We're Getting Married!

We met in St. Petersburg, Florida on May 6th, 2016 at the rehearsal dinner of mutual friends. Erik bought Kayla a few Bushwackers at the beach bar after the wedding & the rest is history.

Erik [ F I N A L L Y ] popped the question during a long weekend trip to St. Petersburg in February 2021 - right outside the beach bar we first met.

We truly have built a life we love over the past 5 years together. Our first couple years together were spent with Kayla finishing up her undergrad degree at UW-Madison & Erik starting his masters degree at UW-Madison while juggling a full-time job and pursuing his passion of refereeing high-level basketball. While Erik was able to sneak in some more romantic date nights, a lot our time spent together on the weekends was in the car driving to Erik's games throughout the Midwest. We also enjoyed going to Bucks games & comedy shows, staying in & playing board games, hiking, & tasting new wines. After graduating, Kayla moved to Milwaukee for a job with her dream firm...err...I mean, to be closer to Erik. We moved in to an apartment smack dab in the middle of downtown Milwaukee & lived our BEST life. We ate, we drank, we played, and we enjoyed every second of our time in our little 1 bedroom apartment. However, our absolute favorite memories together are from our travels. Over the past 5 years, we have traveled to 12 states & checked off our #1 bucket list destination: South Africa! There truly is nothing better than exploring & experiencing new places together. Fast forward to 2020/early 2021, despite all that was going on in the world, we had our best year yet! Atlas joined our family in May 2020 & has brought SO much joy to our everyday lives! In February 2021, we got engaged AND purchased our first home (in the same week!). We have had so much fun experiencing these "firsts" together & figuring it all out as we go. We know the best is yet to come & we cannot wait to celebrate the beginning of our forever with all of you!

As we mentioned above, traveling has been a large part of our relationship. It's when we feel the most connected as a couple, so a destination wedding felt the most "us". Of all the places we've traveled, Arizona is the one place we keep going back to & here's why: 1) The weather is AMAZING - it's the only place Erik can find the (very) warm weather he loves without the humidity, which Kayla loves (& needs). 2) The variety of landscapes - deserts, mountains, canyons, lakes, forests...there's truly something for everyone 3) Cacti, cacti, & more cacti - if you know Kayla, you know she's obsessed with cacti & there's certainly no shortage of that here! To us, there's nothing more fascinating & peaceful than walking or driving through the desert 4) Prickly Pear Margaritas Most of all, we want our union to begin at a place that we feel at peace & surrounded by everyone we love. We know you will LOVE it just as much as we do. And if you need more convincing...head on over to our "things to do" page for all of our favorite recommendations. We think you'll change your mind :)