Michael & Lindsey’s Downtown Dubuque Wedding

Choosing to pivot and do something different was the story of couples who got married in 2020. And yet – in retrospect, I think most of them are glad they forged ahead instead of waiting. Sometimes waiting for what feels like ‘the perfect time’ for something never quite happens, and we have to jump in with both feet, a little afraid and not certain where we will land. But taking a step of faith often pays off. Lindsey and Michael had big plans for their wedding originally, but they had to chance their plans as well – and it turned out just beautifully. The end result was the same – a happily married couple.

from the photographer: Michael and Lindsey were originally planning a chic downtown Chicago wedding but due to Covid, they decided to move the wedding back to Lindsey’s hometown of Dubuque, Iowa, They chose a newly renovated building, The Social Driftless Club, that is absolutely stunning. The chic white and marble decor paired perfectly with Lindsey’s elegant black tie wedding party. The ballroom was also transformed wit the help of the amazing florist from Chicago that came and decorated with greenery and pops of white.

How did you meet?

Michael and I both grew up in Dubuque, but didn’t meet until college. We attended the University of Iowa where we developed a strong friendship. We started dating shortly after we graduated and had a distance relationship for two years before I moved to Chicago where Michael was living.

What’s your proposal story?

Michael and I got dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Chicago and then he proposed in front of the first place we lived together in Lincoln Park. After he proposed, he had family and friends waiting downtown to celebrate.

Tell us a little bit about your wedding.

Before the pandemic, we were planning our wedding at a beautiful rooftop venue in the West Loop of Chicago with 150 guests. When the lockdown started, we remained optimistic that our wedding would still happen and continued to plan as if it would. Unfortunately, we eventually realized that this was not realistic, or the safest way to celebrate, so we had to adjust our plans. We cancelled our wedding, but still planned to get married on the same date. A few weeks later, our home state (Iowa) announced they would allow weddings again. We decided to plan a new wedding with fewer guests. We were luckily able to work with all the vendors we had booked for our Chicago wedding. Based on time and still having uncertainties about a return to lockdown, our vision and planning strategy was to keep everything as simple as possible. Luckily our new venue was beautiful as is, and our florist was amazing. We had less than two months to plan our wedding and I’m still amazed at how flawlessly our vendors were able to pull it off.

What influenced your attire choices?

I went to my first dress appointment trying not to be set on one style. I tried a variety of styles and was able to quickly narrow my search down to what I wanted. I ended up buying the buttons from one dress that I liked the back of and putting them on my dress to add more detail. I received a voicemail from my tailor in March that they were shutting down indefinitely due to the pandemic and would contact me when they were back open for my remaining fittings. When they finally reopened, they were quickly closed again due to the protests in Chicago. My dress definitely did not end up being tailored as I envisioned, but it was ok! For Michael we went with a classic black tux and bowtie.

What was most important to you in your wedding?

It was very important to us that we kept our wedding as small as possible. I love the intimacy of smaller weddings and the ability to spend quality time with those closest to you on that day. We both said our favorite part of the day was our first look.

Tell us about your flowers and cake.

I put total trust in our florist for our flowers. She asked all the right questions and knew exactly what I wanted after our first meeting. I did arrangements for tables, greenery and candles down the aisle, and she created a beautiful arch for our ceremony. When we moved our wedding back to Iowa I did not have a lot of time to plan and still feared another lockdown. As we hit the drawing board to start planning for a new location, I told my mom I wasn’t going to bother with a new wedding cake. She loves sweets and couldn’t imagine a wedding without cake, so she took care of the cake for me. I saw it for the first time at our wedding.

Brent Deitrich

Publisher at The White Wren | + posts

Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate