Wedding: March 11, 2017
Ceremony: Grace Episcopal Church, Madison
Reception: The Edgewater Hotel, Madison
Honeymoon: Croatia
For Ethan Hemer, meeting Mary Ording was love at first sight. While the feeling might not have been entirely mutual at the time, fast-forward a few years; Mary still gets butterflies thinking about the moment she first spied her husband-to-be outside the State Capitol on a chilly March morning. The couple’s wedding was filled to the brim with special details of their lives, their families and their time together. Guests arriving in Madison from around the world were treated to a Friday welcome-night gathering complete with brandy Old Fashioned Sweets. On their wedding day, cheese curds made the late-night menu, and cookies shaped like Wisconsin and Indiana, with hearts over their respective hometowns, made their way into guest’s gift bags. At Madison’s Edgewater Hotel, where the couple had their reception, the hall leading to the ballroom was lined with photos of family members, creating a comfortable “living room feel” for guests. In the ballroom, the couple paid homage to Mary’s South African and Dutch roots; arrangements of King and Blushing Bride proteas—the national flower of South Africa—covered the tables. As a stunning juxtaposition to the proteas, white tulips hung from the ballroom ceiling to honor the bride’s Dutch heritage. “We love having such different experiences and outlooks to help us navigate our lives,” says Mary.
