Pierce and Ryan's relationship began with a Tinder meet-cute. While visiting Milwaukee for his brother's basketball tournament, Pierce took a chance by responding to Ryan's bio, "Rated 10/10 by most moms," with "I love a guy with mom appeal"—a detail later used in their stationery!
Though they lived states away, with Ryan attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Pierce living in North Dakota, they spent the next few weeks getting to know one another virtually before taking a leap on a first date weekend at the halfway point in Minneapolis.
During that weekend, Pierce and Ryan enjoyed the city, bonding over Vietnamese food and a trip to Como Zoo, where they identified their spirit animals: an otter and giraffe (or elephant! Jury's still out), respectively. Over the years, they weathered a period of long-distance, a pandemic, a month-long camping trip in the mountains, and significant steps, like moving in together. Pierce and Ryan faced every obstacle, growing closer and stronger as a couple.
For Pierce, the wedding planning process started long before his engagement. His dream day, first conceptualized in a lime green binder beginning in the fifth grade, changed over time. Pierce reflected,
"The styles and colors varied over the years, but I had always dreamed about getting married beneath the trees. Thanks to our venue and amazing friends and family, we were able to make that dream a reality and marry the man of my dreams."
The couple credits their venue, Harvest Moon Pond, for being helpful, welcoming, and supportive from their first meeting and connecting the couple to so many incredible vendors. The venue offered many indoor and outdoor spaces to perfectly transform into Pierce and Ryans's elegant summer garden party.
The couple exchanged vows in an outdoor ceremony, dressed in coordinating, but not matching, green suits. Their wedding party colors also included white, khaki, pale pink, emerald green, and sage.
Many wedding details were DIY, like invitations made in Canva, or heartfelt contributions from friends, like signage, flower arrangements, and videography. The couple also hired a professional vendor team who went above and beyond to ensure their day was everything they envisioned and more.
With curated pieces from Rustic Accent Rentals, the barn at Harvest Moon Pond was set for guests to mingle, enjoy a delicious meal and small bites from Buck & Honeys, listen to speeches, and leave photo and video messages for the newlyweds via Polaroid camera and voicemail recorder.
They connected with photographer Rhonda Rogers at the WedPlan wedding expo in 2023 and were instantly captivated by her ability to capture essence and magic in her photos. After anxiously awaiting their final gallery, Pierce gushed, "The joy of us and all of our guests, the hues that progressed through the day that are engrained in my memory. She has truly captured every magical moment for us forever."
Later, the party concluded with dancing on the outdoor patio, complete with a photo wall, string lights, and clear skies above. Many guests who traveled for the occasion were treated to a stay at the Courtyard and Fairfield Marriott-Madison East.
When asked what advice they would give to couples currently in the wedding planning process, Pierce wrote, "Take it one day, one detail at a time. Partner with professional, responsive, detail-oriented vendors, and have some grace with yourself. Not every tiny detail will be perfect but sometimes embracing the imperfect can translate to a wedding more raw, more reflective of you as a couple, and that's beautiful!"
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