1. Real Weddings

Katie & Nathan: A Modern Wedding in Minneapolis, MN

Graphic designers and design studio co-owners Katie and Nathan met in Drawing 2 class at the University of Minnesota, but that’s not when they bonded.

Graphic designers and design studio co-owners Katie and Nathan met in Drawing 2 class at the University of Minnesota, but that’s not when they bonded. “I hardly remember him from that class,” Katie says. Years later, their paths began to cross more often. “I began noticing her, partly her and partly her design skills, in my classes,” Nathan says. They became friends, and then love blossomed -- “at some point, we just couldn’t get each other out of our heads,” says Katie. Their first official date was to see the band Parliament downtown. The Bride Katie Kirk, 27 The Groom Nathan Strandberg, 31 The Date August 26 Three years later, Nathan bought tickets to Chicago for Katie’s birthday weekend, and when the two arrived at their room, there were flowers, champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries…and a romantic proposal.

The Cocktail Hour
Katie and Nathan set up a candy bar so that guests could fill up on sweets before they went home that night. Also up for grabs were poster-sized versions of the visually stunning invitations.
In lieu of a traditional wedding cake, Katie and Nathan ordered 13-dozen cupcakes from a local bakery in four flavors: triple vanilla, chocolate hazelnut, Betty Crocker, and red velvet.
The ceremony and reception took place at the Frank Gehry–designed Weisman Art Museum. “We’re both creative people and wanted a space that reflected that,” Katie says. The short, personalized ceremony took place in one of its galleries.
“I wanted something different with a lot of texture,” Katie says of her colorful bouquet, which was punctuated with bamboo leaves and wood branches.
The Reception Decor
The Couple
On each table at the reception were coasters with married jokes and truth-or-dare questions to lighten the affair, spark conversation, and add a fun twist.
“We had the audience decide what our first dance song was going to be by voting online,” Katie says, “and we were in the dark until it was announced at the reception.” The song that won was Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You.” Luckily, the two had worked with a dance instructor to choreograph a lighthearted dance routine that could go with any song.
Simple, striking, large, glass vases were filled with geometric branches and hanging capris strings.
The two designers put their heads together to come up with a clean and modern vision for the wedding. They used browns, whites, greens, and golds throughout the day -- a theme that started with their custom-designed invites.