Written by Paul G (Anne Marie’s Dad)
Prologue
I’m writing this for historical purposes and before my memory fades. My daughter getting married is something I’ve dreamed about my whole life and I’m sure she has too, so I want to try and put it down on “paper” to be able to look back and remember when I’m old(er).
Drive North
My friend Bob H. and I had grand plans of getting on the road at 8 am Friday August 22, 2025, after picking up the rental Chevy Tahoe but alas that plan went out the window when we didn’t get done packing the bazillion things we were tasked with taking to the wedding until 10 a.m. And the fact that I hadn’t packed anything until 8 a.m. So, there’s that too. You could not have fit another thing in that Tahoe. And why they entrusted two people like Bob and I with things like wedding mirrors, reception gifts, fragile tabletop stones, custom wedding cookies to be kept cool, the mother of the bride dress AND the wedding dress is beyond me. But we were up for the task and off we went.
Our “we’re driving straight through to Wisconsin” plan also went out the window when it took us three hours to get through Nashville. Luckily, we had loaded up on jalapeno jerky, chocolate covered beans, combos, Beaver Nuggets and Monster drinks at Buc-cees before we hit that mess. And we had four-wheel drive, so we did pass quite a few cars and semis in a Nashville ditch that seemed “ok”.
Our first stop was in a town called Effingham, Illinois. I don’t remember the hotel. But I do remember it was 10:00 at night and Bob and I were still wide awake. So, as I often do, I googled “Best Dive Bar” on Yelp around us (you should try that) and success! We ended up at a place called Trucker’s Pub. It had 4.5 stars! I won’t even try and describe the rest of the “we’ll just go have a beer” night but we did love their DJ (not near as good as DJ Megan but still good) and the guy dancing upside down with his feet on the wall, the silver mudflap logo sign and the two Russian truck drivers we met with English names. I’d say the alleyway with the smoker guy giving us directions was probably more dangerous but once you were inside it felt like it’s rating.
Next stop was my hometown of Janesville! And Wisconsin! We made it!
My Mom greeted us with her usual big hugs and helped us bring in all of the items that we deemed “wedding critical”. We had a system by now. And it was working. The main thing was the wedding dress. If that got screwed up or lost, we were going to just keep driving to Canada. Or off a cliff. When we were in Janesville, I had to show Bob a small taste of Wisconsin. He’s been there before with me but since we were now officially starting things off we went to go cheer on my brother-in-law at his Husen Cup and then go to my favorite “walkable” bar close to my Mom’s to watch the Brewers play. This is where I introduced Bob to something I never should have started. Pull Tabs. We won like $5 out of $80. I told Bob to stop but he couldn’t stop. (I’m writing this, so I get to tell the story.) But I do love Pull Tabs.
We only stayed one night in Janesville and then kept going to Pray (WI). I have a hunting cabin up there that is where I’ve gone with my Dad since I was 5 years old. It is like sacred ground to me, truly. Every time I go, I’m flooded with memories of my Dad, Adam, my best friend Mike and many others from years past. This time was no different. I’m sure Bob was tired of me telling him all my stories. But then he started chiming in on his stories from weddings he had gone to up by there and we tried to connect dots. He even called one of the farmers in Auburndale to see if they knew the farmers I know over by our shack but no luck. Still, we both reminisced and enjoyed a great sunset and night on the deck getting ready for our last legs of the journey.
We left the shack and ran over to Three Lakes, Wisconsin. My friend Mike lives there with his wife Lori. It’s probably one of the most beautiful areas of the state if not THE most beautiful. The lake they live on connects with like 700 lakes (might be exaggerating a bit) and is just breathtaking. We fished for Musky, went UTV riding, pulled tabs, played with the dogs, had a fire, etc. It’s a magical place. I’ve been friends with Mike since age 5 and if I started to type all of our stories here, I’d have to redact a good bit of it but I am so blessed to call him my best friend and it’s good to have best friends who live in a ski lodge on a lake in northern Wisconsin! One story of note, we didn’t catch many fish (ok, one). But when I bet Bob I’d catch a fish within 5 casts using a rooster tail for $5 and $20 if It’s the first fish guess what happened? This is a long-armed picture of a $20 Perch.
