Sota Brides
- May 27, 2020
- 2 min read

Ali & Shane 8.12.2016

Updated: Jul 9, 2020

Rustic & Elegant farm wedding in Cottage Grove, Minnesota.

Shane and Ali's story started in high school after mutual friends set them up on a blind date. After dating for about three years, Shane asked Ali to marry him by putting together a gift for her birthday that contained all kinds of items and memories from their relationship. Included in the box was the first movie they went to see together, their dog's first collar as a puppy, a bag of Hersey's kisses (how he asked Ali to prom), ending with a ring box and him down on one knee!

They decided to have a longer engagement, a little over 2 years, to allow Ali to finish her undergraduate degree. This also allowed them to get married on a date that kept with a family tradition. Shane has two older brothers who were married on August 13th and August 14th, so getting married on August 12th was the obvious choice.

Their Friday wedding at Hope Glen Farm in Cottage Grove, Minnesota turned out beautifully, incorporating various things that were important to the couple. Shane wanted to make sure their dog Schotzie was involved. He also chose a unique first dance song for the couple; Already Home by Thousand Foot Krutch. Ali completed several different DIY projects to include in their wedding day and choreographed a dance to do with her bridesmaids.

Ali's mom, Chris, set up several surprises of her own for their wedding day. She hired a photo booth and had the inside of Ali's dress embroidered with a special note. The piece sewn in was actually from Ali's flower girl dress from her parents wedding!

While their day went off (mostly) without a hitch, they did get rain during their ceremony causing them to have to do the ceremony under the pavilion.

Ali's advice for other brides would be:

Have a first look! I was less stressed knowing that we would have seen each other before the ceremony (less likely to cry in front of everyone), it gave us so much more time for photos, and I don't feel like it sacrificed any of the emotion and meaning behind walking down the aisle as the bride. Shane still cried when he saw me walk down the aisle! Secondary tip would be to put one of your bridesmaids in charge of making sure you drink water throughout the day. Being sick from dehydration on your wedding night, is not something I'd recommend :)"

Bonus thoughts from Ali & Shane: The tree house suite at Hope Glen Farm is beautiful and absolutely amazing for your wedding night & Costa Rica is an excellent place to honeymoon!