Though they grew up only around 20 miles apart, Hannah and Dan first crossed paths while Hannah was home studying for her Law School Admissions Test in 2017. Six years later, Dan proposed in Evanston, Illinois, a favorite destination for the couple, where they spent many weekends together while Hannah attended Loyola University Chicago.
When planning their wedding, the couple had plenty of experience attending celebrations for friends and family. They took great time and care to narrow down their favorite traditions, trends, and personalizations to create a celebration that reflected them best as a couple. Since Hannah and Dan are both transplants to Wisconsin, they started by buying and reading every regional wedding magazine to find inspiration, vendors, and budget accordingly.
With floor-to-ceiling windows, industrial architecture, soaring ceilings, and incredible views, Jan Serr Studio was the perfect location for Hannah and Dan's vision for their black tie event -- minimalist, modern, clean, airy, and luminous. After securing their venue and primary vendors, they hired Heather Farr Events as a coordinator to help organize contracts, build a timeline, and provide valuable insights into the planning process. The couple highly recommends budgeting for a wedding coordinator, especially for hosting a wedding in an unfamiliar area, like a new city or destination.
There were many personalized details throughout the day, including customized newspaper-style wedding programs, a painted Milwaukee skyline guestbook to honor Hannah's late uncle, and precious family utensils and display items at the dessert table. Instead of a memorial table, Hannah and Dan opted to honor their loved ones by displaying their parents' wedding invitations at their welcome table. They also customized their table numbers with baby and school photos of themselves at various ages as a cute, personal touch.
Saz's Catering provided drinks and dinner for the evening, allowing the couple to develop and customize the menu to fit their unique tastes.
At the reception, instead of a traditional father-daughter dance, Hannah decided to use her skills as a high school dance team coach to choreograph a family dance. The dance began with her father and expanded to include her mom, her brother, her brother's girlfriend, and Dan. The night concluded with much more dancing and a second look for Hannah, who wore a traditional cheongsam, while Dan coordinated with a matching tie.
Hannah and Dan describe Ashton Gonnering Photography as, "our anchor the entire day." They loved how her her documentary-style approach to shooting weddings allowed them to be fully present, while also making sure to capture coordinated group photos with close family members and friends.
When it comes to planning your dream day, Hannah has this advice for couples:
"Do not rush! Take your time when making important decisions. Always sleep on it. If you and your partner do not pause and reflect together, it can be easy to get swept up in the urgency of wedding planning and simply do what everyone else is doing. One of the best parts about looking back on our big day is being able to see ourselves in every detail, big and small!"