Kohler – Arrival Day
We left Mike’s and before we could make it to Kohler we had a stop to make. Before the wedding, I had come up with an idea after seeing the sculptures in Kohler and in particular the Porsche 911 sculpture in front of Whistling Straits. Sometimes my marketing brain kicks into gear and it’s almost impossible to stop it. Sometimes the ideas are good and sometimes my daughter or wife will roll their eyes and move on with their day. In this case, I think they liked the idea. I had said what if…what if I could convince a dealer or Porsche themselves to lend us a blue Porsche 911 and we could park it next to the sculpture and have the photographer take pictures and it would be like “Something Old. Something New. Something Borrowed. Something Blue.” I could pitch it as an ad campaign in return for them lending us or me borrowing a blue Porsche. I engaged Michelle (Mitchell’s Mom) on “Team 911” and we started trying to scour for one. We had just gotten started when I had made a phone call to one of my friends in Wisconsin who owns North Country Homes. I figured he may know some of the dealership owners. Long story short, his brother lent me his 2024 Blue Targa 911 and the pictures are just amazing that you’ll see one day soon when Anne Marie and Mitchell return. This picture below is my “fake one” I had started to use when emailing various folks about this idea. So that’s why you saw the Porsche on the wedding day.
We stopped in Shawano Wisconsin and picked up the Porsche and I drove it to Kohler. It does not drive like a Tahoe. In fact, I suck as a driver anyway, so I was a nervous wreck. It was like driving a go kart on the highway that goes as fast as you want. 10 and 2 all the way. And I think my knuckles are still sore.
When we get to Kohler, Wisconsin we arrive at our Airbnb and unload. All our gear has arrived safe and sound. We high five and breathe a sigh of relief! It’s time to head to Wal-Mart to get Spotted Cow to celebrate and get this party started. It’s also time to wash the Tahoe so the ladies think we haven’t driven on gravel roads and in ditches and such. Truth though – we kept the windows shut the entire time. No dust for that wedding dress!
That afternoon everyone gathers at one of the Kohler courses called Blackwolf Run for drinks and appetizers/dinner. We decide to just order every appetizer they have on the menu (6 or 7 items) and then do it again because it was so good. It was such a fun moment to see how everyone is just so excited to have the wedding weekend begin. They had all just flown in or drove in from various places and everyone was fired up! So much so that we decide we have to go see the wedding venue (Whistling Straits). So we all ride on out and watch the sunset and then head up to their Irish bar to kick off the wedding weekend right! Such a good start to everything!
Kohler – Nothing Day
The calm before the storm. This is like a relievers off day. We’ve been driving every day since last Friday for miles and miles and it feels kind of weird to get up and get to be in the same town for a whole day. And the anticipation is rising!
We walk to our favorite little coffee place called the Greenhouse which is inside The American Club and which is only a few blocks away. I haven’t said anything about the weather this week yet but let me just say that someone up above put in a good word for us and it was Wisconsin perfect this week. 70’s during the day and 60’s at night. Bluebird skies for the most part. As we walked to the coffee shop I got jealous of the lady who works for Kohler and who drives a pickup with a big tank of water in the back and just has to drive around with a curved wand and water the hanging plants all over town. That is my dream job I’ve decided. They might not even have to pay me. Just free golf.
Mid-day we head back to Blackwolf Run and to the driving range. I see a couple of guys on the massage table they have set up. I’m also jealous of them. But I don’t partake. It’s a regret. We go and hit balls, and my rehabbed shoulder seems like its going to work. We grab lunch and go play golf at their newish par 3 course called The Baths. (Some creative guy came up with this name given Kohler and all.) It is an AMAZING par 3 course that is like a mini–Whistling Straits. After we are done, we aren’t done. Two of the guys decide to go play 18 holes at the regular River course with Orlando and then Bob and his family along with Ale and I go play the massive 18 hole putting green they have. We pair up and do a scramble in teams of two. To make it fun we decide to play a “No Rules 18 Holes Putting Championship” with the only rule being you can’t touch the person putting or their ball. But everything else is fair game. I can tell you for a fact that this may have been the most fun round of 18 holes I’ve played in a long time. Someone along the way started to get serious and competitive (Will) so we changed to “Positive Affirmations and Kindness” but soon decided that was no fun and reverted to walking in everyone’s line or blocking the hole and jumping out of the way at the last second, etc. Kaile even drained what we thought was a winning 70’ putt on the 18th hole for a double eagle hole in one but it only tied things up. Regardless, it was amazing!
