November 13th, 2020 / Milwaukee, Wisconsin
How did your love story begin?: Sean and I met - crazily enough - while we were both taking our girls on spring break to Hawaii! My daughter and I were swimming in the pool at the resort and we were talking about heading to a Packer’s game in the fall. This guy was swimming with his kids next to us, and asked if we lived in Wisconsin, since we were Packer fans. Turns out he lived in Waukesha and we lived in New Berlin. 2.5 years later, we made it official of being a “Family of Five!”
Our girls are in the same age range, so we have pictures of them from that first day we met, swimming in the ocean together. By the fifth day of vacation, the girls had exchanged addresses and phone numbers and made us promise they could go on play dates. :) They were 12, 12 and 9 at the time. Now they are 14, 14 and 11 and it’s a lot of craziness! About a year and a half ago, we got a dog so Sean could have another male in the house with him, but he’s still heavily outweighed by all the women in our house!
Covid certainly gave us some challenges with planning, but we wanted a small intimate gathering anyway - so it worked out in the end. It was just our immediate families and best man and maid of honor, so a total of 21 people. We had so much fun, and since our family tends to be a bit goofy, we took wedding pics to reflect our sense of humor.
What was your vision for the wedding?: We went small and intimate with some fun for the teenagers. :) I bought 50 hurricane vases to have it mostly candlelit to encourage the intimate vibe. I also had a photo booth so the kids could get silly. (Which they absolutely did!). Meli, our event coordinator at The Carriage House (formally Movida) was amazing to work with. She helped us throw in elements for the kids as well as keeping it elegant for us.
Tell us all about your dress!: Shopping was so surreal - I took a good friend with me while Sean stayed back with the three kids and babysat my friends four month old! He’s a trooper, but that’s why I love him. He wanted me to have a fun experience and I really did! Plus, Strike made me feel like a bride and made sure that I felt 110% comfortable in the dress that I picked. I saw someone trying on a very similar dress to mine and when I mentioned I loved that style, my stylist knew exactly what dress I needed to try on. I slipped it on and knew that moment it was the one.
You planned and you planned, but how did the day ACTUALLY go?: It actually went exceptionally well with the exception of our seating chart getting backwards and mismatched. I mean, it’s all family at that point anyway right? Haha. The most difficult part was asking everyone to get Covid tested the week of the wedding. We didn’t want to put anyone in danger, so we helped coordinate testing which was more stressful than I think anyone thought it would be. Good news, everyone was able to attend after the brides dad tested positive BUT ended his quarantine the week before the wedding. (And we have confirmed, no Covid was spread!)
What is your best advice for future brides-to-be?: In the end, it’s a day meant for you and your spouse. It will be one big blur. Make sure you have a couple things that are really important to you but let most of it GO! Nothings worth the stress, it’s just about you and your honey in the end. Try to just enjoy it no matter what!
Gown: Belmont by Sarah Seven from Strike Bridal Bar
Veil: Cadence by Haute Bride from Strike Bridal Bar
Sash: Taylor by Laura Jayne from Strike Bridal Bar
Photographer: Meredith Rae Photography (a friend of the bride)
Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Carriage House (formerly Movida)
Dessert: Classy Girl Cupcakes
Hair: JP Makeup Services
Makeup: Sweet Ginger Hair Salon
