Anna & Chad’s Lake Country Wedding at Seven Seas

How They Met

Anna grew up in Waukesha and Chad in Brookfield. Chad went to college in Florida, but the two still met through mutual friends just before their senior year. “In college at UW-Madison, I became friends with a lot of Chad’s high school friends,” Anna says. “We might have crossed paths several times before actually meeting.” It seems this meeting was always meant to be!

The Proposal: Overnighting the Ring!

Chad planned to propose during a Southwest road trip that he and Anna had planned following a wedding in Scottsdale. Chad had the ring delivered to his mom’s house to make sure Anna didn’t see it ahead of time. “He didn’t tell his mom exactly what was being delivered,” Anna says. “He wanted to make sure the proposal was a surprise, so he didn’t tell a soul!”

Unfortunately, not knowing the shipment’s precious cargo, Chad’s mom missed the delivery and the ring ended up stuck at FedEx. Frantic, Chad called his mom and told her to overnight the package to a friend’s house in Arizona. Chad was able to sneak away to pick up the ring with the excuse of having to get work done. “I still cannot believe he let the ring sit on a friend’s porch!” Anna laughs.

Wedding Planning

Chad and Anna planned an early-August wedding — vintage, classic, and timeless. The ceremony was held at St. Joseph Church in Wauwatosa, where Anna had celebrated countless life events since childhood. For the reception, the bride and groom took the party to lake country with dinner and dancing at Seven Seas on Lake Nagawicka in Delafield.

Pretty invitations bordered with flowers came from Coqui Paperie. Chad and his mom prepared for the big day with dance lessons at Fred Astaire, which they won in a charity auction. While getting ready on the morning of the wedding, the bridesmaids donned striped sleep shirts and the groomsmen sported floral silk robes for a laugh and a photo op. The maids then stepped into light grey dresses, the men into blue suits. Anna’s lovely lace gown was set off with jeweled heels, a stunning veil, cascading curls, and perfectly fresh-faced makeup by Blush by Brittany. It was time for the wedding to begin!

A Seven Seas Reception

For their reception at Seven Seas, cocktail hour was held outside overlooking gorgeous Lake Nagawicka. Photo ops are easy to come by when a venue is this naturally beautiful! Lending music to to the lakeside mingling was a Spanish guitarist. “We also had a horse join us for cocktail hour, passing out beers.” Anna is an avid horseback rider, and Knollwood Farm donated the horse, Forest, just for the occasion. “We got some great photos of Forest passing out beverages!”

There was also a caricature artist that Chad arranged for those guests who aren’t too fond of dancing. “It was awesome! Now we constantly walk into our friends’ houses and see the sketches hanging up.” The artist even sent a custom portrait to the bride and groom. For those guests who were on the dance floor, it was packed all night. “Chad doesn’t think he left the dance floor once — not even for a bathroom break!”

Delicious Dining

For dinner and dancing, the festivities moved indoors. The Seven Seas catered appetizers and a sit-down meal. For late-night food, Anna’s family runs Balistreri’s in Wauwatosa: “We were allowed to bring in pizza!” For dessert, Chad and Anna chose a tiered wedding cake from Simma’s Bakery. The flavors were lemon poppy seed and strawberry framboise. There were also Italian cookies made with love by Anna’s Sicilian cousins in Boston.

Looking back, Anna and Chad agree that the entire day felt loving, sweet, special, and festive. But through all the wedding planning, what did these two enjoy planning the most? Their honeymoon!