Merry & Sam | John Michael Kohler Arts Center Wedding

Merry & Sam are married! Their wedding ceremony was held at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. The celebration continued at the Osthoff Lake Resort.

When TJ and I initially met with Merry & Sam, we left and said to each other “they have got to be the nicest people we’ve met with.” Even from that one-hour meeting, we were immediately drawn to their personalities. Alone, they are wonderful. Together, they are a dynamic force. It became very clear on their wedding day that we aren’t the only ones who thought this. We heard stories the entire day… from Pastor Abel (who they met a week earlier; more on that later), from vendors who loved working with them, from friends who were so excited to be there, from family who has been waiting for this day to come. Everyone loves Merry & Sam.

Throughout their engagement, we’d get emails from Merry and Sam updating us on their wedding day. See, their original reception site decided to renovate this past spring. Though the venue promised a complete site, as the day got closer, Merry and Sam realized it just wasn’t going to happen. So, two months before their wedding, they went searching for a new reception site. When they contacted the Osthoff Lake Resort, they had a room open that was perfect for their guest size. Things fell into place perfectly. That was until we got another email from Sam two weeks before the wedding day. “We’ll have a different pastor at our wedding as ours is moving. More to come.” It turns out, their original pastor was transferred and he did not keep prior obligations. Pastor Abel couldn’t have been a better replacement. He met with Sam and Merry just days before their wedding. He spoke to them at their ceremony like he’d known them forever. Merry even mentioned Pastor Abel in her vows to Sam. Merry & Sam’s advice to future brides and grooms is to “…be flexible. So many elements of our wedding fell through! However the venue and pastor we secured made our day absolutely perfect!” Pastor and his family are moving to Thailand this year to support the fantastic organization Remember Nhu. If you have a spare moment, check it out!

Now, with all bumps aside, Merry & Sam had a perfect wedding day. While Milwaukee was getting poured on, Sheboygan stayed dry until we were on our way to the Osthoff. Everything worked out in their favor. Their biggest surprises on the wedding day? Merry surprised Sam by singing and playing “Your Song” on the piano. Merry’s favorite part was seeing Sam’s face at the end of the aisle. They were equally surprised with how fast the day went. “We knew it would fly by, but holy moly, we weren’t ready for how fast it went!”

Here’s how we saw Merry & Sam’s beautiful wedding day…

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