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Beyond Magical: DeMarcus & John Bickart

February 5  //  Engaged February 1, 2019  //  Wyndham Garden, Fitchburg

The one thing that was super special was the amount of pure, unconditional love we had surrounding us. Our wedding day still feels BEYOND MAGICAL! Yes, there were bumps in the road, but nothing compares to the way the eyes of our loved ones gazed, the smiles that stretched from ear to ear, and the warmth that surrounded us as we stepped into the next phase of our new beginning together.

Marco forgetting the ring was unexpected but totally expected. Finding out how nervous he was just to see me made my heart melt. I’ve learned that the most work you will do in a marriage or any relationship is the work you do on yourself. We are blessed to have such a pure version of unconditional love. One thing we did right, our first time around, was to choose each other. We choose each other every day!

Handfasted for Heritage: Kim & Emer Bursaw

June 5  //  Engaged February 15, 2020  //  Farmin’ Betty’s, Columbus

Emer proposed to Kim in her hometown in Ireland. A week later Kim proposed to Emer with the help of our niece and nephews. We didn’t get much time to enjoy our engagement because of Covid. We luckily had the big stuff booked before we went into Safer at Home. We couldn’t wait to get married in front of loved ones, both local and from overseas. Covid had other ideas.

As none of Emer’s family or friends could travel from Ireland, they had to settle for a livestream of our ceremony. We wrote our ceremony and vows ourselves as we wanted our day to show our personalities and love. Emer’s opened with a pun, Kim’s mentioned her bow ties. Our ceremony mentioned our cats, and we did a Celtic handfasting as a nod to Emer’s heritage. It was the best day of our lives; it just went by too fast. Photographer: Pearl and Opal Photography

We Hit the Jackpot: JoEllen & Maurilinda Medina-Rodriguez

July 11 // Engaged March 24, 2021  // Devil’s Lake, WI

Mauri proposed to me while we were on vacation with family in New Orleans. I thought we were just there for my birthday celebrations; however, she had something else in mind. She asked me to marry her. It was my dream come true, and I of course said yes!

We chose 7/11/21 for our wedding date as I always told her I hit the jackpot when I met you and 7/11/21 are lucky numbers. We had about 45 days to plan a “small” wedding, and it turned out amazing. It was honestly the best day of our lives!

Snowmobiles to Spouses: Riley Willman & Zack Henderson

July 17 // Engaged January 25, 2020 // Wisconsin State Capitol

After three years of dating, Zack and I got engaged. We were surrounded by friends on our annual “homobiling” trip to ride snowmobiles around and experience the northwoods in winter. We set a date for July 2021, not knowing what a wild ride 2020 would be. Luckily through the rollout of vaccines, and listening to public health guidance, we didn’t have to move our date!

We knew we wanted to get married in Madison as the city means so much to us. From getting married in the Senate Parlor in the Capitol, kicking the party off at Old Sugar Distillery and finally ending the night with a reception at the Goodman Community Center, we made sure our friends and family got to experience some of our favorite things about this city. Photographer: Alyssa Lentz