
Photos: Katie Rae Media
Osceola High School graduates share their bucolic wedding celebration.
Jacob and Mariah (née Gaglio) Heyer have shaped their lives around serving their community. Both raised in Osceola, Wisconsin, the two work in the health care industry; Jacob is a care coordinator for St. Croix Hospice, and Mariah is a nurse on the orthopedic floor at M Health Fairview Woodwinds Hospital. So their community returned the favor when they decided to pull together a wedding just six months post-engagement. Family and friends came together to make their dream a reality. “Everything that we needed, they just wanted to help us in any way, shape or form,” Mariah says.
The nuptials took place on July 26, 2024, in a uniquely Italian setting—Villa Bellezza Winery in Pepin, Wisconsin. Located along the Great River Road, the venue’s lush vineyard, towering pavilion and village-style layout provided the ideal setting for the Heyers’ vision. “My dad’s side is 100 percent Italian,” Mariah says. “I have family that lives in Italy, so that meant a lot to us, too, having that feeling of being in Italy.”
While the path from a proposal to the altar may have been a whirlwind, the wedding culminated a love story years in the making. “We’ve known each other since preschool … both of our families knew each other,” Mariah says. The two shared a brief third-grade courtship and continued to have secret “crushes” on each other through their graduation from high school in 2017.
By the time the pair reconnected in 2022, they were completely in sync. “We both just knew exactly what we were looking for in a relationship,” Mariah says. “… We were just honest and open right when we started talking. It was really easy.” They pulled this legacy into their wedding decor. Framed images of the pair—some dating back to preschool—were placed throughout the venue.
Mariah found her dream wedding gown at Beloved Bridal. She was looking for something classy and elegant, with a “dramatic effect of a long veil and long train as I [walked] down the aisle,” she says. She chose a gown by Elissar Bridal with intricate beading and side cutouts. A black suit from Men’s Wearhouse had the traditional Italian feel Jacob was looking for. He complemented it with a bow tie to stand out from his groomsmen, who wore black ties.
The pair elected to exchange vows privately in the vineyard, tucked in amidst the rows of grapevines. It also marked the first time Jacob saw Mariah in her gown. That experience stands out when the two think back to their wedding. “That was definitely a moment I won’t forget,” Mariah says.
For Jacob, “walking down the aisle, just seeing everyone there and how great everybody looked” was a highlight. The pair exchanged rings in a traditional ceremony under the pavilion before their 130 guests. A cross at the wedding altar, made by the bride’s father, stood as a testament to the couple’s Christian values.
Later in the evening, the pair posed for photos with a 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood, a car that once belonged to Mariah’s grandfather and has been a fixture in multiple family weddings. The pair referenced getaway photos from the wedding of Mariah’s parents and worked with Katie Rae Media to replicate them. They even honked the horn a few times, which is rigged to play the theme from The Godfather. “It’s a cool tradition to use that car and have it be a part of our day,” Mariah says.
Vendors:
- Bridal Attire: Beloved Bridal, belovedbridalmn.com
- Bridesmaids’ Attire: Birdy Grey, birdygrey.com
- Catering: River Valley Catering, rivervalleycatering.com
- Dessert: Dorothy Ann Bakery, dorothyannbakery.com
- DJ/Sound: Instant Request, instantrequest.com
- Event Coordination: Madison Goff Events, madisongoffevents.com
- Florals: Sweet Peas Floral, sweetpeasfloral.com
- Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse, menswearhouse.com
- Hair: Alexa Pettit, bleachbombhair.com
- Makeup: Maddie Langer, dontbemadd.com
- Jewelry: Anthropologie, anthropologie.com; Thurston Jewelers, Facebook: Thurston Jewelers
- Photography and Videography: Katie Rae Media, katieraemedia.pixieset.com
- Printing: Zazzle, zazzle.com
- Venue: Villa Bellezza Winery, villabellezza.com