Love // Barn Wedding Inspiration

This wedding was so pretty I just had to get in touch with the bride. You can read all of her answers and advice to other brides below — while you gawk!

Wow, that venue! It’s amazing. How did you decide on it? Were there any particular challenges you ran into with the location?
Colin and I both love the outdoors and we liked the idea of having the ceremony and celebration at one location. The Morton Barns really lent itself to this (not to mention the amazing lodge we all stayed at). The weather in Nebraska is always unpredictable and initially I was a bit nervous about an outdoor ceremony in October but we couldn’t see ourselves doing anything else, so I didn’t worry about it. The day of, it was a little chilly but our hearts were so warm that it didn’t matter!

Your wedding was beautiful.* Looking back, what is your favorite part of the day?
It’s hard to pick just one part! But, if I have to choose…I’d say the ceremony. To have all of the people who mean the world to us present to celebrate our love was almost overwhelming. When they opened the barn doors I was overwhelmed with joy and then I saw Colin… I will never forget that moment. At one point, when we were saying our vows, we heard an owl hooting and then a marching band started playing. There was just so much amazing energy; I never wanted it to end.

*None of this would have come together without my mother. She helped us carry out our dream…and really was the one who connected us to our vendors.

Tell me about that band!
The band! They go by Bad County and are a bluegrass band out of Omaha. They are ah-mazing! We’re friends with the drummer. The first time we saw them play was 3 months before our wedding at an unplugged show in an old man’s garage. Colin and I looked at each other and knew we had to have them play at our wedding. Our friend Karly Jurgensen sang during the ceremony and cocktail hour, she’s also a rockstar.

What was the best advice you received as a bride?
I received two great pieces of advice:
// SOAK IT UP. It’s easy to get caught up in the hair, makeup, schedules and photos but at the end of the day, it’s your wedding day! You don’t want to remember being stressed, you want to remember loving every minute of it, and I definitely remember loving every minute of it.
// If something doesn’t get done, decorated, or wrapped no one will know but you, and those who are very close to you, so don’t stress about small things. What’s important is that you are marrying your best friend and are going to spend the rest of your life together, so focus on that.

Thank you so much, Erika, for answering my questions, and Rusty for submitting these beautiful shots!

Photographer: RJSTILLS Photography / Venue: Arbor Day Lodge: Nebraska City / Florist: Voila / Barn Décor: Hillis & Company / Musicians: Bad Country (no website!) and Karly Jurgensen