Liz & Joel’s Wedding at Prairie Patch Farm in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Meant to Be

Liz and Joel met when they were both attending the University of Iowa. Mutual friends introduced them, so naturally they ended up being around each other quite a bit. Coincidentally, they figured out that they both grew up in the same city but had never met! A month later, Liz realized that Joel may have been catching feelings beyond “just friends” but Liz wasn’t quite on board. After that, the two grew super close and became the best of friends. Eventually, Joel started to show more confidence that started to reverse the roles a bit and made Liz more attracted to Joel!

That summer, things started to progress from being “just friends” to “we might actually be in a relationship now” and after their first kiss, it was a done deal. Liz and Joel started dating in November of 2011 (11.11.11 specifically) and as time flew, their love grew! Seven years, later, the two were opening their new business together, a hip hop and breakdance studio (the first in Iowa, by the way!) and hosting an event when Joel did a “performance” that led to his proposal! Liz said yes, everything was coming full circle, and their future was off to a great start!

From mountains to… llamas – yep, we said llamas!

As wedding planning began, Liz and Joel decided that they wanted to have their wedding in Colorado in the middle of summer. They had quite a bit of details worked out and in place when of course, Coronavirus hit. Just like pretty much every single other wedding that was going to take place in 2020, plans needed to be adjusted!

The first thing? A new location. Liz and Joel decided it would be best to cut their numbers and have a wedding closer to home. They found the perfect spot – a local llama sanctuary! Prairie Patch Farm was the new location and they would be the first wedding to ever take place there.

The couple had reached out to us after locking their new venue in for planning services. The Essentials package with a Design Plan added on was a great fit for them. They wanted a blush, gold, and navy wedding with a llama, celestial, and Sailor Moon theme. We worked hard to craft their dreams into something real and work with their vendors to execute how it will all come together. After creating the design of their dreams, the couple ran with it and got all of their necessary vendors booked! In October, the two would be married outside surrounded by their closest family and friends, plus about 9 llamas and an alpaca! Their incredible vendors arrived to set up starting the day before the wedding. We were transforming a barn after all, but the vendors were up for the challenge! Keep scrolling, you’ll see for yourself!

The Perfect Micro-Wedding

Liz and Joel had every detail lined up. From flipping a llama farm into a wedding venue, to getting their dinner booked, their wedding day was honestly phenomenal. Liz started the morning of her wedding getting ready with her mom and her two maids of honor in a beautiful home that was on location for the llama farm. The couple had their first look a couple hours later and soon after that, it was time to walk down the aisle. Their immediate family and closest friends arrived and it was time for the wedding to begin. Since this was a COVID wedding, they were able to livestream the ceremony to everyone else that they love but couldn’t have in attendance. The ceremony was beautiful in front of a small pond, with a triangle arch decorated with stunning floral pieces by Unique Events.

Following their ceremony, Liz and Joel and their guests made their way to the revamped barn to have their reception. They danced, they ate, they drank and they celebrated – with llamas! After that, the couple and their modified wedding party went on their way to an incredible dinner at Popoli Ristorante and ended their night together. It was an absolutely perfect micro-wedding day and we loved being there for them so much! If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that micro-weddings are amazing!!

Thank you so much to the Sorenson’s for having us at your wedding! Cheers to a lifetime of happiness!