A "Bridges of Madison County"-Themed Wedding at Winterset Cidery in Winterset, Iowa

Andy Oliver (42 and a TV executive) was Italia Lee's (38 and an educator) first online date. Although she hails from New York and they currently live in California, the couple decided to host their intimate nuptials in Iowa, Andy's home state. They specifically chose Madison County, the "covered bridge capital of Iowa," for both practical and sentimental reasons, but mostly because "The Bridges of Madison County" is Italia's favorite book. When she was 20, Italia took a cross-country road trip from New York to California, stopping at the bridge made famous by the book and movie, Roseman Bridge. After meeting Andy, they returned to the spot (it happened to be less than two hours from his hometown). They carved their names on the bridge, not realizing that only two years later, they'd be returning to that same bridge, this time as the site of their wedding ceremony. Italia and Andy's save-the-dates were inspired by the movie, with their photos imposed on a "Bridges of Madison County" movie poster, and invitations were mailed in small brown packages similar to the package that appeared at the end of the movie. They stood on the bridge and exchanged vows in front of 70 guests, deliberately keeping the ceremony simple before moving to  Winterset Cidery, a new Madison County venue, for the reception. Other Iowa influences were evident through a local cheese display, farm-to-table salmon, beef and vegetable meal options (not your typical wedding meal) and handcrafted Winterset Cidery hard cider served along with beer and wine at the reception. Favors were “lucky in love” lottery tickets, which is “exactly how we feel,” Italia says. —Chrissy Sorenson