Kristina & Mark’s Simply Elegant Wedding at the Schauer Arts Center

Kristina from Janesville and Mark from Wind Lake met at a Brewers game with mutual friends. “I was supposed to work, but my boss told me to go have some fun,” Kristina says. “Mark sat next to me and he didn’t leave my side that whole game! It was fate.” The two got engaged on Christmas in front of Kristina’s whole family. “Every year, Santa visits and gives us all Christmas pajamas,” she says. “When I opened mine, the shirt said ‘Marry me?’ I was shocked! It was the best moment and I was so happy my family could be there to see it.”

The theme of the wedding was simple elegance. “We wanted everyone to feel warm and relaxed at the reception. The whole room was filled with candlelight.” Leading up to the big day, Kristina attended the Wonderful World of Weddings show in Milwaukee and the Washington County Bridal Show. She and Mark landed on a ceremony at The Gardens Wedding Center in Allenton and a reception at The Schauer Arts Center and Wisconsin Automotive Museum.

“Our ceremony was everything I wanted it to be,” Kristin says. “My youth pastor, who I’ve known my whole life, officiated our wedding, and his wife helped keep everything in order. My favorite part was walking down the aisle. I had the biggest adrenaline rush!” As for Mark, everyone had teased him beforehand about crying — and sure enough, he cried. “It just made everything that much sweeter.”

For the reception at the Schauer Arts Center, the center shares a building with the Wisconsin Auto Museum. Guests were able to tour the museum during cocktail hour, before the doors opened into the reception room. “We were able to sneak in and see everything set up, and the soft glow of the candles, before everyone came in. It was a special moment. Jessica at the Schauer Center made sure everything was flawless. She made herself very available and allowed me to meet with her as many times as I needed leading up to the big day. I’m so thankful for her and all she did for us!”

Dinner was catered by All Occasions Catering. “Everything was so good! We did a buffet-style dinner, so everyone could choose what they wanted. All Occasions also supplied our linens and china for the evening.” For dessert, there was cake from Tamara’s: The Cake Guru. “I attended nursing school at UW Oshkosh and fell in love with these cupcakes,” Kristina says. “I had to have them for my wedding! We had eight different flavors because I couldn’t narrow it down to just a couple.” As a late-night snack, All Occasions served scrumptious pork shoulder and beef brisket sliders.

Some of Kristina’s favorite moments of the reception have to do with music and dancing. “My grandfather passed away a few years ago and we were very close,” she says. “He and my grandma loved the song ‘My Best Friend’ by Tim McGraw, so I did a special dance to that song with just her. I will always cherish that moment.”

Also, one of Kristina’s friends surprised her by flying in from the Dominican Republic for the wedding. “She’s an incredibly talented singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She composed a song just for Mark and I and performed it at the wedding. Two of our other incredibly talented friends were backup singers. The song was perfect.” The rest of the music was left to the DJs at Muzic in Motion, who kept the dance floor hoppin’.

Kristina’s other favorite things about the day are rooted in things that make her relationship with Mark a special one. “Throughout our wedding, pieces of who we are were incorporated into the day. Our wedding colors were navy blue and champagne — a nod to the Brewers and how we met. I sat on Santa’s lap for the garter toss, as a nod to how Mark proposed. And our wedding was in the town where we planted our roots. We wanted our guests to feel all the love that Mark and I feel for each other.”

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Bridal Shows Attended~Wonderful World of Weddings, Washington County Bridal Show
Invitations/Programs/Name Cards/Table Numbers~Milo Roots, Milwaukee, WI
Rehearsal Dinner~Olde Cedar Inn, West Bend, WI
Ceremony Location~The Gardens Wedding Center- Allenton, WI
Reception Location~The Schauer Arts Center and Wisconsin Automotive Museum
Caterer~All Occasions Catering
Cake Designer/Dessert~Tamara’s- The Cake Guru– Oshkosh, WI
Flowers~Heartfelt Flowers- Lomira, WI
Music/Entertainment~Muzic in Motion
Transportation~Partridge Family Bus Company
Photographer~Ken Cravillion Photography
Videographer~Carter Green
Gown~Stella York from Brandi’s Bridal Galleria, New Glarus, WI
Formalwear~Amelishan Bridal
Rings~Douglas Jeweler, Hartford, WI
Rentals~Sassy Pants, West Bend & All Occasions Catering
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