dakota (where she grew up) and Menzie’s is in Wisconsin (where he grew up), they wanted their out-of-town guests to really experience Minneapolis, Minnesota. They chose Orchestra Hall as their venue—in the heart of the city, overlooking bustling Nicollet Mall—with their hotel across the street. Their style was modern and sophisticated, classy and classic, with a fun, stylish edge to match the elegance of Orchestra Hall. Guests moved from the ceremony space to the cocktail hour in the mezzanine/outdoor balcony, then to the main lobby for dinner and back to the ceremony space for dancing. If there were any glitches, Holli wasn't aware. "At the risk of sounding cliche, the day was perfect. If calamities happened, no one told me," she says. "Brides: Keep it that way if you can. Hire someone to shelter you." One of the best decisions the couple made was to bring in talented professionals and "let them do what they do best," she says. When you enlist others to help, they work hard to figure out the logistics and are invested in carrying out your vision. "The peace of mind you receive is truly invaluable," she says. Another piece of advice? If you want to keep guests dancing, strategically put the bar and photo booth close to the dance floor, and block off other areas of the venue if you can. "It makes me sad to see guests lingering away when they have a dance party to enjoy," Holli says. "We did everything we could to keep our guests on the dance floor, even telling the wait staff to serve dessert where we were holding the dance." In the end, she says, "We had a party! We danced until the venue kicked us out." —Chrissy Sorenson