The Wedding: Heroes
I feel compelled to follow up on some of the businesses we used for our wedding. This post is about the groups in La Crosse who made our day better — from providing services to selling us peace of mind. These are the heroes of the #happilyeverhelmers wedding.
Rose Jewelers
I bought Kristin a great engagement ring. She loves it — it's exactly what she wanted. The center stone is Morganite. Finding it was quite the journey. Few shops downtown had anything close to what we wanted, and some came across as rather judgmental when we described it. Apparently some jewelers feel it's not acceptable to want a gemstone over a diamond. Fortunately, Helzberg Diamonds in the mall came through.
One unique challenge: the ring has a broad base that the gemstone sits in, and we couldn't find a wedding band to fit it. Some jewelers offered to make custom bands, but at high prices with no diamonds. We randomly walked into Rose Jewelers one Saturday morning — and it was one of the best jewelry experiences we've had.
We explained our situation and the staff walked us through their options with full attention and genuine eagerness to help. They introduced us to a flexible band that we came back to buy. To this day, other jewelers marvel at it. Their customer care was over the top. I only wish we'd found them sooner.
Prizm Printing
We had a crisis. Well, "crisis" might be a strong word. Kristin and I bought the wrong kind of paper for our invitations. It was time to send them out and we had no way to print them. After spending several hours calling around La Crosse, Kristin found a glimmer of hope — Prizm Printing on the north side. They took our originals and printed our wedding invitations, RSVP cards, and lodging information. We had everything back within a week.
Tease Salon and Barbershop
For three years, Melissa at Tease has cut my hair. As long as I'm living in La Crosse, this is where I'll go. Located downtown at the corner of 5th and Jay, Tease offers world-class service at a reasonable price. Every month I look forward to my haircut — the scalp massage, the hot towel, and the actual cut.
But more important than my vanity: Tease handled the hair and makeup for our wedding. Kristin was overjoyed with the results. The bride, her bridesmaids, and the mothers all went to Tease that morning. I can't share all the details, but mimosas were had, and the team left everyone feeling excited for the day. Kristin looked gorgeous.
Placek Photography
Tim Placek enhanced our wedding in so many ways. He left us with photographs — reminders of the day — and memories of him as a person.
Early in our photographer search, we met with Tim. After that first meeting, we canceled our other appointments. We were sold. Our engagement shoot took us all over downtown La Crosse — through alleys and along the riverside — and Tim made us laugh and kept the whole session enjoyable.
The wedding day was the same experience. Looking through the photos together, Kristin and I get to relive moments we didn't even get to experience in real time. My favorite was our first look. I stood outside in the cold for 15 minutes while Kristin slowly walked up behind me. The pictures Tim captured were amazing — I love seeing the excitement on Kristin's face just before we turned to look at each other for the first time.
Tim's humor and talent were a welcome addition to our day.
If you'd like to give any of these businesses your support: