Eighteen years in the making, the love story of two best friends is about to come full circle. Upon finding one another as our soulmate, we have discovered unbelievable happiness, and are excited to share all of this with our family and friends.

The year was 2006 and a lot was happening in this world. One hit wonder “Bad Day” was being played on every radio as a top song, we lost Pluto as a planet, and Ben met Tatum for the first time. Inside the Mullet Ice Center, which became a second home for the Bredeson and Skaggs families, the two became teammates while the families became friends. Over the following years, the two families would become increasingly close, as it seemed they would be sharing the same schedule. With Jack lining up with Trevor, Ben with Tatum, and Max with Trenton, the Bredesons and the Skaggs couldn’t catch a break from one another.

Ben and Tatum would stay close over the years, with both attending Arrowhead High School. Later on, the two would go from friends to rivals as Ben would go on to play football for the University of Michigan, while Tatum played hockey at The Ohio State University. It wasn’t until after college that Ben and Tatum reconnected as close friends and started spending more time together. Both knew that there were deep feelings there, however, the fear of losing such a special friendship was always in the back of their minds. It wasn’t until one spring day in 2023 when the two discussed that it would always be a regret if they didn’t give the chance to see what was there.

Immediately after the decision was made to give it a shot, everything fell into place perfectly. Ben and Tatum spent the summer of 2023 essentially inseparable, and later that fall Tatum joined Ben on the East Coast to spend the football season together. Over many coffee walks, cooking classes, and adventures in New York City, the two cemented their love and knew that this would last forever.

On a cloudy March day, on their favorite bench where they would walk Fowler Lake in Oconomowoc, Ben asked Tatum to be his wife, and the two began the journey to the altar.

We are very excited for you all to join us on our special day, and cannot thank you enough for your support of each of us individually and collectively. We are very excited to join together in marriage and to spend the rest of our lives together!