Jackson County Bridal Guide 012711

8/7/2019 Jackson County Bridal Guide 012711

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BridalBridalGuideGuide20112011

A supplement to theA supplement to theJackson County PilotJackson County Pilotand Lakefi eld Standardand Lakefi eld Standard


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Thursday, January 27, 2011 Bridal Edition C3

Photo by Tracy Toa

Your Wedding MemoriesWill Last Forever!

Fresh Flowers

Aisleabras

Balloons Silk Flowers

Candelabras

Rentals

Jewelry

Sherburn Nursery & FloralCo. Rd. 26E, Sherburn, MN

507-764-3191 1-800-944-7644

Lapic-Herem: Unique setting earns two thumbs upContinued from C2

location that and thesimple fact of having it inJackson.

From her Minneapolisperspective, it was nice tohave it in a small town. Ev-erything was easier and laidback, Herem said.

Nevertheless, the bride

did a lot of the planningherself.

I recommend a wed-ding planner, at least forthat day, she said in ret-rospect.

Overall, the cinematic ex-perience drew two thumbsup.

It had an extra specialtouch because it had thefamily connection, but Irecommend it to others asa non-traditional place toget married in Jackson,Herem said.

Its possible to

save money on

your destination

wedding as well

by JUSTIN R. LESSMAN

Publisher

With a sour economystill fresh in many minds,local travel agents saysoon-to-be-newlywedsare looking for waysto scale back and savemoney on both destina-tion weddings and hon-eymoons.

But despite being alittle more cost-consciousthese days, the agentsadd, couples are still will-ing to spend money onthese once-in-a-lifetimememory-makers.

Newlyweds are stilltaking honeymoons, saidJanet Bargfrede of the

Travel Station of Jackson.Theyre just looking toscale back a little may-be planning shorter staysor looking to scale backon hotel accommoda-tions.

Despite the recentrecession, honeymoonsremain one of the stron-gest travel categories,said Connie Vanderpoel,certified travel plannerwith Southwest Tour andTravel, with offices inJackson.

Studies show thatbrides and grooms arewilling to make conces-sions on other parts of

their wedding maybea less expensive dress, aDJ rather than a band but they wont skimpon their honeymoon be-cause of the memoriesthat come with it. And thementality is that they canspend it now, and makethe money back later so newlyweds are still

A honeymoon on a budget?Its easy, local agents say

spending.As for destination wed-

dings, couples are reallylooking for places that offerthe most bang for their of-ten more-tightly-squeezedbuck, said Bargfrede andVanderpoel.

Destination weddingsDestination weddingscombine a wedding and ahoneymoon, Vanderpoelsaid, and are often lessexpensive than traditionalweddings due to their small-er size. In terms of savingmoney on destination wed-dings, Vanerpoel said, itsall about the destinationitself.

Airlines are fl ying full,so there are no deals onairfare, she said.

The only way to even at-tempt to save some bucks onthe plane ride is by bookingwell in advance, she said.

Bargfrede agreed.Theres not much out

there for airline deals, shesaid. In fact, if anything,the plane ride portion hasgotten more expensive,what with the airlines charg-ing for luggage and all othersorts of things now.

So, for those with their

hearts set on saving moneyon a destination wedding,Vanderpoel suggests look-ing at the where and when.She said a destination likeMexico will often provemuch more economicalthan one in, say, Europe.

She also suggests shop-

ping hotels and resorts fordeals.Many resorts offer spe-

cial complimentary wed-dings or affordable weddingpackages, she said, andsome hotels may have bet-ter rates.

For those who have theirhearts set on a certain place,money can still be saved ifsome flexibility can enterinto the equation, said Van-derpoel.

Be flexible and planahead, she said. Haveseveral options for the dateand time of your wedding.This way, youll be able tohave your wedding at theresort of your choosing. Youcan also save more by hav-ing your wedding during theslow season in the destina-tion you choose.

HoneymoonsHoneymooners can alsoSee HONEYMOONS on C4

Submitted photo

With unparalleled access to shows, dining, sites and, ofcourse gaming and all at rock-bottom prices LasVegas is one of the countrys top-value honeymoon desti-nations, local travel agents say.

