Wedding: July 23, 2016
Ceremony & reception: The Machine Shop, Minneapolis
Honeymoon: Belize
Emily Sumners and Bryan Pyne were the first couple to book their wedding at the Machine Shop, a sparkling new venue in the St. Anthony Main neighborhood of Minneapolis. It was still a construction zone when they toured the historic building, but they trusted their instincts. Their original wedding date was slated for a week earlier, but as they worked with the venue, someone suggested July 23, the same night as the Minneapolis Aquatennial fireworks celebration. The Machine Shop’s large windows and its location next to the Mississippi River made it the perfect place for watching the show. They kept their surprise a secret from most of the guests, but when the day came, it stormed most of the morning and into the afternoon. “We kept checking to see if the fireworks were still on,” says Emily. Then the rain stopped and the sky cleared. Guests enjoyed a Mexican family-style dinner by candlelight, and music by friends from the Minnesota Jazz Orchestra. When the skies lit up with fireworks later that night, it was a grand finale for a new beginning.
