Magical wedding experience at Davenport for Marianne Guenther and Chris Bornhoft

In a room that has seen a century of beautiful celebrations, Marianne Guenther and Chris Bornhoft’s wedding will stand out as a magical night. For the October 10 (10-10-10) celebration, the Davenport Hotel’s Isabella Ballroom’s gilded elegance was heightened by candlelight, roses and satin ribbon when the pair exchanged vows. Wearing a soft pink ball gown, the bride walked confidently toward the groom who stood waiting at the front of the room. Gazing into one another’s eyes, they might as well have been alone. It was a private moment shared in the company of beaming friends and family. The two busy real estate professionals met over business. But each came away from the meeting with thoughts of the other. “I knew I was in trouble,” Marianne says. “He was tall, super cute and so nice. I wasn’t looking for a relationship and even told him that I didn’t want to ever get married again. I think he took that as a challenge.” After exchanging phone calls and after a strong friendship had been formed, it became clear to them that there was something more. “I knew I wanted to marry her after we had been together for a few months; we both had come out of difficult relationships and wanted fresh new starts,” Chris says. “She was the most fascinating woman I had ever met; I was completely enamored with her.” Marianne shared the feeling. “I knew after spending just a little time with him that he was special. He was the person that I had waited all of my life for,” she says. “I knew early on that I had met ‘the one.’” Like any good merger, business or personal, the tricky part is finding a way to mesh different personalities and styles. Both Marianne and Chris found a good match in the other. “I can tend to get grumpy and mad at little things and Marianne stays very positive almost always,” Chris says. “But Marianne can overreact to situations and I usually stay calm and work through them.” Marianne found a true companion, as well. “We really balance each other out,” she says. “We both love adventure and being spontaneous, but both of us are huge planners. We are very driven professionally and because we are both in the real estate field, we understand the demands our jobs place on us.” When it came time to plan the wedding Marianne knew exactly what she wanted. After all, location matters. “I love the Davenport Hotel,” she says. “I had never been to a wedding there and I knew that I wanted to have the first wedding I attend there be my own.” The hotel set the tone for the fairy tale effect of the ceremony. “It felt like a castle and I was the belle of the ball,” Marianne says. “Our kids said, ‘You look like Cinderella’ and honestly, I did feel like a princess.” They spent their honeymoon cruising the Western Caribbean, on the Norwegian Epic and have returned to start their lives together, juggling the demands of busy careers and a large, blended family. “We joke that our relationship is our baby,” Chris says. “People always ask us if we are going to have kids, and we almost always in unison answer ‘NO!’ We have 5 kids from kindergarten to college already, so we take care of our relationship as our new child.” Marianne agrees. “We still have a long way to go to finalize our lives together. Combining two households has been an interesting journey,” she says. “I embrace the challenges and look forward to every new day.” For Chris, the ordinariness of every new day is worth looking forward to. “We love being in the same house with each other,” he says. “It was hard while we were dating and engaged not to live to together, so now we really enjoy being home as a family. I feel blessed and happy.” The bride echoes her groom. “I know I am sappy, but what can I say, God has blessed me with Chris.”