Thank you for sharing your Parkston South Dakota Wedding with us Katie and Sam.

From the Bride:

Sam and I decided to get married in Parkston, South Dakota because both of our extended families are from the mid west; mine from Parkston, SD and Fargo, ND and his from Monticello, IL.  We wanted the small town wedding with all of our family and as many friends possible.  Luckily a majority of our friends flew in from all over the country because they had never been to the mid west, less South Dakota!

Living in Virginia Beach, VA and planning a wedding in South Dakota wasn’t the easiest, but luckily my wedding planner, my mom, was a huge help.  She actually moved into our house in Parkston from California for a few months before the wedding to make sure all the preparations were in order.

Sam’s parents currently live outside of San Francisco, CA, near Napa Valley and my parents currently live north of San Diego, CA in a wine town called Temecula.  With that being said we decided it would be appropriate to have a wine themed wedding to incorporate details from our hometowns and bring a piece of our home to our family’s home.

Another major theme we wanted to incorporate into our wedding was a vintage feel.  My dress (Maggie Sottero, Artia purchased from Sandra Rose in Tyndall, SD), my birdcage with feathers, and my fur shawl seemed to compliment the 40’s look that I was going for.  Sam decided to wear his US Navy uniform and it’s style hasn’t changed in decades so it also fit the vintage look we were after.  A majority of the pictures taken not at the wedding or reception were at my grandparent’s farm a few miles out of town.  The old barns and building on site really added to the photos.

We were married as Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which is the church where I was baptized and where majority of my family members have been married; Sam and I like tradition and we felt that being married in this church was appropriate.  Catholic churches are usually so beautiful that they don’t need much décor which was a huge help as well.  We simply placed a few wine barrels with flowers at the front and a few wreathes on the doors.  The church alone provided the rest of the beauty.

My mother designed the entire layout and décor scheme for the wedding reception.  The reception was held at the American Legion in Parkston and is simply a clean slate to start with.  My mom created all the draping for the walls, the table cloths, runners, some of the centerpieces, and a majority of the accessories.  We brought in wine barrels from California for the bar area as reception tables and used corks for name card holders.  My mom was very keen on the small details that were part of the big picture.

The American Legion looked fantastic when all was said and done and was completely transformed from an empty hall into an elegant, swanky, and vintage reception for our guests.   We hope you all enjoy the wonderful pictures by Jeff Sampson Photography.

Thank you to Jeff Sampson Photography for all of the wonderful images. There were too many for just a collage. Click on the thumbnails below to view the images larger.

South Dakota Wedding Vendors:

Sioux Falls Wedding Photography by Jeff Sampson Photography
South Dakota Wedding Ceremony at Sacred Heart Catholic Church
South Dakota Wedding Reception at The American Legion
South Dakota Caterer, Marketplace Grill, Inwood, IA
South Dakota Florist, Cherry Bee’s, Mitchell, SD
Sioux Falls Wedding Dress by Maggie Sattero
Baker: Cousin of the bride Mikayla King

Even though the wedding took place in October Mandi did not want typical Fall colors, but she did want colors that complimented the season. Being sure to bring Jeff into the wedding as much as he wanted to be Mandi chose to use his and her favorite color green. The combination of navy and green together was a natural choice.

Mandi’s planning tip for brides is to stay organized. “Stay on top of things and try to cross off tasks early in the planning,” Mandi says. Mandi also recommends creating something for the wedding yourself. Mandi is a designer and she created all of the stationary, decorated the arch and put together the memory photos that were on her bouquet. Mandi’s mom also made her favorite mints for the reception.

One of Jeff’s favorite stories from the day was the first time that he saw Mandi. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t see her until the certain time. Jeff had tried to sneak a peek he said the bridesmaid and Mandi’s mom were like Fort Knox! Jeff finally understood why he needed to wait, he said it was like seeing perfection. Jeff was glad that he had waited to see Mandi.

One of Mandi’s favorite memories of the day was toasting champagne from Jeff with her mom and bridesmaids in paper cups. Proof that it is the small things that make the wedding so special.

Thank you for sharing your Sioux Falls Wedding with us Mandi and Jeff. It was lovely!

South Dakota Vendors:
Sioux Falls Wedding Photography by AC Ellis Inc.
Sioux Falls Wedding Flowers by Josephine’s, Sioux Falls, SD
Sioux Falls Wedding Ceremony at Old Courthouse Museum
Sioux Falls Wedding Reception at The Sheraton
Sioux Falls Wedding Cake created by Cakes by Monica
Sioux Falls Wedding Centerpieces from Envision Wedding Studio
Sioux Falls Wedding Favors from Daffy Apple Co. Online
Sioux Falls Wedding Hair by Rain Salon
Sioux Falls Groom Tux from Men’s Warehouse
Sioux Falls Bridesmaid and Flowergirl Dresses from David’s Bridal
Sioux Falls Wedding Dress an Oleg Cassini from David’s Bridal
Sioux Falls Wedding DJ Blueseed Entertainment

With the help of family and friends this simple affair had all the touches to bring it together. Wheat was brought in from the field to be tied with ribbon and placed as centerpieces on the lace table clothes. The tractors and farm itself made a perfect cozy background. You would never know it by the images but a huge storm that dropped buckets of rain rolled by just minutes before everyone started to arrive.

We love the intimate details, personal do-it-yourself touches and Conan their dog making this wedding a fabulous REAL South Dakota Wedding.

South Dakota Vendors: Photography by AC Ellis Inc. Flowers: Walkers, Huron, SD, Dress: Victoria’s Secret, Champagne Glass Rental: Party Depot, Brookings, SD, Location: De Smet on Family Farm, Hair: Bobbi Schmidt of Mane Attraction in Willow Lake, SD