Gail & Joe’s Rustic Book-Themed Wedding at The Bog

Gail and Joe met during new teacher orientation for West Bend School District. “We became friends very quickly, and that fall it became clear that we had a connection that was meant to go deeper.” For Joe’s birthday, Gail’s mom got him tickets to Escape Chambers. “We went with both of our families,” Gail says. “The theme of the night was Jewelry Heist, and at the very end, we had to find a code for a safe. In the safe was a little red box. Joe took it out, got down on one knee, and said all sorts of sweet things, ending with a proposal.”

The two planned a fall wedding with a blend of woodsy and vintage decorations. “We wanted a very rustic feel to everything involved in the wedding. We repurposed mason jars and had wood pieces on which Joe burned our initials on one side, and table numbers on the other. We also had a book theme. Our engagement photos were in a used bookstore, and that kind of spurred the book idea. Our centerpieces included hardcover books with titles connected to love or marriage. We had heart confetti cut from a romantic novel, and our favors were bookmarks with an engagement photo and quote.”

To prep for the big day, Gail went to the Bridal Fair at the Washington County Fair Park, and she and Joe took dance lessons at Fred Astaire Dance Studio. “We enjoyed taking the lessons, but we would both suggest taking them closer to the wedding.” Gail found her gown at Amelishan in Hubertus: “Very friendly and helpful staff and a huge selection!”

Both the ceremony and reception took place at The Bog. “We didn’t hire a wedding consultant and we didn’t have to. Beth at The Bog was so helpful working with us to set up our day. She and her staff assembled all of our decorations the day-of, and it looked exactly as we intended.” Joe and Gail agree that their favorite part of the ceremony was getting to read and hear the vows they wrote for one another. “Even though we were in front of a large group, it felt the most personal and romantic of anything else in the ceremony.”

Then it was time to party! “The reception was great,” Gail says. “Everyone was dancing and having a good time. We had a fire pit outside for guests who weren’t into the dancing scene all night. Our favorite part was dancing with all of our family and friends. It was fun to let loose with them and reintroduce ourselves as a newly married couple.” Gail and Joe chose Midwest Sound to DJ the reception. “They did a great job reading the crowd and keeping the dancing going.”

Food and drinks were both catered by The Bog. Hors de oeuvres included stuffed mushrooms, crab rangoons, and bacon-wrapped water chestnuts. For dinner, Joe and Gail chose an Itlian-style buffet with lasagna, chicken piccata, angel hair pasta, fresh veggies, and an antipasto tray. “We received so many compliments on the food from our guests, especially the chicken.” For drinks, the couple went for a beer, wine, and soda package. Then on to dessert, an assortment of cupcakes by Audra’s House of Cakes from more traditional to chocolate with peanut butter filling and pumpkin with cream cheese frosting. We had more than enough cupcakes and every single one got eaten. They were so yummy!

In addition to book-loving décor, Gail and Joe had a unique DIY guest book: “It was a shadow box with our names and wedding date attached to the back. Our guests inserted signed wooden hearts through a slit we cut in the top.” Gail admits the hardest part of wedding planning was settling on all the unique details. “The small details can sometimes require a tremendous amount of effort and time,” she says. Anyone planning a wedding should think about the details early on, or talk with someone who is more detail-oriented if you’re not.”

“Weddings have so many moving parts that we couldn’t even fathom but seeing them all come together was so worth it in the end. The key, we found, is to find a venue that has an events coordinator to guide you along the way.” Gail says they wouldn’t have changed a thing about their planning process — “we were very happy with how everything turned out!”

Bridal Shows attended~Washington County Bridal Fair
Dance Lessons~Fred Astaire Dance Studio
Invitations~ Wedding Paper Divas
Rehearsal Dinner~Tello’s
Ceremony, Reception & Catering~The Bog
Cake Designer/Dessert~Audra’s House of Cakes
Flowers~Flower and Bee
Music/Entertainment~Midwest Sound
Transportation~Go Riteway
Photographer~The Paper Elephant
Bridal Salon~Amelishan in Hubertus, WI
Formalwear~Men’s Wearhouse
Rings~Kessler’s