Riah + Andrew

ABOUT US

Aug 2019 | Andrew & Riah's first photo together, one year before dating (the "long game" mentioned)



Andrew and Riah first met at the end of their freshman year at UW-Madison in 2018 through the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB), a student organization that plans events for the Badger community. It wasn’t until October 2020 that they officially started dating, although Andrew will tell you he’d been playing the long game long before that. If you ask him, he planted the seed over a cup of tea at his junior-year apartment, an event he considered a date that Riah was completely unaware of.

After graduating, Andrew moved to Chicago while Riah settled in Milwaukee. They visited each other on weekends and enjoyed the spontaneity of these "mini vacations". A couple of years later, Andrew moved to Milwaukee to be with Riah and they’ve been living together downtown ever since.

After nearly five years together, Andrew used his "birthday brunch" on August 24, 2025, as cover to propose to Riah. She had no idea until they reached Harbor House, a lakefront restaurant in Milwaukee, and he started acting suspiciously. He claimed their table wasn’t ready and led her through the bushes and across the restaurant patio, saying they needed to meet his parents outside. Once in the lakeside courtyard, he dropped to one knee. As she said yes, a passing tiki pontoon boat erupted in cheers and applause. You couldn't plan that if you tried!

They love traveling together and have a shared goal of visiting all four tennis majors (halfway there!). Some of their favorite trips have been Australia & New Zealand, Switzerland, and Québec. They also take any possible excuse to visit their grandparents in Florida and escape the long midwest winter.

In Milwaukee, you can find them at sporting events, playing tennis, trying new restaurants (gluten‑free of course), going for walks, or grabbing a drink together while planning their next big adventure.

AUG 2025 | Proposal Day at Harbor House in Milwaukee!

WEDDING

THE CEREMONY

Friday, October 9th, 2026
4pm

Imperial Ballroom

The Pfister Hotel
424 E Wisconsin Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Formal Attire

COCKTAILS

following the ceremony

The Pfister Hotel

THE RECEPTION

following cocktail hour

The Pfister Hotel

ACCOMMODATIONS

THE PFISTER HOTEL

Rooms at The Pfister Hotel are available to our guests at a discounted rate using the link below. If you experience any issues with booking, please contact the hotel reservations department at the number provided and mention that you are part of the VandeZande-Ryder wedding.

The Pfister Hotel
424 E Wisconsin Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-935-5942

ALTERNATE HOTELS

There are several hotels within walking distance of The Pfister. Our only room block is at The Pfister, but you’re welcome to book any nearby option that suits your preferences. Uber and Lyft are easily accessible throughout the downtown Milwaukee area if you prefer a ride.

Highly rated hotel options nearby:

Milwaukee Marriot Downtown (0.1 mi / 2 min walk)
Hotel Metro (0.1 mi / 3 min walk)
The Westin Milwaukee (0.3 mi / 6 min walk)
Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel (0.4 mi / 11 min walk)
Kimpton Journeyman Hotel (0.5 mi / 12 min walk)

OUR MILWAUKEE FAVORITES

PLACES TO DRINK

Third Ward Beer Garden @ Catalano Square

Looking for a casual outdoor spot to enjoy a craft beer or glass of wine? Located in the heart of the Third Ward, Catalano Square is one of our favorite spots in the city! You'll often find us here on a Friday playing cards and enjoying the live music.

Distance from Pfister: 0.5 mi / 14 min walk
Street parking available

Valentine Coffee Roasters

If you're in search of some caffeine to give you energy to dance all night long, Valentine Coffee Roasters is our favorite coffee shop in the city! Grab a coffee and take a walk around the historic Third Ward, Andrew & Riah's favorite Milwaukee neighborhood.

Distance from Pfister: 0.5 mi / 11 min walk
Street parking available

The Outsider Rooftop Bar

Located on the top floor of the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel, the Outsider is a Milwaukee staple with great drinks and views. This was our first stop to celebrate Andrew popping the big question!

