Kathryn & Patrick October 11, 2008

An Autum city wedding that was traditional and elegant

When Kathryn and Patrick got married last fall, it was a match seven years in the making. In September 2001, Kathryn Hadley--a freshman at Marquette University and aspiring teacher—eagerly volunteered for a service project that gave her the opportunity to work with elementary-age children. On the second day of the project, she met Patrick Brown, another Marquette student. He would later say Kathryn's beauty and outgoing personality caught his eye, but it was her high school T-shirt that jump started a conversation that day. It turned out they had attended rival high schools in Illinois.

Over the next few months, the two became friends. As they volunteered together, Kathryn couldn't help but notice Patrick's "infectious personality." "He was someone you really wanted to be around," she says. With a boyfriend back home, dating Patrick wasn't an option. But Patrick was patient. Another girl once gave him an ultimatum, saying he could either date her or continue waiting for Kathryn. He didn't even have to think about his response: "I'll wait for Kathryn." It was worth it. In February 2002, Kathryn and Patrick started dating. The relationship continued throughout college and afterwards as they both settled in Milwaukee.

One day in April 2007, a black stretch limo unexpectedly pulled up at their condo. Kathryn knew what was coming. "I thought, `This is the day! This is it!" she says. She had been ex-  pecting Patrick to pick her up for dinner but he was nowhere in sight. Instead, the limo driver directed her to the condominium's front desk where she received a red rose and a note. Patrick had secretly planned a scavenger hunt based on her favorite show "The Amazing Race."

For the next two hours, Kathryn crisscrossed Milwaukee in the limo, stopping at all the significant points in the couple's history. She eventually ended up at the church where she and Patrick first volunteered together. After finding the final clue tucked inside an empty ring box, she turned around and saw Patrick down on one knee with the ring. He asked her to marry him and she said yes.

Since it was their shared home, Kathryn and Patrick decided to have their wedding in Milwaukee. From the start, they knew they wanted a city wedding that was elegant and traditional. They carefully chose backdrops for their autumn nuptials to help set the scene—the ornate and iconic Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist for the ceremony and the classic Grand Ballroom at the Milwaukee Athletic Club for the reception.

The perfect wedding dress was a little harder to find. After a long search, Kathryn finally found what she was looking for at a trunk show at Macy's in Chicago: an ivory strapless gown embellished with fine Alencon lace. "We knew it was the dress when my mom and twin sister started to cry," Kathryn says. The wedding party was equally traditional—floor-length Vera Wang dresses in navy blue satin for the bridesmaids and classic three-button Calvin Klein suits for Patrick and the groomsmen.

On October 11, 2008, the couple's main focus was on the ceremony. Both count it as their favorite memory from the day. With light coming through the cathedral's long stained glass windows and soaring pillars flanking the long aisle, the couple participated in a full Catholic mass. The priest was a friend of Patrick's from high school, which gave a personal touch to an already meaningful ceremony. "If I could've wrapped it up right after the ceremony, it still would have been the best day," Kathryn says.

But there was more to come as the celebration transitioned to the Milwaukee Athletic Club. The newlyweds and more than 200 family and friends dined on filet mignon and lobster tail under the ballroom's hand-painted ceiling and glittering chandeliers. After slicing into a five-tiered spice cake with vanilla and caramel buttercream frosting, the couple started the dance with "It's Your Love."

Looking back, both Kathryn and Patrick wouldn't change a thing. "It's been a wonderful journey with Pat," Kathryn says, "We're blessed to have each other and hope to have each other for many years to come."