Sota Brides
- Nov 24, 2020
- 3 min read

Kaitlyn & Dillon 7.24.2020

Beautiful wedding focused on family traditions in Shafer, MN

Kaitlyn and Dillon's wedding story begins with their engagement at Crow Wing State Park. The pair decided to go hiking with some friends.. little did Kaitlyn know, Dillon had a master plan to propose during the hike. He was so nervous that he ended up waiting to pop the question until the very end of their hike. Their friends were there to capture to moment for them and the four celebrated the exciting news the rest of the day.

Kaitlyn & Dillon's path to married life was not an easy one. The couple had originally planned to be married on May 29th, but made the difficult decision to postpone to July 24th due to COVID-19. A month before their new date, they also found out they would need to cut their guest list in half. Kaitlyn personally called 150 of their guests to deliver the heartbreaking news. Although it was so hard to do, all of her guests were very understanding and could tell how much the couple had wished they could be there.

There was also the stress of ensuring all of the vendors could be there for their new wedding date. The couple was fortunate that most of their vendors were able to make the switch to the new date, with the exception of their transportation company and Kaitlyn's makeup artist. Thankfully, they were able to find replacements who knocked it out of the park for them.

Kaitlyn and Dillon’s main goal was to fill their day with love and make sure their guests had a great time. They incorporated several family traditions throughout the day to make it personal to them as a couple. Kaitlyn used the floral portions from her moms veil to make her own new hairpiece. Her mom also cut up her veil and used it to tie bows on the programs. It was so special for Kaitlyn to be able to share parts of her parent's wedding day into her own. We can see why, since her parents have been married for 33 years! Talk about couple goals!

Their card box also held a special place in their hearts. The card box was made from Kaitlyn's grandfather's mailbox. Her parents used the special card box at their wedding, as well as her uncle at his wedding, and now Kaitlyn and Dillon were able to partake in this special family tradition. Even though her grandfather has since passed, it was like having a part of him there for their wedding day.

Every wedding seems to have some kind of funny mishap... Kaitlyn and Dillon happened to get married on one of the hottest days of the summer and of course the barn did not have AC. Since it was so warm, Kaitlyn's dad (thinking he was in the clear for photos) changed out of his tux and into shorts and a graphic tee. BUT Whoops... They hadn't had their father daughter dance yet! Everyone had a good laugh and now they have this funny memory to look back on.

Kaitlyn's best wedding advice for future brides is to:

Take a few minutes alone with your new husband after the ceremony. Soak it all in. After our wedding we walked away from all of our guests for 10 minutes and took the first moments together as husband and wife.

Specifically for COVID-19 brides, she says to follow your heart with continuing with (or not continuing with) your wedding during such unpredictable times. They had many people who were questioning why they would move forward with having their wedding... Do your best to keep a positive attitude, be understanding if guests choose not to attend, and realize that everyone attending is making an informed choice to be there!

Thank you for sharing your story with us!

- Ali & Caitlin

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