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Camp Wedding and Baby

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Welcome to Day 5 of Wandawega Week!

Today I’m going to share a little bit about the friendly folks behind the oh-so-creative camp. David, Tereasa…and a sweet, little cherub-faced girl named Charlie.

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“Boy meets girl. Boy proposes. Boy suggests that they purchase his abandoned childhood summer camp to be wed at. Girl accepts on both counts.”

David and Tereasa’s wedding ceremony was held at Wandawega, atop a hill, and overlooking the lake. Tereasa, carried a bouquet of daisies, and her father, Tom, walked her down the aisle to Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” played on the guitar by Nicholas Barron. They hired a Nashville-based company called Hatchshow Print to create their wooden wedding invitations and silk-screened RSVP and Save-the-Date postcards. The invitation and RSVP cards were packaged inside a brown kraft-paper envelope, along with an old map of the Wandawega resort. The envelopes were secured with a gingham ribbon and fastened with a small embroidered patch.

Upon arrival, wedding guests were greeted by a 1955 Mercury Monterrey. The couple shares a love for vintage cars and motorcycles, so it was only fitting that they park one from their collection on the property. Next to the car, Tereasa placed a “D.H. + T.S.” sign, and surrounded it with pots bursting with bunches of daisies.

Even though the day was rain-filled, Tereasa and David still describe their wedding as being “the color of sunshine“. Partly because of all the yellow rain slickers, rain boots, and the abundance of daisies- but also because they believe that “sunshine is very much a state of mind“. (I whole-heartedly agree!)

Their vanilla wedding cake was decorated with buttercream icing and daisies. And, of course, no camp gathering would be complete without a bonfire, so following the reception, everyone gathered ’round to roast marshmallows, sing campfire songs, and enjoy the starry night in the woods.

*swoon*

Here are all the dreamy wedding deets:

Venue: Camp Wandawega; available for rental through Town and Country Locations
Stationery: Hatch Showprint
Band: Nicholas Barron Quartet
Photography: Chris Strong; Matthew Gore; Robert Jillson; Mitch Gordon; Landis Smithers
Cake & Catering: Rodney Oksuita, besteventscatering.com
Desserts & Brunch: Christine Busby of Busby Bakes
Daisy Wreath and Garlands: Pesche’s Greenhouse
Bride’s Dress: Jenny Lee

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Fast forward to nine months ago. David and Tereasa welcomed daughter, Charlie, to the world…

Tereasa created a woodsy-style nursery for her in their Chicago home…

…and another one at Camp Wandawega…

To create a paint-by-number (PBN) mural like the one above, Tereasa suggests searching eBay to find an old school PBN painting guide you love. Next, give each of the colors on it a number, and then match each number to a paint chip.

Once you’ve decided on your palette, take your paint chips to the paint store and buy ’em up, Buttercup! After that, use a projector to display your PBN guide onto the wall and begin tracing it out with a pencil.

Last but not least, fill in your numbers with the latex paint your purchased using a foam brush.

Tereasa also broke out her brush to brighten up a collection of old cuckoo clocks hanging on the wall in the Charlies Wandawega nursery…

Yesterday, I asked Tereasa about where she draws her inspiration from. She said…

“My inspiration is 3-fold:

1- Our biggest project yet, 9 month old Charliegirl

2- My dear (late) Dad, Tom (Turtle)

3- My freakishly patient husband, David.

Each of them has made me hyper-aware of just how fleeting life is, and that you have to chase down your dreams like a cheetah. My three muses inspire me daily to look at things with a lens of optimism, and quite simply, transforming the homes and spaces around my loved ones makes them happy, which makes me happy.”

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Outgoing and hospitable, David and Tereasa host a constant, rotating stream of visitors at Wandawega.

If you’d like to visit them and their magical camp, leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a 2-night stay for you and a friend, (if you’re parents with kids, the little ones are welcome too!) and we’ll randomly select a winner on Sunday (August 14, 2011) at noon (Central Time). Your getaway will include a welcome gift basket and access to all that wonderful Wandawega has to offer. Think: peace and quiet, boating, fishing, hiking, swimming, etc. David and Tereasa will be in touch with you to see about which dates will work best for you, based on availability. Good luck and may the fun force be with you!

