Holiday weekends can be great times to hold weddings, since more guests may have time off. But for Jackie Hess and Benjamin Gamboni’s 4th of July wedding, they had other reasons in mind. “We chose it as our wedding date because it was my parents’ wedding anniversary, and closest to the day of my and Benjamin’s first date five years earlier,” says Jackie. “Plus, it means we will always have fireworks to celebrate our anniversary.” Their wedding took place at three distinctive venues around the Twin Cities: The Basilica of St. Mary for the ceremony; the Carlson Towers Rotunda and Amphitheatre for cocktails, dinner and live music; and the Queen of Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka for a fireworks boat cruise and late-night snacks of pizza, popcorn and cookies. Their vision for their big day was an elegant, formal and “over-the-top” event of unending surprises. From the bride singing and playing harp to serenade the groom, the ice cream sundae station during cocktail hour, the choreographed first dance, the sparkler entrance to the boat cruise, the five-tier cake and the spectacular fireworks display over Lake Minnetonka, guests were treated to a grand and unforgettable event—exactly as the happy couple had envisioned.
