Maddie’s gown, Caleb’s suit and the groomsmen’s attire were all provided by The Dress by Morgan Lynn. (Photo by Alecca Synclair Photography)
By Zach Jensen,
Maddie Putnam-Keck and her father Dale Putnam were extremely close. And as she grew older, Maddie, like many daughters, assumed there would come a time when her dad would walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, give a special toast and share the traditional father-daughter dance at the reception.
But three years before her wedding, Dale passed away after battling Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disease. So, when Maddie married Caleb Keck on Sept. 14, 2024, the couple made Dale a special part of the wedding ceremony and reception — keeping his memory sacred and celebrating his role in the family.
Maddie and Caleb first noticed each other as they repeatedly sat at the same table during a 2017 Decorah High School science class. Caleb, whom the couple said was considered a jock, rarely had his homework done and, although she wasn’t aware of any feelings for Caleb, Maddie did his homework and her own, so they both would pass the class.
Three years went by before fate placed them together again — this time working as summer employees for the Decorah Park and Recreation Department. One day, after working at the Decorah softball field together, they took a fateful drive after work which ignited the flames of romance between them.
“We were officially dating for three weeks, and I knew I loved him,” Maddie remembered. “He just made me feel seen and cared about, and I just decided I loved him and didn’t want to spend a day without him. And that was that.”
Maddie started college a few months after the couple began dating.
“A couple of months after she graduated, we purchased my parents’ house and moved in together,” Caleb said. “We lived together for a full year before getting married. I enjoyed getting to cook and eat dinner together every single night. It was really nice getting to be together and figure out our routine.”
To celebrate the third anniversary of their first date, one June night in 2023, Maddie and Caleb drove their side-by-side to Luna Valley Farm — a place where they’d had many previous dates. After getting their pizza, Caleb suggested going to what they called “the lookout” — another place they’d had many dates. Eventually, the couple arrived at the location where they shared their first kiss, and it was there that Caleb dropped to one knee, reached into his pocket and pulled nothing out saying, “Oops, I guess there’s nothing there.”
Caleb reached into his pocket a second time, pulled nothing out and said, “Still nothing there.” Finally, on the third reach into his pocket, Caleb held out the ring, looked up at Maddie, and said, “Well?” Maddie responded by dropping to her knees and vigorously nodding her head.
“I knew it was time to propose, because I was ready to make it official,” Caleb said. “I didn’t want to just be dating anymore. The ring is ‘Maddie-Proof.’ Maddie is prone to dropping things, getting things caught and running into things, so I wanted to make a ring that would withstand her daily wear.”
With that goal in mind, Caleb visited Hammel Jewelers in downtown Decorah and worked with Joe Hammel to design a custom ring with Maddie’s tastes and lifestyle in mind.
The two were engaged for 15 months, making plans for a fall wedding as was Maddie’s preference.
“We both run warm and didn’t want to chance a hot day,” Maddie said, “and I always envisioned rust and gold bridesmaid dresses for my wedding.”
Maddie’s gown, Caleb’s suit and the groomsmen’s attire were all provided by The Dress by Morgan Lynn. Camrin of Main Street Hair Stylist and Jenna of Hair by Jenna did the hairstyles, while Gemini Salon and Spa did the makeup. The Country Garden in Decorah was the couple’s florist, and sunflowers were chosen for their special day — the distinct blooms are Maddie’s favorite and were one of her father’s favorites as well.
“I had a specific vision for the flowers — to tie all the colors of the bridesmaids’ dresses and the groomsmen’s suits together,” Maddie said. “I wanted big, colorful, sunflower-filled bouquets to bring another piece of my dad into our day, and JoEllen (Foels with Country Garden) absolutely delivered.”
After they set the date, the couple realized Maddie’s aunt and uncle would be celebrating their 50th anniversary the same mid-September day, which the couple said made their wedding date even more special.
Between 250 and 300 people attended the wedding and reception which were held at Pinter’s Gardens and Pumpkins, on Highway 9 just west of Decorah. The newlyweds invited all their loved ones, ultimately welcoming guests from 13 states to celebrate their union. Maddie said holding both the wedding and reception at Pinter’s was important, adding that having both events at one location was more convenient for all their guests.
