

Stay true to our personalities and keep it simple.
Greatest challenge planning the wedding:
My family is Jewish, RJ’s family is Catholic and Protestant. Neither RJ nor I are very religious ourselves. So it was hard at times to balance all of that and still make everyone happy. Ultimately though, it was our wedding and we wanted it to fit our personalities while respecting our families’ traditions.
Personal vows:
Sophie’s Vows:
RJ, I choose you, today and every day, to be my husband, my companion, my soul mate, and my best friend for as long as I live. You have shown me what true, unconditional love feels like, and for that I can never thank you enough. I love so many things about you: I love how you actually cry when you laugh really hard; I love the concentration on your face as you work in the kitchen making delicious meals to share with the people you care about; I love how you warm up my feet when they feel like ice, and how you tuck me in and snuggle up with extra blankets to keep me warm, even when you’re already sweating; I love how much you love your family, and how excited you get as you watch your nieces grow up; I love your determination, self-motivation, and willpower to achieve and surpass every personal and professional goal you set for yourself. You inspire me on a daily basis to be the best version of myself that I can be, and I am so proud to be yours. For these, and so many more reasons, I promise to be faithful to you, support you, and trust in you completely. I promise to listen to you with compassion and understanding, and speak to you with encouragement and honesty. I promise to put your needs before my own, and to be sensitive to your goals and aspirations. I promise to experience all that life has to offer with you, and to turn the mundane into unique and fun-filled adventures for us, together. I promise to work at our love and always make you the first priority in my life. For the rest of my life, RJ, I promise to be the best to and for you as you have been the best man, the only man for me. I love you with my whole heart, and I promise I always will.
RJ’s Vows:
Sophie, from the moment we met here in Madison, just a few blocks from where we stand, you have been my friend, my voice of reason, my partner in crime, my taste tester, my sous chef, my accountant, my guiding light and my rock. Being back in Madison here today, reminds me just how far we have come, how much we have been through and how much we have changed. But even more striking than the differences I see, are the things I love about you that have remained steadfast after all of these years. Your cute smile, your amazing energy, your tenacious spirit, your disdain for scary movies and, of course, your affinity for turtles. Those unwavering quirks and qualities are exactly what make me so excited to enjoy, love and explore life with you. Through our journey together, no matter where in the world life takes us, I promise to be the best husband I can be, to make you laugh when you are down, to help and support you to reach anything you want in life- whether it is a life long dream or a glass on the top shelf, to always kill it in the kitchen as your Chef Boy RJ, to still listen to you even when the game is on (playoffs excluded), to grow old with you, but never grow up, and to unconditionally love and support you through good times and bad, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health from this day forward, forever and ever.
Making google docs for EVERYTHING and sharing them so everyone was always on the same page.
Advice for other people planning their wedding:
Make decisions and stick to them. There’s no point in going back and forth and changing your mind about everything a million and a half times. We made quick and efficient decisions and it made planning so much easier. I loved how involved RJ was in the planning. It’s easy as a bride to take over all the planning, but I’m really glad I didn’t. RJ and I did get mad at each other and stressed over stupid things sometimes, but overall, I’m really happy that we shared the planning.
Where we allocated the most and the least funds:
Most funds were given to food, alcohol, and photographer.
Least funds were for the centerpieces. We made all the centerpieces because I love DIY projects. We made all the cupcake stands and used string balls instead of spending a ton of money on floral arrangements for each table.
The wedding photos we’re most excited to see:
All of them!!! I can’t wait to see the photos from the first look and the mini-session with just RJ and me. I can’t wait to see the photos with my bridesmaids and the ceremony photos too! I’m excited for the getting ready photos and sunset photos and photos of guests and ahhhh just everything! So yea, all of them! I’m just so excited to be able to re-live the wedding again through all the photos!
We chose Maureen Cassidy Photography because:
RJ works at a photography studio and he did a ton of research to choose his top 5 favorite photographers in the Madison area. Then, he had the creative director and lead photographers at the studio all vet all his top choices by writing pros and cons about the photographers’ portfolios. They all loved Maureen’s portfolio and website, and after RJ had a quick first call with her, we knew, without a doubt, that she was the one!
Vendors:
Ceremony Venue: Monona Terrace Rooftop
Reception Venue: Monona Terrace (Community Terrace Room)
Hair & Make-up: Brideheads
Wedding Dress: The Wedding Shoppe (in St. Paul, MN)
Bridesmaids Dresses: Donna Morgan at Nordstrom
Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Amelishan
Catering & Bar-tending:Monona Terrace
Officiant: Owen Pratt
Flowers/Florist: Abundance Acres
Invitations: Minted.com
Dessert: Cupcakes from Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery (they were amazing and the baker worked with us to make 4 unique cupcake flavors)
Photography: Maureen Cassidy Photography
Maureen Cassidy is a Madison wedding photographer, Madison family photographer & Madison boudoir photographer who loves capturing connections, love and beauty in Wisconsin and around the world. If you would like to send her a message contact her {here}.
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