Kohler – Welcome Day
We wake up on “the day before” and are playing Whistling Straits. This is one of the top golf courses in the world (#87) and the best and most beautiful course I’ve ever played. We check in and pay our mortgage (I mean greens fees and caddie fee) and then head to the driving range to see how we’re feeling. Shoulder feels good still! (I have a torn rotator cuff and have been getting ready for this day for months!) I am getting to play with Mitchell, Orlando and a family friend Chris. It’s going to be an amazing round of golf and a historic day all around. When you walk to the first tee and get to the tee box and see Lake Michigan in the background and the expanse of the course in front of you, you’re just in awe. I don’t think I’ll even try and describe this course. Just go try and play it sometime. It’s worth every penny.
But let me tell you about Hole #7. Did I tell you about Hole #7? It’s a 185 yard hard par 3 along the lake over a bunch of *hit and with a lot of wind. Orlando came close and pared it. BUT did I tell you that I birdied this hole?! Well, I did. It’s really the only thing I can brag about for the day. So, I had to fit it in here. Orlando and Mitchell and Chris all kicked my behind. I had some good shots though and some not so good shots. But I LOVED Whistling Straits. And I loved playing with this group and especially on this occasion. I just wish I had Mitchell’s “Tiger Stinger” shot he has dialed in. I’d hit every fairway. You cannot make me wear the skinny golf pants though. I’m too old and too not stylish enough for that.
After the round, we hung out on the outside deck at “Straits” as us locals like to call it. We had a few more brats (already had one “complimentary brat” at the turn) and some 3 Sheeps beers and talked about the course and our rounds. Dave, Steve, John, Danny, me, Orlando, Mitchell all couldn’t have had a better day on the course and after a round. It was like a postcard day.
I took a stroll over to see how the setup for the wedding was going and happened to take a picture of where Anne Marie and Mitchell would be sitting later in the day tomorrow. I just stood and stared at it and imagined. I was starting to get a little emotional. It was getting real. It was here (almost).
That afternoon was rehearsal at the church with both families and figuring out what we were all supposed to do and where were all supposed to be. It was a bit confusing (to me) but everyone seemed to roll with what they had to do and it truly all worked out the day of the event. I got to meet Grandpa Ron and many others that I had never met before, and I have decided that I need to re-read my book on how to remember names because I am struggling. My favorite part was when they told Ale he had to hand over the rings during a certain part of the ceremony. That’s kind of important and there wasn’t any groomsman, so it was all on his shoulders. He listened intently but I could tell this was stressful. Father Todd was cool as a cucumber and knew this would go on without a problem. I wish I could have spent more time with him directly but maybe one day. When it was all done and we said “ready, break” I was still not sure we all had it down pat but was sure it was going to be a great day tomorrow.
That evening we all gather at The American Club to meet close to 150 people who have arrived from all over the country and the world to celebrate Anne Marie and Mitchell! It’s the Welcome Party! The courtyard of The American Club is just amazing with flowers in bloom, draped lighting, etc. There are stand up bars with bartenders and people walking around offering food. The cheese curds come in a little cardboard box with about 10 or so cheese curds. I’m a little skeptical that these are the same cheese curds as Horse and Plow serve but they were still good. I’d say in my days in Kohler I ate 50-75 cheese curds. Thankfully I didn’t count. I could write pages about this night as it had all of our family and friends all in one place all so happy to finally make it and all having a good time with great weather in a great venue. It made me happy. And I know it made Anne Marie and Mitchell happy.
Kohler – Wedding Day!
OMG It’s Happening! Everybody stay calm! Actually, I was kind of oblivious to what may have been chaos elsewhere else. I took the morning Greenhouse walk with my friends Steve and Cathy and then we went and checked out the Kohler Design Center. Did you know that back in the day you could stay at The American Club for $27.50 per month?! That’s a deal!
