Jess & Sawyer’s Dreamy Winter Wedding at Tuscan Hall

From Flat Tire to Ever After

Jess from Green Bay and Sawyer from Wind Lake met through Sawyer’s best friend, Graham. Jess had planned a group outing to a Brewers game, and she and Sawyer clicked instantly, even exchanging numbers that evening. Later that night, Jess’s car got a flat tire, so she called Sawyer. “I didn’t know that he had already made it all the way before getting the call to help me with my car,” Jess says. “He drove all the way back to pick me up.” The two spent the next day together while Jess’s tire was repaired. “It was chemistry from there!”

When Sawyer asked Jess to marry him, they had picked out the ring together. The two waited to make it official until they visited Green Bay, so Sawyer could ask Jess’s dad for his daughter’s hand in marriage. “That night, we drove home to Greenfield, and Sawyer proposed in our apartment.” The two celebrated with dinner at their favorite steakhouse.

Wedding Planning

Sawyer and Jess planned a wedding with a church ceremony and a reception at Tuscan Hall. “Modern, elegant, rustic, and vintage is what I was going for,” Jess says. Because the wedding took place in early March of 2021, Covid did affect some plans, for better or worse. Guests wore masks during the ceremony. “Being a Covid bride, I was told to plan ahead. So I ended up planning the wedding very quickly within a few months of being engaged—which worked out in the end. Much less stress.”

Jess would advise other brides who are currently wedding planning not to get too hung up on the details. “Go with your gut. There are so many decisions that need to be made along the way. For me, I researched wedding pictures and detailed and planned the wedding in my head first—what would happen, what it would look like. I used that as my inspiration for making those gut decisions, and the whole process went a lot smoother. Sometimes things change due to cost or availability, so it’s best not to sweat the small changes. In the end, you will be surprised how it all comes together, looks better than you imagined, and plays out smoothly.”

Church Ceremony

When the big day arrived, Sawyer and Jess said “I do” at Christ Lutheran Church. A funny thing that happened? Jess was late to her own ceremony because she accidentally went to the reception hall instead of the church! But in no time, the two were pronounced husband and wife.

Jess recalls one of her favorite moments after the ceremony: “Sawyer and I took a moment to ourselves in the backroom of the church. We were alone for the first time as newlyweds and could absorb the moment and talk to each other about how we felt so happy to be married. We had been together for over four years, and we were so excited to finally be husband and wife.”

Living it Up Limo-Style

The bride, groom, and their wedding party then hopped in cars from High Class Limousine Service. They drove them from the ceremony to Frame Park in Waukesha to take pictures, then on to the reception. “At the end of the night, they came back and drove people to the hotel. We had a great experience with this limo service and had so much fun driving around with them and celebrating with our wedding party!”

Tuscan Hall Reception

The reception was held at Tuscan Hall in Waukesha. “This venue is so gorgeous. It has beautiful up-lighting, a mantle centerpiece, crystal chandeliers, an arched ceiling, wooden beams, and a stage with a draping backdrop. There is also a very cute downstairs called the wine cellar, which our guests spent time in for cocktail hour.” Jess was totally in love with Tuscan Hall. “It was very elegant and turned out to be everything I dreamed of. Not to mention, Amy and her staff were amazing.”

Appetizers, dinner, and drinks were also handled by Tuscan Hall. “They had such delicious food that I’m still hearing from guests about how much they loved it,” Jess says. “The food was so fresh and the service was great! The big hit was the chicken marsala and short ribs.” On the side, Sawyer and Jess chose mashed potatoes, bowtie pasta, and green beans. For appetizers, there were gyros, raspberry brie bites, meatballs, and chicken and waffles.

Making It Dreamy

Jess says she loved working with Oscar from Ambrosia Events to make her vision a reality. “The venue is so beautiful, and with Oscar’s help it really made the space come to life and turn out so elegant. Oscar ordered and designed the flowers. The colors were in a range of pinks and mauves.”

Ambrosia also helped with linens and chairs. “We used ivory linens, which I loved so much,” Jess says. “Our napkins were similar to a rose gold color with a shiny silk material. Oscar added some sparkly rose gold linens for our cake table. What a pretty touch! Our chairs were gold chiavari—I loved the look so much.”

Wonderful Vendors

Throughout the planning process, Jess drives home just how much help her vendors were to her. “Oscar and his team go above and beyond to make things beautiful. I had no idea how gorgeous it would turn out when he explained it to me. The flower arrangements were huge and the linens, centerpieces, chairs, and everything else made everything so beautiful. He even gave me a lot of decorating suggestions when I needed help designing the look of the wedding.”

“Amy at Tuscan Hall also helped me out a lot. We had many phone calls, meetings, and texts throughout the whole process, and she made my job as the bride and wedding planner so much easier! She answered all my questions and gave me so many suggestions that saved time, money, and made our wedding day turn out beautifully.”

Honeymooners

Believe it or not, Sawyer and Jess left for their Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, honeymoon the morning after their wedding! They went to an all-inclusive resort that turned out to be more than they ever imagined. “It was so tropical. We got a couples massage on the beach and lounged by the ocean and our private pool for six days.”

But the crazy thing? They had to leave for their trip at 4am the morning after their wedding. “Our flight left from Chicago at 9am, so we really booked it to make sure we got to the airport in time. I sort of regret scheduling so close to our wedding night, but we had plenty of time to relax and unwind once we got to Punta Cana!”