Kristin & William’s Hawk’s View Wedding

When E-Harmony asked Wisconsinites Kristin and William what they were looking for, they both said pretty much the same thing. Those similarities brought them together and kept them together. Kristin remembers: “When I first read his profile, I thought… If he doesn’t respond, he’s an idiot. He responded the next day — he was perfect online and in person.”

William and Kristin’s first trip together was to a wedding in Northern Wisconsin. Since then, Munising Michigan and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore have been their special place. The couple made an annual trip up there, and one year William picked a scenic spot to pop the question. Naturally, Kristin said “yes!”

She found a light gold dress with a corseted back from Images of Racine. While you’d think a corset might be constricting, Kristin says the corset style actually helped her manage the stress of the big day. She jokes: “I could expand and contract as needed: a practical bride. While I was eating healthy and exercising, I didn’t have any concerns over my dress fitting.”

The wedding was planned for Hawk’s View with a travel and adventure theme. Before the ceremony, William and Kristin had a first look and took some wedding party photos, captured by their photographer from Ideal Impressions. “It was a few hours before the ceremony. We spent time without rushing, taking photos and hanging out with our wedding party.” Kristin says that having a first look before the ceremony certainly didn’t spoil the “here comes the bride” moment: “It was like having two first looks. The first one was just us and our own moment of quiet time together.” Walking down the aisle, it was like “seeing each other for the first time all over again.”

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The 4:30 ceremony was packed. Kristin had both her mom and dad walk her down the aisle. Two- and four-year-old flower girls followed with seven- and nine-year-old boys holding signs that said “Hey Uncle Bill, here comes your co-pilot” and “Ready for take-off!” Kristin’s brother was ordained just for the occasion. “He forgot to ask everyone to sit down during the ceremony,” Kristin says. “Everyone jokes that they ‘stood up’ at our wedding.”

Instead of a unity candle, William and Kristin opted for a unity plant — a peony, the favorite flower of the bride. Both Kristin and William’s parents brought dirt from their respective homes, and during the ceremony, the dirt was poured together as a symbol of their joining families.

After the ceremony, Ideal Impressions took a few family photos, but the bulk of the wedding party photos had been taken before the ceremony. “We got to start spending time with our guests and go right into the cocktail hour. They weren’t waiting for us, which made the day easier on the guests.” Also, by taking the photos earlier, the photographer was able to create a video fusion to show at the reception. “All of our guests got to witness live video and photos from all of the events leading up to dinner. I’m so happy we spent the extra money on this! Everyone loved it and we’ll have the video for the rest of our lives.”

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Dinner was provided by Hawk’s View, complete with appetizers during cocktail hour. For dinner, there was caprese chicken, stuffed pork loin, and vegetable rotolo. Dessert was a tower of yellow, red velvet, and chocolate cupcakes (“no cake-cutting to save cost!”). The head table had carrot cake, which William and Kristin cut themselves, and for a late-night snack: pizza! “I have to laugh,” Kristin says. “I had two drinks all night. The first one took forever to drink because I was so busy hugging everyone!”

For the first two hours of the reception, Piano Fondue / Dueling Pianos played. “They were phenomenal and really catered to all ages.” There was no clanking of glasses to get William and Kristin to kiss; guests instead had to grab a mic and sing a song with the word “love” in it. “We had just over a dozen songs sung, everything from Frank Sinatra and the Beatles to I’m a Little Teapot and the Barney song.”

Other unique touches to Kristin and William’s wedding include some DIY projects: Spray painting picture frames, centerpiece containers, and wire sign-holders; handwriting all of the signage; making a “Where in the world am I sitting” world map seating chart. “I pretty much walked through Michaels and Hobby Lobby during my lunch breaks to come up with ideas and find deals,” Kristin says. The centerpiece picture frames had photos from the couple’s engagement shoot, with their plane (William has his pilot’s license) at the airport to fit the travel theme.

Since their wedding was on Mother’s Day weekend, William and Kristin asked that all the moms take home the floral centerpieces. “It was a potted plant with peach and white flowers. It started as a way to save money on flowers and turned into a really practical idea! Our guests who are mothers could take them home, plant them, and enjoy them all summer.” The genuine care and affection Kristin and William showed to their guests was certainly mutual. Kristin remembers: “The thing that really sticks out about our wedding day is just how incredibly loved we felt — not just by each other, but by having every person who is so important to us in one place at one time.”

Click on any image to enlarge.

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Pre-Wedding Celebration~Bachelorette Party: Splash Studios (canvas painting), La Fuente for Dinner and Comedy Sportz`Bachelor Party: K1 Speed Indoor Go Cart Racing, The Range of Richfield (shooting range), Fox and Hounds Restaurant
Bridal Registry~Amazon and Macy’s
Bridal Shows~Hawk’s View, Veteran’s Terrace
Rehearsal Dinner~Hawk’s View – Friday Fish Fry buffet
Ceremony, Reception and Catering~Hawk’s View
Cupcakes and Cake~Country Rose Bakery and Cafe
Flowers~Burlington Flowers and Interiors and Simon’s Gardens in Brookfield
Music/Entertainment~Piano Fondue (dueling pianos & DJ) Josh DuPont and Peter Hernet
Transportation~Hawk’s View Shuttle to and from hotels
Photo and Video~Ideal Impressions
Dress~Maggie Sottero (Emma in light gold) from Images of Racine
Formal Wear~Images of Racine
Rings~Kessler’s (bride) Reads Jeweler’s (Texas)
Honeymoon~Sandals Grande St. Lucian
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