Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Cocktail Hour

Reception

Our Wedding

We have known each other since meeting at the University of Iowa in 2016. We started college in Slater Hall and were actually neighbors in the dorm! Throughout college, we became close friends and would frequent Kinnick Stadium and downtown Iowa City. Go Hawks!

As college came to an end, we both moved on from Iowa City. Emma moved to Des Moines to pursue her doctorate in occupational therapy at Drake University. Hugh returned to Michigan and got to work on his juris doctor from Michigan State. Despite each being three year programs, we stayed in touch throughout graduate school.

During the last semester of graduate school in the spring of 2023, Emma drove to East Lansing to attend MSU’s barristers ball with Hugh, some 7 hours. We quickly picked up where we had left off and had a great weekend. That night, we actually left the ball early and spent most of the evening chatting on a rooftop in downtown East Lansing. Not long after, we started dating.

Throughout that spring and summer, we drove regularly to see each other, and would often split the difference to meet in Chicago. As graduation approached, Emma started looking for jobs near Hugh’s clerkship in West Michigan.

After passing our respective exams, Emma moved to Kalamazoo in fall of 2023 and we started our careers together—Emma as a therapist and Hugh as an attorney. We proved to be anchors and sources of support for one another during the transitions. Things were clicking.

The following spring, Hugh began shopping for an engagement ring. Truthfully, he had made his decision during one of those weekends in Chicago the previous summer. In August 2024, Hugh proposed to Emma on the shores of Lake Michigan in Escanaba. Emma quickly accepted.

Thereafter, we moved to Grand Rapids. The rest of our story is unwritten, but we are confident it will be a good one.

We hope you can celebrate with us!

Our Story

Photos

Cody Roberts

Maggie Engelby

Nick Valiquette

Lauren Bousselot

Sam Pek

Laura Miller

Seth Strickstein

Olivia Theut

Jake Wilson

Madelyn Theut

Carter Engelby

Wedding Party

How do we get to Bancroft / Algona, Iowa?   Here is a list of the closest airports including how far each airport is from Algona, Iowa.  

• Mason City Municipal Airport (Mason City, IA): 1 hour

• Fort Dodge Regional Airport (Fort Dodge, IA): 45 minutes

• Des Moines International Airport (Des Moines, IA): 2 hours 20 minutes

• Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (Minneapolis, MN): 2 hours 40 minutes

• Sioux Falls Regional Airport (Sioux Falls, SD): 2 hours 40 minutes

• Eastern Iowa Airport (Cedar Rapids, IA): 3 hours

• Omaha International Airport (Omaha, NE): 3 hours 30 minutes

We understand our wedding is practically in the middle of nowhere Iowa, so we truly appreciate all our friends and family traveling to celebrate our big day with us!!

Hotel Block: Engelby Theut Wedding Friday, July 18th and Saturday, July 19th Book by May 18th 2025

GrandStay Hotel & Suites

Hotel Block: Engelby Theut Wedding Friday, July 18th and Saturday, July 19th

Brookstone Lodge & Suites

Travel

A conglomeration of nine grottos depicting scenes in the life of Jesus. It contains a large collection of minerals and petrifications and is the largest man-made Grotto in the world! 

Emma & Hugh

Emma & Hugh

E&H

Wedding Day

2:00 PM–3:00 PM

Ceremony

4:00 PM–5:00 PM

Cocktail Hour

5:00 PM–11:00 PM

Reception