The Northland Special Events Ultimate Wedding Giveaway 2012 Voting

"So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day…" This is a perfect quote about our relationship! My name is Kathleen and I am engaged to a wonderful man named Duran. Our love story goes like this... It was 2007 and I had just graduated college and was bartending for my parents at their resort in central Wisconsin. Duran was working on the pipeline and would be staying in the hotel at the resort. This gave us plenty of time to get to know each other. Long nights at campfires were a perfect opportunity to laugh, learn about one another and fall in love. Which is exactly what happened, head over heels type of love! But, I was hesitant since he would be traveling for work. We both knew it would take trust, love, faith and a lot of honesty to make it work. And thats exactly what we did. Distance really did make our hearts grow fonder! Through all the miles we kept our love strong. It meant a lot of phone calls and plenty of text messaging, mixed with occasional traveling to see each other even if only for a day. After a year away from each other,but always together in love, he proposed! We were skydiving together, something we both had always wanted to do. As if landing and realizing I was still alive wasn't a big enough rush, when I landed there he was waiting, ring in hand! It was a yes, with out a doubt in my mind, YES! The next year would be hard being a newly engaged couple and being miles apart while he was in Missouri working. I would drive even just for a weekend! Then, to our surprise we found out we were having a baby! We welcomed our beautiful son Mason in to the world nine months later. It was amazing, knowing that he was a part of both of us and a symbol of our love for one another and that if you truly believe all things can happen. We then all moved to Superior Wisconsin, Duran was from here, and already had a house, where the three of us would begin to make it a home. We have discussed our wedding, but to say the least we have not a clue on how to even begin planning. This package would be an amazing gift for our little family. It would also give us a chance to "officially" become the "Spechts". I know I have found my "forever" with Duran, and now I am ready to start my "always" with him and become his wife!

My fiancé and I were set up on a blind date, on which we were to meet at a bowling alley. I’m not much for blind dates, but this one was different. We started the night with bowling, which one game in we got kicked out of the bowling alley. We weren’t being rowdy; they just had leagues that night. We then went to the mall, and then to a movie. I remember telling her while we were walking around that this was the most dressed up she would ever see me. Not something you typically want to tell someone on your first date, but for some reason I felt that I could be completely open with her. We hung out a few times more and soon we were dating. We were hanging out all the time and we were both having a great time just being around one another. I don’t tell many people this, but it took me almost a year to tell Brea that I loved her. Tell her that is, but before I told her every now and then when I looked at her I would close one eye, and smile, and she would do the same back to me. After talking about it we later found out this was our way of telling each other we loved each other without actually saying it. My best friend in the world Joe has been my friend for 20 or more years. I can confide in him and know that he is always there. I’ve never felt that way about a girl until I met Brea. I honestly can’t wait until I get home to tell her how my day was, or what I had for lunch. Brea and I understand each other so well. I don’t quite know how to write how well we know and understand each other. She really is the greatest person to come into my life. My grandfather always told my fiancé that she was the prettiest girl he’s ever seen. Now if you know my grandfather he told this to all women, but when he told her I would always see a smile I had never seen before. My grandfather passed away two months ago, and only one month before I proposed to the love of my life. I know where ever he is, he is looking down on both of us smiling, excited to know we are about to start our lives together. I want to give Brea the best wedding I can, the wedding that she deserves. By writing this I’m hoping that I have a chance to win this competition, and let my friends, my family, and my grandfather see how beautiful, caring and just plain amazing she is. Most of all I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.

My and I want to win this wedding because we almost lost the chance to walk down the aisle the night of the big flood. We have been together for almost 6 years and have such a strong connection. On June 20, 2012 our life together was almost cut short. My fiance was driving to work early that morning and he crashed his car into a road washout getting severely injured. He was rushed to St. Luke's hospital for emergency heart surgery. Due to the impact of the crash his aorta was torn in 2 spots, and we were told he had a 20% chance of survival. After 8 hours of surgery, 6 days in ICU, countless tests and specialists followed by 3 days in cardiac unit he was able to come home. There is still a long road of healing but with this second chance at life we are more in love than ever before and know we were meant to grow old together. He is my best friend and the love of my life, I want nothing more than to call him my husband and have a perfect beautiful wedding!

Some say life is nothing without love. When I first met my fiancé, Jake, I never dreamed I'd end up with the man I have now. I was always very shy, and my anxiety disorder made it hard to stand out amongst a sea of other women. When my friend said she'd set me up with her fiancé's best friend, I was skeptical, but I figured I'd take what I could get! On our first date, after I realized that his hands were as sweaty as mine (which was adorable, by the way), I knew I'd found someone I could be comfortable around. If you were to run into us on the street, you might say we look awkward together. I never thought I was short until the two of us tried to take pictures together! Ask anyone we know, though, and they'll tell you we make the perfect pair. We're both computer geeks, which means we have the same cynical sense of humor. It's gotten to the point where we're finishing each other's sentences, inevitably with a cheesy pun at the end. We laugh at the same time, in the same way, almost as a testament to how in-sync we are. Throughout my struggle with anxiety and depression, he's been there every step of the way for me, reminding me that even a woman of my size can be beautiful. He's done more than I could ever have expected out of anyone, and it took me a while to realize that I've done so much for him, too. Driving home with his mother the other day, she said to me, "I don't think you know it, but you've changed him so much. You've helped him grow into the man I wanted to raise him to be." When you hear something like that, it reminds you that being a couple isn't about looking the best together or being perfect to the rest of the world. It's about finishing another person so that you can both be who you're meant to be. After four years of dating, he proposed to me last April, and I couldn't be more excited for our wedding. Winning this giveaway would take so much stress away from both of us, and allow us to focus on what's really important: each other. I can't wait to start a family and see the rest of this wonderful man! Some say life is nothing without love, and if that's the case, I can truly say I've lived.

My fiance, Jeff, and I have been engaged for 2 years and are planning on getting married next October. During Jeff's training for grandma's marathon, he began having some really bad hip pain, so we went to the Dr to find out what was going on. After some x-rays and an MRI, we finally got some answers. The Dr. told us that just looking at the MRI, he would immediately recommend a hip replacement because the MRI suggests that he is looking at the hip of a 60 plus year old male with chronic arthritis. Jeff was only 37 years old. Because of Jeff's age, the Dr suggested another type of surgery that might provide temporary relief. The Dr. was hopeful that it would help - with hope being the key word. It was not a guarantee. The only guarantee being a full hip replacement. With Jeff being so young that is not an option recommended at this time. Jeff's alternative hip surgery was performed this past August, and we are still hopeful that the surgery will provide some relief But at this point he is still in a lot of pain. He has been going to physical therapy for a few times a week for the past month and will continue to do so for some time. The surgery was only a few months ago and we are already well over $6000 into the surgery and physical therapy costs. We know that Jeff will ultimately need his hip replaced - it isn't a matter of "if" but a matter of "when". He may need his hip replaced before the end of the year anyway. With all those expenses, we have had to put our thoughts of a dream wedding aside. To win this package would mean that we could still potentially have our dream wedding :) I hope that you choose us as your winners.