Leah Weis and Brendan Lovstuen celebrated with rustic-chic inspired summer wedding. (Photo by Grace Sveen Photography.)
By Roz Weis,
Leah Weis and Brendan Lovstuen celebrated with rustic-chic inspired summer wedding. (Photo by Grace Sveen Photography.)
Leah Weis and Brendan Lovstuen of Decorah staged a lighthearted stunt in high school, and it came full circle last summer.
A pretend marriage proposal during their senior prom back in 2019 led up to the real thing nearly five years later.
The hoax was staged in front of hundreds of spectators in the local high school gymnasium. The audience was taken by surprise when the high school sweethearts approached the staged photo area during the traditional grand march — Brendan promptly dropped to one knee and pulled out a fake ring while the couple posed under the lights. Leah played along with a seemingly shocked expression on her face.
Reactions were swift, as lighthearted laughter filled the gym; but there were more than a few onlookers who suggested the playful proposal might come true one day for the two high school seniors, who started dating on Jan. 21, 2017.
Courtship
“We were partnered together in biology class,” said Leah, “and we got to know each other throughout the semester. We bonded over the fact that we both liked the song ‘Dozen Roses and a Six-Pack’ by Cole Swindell. Two of our close friends also were dating, and they asked us if we wanted to go on double date to the bowling alley with them. We said yes and hit it off so quickly.
“I remember Brendan’s friend Cole saying, ‘Brendan, she is perfect for you. She never stops talking and you never talk.’” Leah smiled.
After that first date, Leah began going to Brendan’s wrestling meets, and he came to support her at her basketball games.
“We joked around many times about how we wanted to get married young,” Brendan said.
As their courtship continued, the couple was voted “Most Likely to Get Married” by their classmates.
After graduating in 2019, Leah, the daughter of Jerry and Wanda Weis of Decorah, started college at the University of Northern Iowa. Brendan, the son of Aaron and Melissa Lovstuen of near Burr Oak, remained in Decorah, working at Casper Plumbing and Heating. He completed the HVAC apprenticeship program, becoming an HVAC journeyman. Leah graduated summa cum laude with a major in psychology and a minor in business. Leah now works in finance/sales at Weis GMC.
Those years spent apart meant many trips back and forth to see each other on weekends, and Leah reminisced about the “pretend proposal” at their senior prom.
“Little did we know a few short years later, that would be our reality,” she said. “After I graduated from college, Brendan bought a house a few minutes from where he grew up, and we have spent the last few years making it a home.”
The real thing
Fast forward to July of 2023 when, after seven years of dating, the couple shared real engagement news during the annual Winneshiek County Fair — the phrase “It’s Always Been You” was posted on their social media platforms after Brendan popped the question in mid-July of 2023.
Leah was getting off work late and tried convincing Brendan to meet her in town, but he insisted she needed to come home first. When she arrived, Brendan told her there was something wrong with the tire on his truck, and he needed her to hold the flashlight — Leah said Brendan is always talking about trucks, so she thought nothing of it.
“He set the ring box on his tire, and when I walked around the back of the truck he got down on one knee and grabbed it. It was a special moment just between the two of us with nobody else around, just like we wanted,” Leah said.
Brendan timed the engagement perfectly, to ensure they could share the news with those close to them. He said he wanted to propose during the fair, calling the fair a special time for him and his family as well as a staple in their lives.
“I always said when we got engaged, I would love to celebrate with friends and family to see everyone’s reactions,” Leah said. “And Brendan timed it during the fair because he knew friends and family would be there.”
Wedding planning
Brendan and Leah were both apprehensive at the thought of planning their wedding.
“When the planning began, we had no clue where to start,” Leah said. “Luckily, we had a few friends who got married over the last couple of years, so the first thing we did was talk to them. They gave us the run-down of all the important vendors to get booked right away and what things you could wait to do until later on. One of my close friends also got me a wedding planning book. This was especially helpful because it broke everything into different sections. There was a budget section, a guest list section, a vendor section and more.”
She said the planning book proved invaluable, with information on things they would have otherwise forgotten. She also said Tami Brink with Party Island near Decorah helped find inspirational ideas for the wedding through the website Pintrest.
“She was able to show me different decorations she had that would help my vision come to life,” Leah said. “If I had a tip for someone planning a wedding, I would say start early and don’t sweat the little things. The day goes so fast, the little details that feel enormous do not matter and things you spend so much time stressing over play such a small part of the day. The important thing is to soak in the memories with all the people who are there because they love you.”
