After Deanna Walz proposed to David Hudson, the couple knew they wanted a non-traditional wedding.
They had both been married before and had a standard ceremony. This time they wanted something different: a picturesque backyard wedding, they thought.
David Hudson and Deanna Walz have won a contest to get married inside Beyond Van Gogh’s immersive experience at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
BRITTON HACKE PHOTOGRAPHY, Photo Courtesy
But a celebration of the Beyond Vincent Van Gogh immersive art experience in Council Bluffs was never in his realm of possibility.
At least not until they saw an ad for the Omaha World-Herald’s “Win Your Wedding” competition.
The Greenwood couple married Wednesday night, immersed in the work of one of the greatest artists in history. Projections of flower petals painted by Van Gogh were the backdrop as Walz and Hudson exchanged vows.
Promising to hold and hug each other at the exhibit was magical, Walz said.
People are also reading…
“There is a scene in the exhibit where there are flower petals spinning around,” he said. “That’s what the experience felt like: beautiful flower petals spinning all the time.”
Instead of a guest book, a blank canvas was displayed at the reception for each guest to add a stroke. The artwork will be displayed in your home, serving as a memento of the big day.
Walz, 50, and Hudson, 51, were selected after submitting a video sharing their story. The artistic couple who work for Lincoln nonprofits used their creativity to make a masterpiece.
“I like to put in a little more,” Walz said. “He came up with the general concept and I did the editing. It turned out pretty cute.”
‘Beyond Van Gogh’ art exhibition opens in Council Bluffs
The competition was sponsored by David’s Bridal, Generation Tux, Purple Orchid, Tish’s Restaurant, Britton Hacke Photography and Sugar Makery, an Iowa shop that designed the couple’s cake to resemble Van Gogh’s “Almond Branches in Bloom.”
In their video presentation, the couple told the story of how they met. Their six-year relationship began with a couple of right wing blows and a date to see a “Star Wars” movie.
Walz joked that he would appear in a Chewbacca costume. “Well, I’m 6ft 4; I’ll be the one to dress up as a Wookie,” Hudson said.
Neither of them was in costume, but they hit it off in those red velvet fold-down seats, “Rogue One” flashing on the big screen.
Walz was immediately impressed by Hudson’s passion, talent and genuine interest in others.
“Dave is the kind of guy who fixes things and wants to make the world better for everyone in his life,” he said. “He is that mix of everything that drives me crazy.”
Hudson said his wife is fun, vibrant and beautiful.
“She is extraordinary, and she loves me. And she puts up with me,” Hudson said. I think we are meant to be together.
The couple bought a house in Greenwood three years ago to serve as a midpoint between Lincoln (Walz’s hometown) and Springfield (where Hudson lived). They both have teenage children and wanted to blend their lives, or in Walz’s words, “‘Brady Bunch’.”
Nebraska couple don original wedding dress, suit in sweet photo after 60 years of marriage
Shortly after moving in, the two began talking about marriage in casual conversation. Walz brought up the subject, and Hudson asked, “Is that a proposal?” She said yes.”
Fast-forward to the big day, and the couple was surrounded by 45 of their closest family and friends. Walz and Hudson entered from opposite sides of the room and met in the middle, where their friend performed the ceremony. Another loved one provided the music.
“It was wonderful,” Walz said. “It was intimate, but he also felt great because of the atmosphere.”
The one-of-a-kind wedding was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Walz said, truly the dream wedding she had always hoped for.
“Standing in the immersion room with all my friends and family and looking at their expressions, looking at the beauty of Van Gogh’s artwork, looking at the beauty of digitizing everything,” he said. “Everything moved and flowed, and seeing the expressions on his face was an incredible experience.”
The Van Gogh exhibit continues through September 9 at the Mid-America Center.
