1. Real Weddings

Heidi & Todd: A Fall Wedding in Birchwood, WI

After graduating from college in Colorado, Heidi moved to San Francisco with a college pal who’d grown up in the Bay Area. She was the first to introd

After graduating from college in Colorado, Heidi moved to San Francisco with a college pal who’d grown up in the Bay Area. She was the first to introduce Heidi and Todd. The two started off as friends, but as they got to know each other, they realized they were meant to be more than that. The Bride Heidi Nelson, 28, nanny The Groom Todd Kammeijer, 29, business relationship manager The Date September 9 Four years later, the couple spent Fourth of July vacationing at Heidi’s family’s cabin on Red Cedar Lake in northern Wisconsin. Heidi and Todd were watching the sunset from the dock when Todd said, “I have something I want to ask you.” “I looked over and he was down on one knee!” Heidi remembers. The next night, the two went out with Heidi’s family to celebrate at nearby Stout’s Island. “Seeing the natural beauty of the island and its serene surroundings, we knew right then and there this was where we would be married,” Heidi says.

Heidi walked down the aisle in gold heels by Nine West. “They looked like princess shoes,” the bride says. “I loved them!”
“The flower girls and ring bearer were a very important part of our day, as these were the children that I have been a nanny to for the past four years,” Heidi says. The flower girls’ baskets and the ring pillow were all handmade, using the same fabric in the sash on the bride’s gown.
Heidi and Todd’s signature drink was the Red Cedar Sunset: champagne and OJ with a splash of grenadine. Each drink held a swizzle stick flagged with a wedding-related phrase.
Heidi and Todd’s programs were printed in a chocolate-brown vintage-style font on textured ecru paper. Gold ribbons tied off each program.
Heidi and Todd wed on the North Lawn of Stout’s Island, overlooking Red Cedar Lake and surrounded by trees. The couple stood before a trellis covered in flowers and bittersweet, with the sun setting behind them. The couple’s chocolate-brown and ruby-red palette, with hints of gold and champagne, stood out against all of the green of the setting.
Heidi wore a strapless, corset-backed A-line gown with Chantilly lace over diamond-white satin by Maggie Sottero. The gown also featured a mocha-hued sash at the waist. Todd wore light-tan, two-button, notch-lapel, single-breasted suits by Stephen Geoffrey, along with a striped tie in chocolate brown, light tan, and ivory.
Heidi and Todd created their own ceremony, carefully choosing the music and readings. They also performed a rose ceremony to honor their love for each other and for relatives who could not be with them that day.
The Bridesmaid Bouquets
Heidi and Todd cut a three-tier vanilla cake filled with caramel cream cheese and frosted with cappuccino-flavored buttercream. The cake was adorned with Swiss dots and a mix of fresh flowers and fruit.
A basket of apples was placed in the lodge so guests could grab a snack all weekend long. The apples were McIntosh from Minnesota (the bride’s home state) and Gala from California (the groom’s home state).
Guests found their seats with the sugar cookie favors, frosted to look like a three-tier wedding cakes. The escort cards were designed by Jen Getz-Miller of Pelham + Otis in Minneapolis.