Our Forever

by Michelle Drewek

 

Matt and Sara were high school sweethearts turned husband and wife. Unlike their pre-wedded relationship, which was 10 years in the making, their wedding day came together in just 6 week’s time. Incorporating elements of art deco into their celebration from the stunning architecture of the Milwaukee Courthouse where they said “I do” to Sara’s great grandmother’s engagement ring that she wore that day, their intimate matrimony was true to their life together.

 

The Proposal

Matt: I knew she was “the one” once I realized how effortless our relationship was. After buying a house together, I figured it was about time to make it official. However, I never made any real plans. I just kept the ring in my pocket and waited for “the right moment.” Despite having the ring burning a hole in my pocket, including for an entire vacation in San Francisco, nothing ever felt like it was the right moment to me.

Finally, the perfect moment presented itself on a leisurely walk along the Milwaukee River Greenway. We came to a clearing at the river’s edge, the sun was beginning to set, and around the bend I spotted a doe and three fawns come to the river to drink. As I pointed out the deer to Sara, I stepped back and… realized that I didn’t have the ring with me!

Oh well. I had to settle on a lovely picnic and Skyline Music Series concert at the Selig-Joseph-Folz Amphitheater in Kadish Park. The always-fabulous Five Card Studs serenaded us, and at the end of the night we climbed the hill to take in the city. I finally gathered enough courage to pop the question. Sara was quite surprised, which given my lack of planning I was not prepared for, so I never even made it to my knee. All in all it was pretty lackluster!

Timetable

We were engaged on Aug. 2 and married on Oct. 14. Somewhere in there we decided a small wedding was more our style, so we committed to the small wedding and planned it all in 6 weeks!

 

The Rings

 My engagement ring was a gift from Matt’s grandmother, who has since passed away from a long-fought cancer battle. The backstory of the ring is when Matt’s grandma had a major health problem in 1987 (the same year both Matt and I were born, only a month apart), his grandpa gave grandma “our” beautiful ring as a love token to celebrate her recovery. She said she always wanted a sapphire ring, but never thought she would have one so generous. Matt’s Grandpa was represented in our wedding bands, which were made from his ring. It’s so comforting to look at our rings and know they have “seen” so much. It’s a nice visual reminder to stay active in our relationship.

Key Planning Resource

Being a wedding photographer, I really relied on my work colleagues to do all the heavy lifting. It was so nice to just let the professionals be the professionals. The great Heather Cook Elliott and Emily Neubauer had complete artistic freedom with our wedding.

Worth Every Penny 

Sara: The boat! And also, I can’t say enough good things about Tayla la Macchia who did the makeup.

Must-Have Detail

My priorities were to keep things consistent with “us” and to celebrate not just our relationship, but also all of the support from our friends and family. I didn’t want the wedding to be out of character from our general lifestyle.

Keepsake

Do not throw out the wedding cards. People wrote some really lovely sentiments, and I have all of ours in a keepsake box. I can’t wait to pull them out at our anniversary.

If Only I Knew Then...

Matt: Looking back at how things went, the only thing to consider is what took so long in the first place?

Advice for Couples

Matt and I were together 10 years before we tied the knot, and we really try to make an effort to appreciate each other. Sometimes life is full, but it’s still important to thank one another for the little things. So the house didn’t get cleaned, whatever, thanks for taking the garbage out. Recognize what was done and be sure to appreciate it.