PS- If you missed any of this week’s Wandawega posts- you can find them here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4!

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Comments

  5. Dawn Stone

    Some of my best memories are at camp – church camp, girl scout camp and just camping with family. This place looks magical. =)

  8. Susan Booth

    What a refreshing flash to the past!! Love how they are lovingly restoring memories and feelings….and inexpensively!! How all American!! Would love to visit and share the warm and fuzzy feeling this place brings to all of us. Plus who doesn’t love to go to camp?? 🙂
    Thanks for taking the time to share this with us. You found a home-run!!

  11. Jen Wilson

    This place looks so fun! We live outside of Chicago and we love to visit wisconsin!

  14. Mary Ellen Mazo

    This trip to camp would be a dream come true! I love the history of this place, Tereasa and David have such incredible vision! Thanks for sharing.

  15. Christine Edwards

    Thanks for sharing these posts with us this week. What a magical place these two have created…very inspiring. And to think it’s only about an hour away from where I live! Would love to spend some time there. 😉

  16. Dayla

    What an amazingly beautiful wedding and baby! I’m thinking after 10 yrs it might be time to tie the knot… What a serene and peaceful place you have!

  18. Leah

    I would love to visit this camp! The picture of Charlie with the life vest on the “boat” melted my heart!

  20. katie

    What an incredible camp! The treehouse is so cool. I would love to surprise my mom & dad with an overnight. It would be a blast.

  22. Lisa W.

    Wow. Just looks like such a wonderful, peaceful, inspirational, a awesome place to think, play and just be!!! Thanks for sharing. What a dream to be able to stay there:)

  23. Teri

    Beautiful! My kind of vacation. They’re just 6 hrs away and I love a roadtrip! Very generous of them to make the offer & I’d gladly accept 😉

  26. Tina Youngblood

    I look forward to seeing what is next on your blog.. I love the interesting ideas that you have shared from Teresa.. Thanks

  27. lauralee

    Although delayed in reading each post, I’ve enjoyed sitting here the last 15 minutes reading them all together! Thanks for sharing!

  28. Kristi Rediske

    Wow-what a great story! I would love to be able to go to a place like that!

  29. Megan W

    I have loved reading all about this beautiful camp! Would love to take a vacation there soon!

  31. Rachel

    They have done such a wonderful job with it! The mural using a paint-by-numbers and a projector is such a great idea! It is a beautiful place!

  35. Kate Ostrem

    I would love to see this charming place in person! I can just imagine my two kids running around.

  36. Jenny

    This is better then when miss O gave away cars!! Very wonderful, and ive enjoyed every post 🙂 Jenny City Cottage

  37. Kristin Enstrom

    Hey there Layla and Wandawega-stars!

    I would

    LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

    to win a getaway at the fabulous Wandawega!

    It would be great to surprise my husband for our 15 year anniversary with a getaway at Wandawega (in September)! I think he would

    LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

    it too!

    Thanks!
    Kristin

  38. Christie P.

    These posts have been scrumptious! Thanks for featuring this adorable camp! I have been a little rejuvenated just by looking at the pictures & imagining myself & family there :0)

  39. Lynn

    The more I read about this beautiful camp, the more I’d love to spend some time there with my family. Pick me, pick me!

  41. Linda

    Your articles about camp relay the essence of summer! The amount of effort and time required to recreate “camp” must have been overwhelming at times but well worth it for the memories yet to be.

  42. Vicki

    I’m not posting to enter the contest, just wanted to let you know I really loved that post. Very sweet couple, it touched my heart. Thank you for the post.

  43. Ginene

    I have a vintage furnishing and furniture shop in Richmond, Illinois…about 40 minutes from Elkhorn. As the sole owner, buyer, decorator, repair and “expert at packing a truck full” person, I would love to sit in a lawn chair and read a novel at Wandawega. I ran by my 1960’s full-spring blue roses chaise lounge in my little garden behind the shop this morning and realized it is August 14th and I haven’t sat down in it yet!

  46. Teresa

    It’s just a beautiful thing to take a treasured memory and make it a part of your new life and then having that become a new treasured memory.