Icon Lounge Wedding by Danica Donnelly Photography

A deeply personal DIY wedding in Sioux Falls, SD

While backpacking around Australia, American Joylynn serendipitously met Aussie Kreton at a birthday party. Although the attraction was immediate, it took Joylynn awhile to convince Kreton to give their relationship a chance despite existing in two completely separate “worlds,” even taking a job in Sydney to be closer to him for a year. A little over two years and many frequent flyer miles later, Kreton orchestrated the grandest surprise of Joylynn’s life by flying from Sydney to Minneapolis to ask her to be his wife. Joylynn and Kreton drew on inspiration from their multicultural, international romance, their love of history and literature, as well as their personal stories for their celebration. Their DIY autumn wedding in Sioux Falls featured many symbols from the people in their lives: Joylynn’s great-grandmother’s brooch decorated her bouquet, both grandmothers’ and mother’s pearls adorned her wrist, and her grandmother’s blue sapphire and diamond ring sparkled on her right hand. Her grandmother (and namesake) wore the very same lace gloves on her wedding day. The elegant serveware and fine china came straight from the mother of the bride’s china hutch, and the antique décor was recruited from friends and family’s homes. Kreton’s love of comic books peeks through on the men’s dress socks. Even most of the professional services provided had some close connection to the couple: a former college roommate as the photographer, a childhood friend as the DJ, and the maid of honor as the baker. Joylynn’s minister father performed the marriage ceremony in her favorite childhood park garden and Kreton’s Greek Orthodox heritage traditions highlighted the union. Every detail has a story, which suited this couple’s desire for a poetic and personalized wedding day, captured by Danica Donnelly Photography.