Wow! Words cannotWow! Words cannotdescribe how gratefuldescribe how gratefulwe are to the Hi-Lo!we are to the Hi-Lo!Everything was perfect.Everything was perfect.We had so manyWe had so manycompliments on the greatcompliments on the greatfood, wonderful display,food, wonderful display,and superior service toand superior service toour guests! It allowedour guests! It allowedus to relax and enjoy theus to relax and enjoy theparty!! We cant thankparty!! We cant thankyou enough.you enough.

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Cake Stands Cupcake Holders Aisle Runners

Peter and Darcey Herem walk down the red carpet into the Historic State Theatre, adowntown Jackson landmark built and long operated by members of the bride's fam-ily.

The bride and groom exchanged their vows in front of the silver screen.


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by MIKE JORDAN

Staff Writer

It was while they werestudents at college that Jeffand Haylee (Mack) Gouletof Lakefi eld met.

Haylee worked with themarketing department atWillmar Technical Collegeand Jeff had transferredthere from North DakotaState University.

I had a picture of somefriends of our group to-gether from NDSU andHaylee was working in thephotography department,so I went down there to seewhat it would cost to havean enlargement made of thephoto. I fi rst met her thereand it just went from therewith us meeting at schooldances, Jeff Goulet said.Then we started dating.

We dated nine and a halfmonths, Haylee Gouletsaid. Then we decided togo our separate ways andstayed apart for nearly twoyears.

Thats when Jeff, just outof the blue, decided to callHaylee and wish her a hap-py birthday. The only thingabout that birthday call wasit came two weeks after theevent, a bit late. And whenhe called, Haylee asked himwhat he really wanted. Ob-viously, he wanted to startdating her again, which theystarted doing.

Our timing hasnt beenthe best, Jeff Goulet said,laughing. When we werefi rst dating, I had this planto propose to Haylee at mydads cabin on Lake Min-newaska that has a beautifuloverlook to the lake, but wedecided to separate beforethat had happened. I guess

you could say she ruinedthat plan.

But after dating for ashort time the second timearound, they became en-gaged at the cabin justnot in that special spot orat the special time Jeff hadfi rst planned for it to hap-pen. That was in the fall of1997. They were marriedone year later on Nov. 7,1998, at Kranzburg, S.D.,a town located just outsideof Watertown, in Hayleeshome church.

It was a traditional Cath-olic church wedding, Hay-lee Goulet said. We hadabout 200 people attend,

mostly family and closefriends. It snowed that day

After a dozen years of marriage, advice is the same: Marry your best friendand it was a very beautifulsnow.

Haylees former pianoteacher coordinated thewedding and her mother-in law was in charge of it.Her mother actually madethe fl owers for the weddingand Haylee made her ownnecklace for the event.

I remember the chil-drens choir from our churchsinging, Angels Among

Us, Haylee said. It was amemorable song.But then there was that

timing thing again. Jeffnearly had to fl y out for abusiness trip, but was ableto delay it at the last min-ute so the couple could getmarried as planned and,because of time constraints,the couple made a quickhoneymoon trip to Winni-peg, Canada.

That was an interestingtrip, Jeff said. Winnipeg isa very culturally diverse cityand, instead of having thebig malls, they have manytraditional small shops inthe downtown area that

helps make the place aquaint spot to visit. It wasa relaxing and enjoyabletime.

After their engagement,Jeff changed jobs andmoved to Rosseau, wherehe worked for Polaris In-dustries. At that time, Hay-lee worked for Laurels inJackson. After they married,she got a job in the plasticsmolding department as an

administrative assistant atPolaris while Jeff was thepurchasing agent there.

We have been married12 years and in those 12years we have moved sev-en times, Haylee said.Among others, weve livedin Sioux Falls, S.D.; SpiritLake, Iowa; the Warroadarea in northern Minnesota;and lived in Baxter beforecoming here to Lakefi eld,Haylee said. Baxter is sep-arated from Brainerd by theriver.

Baxter is really wherethe retail businesses arelocated for the Brainerdarea, Jeff said.

Presently Haylee is thecoordinator of the Lakefi eldAmerican Red Cross blooddrives and is active in thePleasantview ElementarySchool Parent-TeachersOrganization. Jeff is nowthe purchasing managerfor AGCO in Jackson. Theymoved to Lakefi eld in June2009.

