Mary + Sam’s Wedding at Mercantile Hall | Burlington, WI

WEDDING AT MERCANTILE HALL

Mary and Sam were wed on May 6th with a ceremony at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and reception at Mercantile Hall in Burlington, Wisconsin.

MEET MARY + SAM

Mary works as an infection prevention-ist, while Sam graduated with his master’s in supply chain management and is a plant manager in Waukesha.

They met in 2017 in Minnesota while Sam was living in St Cloud and working for a fishing map company as a surveyor. Mary’s good friend Nicole and her fiance Mitch were having a housewarming party. Nicole was busy, so when Sam (Mitch’s coworker) entered the house, she asked Mary to give him the tour. Mary thought nothing of it at the time. A couple of days later, Nicole told Mary that Sam told Mitch she was cute. But then Sam left for a three-week work trip. A month later, Nicole invited Mary to join her at a going-away party for a different coworker of Mitch’s. Mary originally said no because she wouldn’t know anyone there, but she agreed to attend when Nicole said Sam was attending. The rest is history, and since then the couple has graduated with two degrees, bought a house, got a dog, got engaged, and moved states!

THE PROPOSAL

Sam and Mary took a trip to Florida. His parents often stay in Cape Coral, Florida for a few months out of the year, and they try to take a week every year to go visit them! Mary and Sam took a few days of this trip to go up to Disneyworld, and while at the resort after dinner one evening, Sam pulled the “fake shoe tying” trick and proposed!

Sam and Mary had just been looking at rings before we left for the trip, so Mary knew he didn’t have one when they went down to Florida. Mary definitely did NOT expect him to propose since he didn’t have a ring! But Sam proposed with a ring Mary’s parents had given her when she turned 16, so it had a lot of sentimental meaning for Mary! It was so sweet and completely unexpected that, according to Mary, she ugly cried and kept asking if he was “for real.” Of course, Mary said yes, and they celebrated with champagne! Mary now has her “real” ring, and it’s more beautiful than she could ever imagine! Sam did well. 🙂

WEDDING VISION & PLANNING

Mary always envisioned her wedding to be laid back, memorable, and full of joy. She wanted to look back when it was all was said and done and think: “That was THE best day of my life.” Mary and Sam’s wedding style was whimsical, light, and natural. Their colors pallet included lavender, white, and black, with greenery as floral accents.

ALL IN THE DETAILS

The wedding flowers include purples, whites, and greenery. They were placed in loose bouquets that feel naturally beautiful. Mary’s gown was the same gown worn by her mother and her mother’s mother during their weddings. It was altered to fit Mary but is a detail of our wedding that Mary cherishes.

The wedding favors are little honey bears; the honey is from Mary’s dad’s bees-made right in Mary’s parents’ backyard! Mary thought it added a personal touch that went perfectly with the season. The couple’s cake will be personalized for just the head table/wedding party. It’s a champagne cake with peach jam filling and a cream cheese buttercream in the layers. Other desserts for the guests will include bourbon maple cookies, chocolate toffee cookies, oreo stuffed brownies, and lemon raspberry bars.

DIY ELEMENTS

Some of the unique elements or DIY details of Mary and Sam’s wedding include Mary’s 3rd generation wedding dress, the frames in the centerpieces, the table numbers, and Mary and Sam’s signature drinks (Wisconsin old-fashioned and gin & tonic). They also included the honey as favors from Mary’s father’s bees, welcome bags for guests staying in the hotels, and lastly that Mary and Sam wrote their own vows!

ADVICE TO OTHER BRIDES

“Keep it simple. The more you try to cater to friends and family, the more work it becomes. Remember that the day is about YOU, not throwing a party for everyone else. If you can afford it, get a videographer… the live video of family members laughing and smiling will be something you want to keep forever. Make sure there are elements of your wedding that are completely unique to you. You don’t want to look back on your wedding and realize it was so cookie-cutter just because that’s what was popular at the time. Lastly, get a wedding coordinator if you can, and have them help with as much as they can. The less you have to coordinate, the more you can focus on you and your fiance and what the day means to you rather than getting swept up in the planning of it all.” -Mary + Sam.

MEET THE VENDORS

Huge thank you to all of the amazing wedding vendors that made Mary and Sam’s day run seamlessly. Congratulations Mary and Sam on the start of your next great adventure 🙂

WEDDING COORDINATOR: Wendi Ward Weddings & Events

INVITATIONS: Zazzle

CEREMONY VENUE: St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

OFFICIANT: Father Marty Schaefer

PHOTOGRAPHER: Allysha Noelle Photography

VIDEOGRAPHER: Final Project Productions

MEN’S SUITS: Mike Bjorns

WEDDING DRESS SHOP: Grandmother & Mother’s Wedding Dress

BRIDESMAIDS DRESS SHOP: Renzrags

FLORIST: Chris Nelson Designs, Inc

HAIR STYLIST: Team Bride MKE

MAKEUP ARTIST: Team Bride MKE