Susan and Brent's Wedding
Susan and Brent were married on June 17th, with a ceremony at the St. Bernadette Catholic Church and a reception at the Riverwalk Hotel in Neenah, Wisconsin.
These two met on Match.com in the summer of 2013. Brent had just decided to try out the world of online dating and saw Susan’s profile a day or two after creating the account. Her username, Packergirlie12, caught his attention, since he’s a passionate Packers fan. Then, as he read through her bullet points of things she liked to do, he realized that he shared almost every one of those interests.
So, Brent wrote a message to Susan going through each bullet point and explaining why he shared those interests. He felt like they had a lot in common and wanted to meet up. But for four weeks, he heard nothing back, and he thought he’d scared her off. At the end of the summer, however, she finally replied and explained that she had only just renewed her account. She wanted to meet up with him too, so they went to Pullman’s restaurant in Appleton and spent hours talking together.
A Wild Rose Proposal
For their proposal, Brent took Susan to a covered bridge near his family’s cottage in Wild Rose. Susan later said that she had a feeling that she knew what was happening when he turned off the main road—and of course, she said "yes"!
During their engagement session, we went to their cottage and took some candid photos near the water. We also visited the covered bridge where Susan and Brent got engaged. The Young family was so kind that they made a steak meal and shared it with me after the session. I felt like I was part of the family!
Susan and Brent’s Riverwalk Hotel Wedding
On the day of the wedding, I was touched by the intense love surrounding these two. The day started with Susan’s father seeing her for the first time in her wedding dress and immediately crying, telling her how beautiful she looked. That set the tone for the emotions of the day as the two of them were married surrounded by people who loved them. After Susan’s parents gave her away at the altar, she hugged Brent, and Brent, for his part, couldn’t stop smiling. Literally, he had a permanent grin all day.
But my favorite part was near the end of the wedding, when Susan and Brent were dancing together. Zarren, the DJ from YoDj, put together a slideshow of their wedding day—complete with audio from the day, including the speeches at dinner. Susan and Brent were so surprised as the entire wedding surrounded them for the recap. They didn’t even know what was happening at first! It was pretty magical watching Susan curl up in Brent’s arms as they watched the slideshow. She looked so safe, warm, and in love.
The day was also filled with details that their friends and family had helped with. For example, Susan’s Aunt Claudia made a display table featuring both of their parents’ wedding pictures and also made the confetti for the tables and helped decorate the hall. Susan’s cousin, Nicole, painted a “Forever Young” picture for the wedding.
I also enjoyed watching Susan and Brent’s families light up on the dance floor. They had some good moves! It was especially fun to be part of that energy because I’ve gotten to know this family so well over the years and even photographed Michelle and James’ wedding back in 2016. That wedding marked my introduction to the entire family, and I’ve enjoyed their friendship ever since.
In fact, I ran into Michelle in the Neenah Marketplace shortly after Brent and Susan’s wedding, and she handed me a bag of cookies! There was no prompting, no leadup—she just stuck her hand out of the window and said, “Hey, stranger! Want a bag of cookies?” That’s how well I know these guys.
Brent & Susan, from the moment we met during family photos in 2016 up until now, it has been an absolute pleasure to work with you both. You bring humor, style, and kindness to anyone that you greet. I am so fortunate that I had the chance to serve you and that you had regarded me as more than a photographer; you regarded me as your friend. That means a lot to me, and I feel the same toward you.
If you have any questions about the wedding photography for your wedding day, I would be honored to help. The calendar is filling up quickly, so please make sure to click here for more information!
Wedding Party:
Best Man: Jared Stroik (Brent's close friend since first grade, former debate team partner, and current practicing attorney)
Maid of Honor: Nicole VandenLangenberg (Susan's younger sister; recently graduated from UW-Oshkosh)
Groomsman: James Price (Brent's brother-in-law whose wedding to Brent's sister Michelle the year before introduced Brent and Susan to Adam; current medical student at Medical College of Wisconsin)
Bridesmaid: Michelle Price (Brent's younger sister and James' wife; teacher in Wauwatosa)
Groomsman: Paul VandenLangenberg (Susan's younger brother and Brent's new brother-in-law)
Bridesmaid: Nicole Nienow (Susan's younger cousin; art student in Chicago)
Groomsman: Bobby Salm (Brent's cousin; just moved to Milwaukee)
Bridesmaid: Monica Young (Brent's youngest sister and current student at University of Minnesota)
Bridal Attendant: Stephanie Wachuta (Susan's friend who was getting married the following weekend, with Susan as her bridal attendant).
Usher: Jake Salm (Brent's cousin and Bobby's younger brother)
Usher: Sam Treutel (Bobby's longtime girlfriend who had become good friends with Susan)
Brent's Aunt Tricia Young (a nursing professor in Minneapolis with a PhD) and Susan's close friend Betsy Brown (a recent PhD grad who had just started work as a chemist in Pittsburgh) did the readings.
Brent's Aunt Judy Salm and Uncle Pete Salm brought up the gifts in church, and Susan's Aunt Kim Franda served as a Eucharistic Minister.
Vendors:
Happy Bellies Bake Shop (Gluten-free cake)
The Bridal Event-Susan's dress
David's Bridal-bridesmaid's dresses
Men's Warehouse-Tuxes
Yo DJ (Zarren Nebel)
