Love, loyalty, and dedication are the building blocks of a successful marriage. Legos are the building blocks of DIY centerpieces.

When planning their wedding, Blake and Greg poured their hearts into the ceremony and reception -- it clearly showed! Blake and Greg were married on May 18, 2018, at Grace University Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. It was a cloudy day, but yellow floral ties and smiles from the grooms and onlookers brightened the entire day.

Blake and Greg opted out of a "first look" moment, choosing instead to get ready together. After they were finished getting ready, we took grooms portraits, wedding party portraits, and family portraits at the church and at the closeby MacNamara center. Throughout their planning, they never could decide on who would walk up the aisle first, so they ultimately left the decision to fate and tossed a coin. As luck had it, Greg walked down the aisle first and Blake would walk to meet him.

During the ceremony, they integrated much of Blake's Scottish heritage -- the violinist played "Skye Boat Song" as Blake and Greg drank from a Quaich, a small, two-handed cup hailing from Scottish wedding tradition, symbolizing a shared life together. (Also, it totally had scotch in it).

After the ceremony and greeting guests, we traveled to the reception and took photos at the Theodore Wirth Chalet grounds. It was such a beautiful area -- and Blake and Greg rocked their portraits session. The reception at Theodore Wirth Chalet's Fireplace Room was adorned with DIY decor made by Greg and Blake. Greg used his love of Legos to build all the table centerpieces and the ring box. The couple also made life-size polaroid cut-outs, and the majority of the decor throughout the day was made by either the couple, or their friends and family.

The reception was also filled with laughs and tradition. First, Greg's sisters unfurled blueprints for a custom-designed home they developed for Blake and Greg -- the most important aspect of the house was love (and a throne room for their cat, Kevin). After, Blake's family honored their Scottish heritage by presenting Greg with the MacKenzie tartan, or family colors, as a symbolic gesture of welcoming to clan MacKenzie.

And, of course, Blake and Greg had an honored guest (who didn't actually attend) -- Kevin, their cat! Kevin was honored through several centerpieces, the wedding hashtag (#KevinsBigDay), and through a post-wedding photoshop job, in which I dropped an oversized Kevin into the backdrop of their photo.

After plenty of toasts and dancing, we ended the night with a tunnel of sparklers and fun umbrella shots at the crest of a bridge. Congratulations, Blake and Greg!

Vendors:

Photography - Rachel Lahlum Photography

Invitiations & Programs - DIY, by Greg MacKenzie

Suits - Atmosfere - Minneapolis North Loop

Ties - Neck & Tie Company

Women's Dresses - Azazie

Women's Hair - DIY by Rachel Beenken (friend of couple)

Boutonnieres & Corsages - DIY by Lynn MacKenzie (Blakes' Mom)

Ceremony - Grace University Lutheran Church - Minneapolis

Ceremony & Reception Cocktail Music - DIY by Hans Young Binter (friend of couple)

Reception - Theodore Wirth Chalet Fireplace Room

Greenery - Sam's Club

Centerpieces - Lego, by Greg MacKenzie

Other Decor - DIY, by the Couple

Catering - Green Mill Catering

Cake - DIY by Allison Sancken (friend of the couple)

Cake Stand - Mesquite Forge (Etsy)

Dessert Shooters - Green Mill Catering

Gourmet S'mores Bar - DIY by Heather Polivka (friend of couple)

DJ - Mark Haugen DJ