Efrie and David are a wonderful couple. You'd think there would be a competitiveness about them since one graduated from Yale and the other from Harvard, but no, they are just super relaxed with one another. They met...well, there are TWO stories on this...they met 10 years ago while running in New York City...actually... that was their cover story because 10 years ago it wasn't "OK" to meet online through match.com, but that's what really happened! Their first date was at a dive in New York.
David proposed at his grandfather's place in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania so they thought they'd connect some dots to Efrie's side of the family. She grew up in Milwaukee and would spend the summers at her great grandmother's cabin in Brule, Wisconsin in the middle of the woods. Her family would spend time in Bayfield, especially on rainy days during their time at the cabin so they thought it would be a wonderful location to have a destination wedding (and it was!). I have loved getting to learn more about them over the course of our time together...from the consultation to the engagement session to the pre-wedding sunset cruise on Apostle Island Cruises' Superior Princess to the actual wedding. They are down to earth, really love each other and really love their family and friends!
The weekend of their wedding ceremony, 24 of their closest friends and family gathered in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Thankfully there was a recent article in the New York Times that they read and could share with their skeptical family and friends from California, the East Coast and in between, all the way to Wisconsin, especially traveling to a location so far removed from a large airport. These very blessed people were convinced and made their travel plans. Efrie and her mom planned for wonderful meals at both Ethel's and Wild Rice. Their guests were super spoiled and as far as I could tell from the conversation and chatter both Friday and Saturday around me, they all were so very thankful they were able to be there! It was fantastic to see the excitement on their faces when they talked about going sailing for the first time or it being their first time on a Great Lake! I was glad to hear some of them were planning on going over to Madeline Island to experience the Ferry and the quaintness of the Island! My favorite beach of all time is there with the clearest water in all of Lake Superior!
The ceremony, as you'll see in the photos was beautifully unique. They modeled it after a quaker ceremony and it was held on the back deck of the Wild Rice Restaurant*. The guests all stood in a circle and many participated in the ceremony with encouraging words, congratulations, advice, and stories about the couple.
*Wild Rice just finished up their 17th season and will no longer be a restaurant.
