A Traditional Spring Wedding at the Metropolitan Ballroom in Minneapolis, Minnesota

When choosing a ceremony space for their traditional spring wedding, Laura (25 and a human resources specialist) and Timothy (25 and an electrical engineer), returned to the spot where Timothy had proposed -- the local Calvary Baptist Church. "When we were dating, Tim loved to sneak into our church when no one was there and listen to me play the piano," Laura explains. "I agreed to go on a hot, summer day and when I walked into the sanctuary, candles were lit, so I knew something was up. He told me he called my parents to ask for their blessing, and after I said yes, we danced in the candlelight under the domed ceiling and stained glass windows." Before settling on a reception venue however, the two realized that with only 9 months and 200 guests, planning would be difficult. "We were fortunate to come across the Metropolitan Ballroom," Laura says. "Even though it doesn't look like much from the outside, it has an ornate, luxurious interior that required little to no decorating. More importantly -- it has a huge dance floor!" After tying the knot in a traditional Baptist ceremony, the couple celebrated their special day at the ballroom with lush white hydrangeas and other colorful spring elements. "I wanted everything to be bright and spring-like," Laura explains. "We assembled our own invitations, programs and thank you cards using paper we bought at Paper Depot's going-out-of-business sale, too." Once everyone had sat down to dinner, Laura and Tim treated guests to a surprise salsa performance. "Early on, Tim taught me how to salsa dance and it was one of our favorite things to do together," Laura says. "Our salsa instructor was the DJ for our reception. I was worried how it would work out, but our guests are still talking about how fun it was! At the end of the night, the impromptu salsa dance was just one of many elements that the couple was proud to share with friend and family. "Because I'm from Iowa and many of our guest traveled from out of town, it was important to us that they experience a little part of our life in Minneapolis," Laura says.