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Joyous Shades of Yellow Colored This Micro-Wedding in Minnesota

By Cathleen Freedman | Photography by 

Liz Banfield

|Planning by 

Callista & Co.

Now that it’s crystal clear that hosting a big wedding at this time is just not possible due to the spread of COVID-19, we’re sharing the experiences of real couples navigating the re-scheduling, cancellation, and civil and commemorative wedding processes in an attempt to help others make informed decisions and to spread our support to all during this time.

Like a growing number of modern love stories, Britt Biewen and Barrett Corwin met through Bumble. “Looking back, it is hard to believe we hadn’t crossed paths earlier,” Britt admits. Both Britt and Barrett were the same age, had many mutual friends, and even grew up near one another in the Minneapolis suburbs. Long before their first text exchange, they had actually been at the same party in high school. Their first date was on October 26th in 2017. They met in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis, where Barrett brought his eight-week-old Frenchie named Melvin. Charmed by Barrett and Melvin, Britt joined Barrett for drinks at Spoon & Stable. By May 2019, they were engaged.

Britt and Barrett began planning their July 2020 wedding in Napa. By May 2020, the couple knew that their destination wedding simply could not happen that summer. They pushed their date back to November, only to postpone the entire wedding to October 2021 after California went into lock-down again.

At this point, the couple had been engaged for over a year and felt all of the uncertainty that comes with rescheduling a wedding in the middle of a pandemic. It dawned on them that their love for each other was paramount to anything else. Britt and Barrett envisioned a new event for their nuptials. “With the global pandemic and a much needed social justice movement on our hands, it has been a puzzling time for many, and we wanted to remind our guests that pure joy still exists and there is hope in all of our situations if we look hard enough,” Britt says.

They quickly planned a micro-wedding alongside Callista Osborn from Callista & Company. Callista was crucial to organizing the smaller-scale event in such a short amount of time. Britt equates finding a new date for their micro-wedding to playing a really stressful round of Tetris. Thankfully, their vendors were incredibly accommodating. Each vendor custom-tailored their services to fit the new needs of the event.

Barrett’s family’s home in Wayzata had the exact backyard Britt envisioned for the wedding day. These native Minnesotans knew that if they wanted an outdoor wedding, it would have to be in the early fall. After configuring the availability of their vendors, they finally settled on the perfect date for their micro-wedding—September 19. The weather on this day was blissful, and the foliage could not have been more impeccable.

The bride ultimately wore her Ghost London rehearsal dinner dress as her micro-wedding dress. “I will probably wear this for the rehearsal next October in Napa to reuse and remember how special this dress is,” she muses. She paired the dress with a flash of color, vintage canary-yellow Manolo Blahnik shoes. Wanting to feel and look like herself, Lindsay Lickteig did Britt’s hair and makeup to reflect Britt’s natural beauty.

The groom was outfitted at the Martin Patrick 3 boutique and donned an Ermenegildo Zegna jacket and Brunello Cucinelli shirt. He also wore his Tag Heur Carrera Calibre watch.

On September 19th, 2020, Britt and Barrett married in an intimate backyard ceremony that bloomed with yellow flowers and motifs. Barrett walked down the aisle with his parents while “All My Days” by Alexi Murdoch played. This was a song he played for Britt on a trip to Mexico. Afterward, Britt’s mom was escorted by Britt’s brothers down the aisle. Finally, Britt descended down the aisle to “Bloom” by The Paper Kites. Apricot Floral had accentuated the venue’s beauty with stunning yellow floral arrangements. Britt adds that “it felt really surreal to walk down the aisle… like, ‘Wow! We’re really here!”

The ceremony was woven with touching tributes from the people who love the couple most. “We couldn’t have asked for a ceremony that fit us better,” Britt asserts. Barrett’s childhood nanny led the group in a prayer. Their officiant, a close friend of the couple, delivered a poignant message about the state of the world and how such a time has and will mold the couple. Britt and Barrett exchanged their own personal vows to one another. Britt’s older brother and her sister-in-law read a heartfelt statement on love. Barrett remembers feeling the love through the whole ceremony. “It was like a moment he could live in forever,” Britt recalls what he later told her. “Sweet Disposition” by Temper Trap played while Britt and Barrett walked down the aisle as a married couple.

The guests toasted to the newlyweds with Moët Champagne. The bride and groom sipped sparkling rose while photographer Liz Banfield snapped shots of them behind the yard. This was one of the couple’s favorite memories of the day because they felt like they could finally bask in the relief that the planning and decision-making components of the wedding were over. They joined their guests on the porch for a two-course meal catered by Chef Ted while sitting on bistro chairs from CollectedRentals and using Après tableware. Later, the couple cut into the cake made by the groom’s cousin, Betsy Kuller.

The wedding party gifted the couple with a night at The Lora Hotel to kickstart their mini-moon. Britt and Barrett look forward to a longer honeymoon in 2021, travel restrictions permitting. Similarly, they await their larger Calistoga, California wedding in 2021.

When reflecting on their micro-wedding, Britt and Barrett advise other couples to “do what you want. Don’t take yourself too seriously.” They add, “It’s not worth stressing too much over the smallest, or even the largest of things. Go with your gut.”