As for marriage and thosecontemplating the same,the Goulets offered some

good advice in choosing alifelong mate.

See GOULETS on C6

Jeff and Haylee Gouletsadvice to those thinkingabout marriage? Marry

your best friend.

Submitted photos


6/8

C6 Bridal Edition Thursday, January 27, 2011

Weekdays 10 a.m. 6 p.m.; Thursday Evenings til 8 p.m.

Saturdays 9 a.m. 4 p.m.; and by appointment

Enchanted Flowers & Gifts415 Second St., Jackson, MN

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Goulets: After a dozen years of marriage, the advice remains the same: Marry your very best friendContinued from C5

Marry your best friend,Jeff said.

Haylee indicated thatcommunication and faithare what makes for a happymarriage, in her opinion.

The Goulets have two

children, both enrolled inPleasantview ElementarySchool Samantha, whois in fi fth grade, and Joshua,who is a second-grader thisyear.

I love to write, which isa good thing, since its a

huge part of my job.Writing a story afterwatching a basketball

I cant f nd the perect words or my longtime best riends wedding

From WayDowntown

Dan Condon

game generally comes easyto me. So does writing a

feature after talking to anindividual or a family.So why am I having such

a hard time writing a best-man speech for my best

friends wedding?I am a best man in twoweddings this summer: my

brother, Jacobs, in Juneand my best friend Ryan

Places in August.I came up with a speechfor Jacobs wedding

rather easily. I thought ofsome ideas one night and

tweaked it a few timesand now I thinkits the prefectcombination ofsappiness andhumor, with agood message.

But I haventbeen able tocome up withthe perfectspeech for Ryanand his fi ancCami.

We have hadsome great timestogether andI have severalwonderful memories ofRyan and I spending timeat my moms daycareas youngsters, playingsports together and takingadvantage of a fresh coatof snow to do some seriousfi sh-tailing in my parentspickup.

But how do I relatehiding from everyone including other kids atthe daycare, my parentsand even cops for hoursin a tree house to gettingmarried?

Or what does Ryandominating pretty muchevery athletic event weever played together haveto do with tying the knot?

How about when wedrove on a mostly-frozen

Heron Lake and launchedthe pickup off SandyPoint? Does that relate atall to getting hitched?

The best thing I have in

mind involves our timesdriving around Lakefi eld

in the pickup orsometimes full-size van whenit was snowy andicy. We spenthours fi shtailingaround everycorner andplowing throughsnow banks. Butevery excursionhad to end witha grand fi nale.Usually theseinvolved usgoing througha snow bank wehad previously

thought might be too bigand sometimes ended withus getting stuck or doingsome minor damage to thevehicle.

But after thinkingabout it, Ryan and Camiswedding isnt a grandfi nale, it s a new beginning.

Its a time for them toform a bond as one insteadof being two individuals.

Its a time for them tostart fresh as a family.

Its a time for them tofall in love all over again.

Its anything from agrand fi nale.

So that leaves me ina predicament and backat stage one of speechwriting.

Thankfully Ive got

some time to come up withthe perfect words to sayto my best friend and hisfantastic fi anc.

Described by the bride as a traditional Catholic churchwedding, Jeff and Haylee Goulet exchanged vows on Nov.7, 1998, in Kranzburg, S.D.


7/8


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Local couple plans

their wedding right

in victory circle

by RYAN BRINKS

News Editor

They both grew up aroundthe rev of engines, the scentof gas, oil and exhaust, and

the glimpses of speedingcars kicking up dirt as theyraced under the Saturdaynight lights.

So when their mai l -box fi lled with inv itationsfor race day weddings,they shook their heads.I think the conversationstarted out as Who getsmarried on a Saturday dur-ing racing season? saidJacksons Chad Tweedt.

But the more he and hisbride-to-be, Stacey Flitter,thought about it, the moreappealing it became itbeing a Saturday weddingfor themselves, but at theJackson Speedway.

It just made sense, sincethat is where everyone is ev-ery weekend, Tweedt said.We have family that raceeverything from stock, modsto sprint cars and even morefriends in the stands, and itis one of the main thingsthat drew us together in thefi rst place.

Tweedt has lived in thearea almost his entire life,graduating high school in1993 and college in 1997.

