Tina & Zach

The father of the bride creates a perfect panorama for Tina and Zach’s scenic Underwood, Iowa, wedding.

Photos: LM Photography
Flowers: Hy-Vee
Bride’s Gown: Thomcyn’s Formal Attire
Rentals: Gibbs Rental
Band: Dave Barger and the Master Jammers

Tina Bonacci couldn't imagine a more beautiful setting for her wedding than her parents' rural Iowa home.

Her dreams came true Sept. 8 2007, when she and Zach Dice exchanged their vows in an afternoon ceremony against a backdrop of rolling hills and late-summer hues.

The ceremony was conducted on a platform specially built by Tina's father.

After the ceremony, the bridal party and guests moved to the family’s two-story barn for a picnic feast and dancing to music by a live band.

The bride and her attendants got ready for the ceremony in an upstairs bedroom of the farmhouse.

"My most memorable moment", the bride said, "was watching Zach below, greeting our guests and trying not to look up in the window."

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Jenny & Joel 06.23.07

Berlin World Cup kicks engagement into high gear

Ceremony Location: Cathedral of the Risen Christ, Lincoln
Reception Location: Country Club of Lincoln
Bridal Gown: Monique Lhuillier
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Jim Hjelm
Tuxedos: Custom-tailored black Italian tuxes, Emsud’s Expert Alterations in Lincoln
Makeup: In-home Chanel makeup application by Claudia Messineo of
Lincoln Bride and Mother of the Bride Hair: Devonna Primavera of Lincoln
Bridal Party Hair: Tranquility Salon in Lincoln
Bride’s Ring: Tiffany-style with round diamond passed down from Joel’s late father ; Borsheim’s wedding band Groom’s Ring: Two-tone brushed-andpolished titanium band with diamonds
Flowers: Mike Hillis of Hillis & Company, Lincoln
Caterer: Country Club of Lincoln
Cake: Donna Roehrs of Lincoln
Soloist: Steve Kocher of Chicago, friend of the groom
Instrumentalists: Summit String Quartet of Lincoln
Organist: Dave Schmidt of Lincoln
Trumpet: Tom Kelly of Lincoln
Reception Music: Pam and the Pearls of Omaha
Photography: Geoff Johnson, Omaha
Videography: Special Images, Omaha
Transportation: VIP Limo of Lincoln
Invitations/Programs: Paper Panache in Lincoln created a neutral palette of off-white letterpress on pure cotton rag paper by Elum.
Graphic Designer: Carla Roscoe of Moon Design in Lincoln helped with design of menu cards, ceremony programs, seating chart and monogram.
Rentals: United Rental and AAA Rents & Event Services
Travel Agent: Melissa Blue of Blue Hawaii Vacations in California
Wedding Planner: Tracey Fricke of Special Occasion by Design in Omaha and Maryanne Heiser, mother of the bride
Favors: Heart-shaped butter cream sugar cookies with white frosting

Oprah Winfrey once referred to St. Patrick’s Church in downtown Chicago as “the place to meet your match.” Jenny Heiser and Joel Pilka would agree. Both were invited and felt compelled to attend a block-party fundraiser for the historic church. Jenny and Joel bumped into each other, chatted, and ultimately exchanged phone numbers. Three months later, their paths crossed again at a black-tie fundraiser and they agreed to get together the following week.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Jenny left Chicago to pursue a master’s degree in advertising, marketing and communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln but maintained a long-distance relationship with Joel. After two years of dating, Joel proposed.

“I was in Germany for a conference. The World Cup soccer competition was in Berlin that year and Joel decided to fly in with friends to see some of the matches,” Jenny said. After meeting up in Berlin, Joel took Jenny to a quaint Italian bistro in a quiet alley.

“Our candlelit table was outside on the cobblestones,” Jenny said. During the meal, Joel excused himself. When he returned, he moved his chair aside, looked at Jenny and proposed. “I threw my face in my hands,” she said. “I was so emotional I don’t exactly remember what he said.” After dinner, they spent the rest of the night walking the streets of Berlin yelling, “We’re engaged.”

Exactly a year after proposing, Jenny and Joel were married June 23, 2007. The ceremony was held at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln, with the reception at the Country Club of Lincoln.

The atmosphere of the day was vintage garden with a contemporary feel inspired by romantic overtones and summer neutrals using garden greens, whites, off-whites and hints of pink with golden accents.

Jenny carried a just-picked bouquet with stems wrapped in satin ribbon and her grandmother’s rosary. Her bouquet included clematis flown in from California, garden roses, ranunculus, green mini-cymbidium orchid blossoms, ladies mantel, and white and green hydrangea.

Emphasizing the garden motif, the room was adorned with boxwood shrubbery and large trees twinkling with hundreds of tiny white lights. The Chivari opera chairs had sheer gold organza covers.

The chandeliers were wrapped with Southern smilez and white clematis, while the dining tables were draped in off-white linens with a silk overlay. The centerpieces — varying in style and height — utilized the same flowers found in the bridal bouquet and basked in the warm glow offered by clusters of votive candles.

