A Modern Rooftop Wedding at the Monona Terrace in Madison, Wisconsin

Coworkers and actuaries Elle (28) and James (31) got engaged in Joe’s home country of Canada when planning a family trip. When James needed to get his passport renewed, they made a last minute detour to Vancouver, where they booked a hotel on the water, ferried to historic Gastown, and dined on a four-course dinner at a trendy seafood restaurant for some of Elle’s favorite cuisine. Back in the room, James spontaneously got down on one need and proposed with a custom ring he designed himself (even engraved with her soon-to-be last initial!). James knew he wanted to propose in Vancouver, where they spent their first vacation, and, as Elle explains, “Needing to renew his passport provided an excellent reason for him to take me to Vancouver without me knowing why.” The two had an equally memorable wedding in Madison, Wisconsin, the city where they first met, at the Monona Terrace, a rooftop on the lake with a breathtaking view of the Capitol building.