My dad started takingme to races, he said. Ihave always had family rac-ing in one class or anothersince then.

Currently, that lineup ofracing family members in-cludes cousin Steve Yarns ina 305 sprint car, cousin MelHalverson in a modifi ed and his son in one too, anda nephew in a hobby stock.I dont drive, I run democars, he joked. But, I havebeen a pit crew member forone car or another since Iwas 14, most recently (since2003) for Steve Yarns andhis No. 98 Cheaper Than aWife sprint car.

I grew up watching themfl y around the track. Now Iget to wrench on them. Itspretty fun.

Meanwhile, his bridewas growing up in Janes-ville, home to the Ar-

l i n g t o n R a c e w a y .She grew up with a dadwho always worked on racecars, which meant weekendsat the track and go-karts,Tweedt said.

Eventually their racingpaths crossed on theInternet through commonracing friends.

And when the relation-ship led to marriage, theracing influence didnts top at the wedding .She agreed to get mar-ried at the track and toname our son MaximHoosier after a sprint carchassis and tire, he said.Once the wedding date

was set for June 5 alsoTweedts 35th birthday thecouple worked with trackpromoter Jon McCorkelland assistant promoter Bri-an Postma to make all of thearrangements, particularlyrenting the VIP booth andgetting tickets for all of theguests.

Our interim pastor

Planning a night of love in the fast laneagreed to marry us track-side in a short ceremony,and we asked our guests towear their favorite drivershirts or purple and white tosupport the No. 98 CheaperThan a Wife race team,Tweedt said. Groom andgroomsmen wore pit crewshirts and jeans. The hard-est part of the planning wasgetting people to believe

we were actually gettingmarried at the track. Someof my family didnt thinkwe were serious and ex-pected a church wedding.The plan was to exchangevows and be married invictory circle during anintermission between theregular Saturday night heatraces and the feature races.In addition to reserving theVIP booth for friends andfamily, a reception partywas set to go in the No. 98pit area of driver and bestman Yarns.

Despite those plans, theracers nemesis rain messed the whole thing up.

We held off as long as wecould, hoping to at least getsome pictures at the track,but 12 hours of rain causedthe races to be cancelled at5 p.m. and at 6 we called allof our guests and posteda note on Facebook thatwe were moving to OurSaviors Lutheran Church,with a meal at Pillars Pubafterwards, since we werentgonna have access to speed-way BBQs and nachos,said Tweedt, who works atPillars two nights a weekas a cook.

The couple had talkedwith the church ahead oftime to ensure the event

could be switched in sucha case, and then it wasmerely a matter of keep-ing in contact with friendsand family via Facebook,phone and text message.It turned out perfectlyfine, he said. Everyonemade the drive and showedup at the church, even with-out wedding night at the

races or our love in the fastlane theme.

Nevertheless, the attemptwas worth it, Tweedt said,and he would recommenda themed wedding to oth-ers as well.

Do what your heart tellsyou to do, he said. Ithink you should do what-ever your passion is.

Chad andStacey Tweedt

of Jackson bothgrew up around

racing and sonothing seemed

to be more fi ttingthan a weddingin the Jackson

Speedway victorycircle amidstthe Saturday

night actionwith friends andfamily fi lling the

VIP booths in thegrandstand.

Submitted photos

Named after a racing chassis and tire, Chad and StaceyTweedts son Maxim Hoosier helped them celebratetheir racing-themed wedding day with attendants DerekSampson (from left), Jenny Sweere and Steve Yarns.


8/8

C8 Bridal Edition Thursday, January 27, 2011

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After he pops the ques-tion and she says yes, thereality of wedding planningsets in and that feeling ofjoyful romance can fade asquickly as Christmas lightson an overloaded circuit.

Here are the top fivequestions you will need toanswer to make your wed-ding planning journey a

pleasant experience.1. What is our budget?Funding your wedding

Youre engaged! Now what? The top f ve weddingplanning questions to answer beore doing anything

can be one of the most ex-pensive undertakings youlltackle in your life togetheras a couple. Many couplesonly spend more on buyinga house or car, or fund-ing their childrens collegeeducations. Setting andsticking to a budget foryour wedding is an essentialstep toward starting your

married life on a sound fi -nancial footing. Determinewhere your funding willcome from if your par-

ents can help or if youll bepaying on your own anddecide how much you canafford to spend without go-ing into debt.

