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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

  1. Krysta

    AAAhhhhhh!!! That paint by number wall is exactly what’s been in my head for the last six months to do to my bedroom walls!! LOVE

  2. Kait H

    Thanks for sharing this amazing place with all of us! I would love a chance to see it in person!

  4. Morgan

    I’d love to win a trip to this beautiful property. Thanks for sharing it with your readers!

  11. Jill G.

    Wandawega sounds absolutely idyllic! I always wanted to go away for summer camp as a child. This would be a perfect place for a getaway. Thanks for sharing, Layla.

  16. Tracy Doede

    I am from Wisconsin and have never heard of Wandawega…and I now live in Weyauwega, WI!!!!!! I would love the experience of taking my husband and 2 boys ages 6 and 8 to their neck of the woods.

    I have been following these last 4 days and look forward to your future posts.

  17. stefanie cimoli

    loved the cuckoo clocks! I have one such clock sitting in a box in my basement and it never occured to me to paint it! Thanks for the inspiration!

  23. Chana Albury

    What an honor it would be to win this. It looks like a magical place and Layla has made it sound even more romantic. It is my 26th Wedding Anniversary and I cant think of a better gift than winning this ! Good luck to all 🙂

  25. Kay

    Definitely looks like a magical place. We spend our weekends across the river from Wisconsin on a houseboat out of Lansing, Iowa. Love all things nature and water. What an awesome opportunity for someone to win!!!!

  28. Rebecca

    I think I did that paint by number when I was a kid – only it was not that cute. My Mom is an artist but I never got beyond badly painted paint by number art work.

  37. Amy

    This would be a dream come true for our family! My family has fallen in love with all we’ve seen on the website. What an awesome place!

  39. Gail E

    Thanks again for introducing me to this magical place. I’ve enjoyed each and every post this week.

  40. Janna

    I am excited everyday this week when you post more about their camp. It’s so inspiring and I would love to win a trip to stay there!

  42. Jaime

    Oh, I would love to win! My husband has been toiling away on his dissertation for YEARS and is now in the final weeks. What a great post-dissertation getaway surprise that would be for him! 🙂

  43. Jackie

    UGH! I love EVERYTHING about this camp! The paint by numbers, clocks, and absolutely PERFECT wedding are just making it even worse! Sometimes I swear it seems impossible for such an adorably sweet place to even actually exist, and now there is a chance (albeit slim) of winning a trip there?!? Consider my mind blown.

  44. Amy

    My hubby and I would love to visit you with our 2 boys. We need a get away! And….. we are die hard Packer Fans!!!

  46. Jessica Lewis

    What a beautiful place. I would love to win this for my family. I know our little boy (11 months) would love it there. I need to build a tree house like the one the have, absolutely amazing!

    ~Jessica
    lewis(dot)jessica1(at)gmail.com

  47. Paula

    looks like such a great place to spend a quiet weekend with my family. a possible family tradition?

  48. Olivia Juenke

    I have loved these posts! I’ve bought the book and I would love to visit, well stay in the tree house. Please pick me!!!!

  50. Beth Moore

    I can’t even begin to express how much I would love to go … with my two 4 year-old grandsons in tow…as they would love it just as much as Poppa and I would! 🙂