Page 2B | Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD & BENTON COUNTY NEWS
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Treasured
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Tables are decorated and purple uplighting sets the mood at Tyler and Kaelynn Kamps’ wedding reception Aug. 29, 2015, in Rice. A decorator, family and friends helped transform the Old Village Hall into a wedding venue for the couple.
Old Village Hall becomes center point of couple’s nuptials BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Kaelynn and Tyler Kamps stand on their wedding day Aug. 29, 2015, in St, Joseph. The couple was married lakeside near their home and guests were invited to the Old Village Hall in Kaelynn’s hometown of Rice for the reception.
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RICE – When Kaelynn Kamps was a young girl, being at the Old Village Hall in Rice was commonplace. Kaelynn, the daughter of Mike and Paula Kampa, spent many occasions inside the walls at 30 E. Main Street. Events such as turkey bingo and Rice Family Fun Day were attended yearly with other affairs like movie nights and craft fairs
sprinkled in between. She also spent hours upon hours practicing her skills on its floors. “Growing up, I was in dance,” Kaelynn said. “When I was in school, I actually had a key to the building. As long as I told the city, I would go there and practice; the wood floors were perfect.” And so, when Kaelynn perceived taking center stage with her husband, Tyler Kamps, at the historic hall on their wedding day, she was adamant
about her proposal. Her family’s first reactions of disbelief were soon replaced by humbled dispositions. “She fell in love with where she grew up, and she wanted that to be a part of more than just living here,” Paula said. “She had so many memories in that building, and she wanted one more memory.” Kaelynn agreed. “I thought there was something really Kamps page 3B
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SAUK RAPIDS HERALD & BENTON COUNTY NEWS | SATURDAY, FEB. 8, 2020| Page 3B
Kamps from pg. 2B special about being in my hometown,” she said. “Something that was really important to me and my husband was that everything at our wedding had meaning to us.” With the Old Village Hall not a traditional wedding venue – at least not of late – the Kamps and Kampa families set out to transform the space into Kaelynn’s dream. The vision came alive with décor of royal purple and white when Tyler and Kaelynn wed Aug. 29, 2015. The ceremony took place lakeside near their home in St. Joseph before the wedding party and guests traveled to Rice for the reception. Plans began about 14 months prior. The first step into turning the then 77-year-old building into a wedding worthy venue was contacting the city of Rice which owns the space. The second step? Contacting a designer. Kaelynn needed to know the magnitude of the decorating project and that the space could accommodate her 300-head guest list. She secured the rental hall for one full week surrounding her big day. “Two things were important,” Kaelynn said. “To me, it was really important to drape the ceiling and to my mom it was important to have the bathrooms presentable.” After consulting with two designers, Kaelynn landed on Grande Elegance Wedding and Events in Big Lake to help execute her vision. The designer created a line item invoice, allowed Kaelynn to tour a showroom of available décor, and the two parties worked together to accommodate the wedding budget. To cut down on cost, the couple’s family and friends planned and organized most of the aspects of the wedding and rentals. For items the decorator did not provide, such as chairs and tables, they contacted the rental agencies directly, made the deposits and scheduled
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Guests raise their glasses in a toast at Tyler and Kaelynn Kamps’ wedding reception Aug. 29, 2015, at the Old Village Hall in Rice. The stage was used for the head table so the couple could overlook their guests.
Kaelynn’s top 5 tips for transforming a space 1. Be realistic. Make sure your vision is within your budget or adjust accordingly. 2. Make sure your space can accommodate your guest list. 3. Have backup plans in case of inclement weather. 4. Make sure you have help and be willing to ask for it. 5. Do little things that mean a lot to you and follow your heart. pickup, setup and return. The designer and Kaelynn touched base about every two months to ensure plans were on schedule and secured. “We didn’t really buy a lot,” Kaelynn said. “And, a lot of things I bought, we ended up reselling or they were things I could use in my home like frames and stuff like that. A lot of it came organically to us.” Freedom also came with the local space. The family was permitted to remove the gray stage curtain for the event, and, as trade for sanding and painting the existing benches, the couple was allowed to use the benches as seating at their outdoor nuptials. “That’s the nice part about growing up in a small town and doing things in a small town,” said Cassie Larkin, Kaelynn’s sister. “You have people who are willing to be flexible.” On the Tuesday before the wedding, the designer began draping the ceilings. “We did something really fun,” said Cassie, who knew her sister’s vision through planning and discussion. “We kicked
Kaelynn out the Friday before the wedding so she had no idea. She had seen some of the
stuff, and her and I had lots of conversations about where she wanted things and how
she wanted it done. But we kicked her out the morning before the wedding and said you’re not allowed to see it until its done.” As the newlyweds arrived on their wedding day, the walk down the entryway stairs took Kaelynn’s breath away. Purple uplighting created a glow against the building’s white walls,
white tulle hung from the ceilings and stage, and rectangle and round tables were perfectly adorned with linens, lanterns, candles and crystal. “A dream,” said Kaelynn when describing what she saw. “I cried. It was exactly how I envisioned it. It had Kamps page 5B
Page 4B | Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD & BENTON COUNTY NEWS
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Leading up to
the big day Planning page 5B
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SAUK RAPIDS HERALD & BENTON COUNTY NEWS | SATURDAY, FEB. 8, 2020| Page 5B
Planning from pg. 4B
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
A chandelier hangs above the head table at the wedding reception of Tyler and Kaelynn Kamps Aug. 29, 2015, in Rice. The accessory was one of many decor items rented to adorn the Old Village Hall.