Maddie was walked down the first half of the aisle by a brother-in-law and the second half by her mother. When they arrived at the front, Maddie and her mother laid a sunflower on a chair reserved for her father — pausing a moment to honor his presence — before the bride and groom met in front of their officiant.
“Getting to Caleb and just seeing him there — then looking around at all of our people was a moment I’ll never forget,” Maddie said. “We were surrounded by so much love, it is truly indescribable.”
Caleb said his favorite part of their wedding was the unity ceremony, during which the couple watered a maple tree together.
“We picked out the spot we were going to plant the tree in our yard, so it was really special knowing a part of our day would be with us forever,” he said.
Maddie said Calmar resident Nick Wallin, a family friend who works with her mother at Seed Savers Exchange, acted as the couple’s officiant.
“Nick’s personality is infectious, and he was the best officiant,” she said. “He made the ceremony so special, because he hand-wrote, planned and organized the ceremony himself. He weaved elements of our personalities together in the narrative and public vows to make our ceremony 100 percent unique.”
The couple chose to say they’re “welded together forever” — a nod to Caleb’s work as a welder.
“We chose to handwrite and do private vows during our first look, so we could get the inside jokes and stories out of the way before doing our shorter personalized vows during the ceremony,” Maddie said. “Everything about the ceremony was unique to us and our relationship. We also had beer boys open up the ceremony — throwing drinks out for those in attendance — which set the tone for a fun and relaxed ceremony.”
A special treat, Maddie said, was the food provided by U-2 BBQ and Catering of Calmar.
“The food was delicious, and we got multiple compliments from friends and family — especially those who haven’t had U-2,” she said.
The couple also had cupcakes made by Café Hope in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
“Their cupcakes are amazing, and we love supporting their cause,” Maddie said. “They went above and beyond to make sure our cupcakes were perfect for our day.”
Maddie’s sister Brecka made the couple’s wedding cake.
“She has been making cakes for all our birthdays’ since I was in elementary school,” Maddie said. “I gave her full creative design to do whatever she wanted for the cake, and it was super special having our cake be made by her.”
Grace Howe Designs of Prairie du Chien printed the invitations, while Party Island Wedding and Party Rentals of Decorah and Borrow My Vintage of West Branch provided decorations. The Wedding Nest of Waukon provided wedding day coordination, and Epic Wear of Waukon provided hats.
Caleb said one especially fun part of their reception was that the newlyweds changed outfits between the wedding and the reception.
“Maddie changed into a different, shorter dress, and we both changed into matching Nike sneakers,” he said. “We reentered the reception changed, and it was like the party started all over again. We had glow sticks and a packed dance floor all night. No one was sitting or standing around — everyone was dancing all night, including myself, someone who never dances.”
Maddie added that one of her favorite parts of the celebration involved temporary tattoos.
“We created temporary tattoos that we passed out, so everyone was tatted-up with tattoos that were special to us,” she said. “One had our dogs on them, another was the Luther L and said ‘Skol Norse,’ and we had one that said ‘What the Keck??’ It was so fun seeing everyone with our tattoos on.”
But, even more meaningful were all the ways Maddie, Caleb and their families remembered Maddie’s late father.
“My dad used to sing the song ‘Butterfly Kisses’ to me, and I always assumed that would be our first dance song,” she said. “Since he wasn’t able to be there, before we opened up the dance floor, I spoke about my relationship with my dad — the importance of the song — and then invited everyone out onto the dance floor with their kids, parents or loved ones to share a dance to me and my dad’s song. It was such a special moment — seeing everyone dancing to the song that meant so much to my dad, and I’ll never forget all the other dad and daughter pairs out dancing. It was such a special way to honor my dad and our relationship. He was always the life of the party, so after that song, we opened up the dance floor to party the rest of the night.”
After honeymooning for five days in Belize, the newlyweds returned to their Decorah home, and continued to enjoy their marital bliss.
“I love being married,” Maddie said. “We cook and eat dinner together every night, have a routine with our dogs, workout together and are building a life that we want together. It’s the best feeling knowing you’re coming home to your best friend.”
Find photos from the Putnam-Keck wedding and more in week 2 of the ‘Drifless Weddings’ special editions.
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