LOVE & ROMANCE
Danielle Getsee
& David Willey
BRIDAL BLISS
DATE: October 28, 2017
VENUE: St. Francis Borgia Jesuit Hall in Washington, Missouri
ABOUT THE COUPLE: She’s a physician assistant with vascular inviting my friends from different states, who drove hours just to help us
celebrate. He truly nailed the proposal and made me feel like the luckiest
girl in the world!
surgery at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. He’s a civil and structural engineer
at Manley Brothers. TELL US ABOUT THE WEDDING DRESS.
HOW DID YOU MEET?
David: We met in 2012, in Rolla, Missouri, where I went to school. The
ratio of men to women while I was at Missouri S&T was four to one. So
when a woman from Mizzou came to visit, she captured all of the guys’
attention. When Danielle came to town to visit her best friend, Ashley,
who was also a good friend of mine, I got to be their “sober” driver for
her first night in town. I remember trying to act cool ... but I don’t think
Danielle took notice. The next night, we were at the same bar. I was
playing pool, and she was at a table surrounded by eight to 10 guys. I
got sick of waiting to talk with her, so I walked over, pushed my way
through, and asked her to come play pool with me. She said yes, we hit
it off, and the rest is history.
HOW DID HE PROPOSE?
Danielle: David proposed on the weekend of his birthday - that’s how
selfless he is. I think he was expecting me to be totally surprised, but I
actually had a feeling the proposal was coming soon, so I had prepared
(nails done, new dress, etc.), just in case. He told me we were going to
dinner at a nice restaurant close to my hometown for his birthday, but
he took a detour and took me to a nearby lake that we often go to. He
told me he had something special planned. We had a picnic and wine
under the gazebo by the lake. He had made a photo book of our whole
relationship, including pictures of each of us growing up and of friends
we made during our time together. At the end of the book, he had a
beautiful and very personal handwritten letter, and when I looked up
from reading it, he was down on one knee with a ring in his hand. I
started crying and, of course, said yes. His sister and brother-in-law had
been taking pictures, and they came out of hiding. I thought that was
the end of the surprise, but he took me back to my house, where there
was a huge party with all the people we love. He even surprised me by
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GAZELLE
Danielle: I wanted my dress to be feminine and classic, with a vintage
feel, but I also wanted it to be very romantic and accentuate my curves.
I almost didn’t end up with the dress I wore because when I first tried
it on, I didn’t like the neckline. It had a Queen Anne or Elizabethan
collar, and just looked too matronly. It did nothing for my shoulders,
but thankfully, my family and bridesmaids helped me see what it looked
like when we changed it to off-the-shoulder, and I instantly fell in love.
WHAT WAS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR WEDDING?
David: Danielle’s favorite holiday is Halloween, so when we realized how
close the wedding was to Halloween, we decided to incorporate some
of the holiday into the reception. We had bride and groom skeleton
statues, with “‘Til Death Do Us Part” engravings in our decorations, and
we passed out masquerade masks halfway through the reception. We
also incorporated some of our favorite foods. Danielle is a doughnut
fanatic, so we had mini long johns from Schulte’s, her favorite bakery.
Danielle: David grew up eating hot dogs, so we had a gourmet hot dog
vendor for a late-night snack at the reception.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE WEDDING DAY MOMENT.
David: If I had to choose, it would be the walk back down the aisle after
the wedding ceremony. The sense of pride and joy I felt in that moment
is a feeling I will never forget.
Danielle: My favorite part was our first dance. We were able to take in the
scene around us, and realize how blessed we are to have such wonderful
friends and family to support our love. It was nice to have a moment to
focus on each other and hold each other close on our special day.
WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THIS PERSON WAS THE ONE?
David: Danielle went to graduate school in Fort Wayne, Indiana. While
she was there, I made the seven-hour drive to visit her every other