Carly Haslee and Bill Ritt grew up just five minutes from one another, but didn’t meet until their college years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Following their engagement, the couple planned their wedding day with the simplest of principles: love, fun, family and friends. The two chose the Watermark at Shully’s in Thiensville because it was close to home, yet easily accessible for their large family and longtime friends. “It had everything we wanted: a gorgeous lawn for the ceremony, an open tent for cocktails and an indoor banquet hall in which to toast to our first day as husband and wife and dance the night away,” says Carly. And dance they did. With an Irish dance background, Carly and her friends took over the dance floor, led in the festivities by five men in kilts—one being Carly’s dad. Carly and Bill expected that to be the surprise of the night, but their good friends and sister one-upped the newlyweds with an unforgettable first dance song performed live by singer and friend Russell Dickerson.
