The Blind Date Fairytale

‘Tis the season to be grateful! Our dearest Lis Simon Bride Kathleen wearing Jude on her special day.

T H E L O V E S T O R Y

Back in Winter 2016, two marching band students from University of Notre Dame met: Kathleen who played the piccolo, and Max being the band manager and Irish Guard. Every year, the piccolo sessions hosts a Christmas formal – a traditional event for any single piccolo to let the section officers set them up on a blind date. During Kathleen’s senior year, she was set up with Max, a junior, and felt an “instant connection”. “As our best man once joked: he likes to talk a lot, she likes to talk a lot––they’ll be good together”. Max asked her on a dinner date the next week but unfortunately, he accidentally slept that night and woke up to “lots of angry texts” from Kathleen. Luckily, she gave him a second chance and became inseparable for the rest of undergrad. Kathleen moved to Wisconsin after graduation. Max decided to follow her. The couple adopted a puppy, and the rest is history.

T H E P R O P O S A L

October 13, 2019

The couple drove back to University of Notre Dame for a football game in the fall of 2019. Max had already planned to propose to her during their stay on campus. However, “he was so nervous trying to remember the ring and forgot the football tickets back home in Wisconsin!”. Kathleen was grumpy all day and they tried to arrive to the will-call office on time to collect the replacements, but Max insisted on going for a walk around the lakes, just like they did back then.

“There’s a tradition at our school that if you walk around both lakes holding hands, you’ll end up getting married”. As usual, the couple walked at the historic arch under Kathleen’s old dorm, but instead of giving her a goodnight kiss, Max got down on one knee and popped the question - “I guess the tradition is true!”.

T H E D R E S S

“I was never really the kind of girl that dreamed about her perfect wedding, so I had to spend a lot of time on Pinterest to figure out what dress I wanted”.

Kathleen knew she wanted a long sleeved, high-neckline, A-line dress. Luckily, she stumbled across a photo of the Jude gown. “Even though it wasn’t at all what I thought I wanted, I was in love with it.”. She found Bucci’s Bridal, a boutique that only carried Lis Simon gowns in her state. She brought her mom, her three sisters and her maid of honour that happened to be her sister as well. “It was a great experience”. They were able to have the whole shop to their selves for an hour. “Everyone was so friendly and helpful and was definitely my favourite part of wedding planning”. Unfortunately, the boutique didn’t have Jude in stock. Kathleen tried on the separates, but her heart was still set on Jude. Thankfully, she was able to see her desired dress last May 2019, five months before her wedding -“It was perfect!”.

T H E W E D D I N G & R E C E P T I O N

October 24, 2020 at University of Notre Dame, Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Reception: Palais Royale: South Bend, Indiana.

“One of our earliest dates as a couple was at the Palais Royale back in 2017, and we have lots of happy memories there”.

The reception was everything they wanted: a seated socially distanced cocktail hour in the ballroom for their guests, while the couple got to take a break and have their private cocktail hour with their wedding party (located upstairs). “We had the most amazing live band”. Songs by Benny Goodman, Lizzo and Lady Gaga were played to get everyone dancing. Kathleen’s dad, her maid of honour, and Max’s best man delivered hilarious speeches and definitely made sure everyone had a great time. The classic father-daughter and mother-son dance also happened, which was a special moment to thank their parents.

“The food was amazing, and it was great to get a chance to sit down and eat! It gave us both a second wind so we could get up and dance all night”.The couple was fortunate to have a large venue for an easier way to socially distance. Most especially, a large dance floor to make sure everyone could feel safe dancing. “And we made sure they all had masks on!”.

Highlights and Special Moments

“The ceremony was my favorite part, of course, and I will never forget how happy we both were when we said our vows”.

Kathleen’s father-in-law used to be the president of the Studebaker National Museum. Thanks to his connections, he found a friend to drive them to their reception in a beautifully restored 1950 Studebaker Land Cruiser. Her cousin’s daughter was the flower girl, a special memory because Kathleen “was the flower girl in her parents’ wedding almost twenty years ago”.

The couple didn’t plan a grand exit and got tired at the end of the night. Max and Kathleen grabbed the top tier of the cake and snuck out. They walked over to their hotel, put on pyjamas, and sat around eating chips and cake and read all of their cards. It was their first moment of peace and quiet––a perfect conclusion to a perfect day.

 Preparations and Inspirations

“I spent a TON of time on Pinterest. I also started following a few wedding planners and wedding photographers on Instagram, and I got plenty of help from my sister, who used to work in a bridal boutique”.

“We had two beautiful historic venues, so we wanted to let them shine”. The Basilica and the Palais Royale both have ornate gold decorations. The couple chose burgundy and navy tones to compliment the interior. A greenery floral arrangement was added alongside to give emphasis on the venues’ design.

Honeymoon

“We were planning to go to Costa Rica, but we ended up postponing that until next year. Instead, we rented a cabin in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a cozy long weekend!”

Words from the Bride

“Decide from the moment you wake up on your wedding day that nothing will bother you and no one else will control your day. It’s your wedding day, and if you decide that it will be perfect no matter how all the little details go, then it will be perfect.”

Special thanks to:

“I found most of my vendors through recommendations from other brides. Since South Bend is both our college town and my husband’s hometown, we knew a lot of people who had gotten married there and had plenty of help finding quality vendors”.

Bride's Veil: Bucci's Bridal

Bride's Shoes: Soludos

Bride's Accessories: Etsy

Bride's Rings: Vrai & Oro

Bridesmaids Dresses: Birdy Grey

Flower Girl's Dress: The Wedding Shoppe Inc.

Hair Styling: Nicholas J Salon

Groom's Suit: Men's Wearhouse

Groom's Ring: Manly Bands

Groomsmen's Suits: Men's Wearhouse

Cake: C'est La Vie Bakery

Catering: Navarre Hospitality