1. Real Weddings

A Rustic, Botanical Wedding at Historic Riverside Building in Rochester, Minnesota

Who says an urban wedding can't look like the ultimate botanical garden? Claire Lochmondy (31 and a marketing and communications

Who says an urban wedding can't look like the ultimate botanical garden? Claire Lochmondy (31 and a marketing and communications specialist) and Rob Landgraf (33 and a financial adviser) worked with event designer and florist Brianna Truax, from Modern Designs and Concepts and Fox & Fern Floral, and wedding planner Denae Brennan, from Denae Brennan Weddings & Events, to pull off this ultimate modern garden wedding. Knowing that a hotel ballroom was not their style, Claire and Rob exchanged vows in downtown Rochester, Minnesota, at Peace Plaza. It was a blank canvas that they could make their own and had the metropolitan feel that they loved. But two hours before Claire and Rob exchanged vows, 40 mph winds ripped through town and threatened to pull their reception tent off the ground. The couple's all-star team jumped into action and found the Historic Riverside Building, which proved to be the most beautiful venue—one Claire and Rob didn't even know was an option. Claire envisioned billowy blooms, textured arrangements and a subtle nod to her Tennessee upbringing, and Brianna totally nailed it. She brought the rustic botanical theme to life with golden magnolia leaves, blushing bride proteas and hydrangeas that took floral arrangements to a new level. Even the invitations, custom watercolored by Amarilys Henderson at Watercolorful Wedding, were adorned with gorgeous blooms. This wedding looks like an urban garden we want to walk through every day. Needless to say, we're obsessed. See all our favorite details, gorgeously captured by Meg Cooper Photography, below.

Claire and Rob wanted their invitations to be as special as their wedding. After searching high and low for the perfect look, Claire met Amarilys Henderson, owner of Watercolorful Wedding. She created a beautiful invitation complete with the couple's names and flowers watercolored on the front as well as one of her watercolor prints on the back.
"I am still so in love with my bouquet," Claire says. "I kept it in a vase in our dining room for two weeks after the wedding, until I was forced to throw it away because it was in such bad shape." Brianna from Fox & Fern Floral, included roses, dahlias, sweet peas, blushing bride proteas and magnolia leaves in the stunning, textured bouquet.
Claire wanted her five bridesmaids to wear dresses that made them feel comfortable and beautiful as well as fit their budgets. She told them to choose floor-length blush dresses. Her maid of honor, Katy, stood out from the group in a gold gown of her choice. "My girls absolutely delivered on the vision that I had for them," Claire says. "I never saw all the dresses together until the day of the wedding, but they hit it out of the park from a collaborative standpoint. The blushes all went together so well, and Katy’s dress ended up being a slight rose gold and really tied everything together."
Claire fell in love with this Allure Couture dress the moment she put it on. She loved the strapless sweetheart neckline, the stunning lace peplum and the Swarovski crystal belt at the natural waist. It also had a chapel-length train that she had bustled in a French and traditional combination at the reception at Historic Riverside Building in Rochester, Minnesota.
The boutonnieres paired the wild, natural bouquets with scabiosa pods, proteas and veronica blooms. Brianna from Fox & Fern Floral created all the floral arrangements for a stunningly overgrown botanical feel.
All the bridesmaid bouquets were monochromatic but mismatched. All Claire knew was she wanted different shades of white so they popped against the blush dresses. Brianna from Fox & Fern Floral used a mix of eucalyptus, roses, scabiosa, jasmine, sweet peas, dusty miller, clematis and dahlias to make each bouquet different.
Claire wanted to look and feel like herself, so she did her own makeup. She applied her everyday look with neutral shades and created a more dramatic eye so they would pop in her photos. She completed her look with a nude lip color. Jessica Amos, owner of Hair Studio 52, styled Claire's hair in a love knot-style in the back, which was perfect under the flower crown.
The flower girls wore their own ivory dresses. One was found on Etsy.com, and the other was by US Angels and found at Nordstrom Rack. They completed their look with lush baby's breath flower crowns and carried oversize round bouquets tied with long golden ribbons.
Claire and Rob knew they didn't want a hotel ballroom. After looking at several venues, they decided Peace Plaza in downtown Rochester, Minnesota, was the perfect blank canvas for them to work with. Plus, they knew their event designer could make a stunning backdrop, and they were right.
Claire and Rob got married in Peace Plaza in downtown Rochester, Minnesota. "Rochester is the smallest city I’ve ever lived in, and I really wanted to capture as much of an urban feel as we could with our ceremony and reception venue," Claire says. They were sure to bring a modern botanical feel to the space with golden magnolia leaves and lush, white flower arrangements.
Rob's cousin Sam is a professional cellist who had been on tour with Brandi Carlisle before the wedding. Two weeks before, Sam found out she'd be off tour for the day, and agreed to play some music before and after the ceremony. Claire and Rob, along with the bridal party, walked out to her playing "Somebody to Love" by Queen.
Having worked in the wedding industry, Claire had a general idea of what she wanted. After trying on countless gowns and not loving any of them, her best friend came to the rescue. She picked out this Allure Couture mermaid-style gown, and Claire fell in love. "It was nothing that I thought I would end up with but I was—and still am—absolutely in love with it," she says. "It reflected my personal style as well as the boho-chic feel of our wedding."
Brianna from Fox & Fern Floral amped up the centerpieces by adding tons of roses, hydrangeas and leafy greens to the mix. "I loved giving Brianna full control of how the reception was decorated," Claire says. "One of my favorite parts of the night was walking into the room to see everything decorated and set up for the first time."
The towering centerpieces were also decorated with roses and leaves on the tables. Brianna from Modern Designs and Concepts really focused on the details when it came to Claire and Rob's reception at Historic Riverside Building in Rochester, Minnesota.
Talk about bringing the outside in. Hydrangeas, roses and magnolia leaves topped the reception tables for the ultimate botanical look. Brianna from Fox & Fern Floral had artistic control over the reception, and Claire and Rob couldn't have been happier with the outcome.
After 40 mph winds started pulling Claire and Rob's reception tent off the ground, the couple relocated their reception two hours before the ceremony. Their event designer, Brianna from Fox & Fern Floral, and Denae, from Denae Brennan Weddings & Events, hopped to it and found the Historic Riverside Building in Rochester, Minnesota. All the vendors broke everything down and set up what proved to be the most beautiful venue.
High and low centerpieces and candles were paired on the different reception tables for a gorgeous mismatched look that added plenty of dimension to the room. The silver and gold vases, bowls and candelabras added plenty of drama to the botanical look.
Blush roses, hydrangeas and white veronicas topped the reception tables for a rustic, botanical look that we can't help but love.
Floating candles—surrounded by lush, leafy greens and blush rose blooms—topped the reception tables and added plenty of romance to the historic, open space at Historic Riverside Building in Rochester, Minnesota.
Originally Claire was going to wear this traditional chapel-length, crystal-adorned veil. But because of the 40 mph winds that day, she switched it out for a stunning flower crown that Brianna from Modern Designs and Concepts threw together.