Love Stories of Oshkosh

Connie + Randy Whittaker

My husband Randy and I met at the Oshkosh downtown YMCA, back then that was the only YMCA in town. I spied my future husband while we participated in Fit For Life classes. This was back in 1988. After developing enough courage, I sheepishly said "hello" and ran off on the track. He found me by the bubbler and we've been together living in Oshkosh ever since!

Sierra + James Slater

It’s Summer, 2007. Oshkosh. Her boyfriend brought her into the workplace to start her employment at United Mailing Services. At the start of our shift, he introduces us - “Hey, this is my girlfriend, Sierra!” 
As I turn to say “Hello”, while on a call, the voice of my mother came to a fade. 
“I just met an Angel”, I said to my mother.
“What?”, my mother says. 
I return to say, “Wow - She’s beautiful!” 
With “Cartoon-Hearted” eyes focused to the floor & in a sense of shock, it was as if I knew… the reality was I knew she was the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. 
Moving on, shaking my head & committing myself to being a loyal friend of friends, we go back to work. 
Weeks go by - perhaps months, I don’t know. Time didn’t seem to exist now… In passing, a delicate, “Hi!” was the highlight of my day. 
It unraveled - became interesting - unbeknownst to us, this was LOVE working its magic. 
Then one day, it happened… sorting mail like robots, she asked, “Is this yours?” A “Rover’s North” magazine set on the table. Our connection magnetic! The link that made me think… as a million & 1 thoughts & emotions flood my mind, body, soul AND conscience - “Yes, Yes it is”!, I respond.
The universe was connecting us. Our story was beginning. 
“SHE HAS A BOYFRIEND!” my mind screams… The verbal chit-chat dwindles, but the romantic in me knew… 

Fast forward to July, 2013. 

Renting the Fahrnwald Farms Dairy house out in Black Wolf, just south of Oshkosh. 
AirVenture is in full swing. I’m a fan! We’re close to the Seaplane Base at Willow Bay. Air traffic humming above like our love that was meant to be. 
“It’s perfect!” I thought as I walked our dog past a Cessna airplane parked in the soybean field. 
After placing a sincere request in the form of a note placed on his aircraft, Greg Young of Florida, replied back to me within 24 hours.
“When would like to do it?”, Greg asked. 
Amazed - I said, “Well - preferably just before sunset, Sir!” 
“Great!”, Greg laughed, “This’ll be fun!” 

Holy SHIP!! It’s happening. 
I call my friend…
“Ted - I need banners! - HUGE banners!” 
“Okay weirdo!” Ted agrees… 

Time for takeoff! 
Ring & small poem written on a piece of Birch bark paper that came from one of our country walks in my shirt pocket.
Greg, myself (oh I’m James by the way:) & my girlfriend that thinks we’re just going for a friendly fly, set into the fiery sky.
Meanwhile, thanks to Ted, the banners are being rolled out facing south towards lake Winnebago. 
“All good!” Ted texts… 
Okay - with my heart palpitations & all. 
Sunset, check! Random flight out of a soybean field, check! Ring & Poem, check! Banners, check!!! LOVE…….. yep! CHECK!!!!

Julie (Herzig) + Dave Sommerfeldt

Dave and I met in high school band, and pep band (class of ‘02 & ‘03). We didn’t start dating until the end of college (both at UW-Oshkosh) and were married 2 years later in Oshkosh on my 24th birthday in 2008. Dave is a small business owner in Oshkosh at Precision Sports and I am a labor and delivery nurse in Oshkosh. We will be married 18 years this fall and have 2 kids age 13 and 7. We are involved in many Oshkosh sports from soccer, basketball, baseball and softball. We also love to travel internationally on hunting trips. We love to shop local and enjoy all the fun activities and content Discover Oshkosh puts on!

Photo: Fox River Brewing Company dock on our wedding day 2008.

The Sarays

Andy and I didn’t meet through some perfectly planned moment or a grand gesture—we met the very Oshkosh way: at a local bar, surrounded by good drinks and familiar faces.

From that night on, supporting local became more than just a preference—it became our thing to do!!

Our favorite date nights were (and still are) hopping around town, trying new beers, ordering too much food, and sitting a little longer than planned just talking about life. Whether it’s a hole-in-the-wall spot or a familiar favorite, those nights always felt like home—because home was wherever we were together.

Now, freshly married and still riding that just-said-“I do” high, we’ve got even more reasons to celebrate. More cheers, more date nights, more local spots to support, and a lifetime of memories to make around this town that brought us together!

Michelle + Tim Hart

Since my husband, Tim, and I had previously been married, when planning our wedding, we wanted to do something different. We live in Flagstaff, AZ but both grew up in other states, where most of our families continue to live. Tim grew up in Mississippi; I grew up Oshkosh, WI. Expecting everyone to travel to Flagstaff seemed unrealistic. Most summers, my family hosted a family reunion picnic. That’s when it hit us, all of my family would be gathering for this annual event. Let’s hijack the family reunion and turn it into our SURPRISE wedding. 

There was still the logistics of getting Tim’s family to attend my family’s reunion. We realized it couldn’t be a surprise for everyone. So we let Tim’s family in on it and a few special friends from Flagstaff know of our plans. And it was set! A surprise wedding was underway. 

On June 9, 2017, my family was gathered at Menominee Park for our annual family picnic. Once everyone arrived, we signaled for Tim’s family and our Flagstaff friends, who were waiting in a nearby parking lot, to join the picnic. Initially, my family thought a random group of people were lost and walking into the wrong event. That’s when Tim jumped on top a picnic table and announced that we were taking over the picnic and this is our surprise wedding. The looks on everyone’s faces were priceless. We invited everyone to gather at the shore of the lake and we got married. It was perfect.

Delaney + Gregg

Gregg and I met in our first year as teachers for the Oshkosh Area School District. We were set up at Fletch’s by a fellow teacher when we each told her separately that we had feelings for the other! Our first official date was at Ruby Owl, and the rest is history. Over 4 years later, and we have two fur babies who love walks near the lake. We like trying new restaurants that pop up, and doing different activities when friends and family come to visit. Oshkosh is home!

The Nelsons

My now husband and I had been planning our dream destination wedding in Madeira Beach, Florida for over a year. Everything was set—until September 26, 2024, when Hurricane Helene hit the very beach where we were supposed to be married, causing devastating damage throughout the area and into Tennessee. We had planned to drive to Florida with all of our decorations, but by September 29 we made the difficult decision to cancel and pivot to a backyard wedding in Wisconsin—fittingly, the same kind of setting where we first met.

Then the Wisconsin forecast turned cold and rainy.

I remembered visiting the Morgan House years ago and thinking it would be a beautiful place for a wedding. Just one week before our date, I emailed the Winnebago County Historical Society explaining our situation and asking if they hosted weddings and could accommodate about 30 guests. We toured the house that very evening, and my now-husband said, “It’s beautiful—let’s do it.”

Our ceremony was everything we hoped for—there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. We will be forever grateful to the Winnebago County Historical Society for truly saving our day. Afterward, we even discovered there were many similarities between our wedding and Elnora Morgan’s wedding—a connection that made the day feel even more special.

Connie & Stan Schuster

I met my husband Stan as a temp at his work. After I left working for that company, I saw him at Skateworld (now Van Vreede’s). We started to talk and we have now been married 42 years. At our wedding my husband’s friends cleaned up a manure spreader, put a surrey on top and took us for a ride through Oshkosh.

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