We can't wait to celebrate our special day with you. Thank you for being part of it!

Mandi and Dan met on August 15th, 2014 on the front lawn of the house that brought them together: 314 N. Bassett St. in Madison, Wisconsin. Mandi was moving into the lower-level apartment with her two roommates, while Dan was moving into the larger and far more derelict upper apartment with his six roommates. Dan still remembers where Mandi was standing and what Mandi was wearing the first time he met her: the front and left of the bike rack in front of the house, and a tie-dye t-shirt and black shorts. Dan and Mandi started talking and spending more and more time together, even as their roommates warned them it might not be a great idea to date someone living in the same house (spoiler alert: it still worked out). One sunny afternoon in late September, Dan asked Mandi to go out with him. He was a little nervous and didn’t say it particularly clearly – it wasn’t until the next day that Mandi confirmed that he was indeed asking her to be his girlfriend. Dan and Mandi spent the next couple of months falling in love doing all the Badger traditions: football games & tailgates, studying at College Library and spending time at the Memorial Union Terrace watching the sunset over Lake Mendota. Unfortunately, the usual senior year life changes were complicated even more by Dan’s acceptance to Peace Corps Cameroon in March 2015. Neither Dan or Mandi were prepared for the possibility of a long-distance relationship. We almost broke up in April 2015 – but sitting on the steps of the Mendota Terrace, we decided that our love meant enough. We decided to stick it out and spent the summer of 2015 cramming in all the adventures, activities and love we could (even if it meant that Dan called in sick twelve times at his food service job). Dan and Mandi saw each other in the US for the last time on August 23, 2015.

Long distance was hard, but Dan and Mandi made it work. We texted when we could and called each other as often as possible - with the extra challenge of matching up schedules with a 7 hour time difference. We made time for Skype dates and cooking meals together. It had its benefits as well. Dan and Mandi were able to grow together, but apart. We were able to learn ways to love each other from afar, and to know each other in a way that many couples are never able to. Mandi also had the opportunity to visit Cameroon in November 2016 and stay with Dan in his village of Mforya. Dan and Mandi were reunited in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November 2017. Mandi was easy to spot at the airport, because she was waving an adorable handwritten sign that she had brought all the way from the US. We spent a wonderful two weeks adventuring in South Africa. Dan moved in to Mandi’s Milwaukee apartment in late December 2017.

We spent 9 months together in Milwaukee re-acclimating to an in-person relationship and loving every second of it. Our time during these first 9 months reunited in Milwaukee was so special, it only made sense to us to have our wedding in Milwaukee! It’s a city not only special to our relationship but also full of our favorite things: being by water, good food, lots of beer and festivals abundant! Dan was accepted to several grad schools during that winter. It came down to Duke University or the University of Washington; Dan and Mandi decided together that hot summers beat cloudy all-the-time and moved to North Carolina in August 2018. Mandi found a great job at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, while Dan completed his Master’s of Public Policy program. Dan bought a ring and decided to propose in May 2019. He had a great plan; a photographer and a beautiful sunset on the rooftop of the Durham Hotel. However, the line to go up to the roof was long, and Mandi wanted to go home because she had an event the next morning. We ended up going home. But Dan rallied, and the very next day he got down on one knee among the beautiful colors of the Raleigh Rose Garden. Needless to say, Raleigh & NC will always hold a special place in our hearts. To keep things interesting, Mandi & Dan have decided to move back to WI a month before their wedding. We are excited for this next chapter as a married couple braving winters back with our beloved Midwest friends and family! Dan and Mandi are so excited to have all of you present as we pledge our lives to each other. You’re all a part of our story, and we can’t imagine our day without you.