Kylie & Don’s Winter Wedding in Burlington

How They Met

Don and Kylie met 10 years before tying the knot. “We both worked at a local rec center as camp counselors for our summer job. We remained friends for nine years before we started dating.” Kyle and Don credit their long friendship for setting a strong foundation for their relationship. “We quickly knew that we wanted to be by each other’s side through life.”

The Proposal

Don planned a running date on the shores of Lake Michigan in early February. “He insisted we stretch before we started running, even though I told him I didn’t need to,” Kylie says. Don started talking about everything he so loves about Kylie, then dropped to one knee. Little did Kylie know, Don had also hired a photographer to capture everything.

Planning a Romantic Wedding

For their wedding theme, Don and Kylie aimed for timeless romance with vintage accents. The color scheme: wisteria (dusty light mauve), lavender, rose gold, champagne, ivory, and gold. The bride found her gown and bridesmaid dresses at Images Bridal in Racine.

A Ceremony at St. Anne

Kylie and Don had a traditional Catholic ceremony at their church in Kenosha. Kylie was brought up in a Catholic family and says she always knew she wanted to walk down the aisle to her future husband in a church. “I loved that we could make the ceremony unique by writing the petitions and prayers and selecting the readings and music.”

Mercantile Hall: A Blank-Slate Reception

The bride and groom found the perfect place to celebrate and set the romantic scene at Mercantile Hall in Burlington. Following a fire, Mercantile Hall has since been restored with incredible character in its exposed brick, original hardwood floors, and wood beams. The space was filled with a mix of farm tables with lace overlays and eucalyptus runners along with round tables covered with tablecloths and simple centerpieces. “With modern updates and unique lighting, it really was the aesthetic we wanted for our intimate reception.”

Because Mercantile Hall doesn’t provide all of the furniture, linens, catering, and drinks, Kylie and Don were able to personalize things big and small at their reception. They turned to Gertrude & Evelyn Vintage Rentals for additional furnishings and decor: a settee, farm table, buffet, and more. Kylie admits it was a lot of work to stay connected with their many vendors, but being able to add personal touches and beautiful details made it worthwhile and wonderful in the end.

Vegetarian Options & Italian Traditions

Dinner was one of Kylie and Don’s top priorities, as Kylie comes from an Italian family were food is a staple of any celebration and Don simply loves to eat. “There had to be a variety as Kylie is vegetarian and Don loves meat. We went with food stations to achieve a variety.” The first station was fajita bowls of beef, chicken, and grilled veggies. The second were assorted siders, including portobello mushrooms, crab cakes, and barbecue pork. The third station was mac ‘n’ cheese.

For dessert, the bride and groom also chose a variety of sweets. There was a small cake for the cake-cutting ceremony, four flavors of macarons, four flavors of homemade cupcakes, and homemade biscotti and genetti — traditional Italian wedding cookies.

A Little Something Special

As a special touch, Don and Kylie opted for “Messages in a Bottle” instead of the traditional guest book. “We repurposed wine bottles with craft paper labels from Etsy for our guests to leave messages for our wedding day, as well as for us to open on our 1, 5, 10, and 25-year anniversaries.”

Another something special: The wish for snow. “We so wanted it to snow on our wedding day. It was a winter wedding after all! There was barely any snow on the ground for photos, but we kept on hoping.” Finally the snow started to fall when it was darker, around dinner time. Kylie pulled on her snow boots and headed out with Don and the photographer to take some photos. “It was magical!”