Danielle & Zeke

South Shore Wedding

Danielle and Zeke’s South Shore wedding day was a day they built together. It was a day they hand crafted to celebrate the life and love they’ve created together. We love that everything they included in their day was personal and meaningful to them. They personally created almost every single piece of wedding day decor. They personally crafted their wedding vows, and they made sure that everyone was able to enjoy the day to the fullest. Their day was the perfect celebration of who they are together and the future in front of them.

How They Met

Danielle & Zeke started out as friends. They had a lot in common, and their friendship grew strong. Both of them recall a point in their lives when they realized that this friendship was something extra special and something that they couldn’t live without. They’ve been chasing dreams together since. As Zeke recalls, their engagement story goes like this:

“So I am not very good at surprises or keeping secrets. We planned a quick weekend getaway to Chicago and I had organized to have our hotel room set up with candles, flowers, teddy bears, brownies, personal wine, and some of her other favorite things. We went to the Christmas market in Chicago and then to ice skate. Of course she accidentally found the ring in my pocket as I offered my pockets to warm her hands. Again terrible at surprises. We laughed and she awkwardly waited the rest of the night for me to get down on one knee in scenic areas of the city. Of course I waited until the planned moment when we arrived to the hotel room. I opened the door for her, and candles lit the room. She looked speechless and I got down on a knee, told her how much I loved her and asked her to spend the rest of her life with me as my wife. She said yes.”

Danielle’s Favorite Day

And Danielle told the story of their best day ever (besides the wedding day of course), which I would love to share. It’s such a perfect testimony of their love for each other and what makes them perfect together:

We trained for 9 months straight for the Ironman in Madison. Zeke has done a few, and I never wanted to do one. But I thought we could do it together as a bucket list item. We signed up the Sunday after being in Chicago, and the next Tuesday he tore his ACL. So not only was it an amazing feat for us to train and complete the Ironman, but he rehabbed himself through it in 9 months to help me train and get through the entire race. He complained little and was there to help me in any way he could, even though he was the one who had knee surgery 9 months before. He was my rock, my best supporter, my #1 fan to complete the Ironman.

Zeke is much better at Ironmans – like 3 hours faster than me. But he gave up 9 months of training and put his competitive nature aside for me. During the swim he literally stayed next to me the entire time so I could see him and didn’t freak out. On the bike he was no more than 10 feet behind me the entire time in case something went wrong, I needed something, or just needed some encouragement. And on the run he was there with me every single step of the way. He never even hesitated to give up all the time and energy it went into completing this demanding race. That day was the best day in history for us. An Ironman is such an accomplishment, but to have a man that gave up 9 months and suffered through an ACL surgery 8 months before that and still put me number 1 is by far the best thing I could have imagined. Crossing the finish line together was our best moment so far.”

(Aaaand I’m crying.) 🙂 Back to their wedding day!

Their South Shore Wedding Day

We started the day at Zeke’s parents’ house. He was making a big breakfast for everybody and getting ready for the day. After he was prepped for the day, he opened his gift from Danielle. She surprised Zeke with a journal. This was a journal she had spent the past 100 days writing in. As Danielle will tell you, she’s not an overly expressive person, so this was a very special gift for Zeke to receive. And he absolutely loved it. (And Danielle absolutely loved that she made him shed a tear or two!)

Following that, we headed over to Zeke & Danielle’s adorable home a few minutes away where the girls were getting ready. Those getting ready moments are always some of my favorites! There is a hustle and bustle mixed with a quiet calm as the bride gets her details together and steps into that dress. Danielle looked stunning all day long. Then, because of the threat of rain, Danielle & Zeke planned a first look at his brother’s house. We weren’t sure what the weather would end up doing, but the rain held off for us! It was a beautiful overcast day, and we grabbed a few photos of the wedding party outside Anodyne before heading to South Shore for the ceremony.

The entire wedding day was hand crafted by Danielle & Zeke. From decor to vows, they wanted everything to have a personal and meaningful touch. They love to to adventure together, hobby together, and most importantly, build together. Their wedding day was a perfect reflection of all of those things. With sweet, funny, and emotional vows, they were officially announced husband and wife! <3 And the celebration commenced!

In Conclusion

These two are determined and intense. They are athletic and adventurous. Danielle put it best in her vows: they’re builders. They started out by building a friendship, they continued by building a relationship, and now in their marriage, they’ll continue building on the foundations they’ve already laid. Danielle & Zeke will pursue their adventure in marriage as they pursue every other adventure in life: with passion, intensity, and joy. Cheers to Zeke & Danielle! Here are some of our favorite moments from their South Shore wedding day.

Venue: South Shore Pavilion | Photography & Films: The McNiels | Cake: Aggie’s Bakery

DJ: Platter Chatter | Wedding Dress: Vera’s Bridals | Photo Booth: Sound Sensations

Bartending: Over the Moon | Catering: Bunzel’s | Transportation: Keehns