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!
I showed my hubby the treehouse and now he’s in love, too. I’ve even got him thinking that a Wandawega style spot would be a fabulous retirement. 🙂 Thanks for introducing us to such a fab place. Win or not, I’m thinking a trip there is in my future but… it’d be pretty cool to win!
When I saw your camp it made me think of this quote by John Muir “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”
Thank you for sharing your little wonderland!
I’ve been hoping all week that you’d do a giveaway! I’d love to visit!
I love the Paint By Number idea, its fantastic. A getaway to the camp would be amazing!
I would love to visit such a magical place with my little munchkins!! Thank you for sharing, I was inspired by their creativity and resourcefulness!
I would love to win this. It would be spectacular and a lot of fun! Love everything I saw on here!!!!!!!
I have enjoyed every single post about Wandawega. What a beautiful life and story they have!
We just moved to Wisconsin – it has been a year of transition, and a get away to this beautiful spot would be wonderful……..thanks for posting about this magical place.
What a lovely place and a lovely story!
It sounds like this wonderfully creative couple have created a little piece of heaven.
My little fam would looooove it!!! Enter us for a chance!
Such a fantastic giveaway! If I can’t win the books this would be the perfect make up gift! lol I gotta win SOMETHING!! PLEASE! falls on knees and begs with hands clasped.
omg this sounds like a little dream weekend! such a relaxing place to go with the bf. i need to go check out their site now… :o)
I would love a trip to camp!!
Would LOVE to win this!!
Wow, what an opportunity! After reading all of your posts this week, I was planning on getting in touch with them myself! Being a Chicago-ian, it’s right around the corner! Yeah! Thanks for hosting this fab giveaway! liz
Oh my goodness! What a great giveaway!! We’re stationed at the Naval Base in Great Lakes and this would be a fantastic weekend getaway for me and the hubby. 🙂
Wow, I’m in love with those wedding invitations–so perfect! And the nursery mural is so cute.
That nursery is incredible….I love it!! And a camp wedding sounds so perfect too. Thanks for the chance to win a trip to visit this amazing place. I’d love to bring my family to make memories there together.
bamagv at aol dot com
I’m in the Chicago ‘burbs, and their camp sounds like a dream! My family would love the chance to check it out in person!
Love, love, love! This has been such a lovely and inspiring post.
OH my goodness — I just realized that this isn’t too far from home!! I would LLLLOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEE to spend time at this magical camp!! Thank you for this amazing opportunity (and for sharing it in the first place)!
What a wonderful giveaway! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading about these two delightful and unique individuals and their truly awesome camp!
Have enjoyed so much this week’s posts. What a beautiful creative place.
What an amazing story and truly inspiring family! My family and I love to camp and I am a design junkie with a love for recycling, refinishing and re-purposing. It would be such a neat experience for all of us to have the opportunity to visit camp Wandawega!
Amazing! I would love to go with my whole family someday…
I would love to go camping there and bring along our little 4-month-old CharlieBoy! :o)
Love, love, love this giveaway!
I had to visit their website to make sure it was the same place, but my great grandfather built a little cottage about a block and a half from Lake Wandawega. It is one of my goals in life to have a similar little cottage just like it…preferably on the water though. If I could I’d have it exactly like this magical place you’ve featured. Thank you so much for the inspiration!
What an amazing camp! Would love to visit with my hubby and kiddos.
I’d love to visit this wonderland! I think my little 7 month old boy, Emory, and little Charlie would love to meet!!!
Aww that place is super cute! I would love to see it in person.
Ooohhh – I was just telling my husband about this place – i’ve never been to this area of the country but he has great, vivid memories of fishing in Michigan as a child with his Dad and Grandpa but hasn’t been since he was 10. Would be so great to go with him. Thanks for these posts about your trip -love them!
OH MY GOODNESS! Two days at Camp Wandawega sounds like two days of pure happiness!
yes please, i’d love to win the book! we’ve been contemplating buying an old jeep wagoneer and this place would be just up our alley!
I want respectfully submit an entry for this wonderful ‘getaway’ for my son and his wife. For many reasons but when I read the date that you plan to reveal the winner I knew I had to TRY to enter for them. Their 12th wedding anniversary is the 14th!! So, I would love to treat them to Camp Wandawega!! They have 4 children between 3 & 8 yrs old. My son has just retired from the business world and is now a full time local missionary and building their less than 1000 sq ft home! This would be a dream for them to “get away”! Love, love, love it! I applaud you for making YOUR dream come true! Thanks for sharing Layla & Kevin!
I have found Wandewega incredibly inspiring and would just die to have an opportunity to visit.
I’m also dying over the Wandewega nursery, that mural, and those clocks. Swoon.
Thanks for the inspiration!
I read about Camp Wandawega in Country Living and now here. Love it! Dream location!
Oh my, I love that the wedding theme centered around daisies. I love daisies. It sounds like a beautiful and magical place and would love to come there with my daughter and husband.
OMG, I would love a chance to get to stay there! This place is a dream!
What a magical place! They are quite inspirational people. Thank you for introducing them to us.
What a wonderful, dreamy place!
I have enjoyed getting to look around Camp Wandawega this week.
A definite MUST visit!
WE NEED A VACA!!!!!!!!!!!! How charming is THIS place??? It’s like they plucked it out of my dreams!!! Good for them!!
the PBN mural is precious! what a great idea!
How fun would that be!!! Pick me! Pick me!!!
Of course, the hubby and I would love to visit! I’ll start packing now! ann in indy
What a FANTASTIC giveaway!! How much fun is that?!
This place would be perfect for my 5th anniversary! My hubby would just die!
Best giveaway ever.
I have been so inspired by this lovely “visit” to this gorgeous place! Delight around every corner! Would love to see it in person!
Wow! I would love the opportunity to vaca at Wandawega with my husband and 10 month old daughter. We haven’t taken a family vacation yet and with the economy the way it is, may not get the chance to for a bit. Even if we don’t “win” the getaway, I feel like I’ve been on a mini-getaway all week with these posts. The nostalgia just invades me! What a place!!!