“Our first date was at the Restoration Hardware Rooftop Restaurant in Edina, Minnesota,” remember grooms Tim + Adam of how their love story began.
“Upon leaving the restaurant, one of the grooms thought to himself, ‘I’m never going on another first date again!’” adds wedding planner + event designer Gretchen of Rocket Science Events about the grooms’ meant-to-be connection. “Hence why Restoration Hardware played such a pivotal role in their wedding’s design.”
Tim + Adam used that first date as inspiration, combining both the iconically clean + charming design aesthetic of Restoration Hardware and the special occasion vibe of a night out at a good restaurant to create this absolutely unique + celebratory culinary experience of a wedding.
Inside historic industrial Minneapolis venue Machine Shop, the couple’s guest list experienced a round-setup ceremony full of lush greenery. Then the space was flipped to bring to life a Michelin Star restaurant-inspired reception. Menus. Monogrammed aprons for the vendor staff. A five course stunner of a meal. And! Planner Gretchen + her team even acted as hosts, seating each guest at their table.
“We connected over our love of food, cooking, and a great dining experience,” Tim + Adam say. “We wanted that to be the cornerstone of our wedding.”
So glad that Photogen Inc was there behind the camera capturing this gorgeous one-of-a-kind gastronomic wedding so we can give you a peek inside the hottest reservation in town!
Loving the navy blue minimalism of these wedding invites from Fig. 2 Design!
The First Look
“We had our tuxes custom made with J. Hilburn,” Tim + Adam say of these matching wedding day looks, “and it was a great experience.”
“We decided we wanted to wear matching tuxes…but we would each do something different with our shoes,” Tim + Adam recall. “We ended up having a special shoe shopping experience at Christian Louboutin in Las Vegas. We found coordinating shoes that were just perfect. Patent leather loafers for Adam; Patent leather lace-ups for Tim. With matching Swarovski crystal embellishments.”
A Circular Ceremony
“The grooms’ sisters married them and crafted the most meaningful ceremony you have ever heard,” says planner Gretchen.
Into this unique seating setup? You’re going to love our mold-breaking planning guide Here’s How To Get Creative With Your Wedding Ceremony Seating.
Our Favorite Memory
This is a tough one because there were so many. Being able to say ‘I do’ to each other is a moment we will never forget. We had family and friends in town from all over the country…being able to have them all in one room for this unforgettable night was really special. Beyond those two items…the thing that we were excited for and far exceeded what we could even imagine…is to see the wedding vision come to life. To see what two years of planning resulted in…was incredible on every level.
Kindred Blooms, the masterminds behind the day’s simple yet abundant floral design, brought so much life into the industrial venue with all of this gorgeous greenery.
Some wedding planning words of wisdom from these two gorgeous grooms: “Be sure to make the experience/event the perfect blend of you and your partner. Plan it together, debate the details and don’t settle.”
Our Musical Choices
Processional"Angels" by Robbie WilliamsRecessional"I’ll Never Not Love You" by Michael BubléFirst Dance"When You Say Nothing At All" by Alison Krauss
The Violin Twins were on hand to fill the space with live music.
A Restaurant-Style Reception
How breathtaking is this ceremony-to-reception space flip?! This genius team created a literal restaurant out of thin air!
D’Amico Catering had the mighty task of catering the Michelin Star-worthy restaurant reception and absolutely rose to the occasion.
Tabletop decor from Collected & Co. kept things simple and elevated for an ideal dining experience.
We are absolutely obsessed these linens from Linen Effects. If you are looking for something similar and your wedding isn’t in Minneapolis, we love these deep red velvet napkins!
Can we get a standing ovation for this glowy + ornate chandelier lighting by PHOS Events? ✨
Fig. 2 Design created the cutest windowed menus that revealed the details of each of the dinner’s five courses.
One of planner Gretchen’s goals? “Embracing UNREASONABLE HOSPITALITY. I memorized all the guests’ names, and we seated them that way. My team walked them to their table. Just like what would happen at a 3 star Michelin restaurant. We seated 194 guests in 22 minutes!”
Take a closer look at the unreasonable hospitality in the below reel we shared!!
The personalized embroidered aprons worn by the vendor staff, emblazoned with a T and an A for the grooms, made the restaurant-style experience so immersive.
There was even an oyster shucker who roamed the event, distributing freshly shucked oysters to guests!
“The first course may be the most memorable,” Gretchen says of the meal. “It was a fancy chicken wing served in takeout boxes with custom stickers with monogrammed wet wipes and a towel with lemon – the beverage pairing was a mini bottle of Coors Light!”
How cute is it that Tim + Adam repurposed used their ceremony for their sweetheart table!
Cute cardboard cutouts like these are one of our favorite ways to include your dog in your wedding day.
The meal featured custom bowls that were hand made in Mexico for some of the courses. “The bowls were washed and packaged and given to guests as a party favor at the end of the night!” Gretchen says.
“We had drag queen Luna Muse distributing custom pull tabs where guests could win prizes during social hour,” remembers Gretchen. “Pull tabs are like the paper version of slot machines, very popular in the Midwest.”
“Prizes included LEGOs (grooms LOVE them), custom golf balls, $2 bills (Adam’s favorite number is 2 and this is a widely known fact about him), and gift cards to meaningful places (like Target, where Tim works in Visual Merchandising).”
Our Advice
1: Hire a wedding planner. This is the best investment that you will make for yourself. Hire someone you have an instant connection with. Hire someone that listens and takes the time to get to know you. Hire someone you can trust and that is reliable.
2: Take your time, don’t rush the process. Our wedding ended up being what it was because we were able to slow things down. This wedding wouldn’t have happened the way it did if we tried to do this in a 6-8 month window after getting engaged.
3: Have fun. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate your relationship. Savor all the steps…from moments that make you cry, to decisions that make you stressed. It will come together beautifully in the end and is more enjoyable when you let go and have fun.
Another wedding day recommendation from the grooms: “Don’t share every detail with those coming to the wedding. Have some unexpected moments.”
We are so here for this fun switch into retro varsity jackets for the dance party portion of the evening curated by Rock With U.
Congratulations, Tim + Adam! We’ve never seen something like your rich + stylish restaurant-inspired wedding! Wishing you both nothing but the best!
Wedding Vendors
Photography: Photogen Inc. // Venue: Machine Shop // Event Design: Rocket Science Events // Wedding Planner: Rocket Science Events // Florals: Kindred Blooms // Wedding Suit: J Hilburn // Groom's Shoes: Christian Louboutin // Groom's Ring: R.F. Moeller // Videography: Voyageur Motion Pictures // Paper Goods: Fig. 2 Design // Catering: D'Amico Catering // Cake: n/a // Desserts: D'Amico Catering // Tabletop Rentals: Collected & Co. // Linen Rentals: Linen Effects // Specialty Rentals: Girl Friday Creative // Music: Rock With U // Lighting: PHOS // drag queen: Luna Muse // ceremony music: The Violin Twins
