A Winter Wedding at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska

Claire Scherle (25 and a physical therapist) was encouraged by a patient to meet her “and some friends” for dinner and drinks for St. Patrick’s Day. Claire agreed, but had no idea she was being set up on a blind date! She showed up to dinner with her friend, friend’s fiance and Ryan Petersen (32 and a territory manager). Claire is a graduate of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and it is where she dreamed of getting married after first stepping foot inside freshman year. Since Claire and Ryan decided to get married in the winter, Claire wore a long white coat over her wedding dress. She also carried a colorful bouquet of brooches given to her by friends and family, arranged by her mother. “It is a beautiful keepsake from our special day,” says Claire. Ryan wore an all-black suit with a white vest and bow tie to set the black and white style of the wedding. St. John’s Church at Creighton University was still decorated for Christmas, so big red poinsettias surrounded the altar at Claire and Ryan’s ceremony. In between the ceremony and reception, Claire and Ryan snuck up to the bridal suite to take hilarious celebratory pictures of them jumping on the bed. Later, at their reception, Claire and her father surprised all the guests with a special dance that they had choreographed through Skype. “My dad admitted early on that he would not be able to handle a sappy song for longer than three minutes,” says Claire. They slow danced for a few seconds, then switched gears into “Footloose” and “Single Ladies.” With lighthearted and sentimental touches at every turn, Claire and Ryan made sure all their wedding guests had a blast.