Brides

Kelsie Rieck’s dress featured lace, sparkles and a
long romantic train. The colors for the wedding
were rose gold, gold, blush pink and dark gray.
“I turned around and he was down on one knee.
Of course, I said, ‘Yes.’”
Once again things happened quickly. They were
married eight months later.
Joel and Kelsie were married Saturday, April 22,
2017, in The Canton Barn north of Canton, SD.
“We were searching for a while for a location
and we looked at a lot of places, but our wedding
planner actually mentioned The Canton Barn and
I fell in love with it,” Kelsie said. “It’s just so unique
and different from any other places we had looked.
It was just beautiful and there was a rustic elegance
that I wanted.”
‘Absolutely perfect’
Both the ceremony and the reception took place
at The Canton Barn. Joel and Kelsie were married
in an outdoor ceremony at 4:30 p.m.
“We were so excited to be able to be outside. The
weather was absolutely perfect. You don’t know
what you might get in April, but we were blessed to
have nice weather.”
They were married by Kelsie’s childhood pastor,
the Rev. John Lee of Bethel Christian Reformed
Church in Sioux Center.
Both Kelsie and Joel had six attendants. The
groom and his groomsmen wore dark gray tuxes.
The bridesmaids wore long, rose gold dresses. Kelsie
wore of dress that featured lace, sparkles and a
long train.
The colors for the wedding were rose gold, gold,
blush pink and dark gray, to give everything a romantic
feel.
Right after the ceremony the guests were invited
to do something a little special.
“We had a balloon send-off. After everyone came
and shook our hands, we had people who were
handing out balloons to everyone. When we went
through the crowd everyone let go of their balloons.
It was really cool,” Kelsie said.
‘We snuck out’
After the balloon release, there was a cocktail
hour in the lower level of the barn that featured
a signature drink for the couple: A rose gold wine
spritzer. They also had a chips and salsa bar that
featured Joel’s mom’s homemade salsa as well as
cinnamon chips and a fruit salsa.
The rest of the reception took place in the upper
level of The Canton Barn. The meal featured
chicken, roast beef, cheesy potatoes, green bean
casserole, potato salad and dinner rolls. Following
dinner, there was a slide show and the traditional
cake cutting and a dance.
While the couple were having fun they did take
some time to sneak out of their own reception.
“Joel and I had some sunset photos taken so we
snuck out to get some of those,” Kelsie said.
Her favorite part of the day actually took place
after the ceremony.
“I liked being able to relax after the ceremony. It
was fun to eat and enjoy the dance and socializing
with everyone,” Kelsie said.
The couple went on a honeymoon to Jamaica.
They live on that acreage near Sheldon.
While some might call their relationship a kind
of whirlwind romance — meeting and marrying
in little over a year — Joel and Kelsie think like the
timing was perfect for the two of them.
“We just had this feeling. When we were with
each other it felt right,” Kelsie said. “We had never
felt that way about anyone before. We just knew it
was right.” •
20 BRIDES & BOUQUETS | SUMMER 2017