We're ready to PARTY!

On September 25, 2020, we said "I Do" on a gorgeous fall day among a limited number of family and friends. Because of the pandemic, we were unable to follow our ceremony with a proper reception and, instead, enjoyed an intimate dinner with our families and wedding party. Our special day was beautiful and filled with so much love; but now that it's safe to do so, we would love nothing more than to properly celebrate with all our people! Please join us for an evening of dinner and dancing to celebrate our first year of marriage!

Ben and Brittany met on 8-10-2015, Brittany's first day at US Bancorp Investments, where Ben had worked for 4 years. They were simply colleagues who spent no more than the typical 40 hours/week together, until June 2016 when they co-hosted a teammate visiting from Portland, OR (shout-out to Miss Lindsey Chamberlin, haaay!). After a week of spending extra time together and Brittany listening to Lindsey say, "Come on! Why do his eyes look like that?!" countless times, the first kiss took place after a St. Paul Saints baseball game and their first date was on the calendar. The rest of the summer was filled with spending time together amidst their respective busy schedules. Brittany's kickball and volleyball leagues. Ben's fishing trips. Brittany's Wednesday bingo gig. Ben's Napa to Sonoma half marathon. Brittany's weekly Dad Dinners. Ben's CCFA events. Brittany's family cabin on Mallard Lake. Ben's parents' cabin in Centuria, WI. Concerts. Boating. Their friends' weddings. Finally, at the Dellwood Country Club on 9-10-2016 (read: the Dresows' wedding, 'sup Sam & Sam!), Brittany shared with Ben, "I called you my boyfriend to my friends today." B+B had officially begun.

Early in the week, they'd talked about spending the sleeping hours of that Friday "practicing" tent camping with Piper, their corgi puppy, in the backyard. Other than that, no plans. Brittany: "What do we want to do Friday night?" Ben: "Aren't we camping in the backyard with Piper?" Brittany: "That's not until bedtime. It's going to be a beautiful summer night - I don't want to just sit around and look at each other." Ben: "I've got plans." Fast forward to Friday, July 12th. Knowing Ben "had plans," Brittany made a point to curl her hair and change into a fun outfit. When she was ready, she went out to the living room where Ben greeted her with the question, "What do you want to do?" Queue immediate, extreme frustration. With zero help from Brittany, Ben decided on a night downtown Stillwater. They started at Maple Island Brewing, where Brittany noticed that Ben put the car keys on the table ("his pockets must be full."). After 1 beer, they moseyed down to LoLo for a patio cocktail. Brittany ordered a craft cocktail. Ben had a High Life. They enjoyed their drinks and silly conversation on the L-shaped patio couch. As it was 90+ degrees with little breeze (Brittany's favorite...), they were only sharing the space with 2 other parties. After a bit, Ben noticed they had the patio to themselves as the other parties' names were called for indoor tables. He said to himself, "Self, don't get scared now," and began executing his plan. Under the cutesy string lights, he got Brittany's undivided attention by showing her pictures of Piper on the boat (they'd gone fishing the night before). Then, he swiped to a picture of a sunset. Something about, "I want to go home to you forever." Queue the emotional blackout. He skooched from the couch down to one knee. He pulled the ring out of his pocket (she was right about the keys). He asked, "Will you marry me?" She said, "Stoppit!" seemingly hundreds of times. She said yes. He put the ring on her finger. Boom! Engaged!