Rustic Whistling Straits Wedding

It doesn’t get better than a rustic Whistling Straits wedding in Wisconsin! Combine a country boy and a girly-girl with a rustic burlap and lace theme and it equals perfection. I am so excited to share this amazing couple and their beautiful wedding with you! Meet Jessica & Dan, and one of my favorite weddings to date.

The couples ceremony took place in the fieldstone Irish Barn overlooking the Whistling Straits golf course and Lake Michigan.

A quick interview with the couple:

Tell us how it all began – how did you two meet?

Dan and I met in photography class my Freshman (his Sophomore) year of high school. He broke the ice by making fun of my accent (I had just recently moved from New Mexico and had not quite mastered the Wisconsin accent). One day, Dan invited me to watch him wrestle. I agreed, mostly because there were two other guys on the team that I was interested in. We continued to casually hang out, but Dan did not believe I was completely interested in him and therefore was nervous to ask me out. Finally, at a New Year’s Eve party in 2003, I asked him out. More than ten years later, here we are.

Tell us about the sweet somethings… we want to know your love story!

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when I knew he was the one. We started dating when we were so young. Our relationship grew with us. We have become best friends and that is really the foundation of our relationship. I think I said I love you first. It was over IM messaging in high school (Ha. So lame). The next day at school was awkward seeing him, but he admitted that he loved me to.

Dan and I have been through it all in the past 10 years. There is not much we have not done together. We experienced High School and college both with each other by our sides. We’ve lost family and friends and have had some really hard times. On the flip side, we have made some really, really good memories. One of our favorite trips was going to Door County to see Chris Cagle in concert. This was one of the first trips we did just the two of us. We had been together for nearly 7 years at that point, but we realized how much fun we were able to have by ourselves.

Purchasing and moving into our first home was another great memory. It really made us realize how much we have been able to accomplish just the two of us.

Tell us about the proposal. We want to know all of the sparkly details!

High school sweethearts of more than 10 years, you could say our engagement has been a long time coming.

After we both graduated college and began to settle into our careers, Daniel and I started to discuss marriage a bit more seriously and frequently. One evening we decided to go check a few jewelry stores so I could give him an idea of what I liked in an engagement ring. Of course, this being the one and only time we went to look at rings, I did not expect anything to come out it right away. A few weeks went by with Dan dropping subtle or not so subtle hints that led me to believe something was coming. After some snooping on my part and more “subtle hints” from Dan, he met me at our apartment after work on Wednesday, Sept. 14. We had plans to go for a walk on a nature trail near where we live. I was sitting on the couch when Dan came home and asked me to come check out something that he had found in a car at work that day. Naturally, I was expecting a digital camera or some kind of treasure that was equally exciting. I had no idea that what I would find was a husband-to-be, down on one knee, holding the ring of my dreams!

What followed were several loud shrieks of “Nut uh, no way!” from me and then in our first post-college home that we have shared together, Dan asked me to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him.

Of course, through many tears and happy squeals, I said managed to squeak out yes right away!

After the initial shock wore off, Dan told me that this was actually not how he had planned to propose to me at all. He had thought of a few different options, but on his way home, ring in hand, he was just too excited that he knew he wasn’t going to be able to wait and he had to do it right away when he saw me. It was just burning a hole in his pocket… and I think it was perfect.

Thank you Jessica + Dan for choosing me to be a part of your special day!

Love what you see here and planning your own wedding? Check out more information here!