Sota Brides
- Jun 1, 2022
- 3 min read

Samantha & Jason 10.23.21

Updated: Jul 17, 2022

Unique game-themed, fall wedding reception in St. Paul, Minnesota

Samantha and Jason have two favorite things as a couple: Thor's Hard Cider & games. They love games so much so, that they have an entertainment area in their basement with cabinets overflowing with all sorts of games. In fact, all their friends and family always put the pair in charge of bringing the games to any party they attend.

Thor's in Stillwater is a frequently visited establishment for the couple for any kind of celebration - their anniversaries, holiday celebrations, they event went to Thor's to celebrate moving in together! So when Jason suggested they go to Thor's to kick off his birthday weekend, Samantha didn't think anything of it.

Jason packed up SkipBo, one of their favorite card games, and they grabbed a table at Thor's to play and enjoy their cider. About halfway through the game, he distracted Samantha and slipped a card into her deck that read "Will you Marry Me?". When Samantha flipped it over, Jason got down on one knee and asked her to spend forever with him... to which she clearly said "Yes!", the best birthday gift Jason could have asked for!

Samantha and Jason are both event planners themselves, so they had their wedding planned out to a t (and an excellent vendor line up to back it up!). They made their wedding day unique by having mixed-gender wedding parties, leaning into their favorite pass time of playing games, and including a service project for guests to do! They used dominos for table numbers and place cards, their guest book was giant scrabble letters, and they had games out for guests to play during the reception.

The service project took place during the cocktail hour, where attendees could pack kitchen packs that were brought to Bridging, Inc. We personally LOVE this idea!

The pair was able to incorporate a lot of small important details for them... Like love quotes from their favorite TV shows on the back of their program, Samantha used her mom's veil, they hosted Thor's cider as a signature beverage, and they even had photos of their dogs around the reception space. They even decided to go with donuts instead of cake, since that was what they had on their first date. Also, who doesn't love a good donut from Thirsty Whale?!

Weddings always come with challenges... For Samantha and Jason, that challenge was dealing with COVID. They had to reschedule and push the wedding back a full year, unfortunately. Thankfully, they had a great vendor team that was able to accommodate the change and rebook for their new date.

Samantha's advice for those planning now:

"Book your vendors early and be honest with them! If a vendor isn't a good fit, just let them know... they won't be upset. It's your day and you have to find the right team for you! (We ended up switching one vendor and it was the best choice we could have made!) If you don't like planning, you can totally hire someone to do it. Planing is not for everyone. Your wedding is about doing what makes sense to you to celebrate, no matter what anyone else thinks! Don't be rude to anyone while planning, but you can be firm about what you do and don't want."

Congratulations to Samantha & Jason and thank you for sharing your story with us! You guys incorporated personal details so perfectly, and we just love the idea of incorporating a service project on your big day!

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