crocheted a wool shawl in a hue of winter blue. Unfortunately, she couldn’t attend as Lacy’s grandfather was in the
hospital at the time. “Though it didn’t replace having her
there, having something tangible that she had handcrafted
for me to wear on my wedding day was the next best thing,”
Lacy says. On Dan’s side, their officiant provided ties to his
heritage. “He was a longtime family friend of the Hanson
family,” Lacy says. “He had known Dan’s grandfather, Dan
Burke Hanson, whom Dan is named for. {He} was able to
reference stories about him during the service, making it
very personal to the whole Hanson family.”
Lacy’s creative family lent their various talents in many
ways as well. “My father designed and constructed the
arch we were married beneath,” Lacy says. Lacy’s mother
handcrafted hairpieces for each of the flower girls, added
special details to each girl’s dress, made vests for the ring
bearers, and Lacy’s garters. She also designed and created
almost every decoration at the event, with Lacy’s father and
brother’s assistance. Lacy’s sister designed their invitations
and programs. “These things all made it very special for me,
seeing so much love poured into this wedding,” she adds.
Lacy was also able to incorporate her unique skills and
style into her wedding gown. “I studied apparel design and
production in college, and have made a hobby of designing
and creating custom wedding dresses and accessories,” Lacy
says. “There was not enough time to completely dream up and
sew a custom creation, but I couldn’t resist adding a personal
touch to my dress. So I took a purchased dress and cut the
back out to make it backless, added the strap and adorned it
with floral appliques. I was pleased with the end result.”
The day arrived, and with it, a blizzard. “The temperature topped out at 10 degrees that day, and dropped to 20
below that night,” Lacy remembers. The storm cleared just
in time for many of the guests to make it, and they celebrated with nearly 400 people. “My venue definitely got
put to the test,” Lacy laughs. Community members, friends
and family lent a hand to heat the building with industrial
strength heaters, and a commercial-sized propane tank to
provide fuel, donated by a friend. Guests showed up dressed
for the occasion, with heavy Carhartt jackets and warm leggings. “We are forever thankful to all of those that helped
with this effort,” Lacy adds.
The beautiful ceremony scene was changed into the reception space in a whirlwind of activity provided by volunteers,
shuffling wedding party and guests to a nearby facility for
a cocktail hour while the transformation took place. “From
what I heard, it was a madhouse,” Lacy says. Through the
preplanned, quick and valiant efforts of family and friends,
the new space was ready quickly, a feat a professional wedding planner had told the couple they couldn’t pull off. “They
stepped up and made it happen under the direction of our
AMAZING wedding coordinator, Twila Barnette, owner of
Bloomer’s in Lusk (co-owner Carrie Bannan designed our
flowers). Leave it to a strong-willed community full of the
most generous and hardworking people you will ]