1 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
2 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
3 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
4 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
5 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
6 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
7 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
8 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
9 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
10 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
11 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
12 of 12
Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
When Sarah Schofield went to her high school prom with Michael Bambenek at age 16, she never would have guessed she was dancing with her future husband. Little did she know, the high school sweethearts from Winona would survive the rest of high school and a long-distance college relationship: Sarah went to school in Madison, Wisconsin, while Mike attended college in Duluth. Even though being apart was challenging, they made it work, taking turns driving or riding a bus to visit each other.
Mike’s proposal on their eight-year anniversary enlisted the help of their cat, Tunafish, who had the precious ring tied to his neck. “[The proposal] was really corny, but really cute,” Sarah says.
Sarah didn’t have her dream wedding planned out in her mind beforehand, but she knew she wanted something simple. “We kind of wanted our wedding to be a reflection of our relationship, because we’re both pretty casual and we knew each other forever,” she says. Everything mirrored the couple’s personality. The venue, Day Block Event Center, was beautiful and allowed Sarah to customize almost every aspect of their wedding, something that was really important to her. Instead of opting for the traditional catered meal, they ordered Pizza Lucé. “We actually tried some catering places, and we thought it wasn’t as good as a piece of pizza, and three times more expensive,” Sarah says. It’s no surprise that they didn’t go for the extravagant cake, either. Sarah and Mike’s dessert of choice was donuts from their hometown Bloedow’s Bakery.
Even the table numbers were nontraditional—each table had a designated Star Wars planet sign, made by Mike himself. “We just wanted it to be personal and something that we enjoyed, even if maybe other people didn’t like it,” Sarah says.
While most of the wedding incorporated Sarah and Mike’s personal preferences, they made sure to include their loved ones as well: Their ceremony music was a string quartet made up of friends and family; Mike’s father became ordained in order to officiate the wedding; and their beer was homebrewed by the best man, who just launched his own brewing company, Insight Brewing.
The Bambeneks made their day a perfect reflection of their personalities, filled with everything and everyone they loved. After 10 years with each other, it was clear to everyone in attendance that Sarah and Mike know exactly what they want.
Date: September 14, 2013
Ceremony & Reception: Day Block Event Center
Bride’s Dress: J.Crew
Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew
Groom’s and Groomsmen Attire: Macy’s
Photographers: Brooke Michaelson Photography and Kyle Dreher
Florist: Simply Stated Elegance
Catering: Pizza Lucé
Donuts: Bloedow’s Bakery
DJ: Bellagala
Beer: Insight Brewing
Wedding Coordinator: Meredith Meyer of Bride Support