Distance from Pfister: 0.5 mi / 12 min walk
Street or Garage parking available nearby

Tied House Milwaukee

Our favorite standalone cocktail in the city is called "That One Time in Mexico" - order it and thank us later. Tied House is known for its unique craft cocktails and themed outdoor patio which changes seasonally. Please note they are only open from 5-10PM on Thu-Sat.

Distance from Pfister: 0.7 mi / 15 min walk

Local Breweries

Milwaukee is known for its wide variety of local breweries & craft beer scene. Explore a few of our favorites below!

Lakefront Brewery - famous beer hall with tours available
Pilot Project Brewing - located in Historic Brewery District, rooftop patio if weather permits
Indeed Brewing Co - cozy taproom with shuffleboard
Explorium Brewpub (Third Ward) - best gluten free food options

PLACES TO EAT

Movida at Hotel Madrid

A great spot for spanish tapas and sangria. If you go, some of our favorite menu items are spanish meatballs, patatas bravas, and any of the paellas. We would recommend driving or taking a rideshare to Movida, as it's located a bit further away from the Pfister in an up-and-coming area of Milwaukee.

Distance from Pfister: 1.6 mi / 6 min drive

Mo's... A Place for Steaks

Looking for a romantic steak dinner to add to the celebratory nature of the weekend? Mo's... "A Place for Steaks" is our favorite spot for a special occasion night out. Reserve a table in the lounge downstairs and be sure to order a side of the truffle mashed potatoes.

Distance from Pfister: 0.3 mi / 8 min walk
Valet parking available

Cafe Benelux

One of our most frequented restaurants, Cafe Benelux is located in the Third Ward directly across from the Milwaukee Public Market. They have a large food & drink menu with great beer and cocktail options. Be sure to request seating on the rooftop patio if weather permits.

Distance from Pfister: 0.4 mi / 9 min walk

Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria

Tacos and tequila are always a good idea. With river views, tasty food & margaritas, and the best queso ("white cheddar fundido") in the city, it's no surprise this is one of our favorite restaurants!

Distance from Pfister: 0.5 mi / 13 min walk

THINGS TO DO

Walk Along the Lakeshore

Most weekends in the summer, you'll find us going on a lengthy walk along the lakeshore. If you're staying at the Pfister, walk east down Wisconsin Avenue towards the art museum. Take a moment to admire the famous moving "wings" atop the museum, walk across the bridge, and down the stairs of the art museum. From there, you can either walk around the back of the art museum and out into Veteran's Park to the north or head south past the Discovery Museum where you'll find the entrance to Lakeshore State Park (our personal favorite). Once you're in the state park, you can loop around the nature preserve with beautiful views of Lake Michigan, the lighthouse, and the Milwaukee skyline.

Distance from Pfister: however far your legs take you

Milwaukee Public Market

You've likely already heard of the Milwaukee Public Market, but it's definitely worth a visit! Inside, find a wide variety of artisan merchants, restaurants, and bars. Grab lunch, shop local meat & cheese products, or shop for Milwaukee merch to remember your weekend with.

Distance from Pfister: 0.3 mi / 8 min walk

Third Street Market Hall

A good rainy day activity, Third Street Market Hall features a variety of food vendors, a bar, indoor cornhole & shuffleboard, and a Topgolf Swing Suite. Be sure to browse the attached Kohl's store (not-so-subtle plug), but know that unfortunately legal requirements prohibit Riah from sharing her employee discount with you. If you're driving, park in the attached garage (entrance located on Michigan St) and any vendor will validate your parking ticket for a discount.

Distance from Pfister: 0.5 mi / 11 min walk

THE WEDDING PARTY

BRYNN
VANDE ZANDE

Maid of Honor

Brynn is the younger (& only) sister of the bride, and as such is the favorite sister. They are not twins, though I can see how that would be confusing to those who've never seen the five inch height difference. In addition to looking alike, they share almost all the same hobbies/interests, work at the same company (in the same department), and claimed to have telepathy as kids. As kids they famously never fought, often colluded against their parents (usually unsuccessfully), and had a healthy ‘Just Dance’ Wii rivalry which Riah absolutely dominated. Nowadays, they live a short walk away from each other in downtown Milwaukee and love to have wine nights, make gluten free treats together, and reminisce on their recent sister trip to Italy.