Jenny wore a fitted, strapless crème Chantilly lace gown with a latte silk underlay by Monique Lhuillier.

During the day, she wore an offwhite ribbon with an antique broach made of Swarovski crystals and seeded pearls. For the reception, Jenny switched to a fitted belt encrusted with Swarovski crystals.

Joel made the day complete with the debut of their wedding song, which he wrote, sang and co-produced with Derrick Procell of Chicago.

“A Perfect Day” brought tears to everyone’s eyes by the end of the couple’s first dance.

“I knew he was up to something because he kept changing our first-dance song. He didn’t seem to care what it would be, even up until the last moment.’’

Jenny and Joel both come from large families and they wanted to be sure everyone was involved in the events of the day. A photograph of the cousins, bridal party and grandparents captured the essence of family tradition and togetherness.

The couple honeymooned in Maui before making their home in Illinois.

“I feel so fortunate to have been able to have such a special day. It could not have been possible without the support of family, friends, and guests who came from all over the country,” Jenny said. “This was more than I could have ever imagined. We had such a good time. I almost want to do it all over again!”

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Erin & Jeremy Stoll 10.12.07

Play rehearsal a prelude to matrimony

Ceremony location: The Magnolia Hotel
Reception location: The Magnolia Hotel
Bridal Gown: Justin Alexander, Bridal Traditions
Bridesmaid Dresses: Eden Bridesmaids, J. Marie’s, Lincoln
Tuxedos: Men’s Warehouse
Hair: Morgan Evers, Avalon Suites
Makeup: Heather Artz, W Salon, Lincoln
Rings: Goldsmith Silversmith
Flowers: Paul at Simply Flowers, Center Mall
Cake: Michaela Hug-Nelson, La-Charlotte
Music: iTunes. Bride’s brother was the DJ; Friends chose their favorite songs.
Photography: Geoff Johnson Photography
Invitations/Programs: Adam Nielsen, bi-’st O Design
Travel Agent: Diane Fischer, Regency Travel
Wedding Planner: Mindell Rethwisch, Magnolia Hotel
Favors: Adam Nielsen designed matchbooks for the couple, who collect them. Out-of-town guests staying at the hotel received welcome bags filled with information about the Old Market, Nebraska playing cards, specialty nuts and candy, and facial tissue.

Erin Joekel was ready to give up on men until she was cast in “Dogs Playing Poker,” a benefit for the Nebraska Humane Society. The show still needed a leading man when someone suggested Jeremy Stoll, who had been described to Erin as “tall and good-looking.”

Erin, sensing a matchmaking attempt, announced that she was done with men. “I showed up for rehearsal and the first person I saw was Jeremy. I thought, ‘OK, maybe I’m not totally done with men.’”

After three rehearsals, Erin invited Jeremy out for a drink. “He had amazing eyes. And I loved his voice. He has a deep voice that makes me melt. He told me he was a teacher and that really touched me.”

Jeremy found Erin beautiful, elegant, humorous and well-spoken. It was an instant attraction.

The coupled dated for 15 months before Jeremy proposed in Colorado on New Year’s Eve. It was about 1 a.m. when Jeremy suggested they go for a walk. “I didn’t want to go because it was freezing,” Erin recalls. They walked to the Visitor’s Center Square in Breckenridge and stopped on a bridge crossing over a small brook. The mountains were bathed in moonlight. “It was a beautiful, clear night. All the Christmas lights were on and there was snow.”

Jeremy was standing with his arms around her when she suggested they make New Year’s resolutions. “He said, ‘Good idea’ and pulled off my glove and put the ring on my finger. I think I screamed and then cried and
starting jumping up and down.”

Erin and Jeremy were married Oct. 12, 2007, in the courtyard of the Magnolia Hotel in Omaha. A reception followed in the ballroom. Instead of exchanging traditional vows, the couple expressed their gratitude for one another. “We each chose three things that we appreciated and loved about each other.”

During the lighting of the unity candle, each guest received a small, tapered candle. Jeremy’s sister and a close friend walked down the center aisle, lighting the first candle in each row. Guests, in turn, lit the next person’s candle in their row. The glow spread from the back of the courtyard to the wedding couple’s parents in the front row. Jeremy and Erin each lit a candle from their parents’ candles and then lit the unity candle as a couple.

Their invitation let guests know this would be a unique ceremony. The theme for their wedding, “Thank you for being,” came from a card Erin had sent Jeremy during their courtship.

Their wedding colors were black and white. Their flowers: Red and white ranunculus and ornithogalums. The reception tables were graced with white lilies in tall vases and clusters of white carnations in short vases wrapped in black fabric.

Conversation cards on black tablecloths helped guests break the ice. A photo booth complete with funny hats and props kept the early stages of the reception lively; a projection screen outside the booth showed guests waiting in line what was happening inside the booth. “We got some amazing pictures. Jeremy’s grandma even got in there and put on Viking horns.” The candids were placed in the guestbook and guests were encouraged to write messages beside their photos.

“Our wedding was better than I could have imagined,” Erin said.

“In every picture, I have the biggest, craziest smile on my face because I was so happy.”

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