Photos: Immersive Van Gogh
062322-cbn-news-van-gogh-now-open-p7
Guests get a sneak peek at “Beyond Van Gogh,” the immersive, traveling art experience based on the life and works of Vincent van Gogh, at the Mid-America Center on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. The exhibit opens at public today and presents more than 300 of the Dutch master’s paintings, brought to colorful, swirling life through high-resolution digital projections, in a multimedia narrative of the painter’s life.
JOE SHEARER, THE DIARY WITHOUT COMMITMENT
062322-cbn-news-van-gogh-now-open-p3
Guests get a sneak peek at “Beyond Van Gogh,” the immersive, traveling art experience based on the life and works of Vincent van Gogh, at the Mid-America Center on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. The exhibit opens at public today and presents more than 300 of the Dutch master’s paintings, brought to colorful, swirling life through high-resolution digital projections, in a multimedia narrative of the painter’s life.
JOE SHEARER, THE DIARY WITHOUT COMMITMENT
062322-cbn-news-van-gogh-now-open-p1
Guests get a sneak peek at “Beyond Van Gogh,” the immersive, traveling art experience based on the life and works of Vincent van Gogh, at the Mid-America Center on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. The exhibit opens at public today and presents more than 300 of the Dutch master’s paintings, brought to colorful, swirling life through high-resolution digital projections, in a multimedia narrative of the painter’s life.
JOE SHEARER, THE DIARY WITHOUT COMMITMENT
062322-cbn-news-van-gogh-now-open-p2
Dominique Payne Jr., 6, right, and his grandmother, Kriztina Payne, left, get a sneak peek at “Beyond Van Gogh,” the immersive traveling art experience based on the life and works of Vincent van Gogh , at the Mid-America Center on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. The exhibit opens to the public today and features more than 300 of the Dutch master’s paintings, brought to colorful and swirling life through high-resolution digital projections, in a multimedia narrative of the painter’s life. .
JOE SHEARER, THE DIARY WITHOUT COMMITMENT
062322-cbn-news-van-gogh-now-open-p6
Mildred Douglas, left, and Chris Levine, both of Omaha, read about the Vincent van Gogh story as guests get a sneak peek of “Beyond Van Gogh,” the immersive traveling art experience, at the Mid-America Center on Wednesday. , June 22, 2022. The exhibition opens to the public today and features more than 300 of the Dutch master’s paintings, brought to colorful and swirling life through high-resolution digital projections, in a multimedia narrative of the painter’s life .
JOE SHEARER, THE DIARY WITHOUT COMMITMENT
062322-cbn-news-van-gogh-now-open-p4
Guests get a sneak peek at “Beyond Van Gogh,” the immersive traveling art experience based on the life and works of Vincent van Gogh, at the Mid-America Center on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. The exhibit opened at public on Thursday and features more than 300 of the Dutch master’s paintings, brought to colorful, swirling life through high-resolution digital projections, in a multimedia narrative of the painter’s life.
JOE SHEARER, THE DIARY WITHOUT COMMITMENT
062322-cbn-news-van-gogh-now-open-p8
Emily Kubela of Papillion, Neb., right, and her daughter, Madison, 11, left, get a sneak peek at “Beyond Van Gogh,” the immersive traveling art experience based on the life and work of Vincent van Gogh, at the Mid-America Center on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. The exhibit opens to the public today and features more than 300 paintings by the Dutch master, brought to colorful and swirling life through high-resolution digital projections, in a multimedia narrative of the painter’s life.
JOE SHEARER, THE DIARY WITHOUT COMMITMENT
062322-cbn-news-van-gogh-now-open-p5
Guests get a sneak peek at “Beyond Van Gogh,” the immersive, traveling art experience based on the life and works of Vincent van Gogh, at the Mid-America Center on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. The exhibit opens at public today and presents more than 300 of the Dutch master’s paintings, brought to colorful, swirling life through high-resolution digital projections, in a multimedia narrative of the painter’s life.
JOE SHEARER, THE DIARY WITHOUT COMMITMENT
Contact the writer at 402-473-7241 or [email protected]