Amber & Mike’s Wintry Wedding at the Delafield Hotel

Amber from Janesville and Mike from Albert Lea, Minnesota, were living in Madison and Brookfield, respectively, when they met on Match over three years ago. The happy couple got engaged on a summer’s day in July 2017 at the Union Terrace in Madison. “We spent a lot of time there when we were dating, and it was the perfect spot for Mike’s proposal,” Amber says. “It was casual and romantic. The perfect moment for the two of us!”

Mike and Amber planned a wedding for the following February, giving them just half a year to get all their ducks in a row. Amber, being an interior designer, enjoyed the planning process as a different way to unleash her space-making creativity. “The theme was a romantic winter wedding — classic and stylish. The colors were soft whites and ivory, warm neutral grays, blush pinks, and accents of navy blue.”

The ceremony, reception, and photography all took place at the stately Delafield Hotel. Both the ceremony and reception were held in the Ballroom. “They transformed the space between the ceremony and reception while we were taking photos and our guests were enjoying the cocktail hour.” The signature cocktail: an Old Fashioned. During photos, the bride and groom had the chance to go up into the hotel bell tower. “The sun was setting and there were light snowflakes falling,” Amber recalls. “The Delafield Hotel also created an awesome backdrop for our photos with our wedding party.”

Everything from dinner to drinks to dessert was catered by the hotel. Guests had a choice or pan-seared chicken breast with lemon and thyme fingerling potatoes or braised beef short ribs with sweet corn mashed potatoes and vegetables in a port wine shallot reduction. For a vegetarian option, there was quinoa with apples and roasted Brussels sprouts with sweet potato cakes, miso sauce, and wilted kale. For dessert, the house-made cake featured two flavors: a simple white buttercream cake with white almond poppyseed and raspberry compote filling, and chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream.

Both cakes were decorated with flowers from Bank of Flowers. “My florist, Melissa, was extremely helpful, as she is a very good friend of mine in addition to being my florist,” Amber says. “She really helped me pull everything together and feel great about all of my decisions. Melissa went above and beyond — and the flowers were gorgeous!”

Looking back, the moments that sticks with Amber the most was seeing her husband as she walked down the aisle. Her advice to future brides? Try not to sweat the small stuff! “You hear about how stressful planning a wedding on your own can be,” she says. “But you just have to have fun with it and not worry about all the details. In the end, it will turn out perfectly!”

[table]
Make-up Artist~Team Bride MKE – Dana Welch
Hair Stylist~Erica Symons – Allure Hair Salon – Madison, WI
Rehearsal Dinner~I.D./The Delafield Hotel
Ceremony, Reception, Catering, Bartending & Cake~The Delafield Hotel / I.D.
Flowers~Bank of Flowers
Music/Entertainment~The Acoustix
Photographer~Erika Lee Photography
Gown~Vera’s House of Bridals, Madison, WI
Formalwear~Men’s Wearhouse, Brookfield, WI
Rings~Custom designed by bride and groom
Rentals~Chairs from All Star Rentals (Rented through The Delafield Hotel)
Background Sheer Panels and Up-Lighting~ Double Platinum DJ
[/table]

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