Marisa met Jimmy under circumstances that I think most of us girls have gone through. She was a brand new freshman at UW-Platteville, where her dorm hosted a black light dance on move in night. During the dance, a random drunk guy kept trying to dance with her while she was with her girls. At the time, she had a boyfriend, so of course she wasn’t interested in this random guy. Cue Jimmy, who was older, and an RA in her dorm. He saw what was going on, and, according to Marisa, “proceeded to booty bump the guy across the entire dance floor to get him away from me.” But, like I said before, Marisa had a boyfriend already, so the two chatted, exchanged info and remained friends. That is, until Marisa and her boyfriend broke up. The week that she broke it off with him, Jimmy asked her out, and the two have been inseparable ever since.

Fast forward four years, and Jimmy + Marisa were still together. Both graduated from college, she was living in Green Bay at Riverside Christian Daycare. And, according to Marisa, the proposal was a complete surprise. Here’s what she had to say about it:

“I was working at the daycare at the time, and Jimmy called me during my lunch break and said he was going to be driving through Green Bay and wanted to meet up for some custard when I was done with work. I didn’t see him all that often since he lived in Salem, Wisconsin at the time, so I was thrilled to see him in the middle of the week even if it was just for an hour or two. I called him after I was finished working then and we met at the Zesty’s in De Pere. We bought custard and then wanted to walk around Voyager Park and talk for a little bit. I always had my lunches at Voyager Park along the river and it was one of my favorite places to go that summer. We decided to sit on one of the park benches by the docks and proceeded to talk for a little while. Then all of a sudden he was down on his knee and his two friends were taking pictures of us on top of the hill, capturing the proposal. I was SO surprised especially since it was a normal Wednesday, but I was so thrilled I didn’t even let him talk that much!”

These two planned the most laid back and meaningful wedding day at Jimmy’s childhood church + Heritage Hill State Historical Park. It was an emotional day, with lots of tears and so many smiles from family members. Family is everything to these two, and it was easy to see as they incorporated them into all parts of their day. They’re tight-knit, a family after my own heart 🙂

Since the Wisconsin landscape was just beginning to show signs of fall, Marisa planned the prettiest fall details! There were pumpkins everywhere, and she even had sunflowers in her bouquets. I LOVED IT. Personally, one of my favorite things about there day was all of the animals that we ran into! The church was right next to an adorable horse stable, and we met so many new barn friends at Heritage Hill. It was the most perfect, rustic, meaningful fall day. Marisa and Jimmy, thanks so much for letting me be a part of it!

And a huge thanks to our awesome vendors!

Flowers: Flowerama // Ceremony: Messiah Lutheran Church // Reception: Heritage Hill State Historical Park // Catering: Julie’s Cafe // DJ: Lealiou Photography and Entertainment // Officiant: Pastor Aaron Schultz // Bride/bridesmaids dresses: David’s Bridal // Mensware: Zeger’s Clothiers // Hair/Makeup: Fresh Elegance by Ashley Holz // Paper goods: JPS Graphics // Transportation Services: Bucky’s Limo Service // Bridal hairpiece: AnnaAndGrace (Etsy)