Kamps from pg. 3B
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completely turned out; it was awesome.” The wedding day came together with a flurry of help from the city, family and friends. The head table sat on the stage overlooking the guests, with the couple seated in a literal loveseat. Creative Catering made the 2.5-block trek down E. Main Street to provide the catered meal; a tent was set up over the sidewalk to accommodate the buffet line and allow for more room indoors for seating. The kitchenette became a DJ booth and round tables near the stage were dismantled after dinner to make space for the dance floor. The Rice Firefighters Association used its liquor license to provide alcohol at the dance, and next door, O’Brien’s Pub opened
You just have to have a vision. It was expensive but it wasn’t a $30,000 wedding. ...The biggest thing is having a vision and having some sentimental connection to it helped a lot.” -Kaelynn Kamps its outdoor patio for social hour. Guests never imagined the transformation that took place. “People couldn’t get over it,” Cassie said. “People shook their heads and said it wasn’t even the same building.” The sisters said literal blood, sweat and tears went into preparing the Old Village Hall for the big day, but if someone is fixed on a location, they should not be daunted. “If you can get a creative mind, if you can get someone with a vision who is not charging you for
that vision, you can really do a lot in a non-wedding venue,” Cassie said. “It’s just a matter of holding that and keeping it in your head and not getting discouraged by the hiccups.” Kaelynn agreed. “You just have to have a vision,” she said. “It was expensive but it wasn’t a $30,000 wedding. We were able to do things on our own. We got centerpieces on clearance. We ordered candles online. We made signs. The biggest thing is having a vision and having some sentimental connection to it helped a lot.”
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Page 6B | Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD & BENTON COUNTY NEWS
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PHOTO BY ANNA HINKEMEYER
Carrie Johnson (front), owner, and (back, from left) Gina Lokken and Alexis Johnson await central Minnesota brides Jan. 30 at Carrie Johnson Bridal, 89 10th Ave. S., Waite Park. Carrie Johnson Bridal has been in business for over 12 years.
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Carrie Johnson Bridal discusses area trends
days of a couple’s life together. Months go into planning the ceremony and reception of this special day, and the bride is often the center of attention, glowing in a beautiful gown. “We are seeing a little bit of everything (in our wedding dress
trends) right now,” said Gina Lokken, assistant manager of Carrie Johnson Bridal in Waite Park. “We definitely have traditional brides that want the A-line ballgowns, but we have a lot of brides looking to equate something unique.” Carrie Johnson Bridal, 89 10th Ave. S., Waite Park, has been in business for 12 years and has a selection of over Bridal gowns page 7B
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Page 8B | Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD & BENTON COUNTY NEWS
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We serve BBreakfast, Lunch & Dinner!
PHOTO BY ANNA HINKEMEYER
Racks of bridal gowns hang Jan. 30 at Carrie Johnson Bridal in Waite Park. The store has over 400 gowns for brides to choose from with over 90 offered in plus sizes.
Bridal gowns from pg. 7B
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of brides are opting for veils, but the accessory piece is often not purchased at the same time as the gown. “The gown is the main focus,” Johnson said. “Once they know what dress they have and what it looks like, then they focus on whether they want a cathedral or short veil. Usually veils are purchased when the bride comes back in to try on and pick up her dress.”
Lokken said cathedral veils have increased in popularity, but the length is dress dependent. She said if the dress has an intricate back or train, veils will be shorter, but other dresses lead themselves into being accompanied by a beautiful cathedral veil. “We have a lot of
fun with our brides and finding their dress is one of the biggest parts of wedding planning,” Lokken said. “Our central Minnesota brides are a consistent group, and I still think their hometown values transition into what we are selling.”
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