About Us
How We Met
Tinder: A tale of rights and lefts
Kaleigh and Tim met *gasp* on the internet. Some might say that is the most millennial start to a story ever but we like to think we are more like heathens because we met on Tinder which is basically one of the circles of hell. Having pictures of yourself and your cat is quite helpful though. One fateful day in January 2021 we just happened to match and after talking for a day or two Kaleigh agreed to come over to a strange man's apartment AND eat food he was preparing. January 4, 2021 to be exact, and Kaleigh has since referred to this day as our "spaghettiversary." After hanging out and talking for a couple of months we decided to make it official on March 14, 2021, and yes our wedding day is our 5 year anniversary. Both of us being cat lovers was always a green flag and when we eventually moved in together in July 2022 we had 5 cats in total: Kaleigh's 3 cats Harrison, Jack and Millie and Tim's two cats Duchess and Celeste. We unfortunately had to say goodbye to Duchess in October 2023 (R.I.P. to the Queen). We both have such love and support for the LGBTQIA community which is extra important since we both have younger siblings who are gay. I think the moment it just clicked was when we started quoting John Mulaney stand up bits, Goldmember and School of Rock. Now if only Tim could get Kaleigh to understand his Simpsons references and Kaleigh could get Tim to understand her Spongebob references.
The Proposal
I love you, Orlando!
We both love theme parks so we of course had to plan a trip to Universal Studios Florida at some point. In October 2024 we did just that, and it was the perfect chance for Tim to come up with a great spot to pop the question. Since we were only going to Universal Kaleigh wanted to visit the Contemporary, which is a resort at Disney World and is one of her favorite places. Tim couldn't have planned it better himself, it was almost too perfect. Our first night out (October 12) we walked around, got some drinks, took a boat ride and got steaks at Steakhouse 71 which is a restaurant inside the Contemporary. After dinner we walked down to the docks where Disney still does an old school light show called the Electrical Water Pageant. Shortly after it concluded and we're just enjoying the calmness of the water, Tim had his arm around Kaleigh and said, "I have something important to ask you." He pulls out a wedding band that Kaleigh had mentioned she loved and Tim asked, "Will you marry me?" Kaleigh, holding back tears, says, "Are you shitting me?" and doesn't give an answer at first which had Tim concerned but she did eventually say yes. At least I hope she said yes because otherwise I've been sadly mistaken and writing this for no reason. We later picked out an engagement ring together and we both happened to pick the exact same one. It was a beautiful night and it was amazing Tim got to pop the question at a place Kaleigh already loved and now has even more of a reason to love it.
Shelby Waldmann
Kaleigh’s Sister
It’s my honor to have my younger sister, Shelby (she/her), standing with me on my wedding day. Growing up fighting as all siblings do (there’s a reason I'm not allowed to play Monopoly), we've been fortunate to grow into close friends as we got older. During Shelby's high school and college years, she was able to visit me (and the theme parks... probably mostly the theme parks) in Orlando, and I was able to visit home in Omaha for our annual Thanksmas celebration with our parents (a whirlwind weekend including Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday shopping, decorating for Christmas, and Christmas morning). In 2017, Shelby flew down to Savannah, GA, to help me drive a moving truck that was also towing my car, plus my three cats were in the cab with us, over 15 hours to our new shared apartment in Madison. Shelby and I lived together that first year until she moved in with her now-wife, Maggie, and she was the best roommate I'd ever had up until Tim. Currently, Shelby, Maggie, and their three dogs live in Madison where they hang out with neighborhood friends and spend time in their nerd cave, which for some reason is an attic and not underground.
Michael Bergemann
Tim’s Brother
It feels amazing having my younger brother, Michael (he/him), stand with me while I marry the woman that I love. Growing up in Lena, a small Midwest town in Northern Illinois, and not always feeling like we fit in (for different reasons) we could always rely on each other to make things better. Whether that was playing Nintendo, jumping on the trampoline, walking to the public pool, running around on our parents' huge property and riding down the haunted barn slide, we always had something we could do together and forget about everything else for a little bit. Sure we fought sometimes like all siblings do but that's a drop in the bucket compared to all the fun we had. As adults we still see each other frequently but a lot of that childhood stuff has been replaced by drag shows, vacations and who am I kidding of course we still play Nintendo.
Maggie Richardson
Officiant
We couldn’t think of anyone better to officiate our wedding than Shelby’s wife, Maggie (they/them). Maggie was born and raised in Madison and to us that makes getting married in Madison a little bit extra special. As someone who plays in a band the stage is a natural place for them and with that comes experience keeping a crowd engaged. Maggie also has a way with words and can keep a conversation with just about anyone about anything. Maggie is special to us and we know they’ll bring the love to our wedding ceremony.