MADISON, Wis. — A couple of healthcare workers will now have their dream Wisconsin wedding, after having to cancel in 2020.
Lots of weddings are getting back on track after a year of uncertainty, and deposits down the drain. It’s been just as difficult for many vendors, who were missing most of their normal business. In Madison, some of those vendors decided they’d come together to give back.
Elise Hovelson and Dan Harris met about ten years ago, when they were in school. They’re now physician assistants in the Chicago area.
They had to cancel the wedding they had planned. “We were going to do it actually on July 4, 2020,” Dan said. “It was going to be in Minnesota, where she’s from.”
Over time, they knew that covid wasn’t going away anytime soon, and they had to pull the plug on their wedding plans.
“We had basically everything planned, but we had to walk away from it,” Elise said as she lowered her head.
It’s been a rough year to work in the healthcare setting.
“There’s been a big struggle. It's been up and down in healthcare,” Elise said. “People love you, they hate you. It's been a very frustrating year and a half.”
That’s why the owners of Prevailing Winds Lodge decided to give a wedding to someone in the medical field. They started a sweepstakes for healthcare workers to win their dream wedding on the 74-acre property.
Elise and Dan had been planning for a Madison micro-wedding in Elise’s sister’s backyard. That same sister found the sweepstakes and sent it to Dan. Now it was his job to stall, and look like he was dragging his feet on the backyard celebration.
“She's pretty bummed she’s not gonna get her dream wedding,” Dan said. “So I jumped at the chance … might as well fill out this giveaway and see what happens.”
He kept the whole thing secret from Elise, until the summer day when he brought her to Blue Mounds. He thought they were finalists for the wedding giveaway. They had actually won.
They were both shocked when the surprise was revealed. “That's not something that happens, no,” Elise laughed. “I thought it was a joke!”
It didn’t really sink in until just recently. “Maybe a few weeks ago, I was like holy Hannah, this is this is real!” Elise said. Dan started laughing. “Yeah, when we were doing the tasting at Craig's Cake Shop.”
Craig’s is one of the dozens of Madison-area vendors who donated their services.
“They’re gonna do red velvet with our cheesecake mousse in their tiered cake,” said Craig’s owner Elisa Romanowich. “For the background cakes, I know Dan really liked the chocolate with the chocolate peanut butter mousse and fudge.”
The list of vendors giving something to Elise and Dan is long. About two dozen are participating. A jeweler, DJ, makeup artist, caterer, florist, photographer, bartender, hair stylist… the list goes on. Nearly everything for their wedding is taken care of, including a 3-night honeymoon.
“We wanted to help out frontline workers, to give back as they have given so much to all of us and sacrificed,” Romanowich said. “We were excited to give back to two very deserving people.”
For Elise and Dan, it’s mind-blowing to think about how many strangers have helped make this happen for them.
“People talk about the ‘Midwest nice’, and if it's real or not,” Elise said. “I've lived in Miami, I’ve lived in California … it’s real.”
“I've been trying to like wrack my brain on how you can thank somebody for something like that. I don't know if there is a way.”
Elise and Dan’s big day is June 26.
