When was the first Wisconsin Union wedding? 

Memorial Union opened on October 5, 1928, and it didn’t take long for Badgers to realize it was just the place to celebrate a marital union. On May 18, 1929, childhood sweethearts Tsao Shih Wang ’27, MA’28, PhD’29 and Tou Fong Chu, a visiting special student, became the first couple to tie the knot at Memorial Union. It was a true Badger affair, with Scott Goodnight, dean of men, and Frances Nardin, dean of women, acting as official witnesses, plus 125 friends, professors, and classmates who were present as guests. (Check out the wedding portrait of the happy couple, including the deans, best man T. K. Pan, and officiant, Marvin Rosenberry, chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court at the time.) Since that first ceremony, the Wisconsin Union has hosted hundreds of weddings. Lovebirds are able to book 18 months out and have three main ceremony and/or reception venues to choose from: Tripp Commons, Great Hall, and Varsity Hall, in addition to options at the Pyle Center and Fluno Center. With high demand and little availability (student orgs and UW events get first dibs), it’s not easy to plan a dream Badger wedding on campus, but about 40 lucky couples manage to pull it off every year.