Our story begins in San Francisco. As the first stop for both of us following graduation, me from Butler and Maddie from UW-Madison, a chain of friends connected me to Maddie's brother, Chad. A few times hanging out led to a September 2013 date in the Presidio's Land's End that would lead to our wedding nearly 6 years to the day (!). With Maddie in the East Bay and me in the City, distance forced us to primarily bond over exploring California. Outings to Big Sur and Yosemite, cruising the Mendocino Coast, wine tasting in Napa & Sonoma, snow skiing around Lake Tahoe, soaking up some sun in Santa Monica, and a visit to Switzerland during my work assignment have been a few of the trips that helped define our life together. In January 2015, I switched careers and moved to St. Helena to work in the wine industry. The next 15 months would be spent enjoying the la dolce vita (read - good food, good wine, all the time) in the Napa Valley before Maddie took a promotion and returned to our Midwestern roots in the Windy City. It would be an additional 15 months — and many cross-country jaunts — before I could find the right opportunity to follow her to Chicago. -Nick

You can go through all the planning and prep and envision how you want to propose to your future wife, and you get to the spot and it just doesn't feel right. Such was the case as we were walking through the Bremmer Calmont on the banks of the Mosel in Germany. The elements were all set: our friends Andi and Franka along to capture the moment; the ring secretly tucked away in my backpack and a beautiful backdrop framed the scene. Maybe it was my fear of heights that kicked in during the steep-sloped hike, but the moment didn't feel right. And good for that, because Chad, Maddie’s brother, would propose to his future wife, Liz, that exact day back in the States! A few days later, we hopped off the ferry to Korčula, a Croatian island. We arrived at our Airbnb, I had one glimpse of the view out our window and knew this was the spot. We were both so blown away by the beauty of the place, we immediately extended our stay. We spent the rest of the day exploring the tiny island, wine tasting, and lounging on the beach. Before heading off to the Old Town for a dinner reservation, I persuaded Maddie to head down to the shoreline for some sunset pics. Little did she know a few innocuous photos would turn into a proposal against an Adriatic sunset we’ll both never forget. -Nick

Words fail to describe the appreciation we have for those willing to take time out of their lives to witness our marriage. We are fortunate to be able to celebrate at the iconic Milwaukee Art Museum, during our favorite season of the year. Our lives have been blessed with an incredible support network of family and friends, near and far, and hope you are able to join and revel with us on our special day! -Nick & Maddie