I was then summoned to bring a speaker to the Founders Room but other than that I had no duties on my plate until 12:30 and the “first look”. I arrived at The American Club about 12:20 and they said she’d be ready in about 20 minutes. So, I went to the same courtyard as we had held our welcome party and waited. I stood where the cookie stand had been. And the gift boxes. They were gone now. Just me. There was a lady across the way with her baby sitting on a bench and other people occasionally walking by. Mostly mothers and their small children. I decided since Anne Marie and I never did get to practice the first dance routine we had learned in our one lesson (there literally was zero time to do so) I would just shadow dance by myself watching the video the instructor had given us. There I was dancing by myself in the courtyard in a tux with a bunch of strangers probably wondering what the heck is going on. I didn’t care. They say dance like no one is watching right? Well, I was out of time so I had to apply this rule. Maybe I’m on some security footage of the American Club somewhere being laughed at by some guy eating a stale cookie from the coffee bar but hey.
They finally take me back to behind the Founders room to go stand and look at a tree. Ok. Just stand there. And then she’ll come out and tap you on the shoulder and then you turn to your left and it’ll be this nice private moment with just the 5 of us taking pictures and video for the world to see of you bawling your eyes out. Ha! When I turned to my left, wow. Anne Marie was beyond gorgeous. I did bawl my eyes out. I didn’t care. She was beautiful. It may have been staged for the pictures, but the moment was real. We just looked at each other and shared some things that I won’t get into, and she waved her hand to keep from crying and messing up the makeup. And we hugged. I loved that moment.
After that, I had to get back and get the Porsche to the church and the wheels were in motion. I’ll just hit on some highlights from my perspective as there are a million great pictures the photographer took that tell the story better than my words can. I loved when there was a bit of chaos at the beginning with the flower lady trying to figure out who’s who. Just as it should be a bit. I loved the grandmas. And even though I didn’t get to see it in person because I was in back the flower girls looked amazing and angelic. I was right behind Orlando, Mitchell and Michelle as they got ready to go down the aisle and I loved that moment watching them together.I loved looking at my wife just before we headed down the aisle together and the look of pride and happiness and love she had. I am also thankful she directed me to not sit down when we got to the end of the aisle and come back and get my daughter. (It was just a joke and all staged.) And I mostly loved being in the back with Anne Marie when she wasn’t feeling well and just trying to say anything to keep her calm and just holding her hand and especially the moment when we were about mid-way up the aisle and I said “There’s Mitchell!” and the smile that broke out on her face. Everything was perfect.
Kohler – Day After
The day after the wedding I had one more duty. Take the Porsche back. So, me and my friend Paul drove back to Shawano at 7 am in order to get back by noon that day. Thankfully, Paul is a former 911 owner and agreed to drive that go kart and I drove the Tahoe. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be getting up that early the day after the wedding. It allowed me to just think back on all that had just happened and what a perfect day it had been.
That afternoon my wife and I decided to head back out to Straits with Steve and Trish (friends of ours) to pick up some items left behind and to have lunch/Jiggers. It was kind of just a nice lazy afternoon to reminisce about the day before and enjoy one last Wisconsin day. We had two cars out there so the ladies took off and Steve and I stuck around a little longer. When we left, I was driving by that little town of Haven and that bar on the right that I’ve passed about a thousand times this year (which is not like me when it comes to dive bars). I said Steve, I must stop. So, we pulled in and ordered a PBR. The lady brought us two cans of PBR and two upside down bottle caps with card suits on them. I guess in the old days before PBR came in cans the bottle caps had these on them. She then brought a deck of cards and had each of us cut the deck. If our suit matched our bottle cap we would have won $ or maybe another can of PBR. I guess we won’t know as we didn’t win. But I thought it was cool! And something new for me even being a true cheesehead. Why I didn’t stop here before I’ll never know.
The end of the day brought more Horse and Plow and a Clemson / LSU showdown. It was a heavyweight battle and came down to the wire. I’d say it could have gone either way and would bet both teams will be in the playoffs. When I was sitting at the bar for a moment with my daughter and just talking one on one she said she was thinking yesterday morning the day of the wedding about what could go wrong and then nothing did. She’s right.
Epilogue
If anyone reads this that came to the wedding and joined in celebrating Anne Marie and Mitchell, thank you again!! We were blessed beyond measure to have everyone with us, to have beautiful Wisconsin weather and to have all the love shown to Anne Marie and Mitchell as they start their lives together!
Strait from the Father of the Bride 