NATE
KIMMEL

Best Man

Andrew’s best man is his freshman-year random roommate at UW–Madison, where the two quickly discovered they shared a strangely telepathic sense of humor. Put them in a room together and they’ll crack jokes for hours, often finishing or beating each other to the punchline. No one else has any idea what’s going on, but to them it’s comedic gold.

NICOLE
ENDRES

Bridesmaid

Nicole is a college friend of the bride. She met Riah via Facebook DM, where they apparently shared enough interests to agree to be roommates in the freshman dorms. Safe to say it went well, as they proceeded to live together for the next six years in Madison & then Milwaukee, where they also both worked at Kohl’s. They share a love for coffee dates, trying new restaurants, long walks, and are forever bonded by the many highs and lows of their time living together. Nicole has since moved back to her hometown of Madison with her fiancé, Brady, and golden retriever, Reggie (Riah’s god-dog), and Riah never misses a chance to pop in for a visit.

JOE
KLEIN

Groomsman

Andrew’s brother‑in‑law and Marquette graduate, Joe brings a friendly Wisconsin‑Marquette basketball rivalry to every family gathering. He and Madeleine, Andrew’s sister, coincidentally moved from Milwaukee to Charlotte just before Andrew moved from Chicago to Milwaukee. Rumor has it they can’t handle the cold!

MADELEINE
KLEIN

Bridesmaid

Madeleine is the older sister of the groom, who previously lived in Milwaukee, where Riah would occasionally get to dog-sit the best dog in the world, Pete. She has since moved to Charlotte with her husband, Joe, and though they are missed in the Midwest, Andrew and Riah are certainly not complaining about having somewhere warm to visit. They also love to meet up in Florida, where Madeleine and Riah are perfectly content to lay in the sun with a drink while the boys play.

JACK STEINBERGER

Groomsman

Jack lived on the same freshman‑year floor as Andrew and later became one of his roommates when they moved to Chicago after graduation. Despite their Bears-Packers rivalry, Jack and Andrew found common ground as Fulham supporters, riding out the highs and lows (mostly lows) of the club together.

MADISON
MORODER

Bridesmaid

Maddie is a high school friend of the bride. Despite going to the same school district for much of their childhood, Maddie & Riah didn’t become close friends until participating in musical theatre together in high school where Maddie consistently played the lead and Riah consistently played a dumb blonde best friend of Maddie’s character (they wouldn’t have had it any other way). They remained close friends ever since and lived together for several years in Milwaukee after graduating college. Maddie is single handedly responsible for keeping Riah up-to-date on pop culture and she’s the only friend who will enthusiastically scream-sing literally any music genre in the car together.

REHAAN
MACHHI

Groomsman

Another resident on the legendary college freshman‑year floor, Rehaan and Andrew have been good friends ever since. Now both living in Milwaukee, they take full advantage of the city’s top-tier public golf courses, where they generously donate a concerning number of golf balls to the surrounding woods and ponds. They also enjoy attending sporting events together in the Milwaukee area.

CLAIRE
MISTELE

Bridesmaid

Claire and Riah have been friends for their entire lives, ever since they were next door neighbors as infants. They spent their childhood building outdoor forts, emailing to coordinate sleepovers, and playing sports together. They had to be separated during nap time in Kindergarten because they couldn’t be serious and consistently disturbed classmates trying to sleep. In high school, they both played tennis and were even doubles partners one year - luckily they learned to be serious by this point in their lives (but still had lots of fun). Nowadays, they religiously follow professional tennis and compete in bracket challenges for all the majors (which Claire and her husband, Jake, have largely dominated).