The wedding day
Brendan and Leah were married in August of 2024 at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in Decorah.
“Brendan and I wanted to have a church wedding for many reasons,” Leah said. “Growing up Catholic, it was especially important to me to get married in the church just like all the important people in my life were. I went to Catholic school from kindergarten through eighth grade, so religion is a value that is very important to me. We wanted faith to be at the center of our marriage, and we thought beginning the next chapter of our life in front of God and surrounded by our family and friends would help us create a special bond that will last us forever. Celebrating the sacrament of marriage in the church was important for both of us. We also thought the church was a beautiful place to get married. The natural beauty of St. Ben’s is what I envisioned getting married at as long as I can remember. We also thought it was important to get married in the church because of the support it provides us after the wedding. The church is a community of people that we can turn to for the rest of our lives to help us grow in our marriage.”
Their special day dawned — the girls in the wedding party woke up at Bear Creek Cabins north of Decorah, and the guys were headquartered at Leah and Brendan’s house.
“The bridesmaids spent the night together in the Whitetail Cabin, as we had to start hair and makeup very early since it was a big group,” Leah reminisced. “We spent the morning listening to music, drinking strawberry fields from Mill Street Mocha and getting ready for the big day. Once everyone was done with hair and makeup, we all got into our dresses, and I did a first look with all the bridesmaids.”
Soon it was time for a few photos with her mother and sister, and then a first look at the dress with her dad.
“We had our first look on the deck of the cabin,” Leah said, “and this was when I gifted my dad with a tie pin that said, ‘forever your little girl’ and a handkerchief with the words – ‘You will always be the first man I ever loved. Thank you for walking by my side today and always’.”
Later that morning, the wedding party traveled down the road to the Highlandville Store, an iconic, homespun general store in the heart of the village of Highlandville north of Decorah. There, they caught up with family for more pictures. Then, it was on to the church, as the wedding approached.
Following the afternoon ceremony, the couple got the chance to give each guest an embrace as they ushered them from their seats at the church.
A party bus took the wedding party to a few stops on their way to the reception. The rainy skies cleared just as they arrived at Pinter’s Event Center east of Decorah. The couple made their grand entrance to the song “Love Like Crazy.”
“It was our song in high school,” Leah said.
Special touches
One heartfelt moment followed another on their wedding day, starting with the ‘first look.’
Leah and Brendan’s first look — that private moment where the bride and groom see each other for the first time on their wedding day in their full wedding attire — occurred at the same place their families had settled, a quaint farmstead near the village of Highlandville north of Decorah. Brendan’s family now owns the farm where Leah’s grandmother grew up, and the couple agreed having their first look at one another in a place connected to both their families was a special moment. .
Additional sweet moments came before dinner, as family and friends shared tearful and amusing speeches about the couple’s early courtship and their growing bond.
“My sister Jaden gave the first speech, followed by Brendan’s brother Garrett, followed by our ‘matchmaker’ Cole, then by Brendan’s dad and finished with my dad. All the speeches were amazing, and it is such a cool feeling hearing the people closest to you talk about how they admire the love that you found and how they couldn’t be happier for you,” Leah said.
Leah’s dad gave what many said was a most epic speech. Always the salesman, the local car dealer at Weis GMC told everyone at the reception that Brendan made the “Weis” (wise) choice in selecting Leah as his wife.
“We just remember sitting at the head table and looking out and taking it in – that all these people were here for us. I don’t think we will ever forget how unbelievable that feeling was.”
The special moments kept on coming for the couple.
“Brendan loves older music, so it only felt right to dance to ‘When you say nothing at All’ by Keith Whitley,” Leah said. “We learned to swing dance over the last few years — especially during COVID — so it was fun to show everyone our dance moves. After our dance, I shared a dance with my dad, and Brendan shared a dance with his mom.”
Leah’s mom was touched when the bride called for a special dance with her, to symbolize their mother-daughter connection and show appreciation for all her mother’s help planning the wedding.
“With her having two girls, she will never get the chance to have a mother-son dance,” Leah said. “So, I surprised her with a first dance too. It was a moment I will never forget, and I could truly feel how special it was to her too.”
Brendan and Leah agreed that their evening of dancing and celebrating with family and friends helped make the wedding one of the best nights of their lives.
The couple topped off their marriage celebration with a relaxing honeymoon at a friend’s cabin in Canada, along with an overnight stay in a unique and cozy sleeping barrel on the shores of Lake Superior.
Find more photos from the Lovstuen wedding and more in the Driftless Weddings special edition – week 1.
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