This sounds so cliché but you can honestly feel the love between this gorgeous couple.  They are so sweet to each other!  When I first met with them I asked them if they had any type of “theme” to their wedding and they said, “Friendship.”  In fact their first dance was to Queen’s “My Best Friend.”  This really stuck with me because when you think about it marriage should be a celebration of love and friendship.  Your partner should be your best friend and the one you can’t wait to tell your biggest and smallest news.  The one you think of first.  This is how it is between Bryan & Claire.

Their wedding was storied from the very beginning!  Where do I even begin with so many awesome stories to choose from?  Let’s start with their engagement.  Well over a year ago Claire called a radio station who was hosting a giveaway to see if she could score an engagement ring and she won!!!  Did the fact that Bryan hadn’t proposed to her deter from calling?  Nope!  Just imagine how she must have felt letting her boyfriend know that she had an engagement ring for when he decided to propose!  It just makes me smile!  But did this scare Bryan away?  Think again.  He was excited!

Now for the story of the gown.  Make sure you scroll through these pictures to get a good look at this dress.  You’ll never believe this one.  Like any bride, Claire was super excited to shop for her gown but unfortunately she wasn’t finding “the one.”  There were a few that would do but nothing that made her heart skip a beat.  One day a very thrifty friend of hers called from an Appleton Goodwill insisting that she come down to the store immediately.  Claire had described her dream dress to this friend prior to this day so her interest was piqued.  When she saw it Claire instantly knew that this was the one.  An article written by Goodwill about the experience describes it best, “Carrying the dress in her arms and crying, Claire made her way to the checkout lane at the store, stopping along the way for Bryan to pick up a hammer.”  Isn’t that just the quintessential Goodwill experience?  And while her parents allotted her a generous $1,000 budget for the dress she picked this one up for $80!!!  You really have to read the article as it’s a fantastic, short read and so much better than what I am describing here.

Bryan and Claire had sentimental elements to their wedding as well.  Claire wore her Aunt Judy’s wedding earrings and Bryan’s ring was his Grandpa Tim’s.  They got married at the church where Claire was baptized, had her first communion and confirmation.  A few of the attendants are friends of hers from these early days growing up at this church.  Claire used to work for their DJ running the photo booth at Elite Music Service.  That connection served them well because it turns out that Scott is an awesome DJ and had personal stories to share with the guests!

They held their reception at the Seven Seas in Hartland.  This was my second time photographing a wedding at this location and I’ve had great experiences both times.  The food was great and you can’t beat the view!  All in all this wedding was what weddings should be; the joining together of two people committed to spending the rest of their lives together declaring their love in the presence of all the most important people in their lives.  And Bryan and Claire’s network is fantastic!  They have so many people rooting for them and happy to be part of their lives.  I’m so excited for them and feel truly blessed that they chose me to photograph their beautiful day.

Be sure to comment below the pictures for the happy couple!  They will receive a free 8×10 with 15 comments!