NAT
SHATTOCK

Groomsman

Andrew met Nat in fifth grade in Lake Forest, and they immediately bonded over shared interests. They played soccer together through the end of high school, building a friendship shaped by years of competition. Andrew likes to joke that he can’t remember many games where Nat didn’t have at least a lively conversation with the referee.

SYDNEY
KAINE

Bridesmaid

Sydney is a childhood friend of the bride. They always seemed to find a way to keep themselves entertained, whether directing over-the-top homemade music videos, finding an aesthetic location to have a photo shoot, or trying to wrangle their guy friends for a bonfire. Inseparable as they were, Riah was a regular audience member at Sydney’s ballet performances and would even crash Sydney’s extended family events on occasion. After high school, Sydney adventured out to college at the University of Kentucky and then moved to Nashville for grad school but they’ve remained close friends with weekend visits, holiday high school sleepovers, and catchups at their favorite hometown restaurant or the local Starbucks.

HUNTER
WOLFF

Groomsman

Despite never attending the same school until high school, Andrew and Hunter’s friendship started much earlier when they were kids on the baseball field. They endured a comically long list of tough losses together, most memorably a 27–0 blowout in Cooperstown that Hunter was the starting pitcher for, where Andrew set the tone by letting the first batter reach first base on a grounder through his legs.

CORA
STEPAKOFF

Bridesmaid

Cora met both Andrew and Riah through the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB), a student organization at UW-Madison. Cora & Riah became fast friends on a WASB weekend road trip to the University of Illinois and never looked back. They lived in side-by-side apartments during Junior year of college where they could freely submit noise complaints to each other by walking next door & pounding on the door (let’s be real, a most quiet and kind knock as they are about as non-confrontational as you can get). Both certified bad texters, they love to pack as many topics of conversation as possible into their girls' weekends & dinner dates at their favorite restaurant in Chicago.

LOGAN SHAUGHNESSY

Groomsman

Andrew’s childhood best friend, Logan, was there for every sport, made-up game, and adventure. Their childhood was full of broken windows, hospital visits, and constant chaos. Things were so lively that their parents secretly asked the school to keep them out of the same class… a fact Andrew and Logan didn’t discover until years later.

MARANDA MURPHY

Bridesmaid

Mandy is a college friend of the bride. She originally met Riah as an across-the-hall neighbor in the freshman dorms, where they became fast friends. After college, there were a few years of long distance before Riah coerced Mandy to move into her apartment building in Milwaukee, where they are once again neighbors (one floor apart this time). Mandy is the life of the party and will be found tearing up the dance floor and probably forcing you to do a weird shot that no one has ever heard of. However, please don’t ask her to do any dangerous dance stunts because her knee is hanging on by a thread after multiple surgeries by the ripe age of 27.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the dress code?

We kindly ask that our guests wear formal attire. For the men - a suit, dress shoes, and tie (optional). For the women - a floor or midi length dress, formal pantsuit, and heels, sandals, or ballet flats. Our entire celebration will take place indoors, so you won’t need to plan for extended time outside.

Am I allowed to bring a plus one?

Due to venue capacity restrictions, we can only accommodate the individuals listed on the invitation.

Are children invited?

We love your little ones! However, due to venue capacity restrictions, we can only accommodate the individuals listed on the invitation. If your invitation is addressed to 'family', your immediate family is welcome to join us.

Where should I park?

Self parking is available in the Pfister's attached parking structure located on Mason Street. Hotel valet parking is also available at the hotel entrance on Jefferson Street.

Will there be transportation?

Our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception will all be taking place within the Pfister Hotel - therefore, no transportation will be provided on the day of the wedding. Please visit the accommodations page of our website for information on our Pfister hotel room block or alternate hotel recommendations within walking distance if you'd like to stay overnight.

Anything else I need to know?

You've got questions? We'll have answers.... at a later date.
Please check back closer to our wedding date for additional details!

OUR REGISTRY

For those who wish to celebrate with a gift, we've created registries at Crate & Barrel and Target, along with a honeymoon fund.