2. What season works?Virtually as soon as you

announce youre engaged,people start asking whatthe wedding date will be. To

make answering that ques-tion as simple as possible,start by considering in whatseason you would like to bemarried. Would you prefera spring ceremony? Or doyou dream of a holiday wed-ding? By narrowing downthe season, and selectingit well in advance, youll beable to secure a date thatwill work for everyone.

3. Where do we want toget married and have ourreception?

Will you have a destina-tion wedding? Or do youwant to keep it local? While

wedding planning is usuallymost successful when donewell in advance, if youreinterested in a destina-tion wedding, planning farahead is essential. Populardestinations book quickly inprime wedding seasons andyou may fi nd venues in thedestination of your choiceare booked a year or more

in advance.4. What kind of venue do

you want?Do you dream of a big

church wedding? Or sayingyour I dos in a beautifulnatural setting? Perhapsyou want your reception tobe in a grand hotel. Know-ing the type of venue youdesire will help you refi neyour options and choose aspecifi c location down theroad.

5. Who do you want to

offi ciate?Is it important to you to

be married by your ownchurchs minister? Or are

you OK with a justice ofthe peace? Do you fantasizeabout being joined in mar-riage by a ships captain? Ordoes your mother have herheart set on seeing you mar-ried by the rabbi who wasthere at your bat mitzvah?Just as popular venues bookquickly, favorite offi ciantsalso have their dance cardsfi ll fast for popular weddingseasons. As soon as youknow who you would like tooffi ciate at your wedding, itmight pay to approach himor her and fi nd out aboutfuture availability.

If youre planning abridal shower, you wantto make it a relaxing, funtime for everyone andright at the center of thefun is good food.

If youre feeling anx-ious about what to serveand how to get it pre-pared especially witheveryone nowadays pay-ing so much attention

to what they eat re-lax. You can serve deli-cious and healthy foodwithout hiring a profes-sional chef or spendinga week in the kitchen.Here are some time-sav-ing tips and recipes tohelp you get the foodunder control and hosta simple but sensationalshower for the bride.

Share the work.When guests ask if

they can bring anything,say "yes." And don't beafraid to ask them tobring something if theydon't contact you first most guests are ea-

ger to help. Get othersto prepare dishes youeither don't really enjoymaking yourself or youknow they do especiallywell. You can even haveeach guest bring a dessertor appetizer and sharethe recipes with the newbride. Doing the food as agroup is fun, and it helpsbuild the joyful spirit ofthe occasion.

Keep it healthy.There's a good chance

a lot of your guests aretrying to eat healthier.Why not go that routeand make it delicioustoo? You can provide

Taking the stress out ofpreparing bridal shower food

great-tasting, nutritioussnacks that also go easy onartifi cial additives, salt , fat,sugar and other potentiallyunhealthy ingredients. Forguests with special diet re-strictions, gluten-free bak-ing mixes are now readilyavailable for easy, worry-free baked treats.

Take some shortcuts.For enticing, freshly made

dips without fuss, use high-quality organic dip mix-es. Just add a creamy dill,French onion, guacamole orranch dip mix to equal partslow-fat cottage cheese andnon-fat plain yogurt and mixin a blender or food proces-sor until smooth. Serve withfresh veggies you can buyalready cleaned and cut upat the store, and you get alot of healthy snacking withvery little prep time. Or usepre-blended mulling spiceto create flavorful cider,punch or other beverageswithout a lot of work.

Remake everyday fa-vorites.

One way to combine sim-ple and special is to takeeasy-to-prepare favoritesand dress them up withspecial festive seasonings.Try distinctive seasoningblends like curry or Italianseasoning. A seasoned sug-ar combination like lemonsugar or cinnamon sugarwill add a gourmet touchto your tea. Or add a touchof a spice like tarragon ora chili powder seasoningblend to your usual deviledeggs, and you'll instantlyhave something out of theordinary.

Shop smart.Make your shopping list

well in advance. That wayyou can pick up everythingin one trip and eliminateany last-minute sprints tothe grocery store.

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Documents

Jackson County Bridal Guide 012711