Rustic Minnesota Wedding with Mexican Flair

Lia Ramirez (39 and a consumer lending manager) grew up helping her late grandmother tend to the peonies, stock, ranunculus and delphiniums in her magnificent garden. So for her wedding to Tony Patino (40 and a senior solutions architect), she put those very flowers front and center. “She would have been over the moon at how gorgeous they were,” Lia says. The bright blooms elegantly complemented the venue, a forested property on the Gull River belonging to friends, where the couple often vacations. This year, their annual 4th of July week stay doubled as a honeymoon. 
Peonies, delphiniums, proteas and eremurus hung from the custom birch arch.
As a nod to their Mexican heritage, Lia and Tony hung papel picado flags over tables and used a similar design for the cotton runners. Guests dined on a family-style meal of grilled pear salad, mushroom-stuffed chicken breast and hazelnut-crusted walleye. A taco bar served late-night snacks. Birch cardholders, vintage china and arrangements of scabiosa, peonies, celosia and ranunculus sat at each spot.
My bouquet was next level and a beast in the best way possible,” Lia says. “It was a bit heavy, so Tony often carried it.” The couple sent guests home with camping-style mugs, s’mores candy bars and coffee from Birch, a New York City roaster owned by Lia’s cousin. Lia’s uncle made the lemon sponge cake with raspberry filling and almond buttercream frosting. He crafted the stand out of real pine tree bark wrapped around Styrofoam.