A Rustic Wedding at Gladden Farms in Watertown, Minnesota

Whitney Gladden (29 and an event planner and co-owner of Gladden Farms) and Jim Lemke (30 and an event manager) didn’t just DIY their décor but their venue too. “I always wanted our family farm in Watertown to be our location but wasn’t sure how we’d make it work,” Whitney says. “I pitched my dad the idea of building a barn, and we worked on what’s now Gladden Farms for almost two years.” Whitney’s dad and Jim built a stone altar, while an acrylic podium added a modern touch to the rustic celebration. Just as Whitney hoped, she felt right at home. “I always said I wanted to walk barefoot down the aisle, and I got that wish," she says. At the reception, champagne linens with lace overlays and low lighting balanced the lush trumpet centerpieces. The couple made the table numbers from leftover barn wood. A two-tier cake, banana with caramel-vanilla buttercream and strawberries and cream with vanilla buttercream, rounded out the seated dinner.