A Heartfelt Wedding
Meet Toad&Co customer Carly. We found her beautiful Wisconsin wedding on Instagram, and were captivated by the warmth and love in her photos. It didn't hurt that she and all her bridesmaids wore Heartfelt Hoodies on the big day either... We knew we had to hear more about the special celebration. Here's her story.
Toad&Co: We absolutely love that you and your bridesmaids wore coordinating Heartfelt Hoodies on your wedding day. Can you tell us a little more about the celebration?
Carly: It was the most heartfelt wedding celebration at Sprouting Acres, an organic vegetable farm just outside of Madison, WI. They hold woodfire pizza nights on Sundays, May through October, which is how Tyler (my husband) and I first heard of the farm. After our first pizza night at Sprouting Acres, Tyler and I knew it was the perfect place! We got married on October 22, 2022, and planned for a cold fall day in WI. Instead of a cold dreary day, we got 70° and sunny with peak fall colors and a cool evening which was perfect for bonfires, s’mores, dancing, and Heartfelt Hoodies.
Toad&Co: That sounds perfectly magical! We're sure it's tough to choose, but what was your favorite memory of the day?
Carly: The most special part of our wedding was the friends and family who pulled everything together to make it happen. My oldest friend was our officiant. She delivered a pun-filled ceremony and had everyone laughing, crying, and rolling their eyes. My best friend did my hair. A friend who is in the beginning stages of a floral business created the most beautiful bouquets and center pieces for us. My aunt put together a delicious bridal party brunch for the morning of the wedding. Two talented friends did the music for the ceremony. Our wedding party decorated the night before and returned the morning after to teardown. Not to mention all the help given to us during the month leading up to our wedding by both my parents and Tyler’s parents. The day would not have been what it was without our people showing up and supporting us.
Toad&Co: That's our kind of celebration, we love seeing the power of someone's community in action. Was there anything that didn’t go as planned…and how did you make the best of it?
Carly: Honestly, what didn’t go as planned was the weather… because it was too good! Tyler and I wanted an outdoor fall wedding but knew that meant we had to plan for the worst weather that late October in the Midwest might give us. Andy, the owner of Sprouting Acres, tested out heaters in the hoop house (where we were eating) the weekend before when it was cold and rainy to ensure warmth during dinner was possible. Tyler and I rented an extra tent for an ‘if-needed’ dry place for the ceremony, to mingle under during appetizers, and for dancing under. We had big standup heaters on standby for the rented tent and a trunk full of blankets. Instead of cold and rainy, we got sunshine and warmth! The only downfall of the 70° day was that the Heartfelt Hoodies worn by me, my best women, bridesmaids, and my officiant didn’t appear until the sun started falling.
Toad&Co: You mentioned that your sisters were your bridesmaids/best women and already had their sweaters. We love to hear that! Sounds like we have a family of fans. How did you discover Toad&Co in the first place?
Carly: We have been a family of fans since the Horny Toad days! If I had to guess, I’d say my mom found Horny Toad first at the Madison, Wisconsin Title Nine store and passed on the love of the products to her 3 daughters. Both my sisters had Heartfelt Hoodies before my wedding. I “borrowed” (I asked after the trip…) my sister Ali’s Auburn Heartfelt Hoodie for my best friend’s chilly June 2022 wedding in Montana. After I safely returned Ali’s Heartfelt Hoodie, both my sisters started scheming to incorporate all the different ones for my wedding. We spent a Friday night looking at colors, and my oldest sister, Kelli, reached out to Toad&Co directly to see if any new colors were coming out before October 2022 to ensure we were picking the best ones!
Toad&Co: Thanks for being part of our family! We’d love to know what keeps you coming back.
Carly: Being part of the Toad family is great! Your products are functional and stylish, and your company has a great mission. Supporting a company that is driven by social and environmental progress allows me to be a small part of the change.
Toad&Co: We would love to hear more about your strong sister crew! Can you tell us a little about why your sisters are awesome?
Carly: YES! My two older sisters are some of the greatest women I know. Our parents might not have guessed we’d grow up to be best friends (I cried a lot while playing with them), but I look up to both sisters more than I can express. Kelli is three years older than me, and Ali is two years older than me. As adults, we now live within three miles of each other and try to get together weekly for sister night!
Growing up, our parents encouraged us all to play outside as much as possible, and my sisters are a huge reason I have continued to explore and love the great outdoors. Once my sisters and I became old enough to travel without adult supervision, we started planning sister trips. Ali is in her element when trip planning. On many occasions she has sat at her computer waiting for the moment a campsite or yurt becomes available to snatch it up. My first memory of her having a grand trip idea was when our family visited the Grand Canyon in high school. She convinced us to wait in line at the ranger station before sunrise to get a permit to hike down and spend a night at the bottom. This was a first of many trip ideas of hers, that’s been hard work but so worth it.
Kelli is the peacekeeper between us three and who I turn to when I’m having problems. Her nurturing spirit extends beyond sisterhood. She has a passion and great respect for the earth which is shown in her mindfulness when planting native wildflowers, rescuing of monarch caterpillars, and in her beautiful summer garden.
All photographs are taking by Clair Staley Photography. Her Instagram is @claire_staley_photography.