Paige + Aaron: A Wedding Celebration with a Theme of "Finally"

Paige + Aaron had a small and romantic celebration with their closest family

And they laughingly joked that the theme of their wedding is “Finally”, because they’ve been together for 10 years, after meeting in high school Spanish class.

These two are so sweet and smiley (and like me, apparently they both cry quite a bit at weddings) and it was an amazingly lovely wedding day!

Help me with them a big congratulations and enjoy the photos!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony Venue: Rock County Courthouse

Portraits Venue: Rotary Botanical Gardens

Officiant: Jodi Timmerman

Jewelry: Kessler’s Diamonds

Bridal Gown: David’s Bridal

Groom Tux: Men’s Wearhouse

Florist: Floral Expressions

 
 

Family Portraits at Pope Farm Conservancy

Leo and his family had a lovely portrait at Pope Farm Conservancy

Pope Farm Conservancy is such a beautiful setting for photos and Leo seemed to love it also, since it has lots of places to run, hide, and jump off! Leo’s grandparents were visiting from India, so we were fortuitously able to have them join for photos, and I LOVE photos of kiddos with their grandparents, so there were some super sweet moments to capture.

Enjoy these sweet family photos!

—Sam

 
 

Drea + Doug: A Pokemon-Themed Wedding at the Bur Oak

Drea + Doug had a perfect mix of fancy and laid back for their wedding day!

With lots of DIY touches and fun ideas (like the Table Dash, which was a blast), as well as all the Pokemon references you never knew you needed from a wedding, these two put together an amazing shindig!

After 10 years together, they wanted their celebration to be distinctly them, and for their closest friends and family to be able to party with them in style. The Bur Oak was a wonderful backdrop for their big day, and I loved seeing all the laughing and shenanigans (that’s how you know it’s good party)!

Help me wish these two a great big congratulations, and I am so excited I got to celebrate with these two!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Bur Oak

Catering: Beef Butter BBQ

Wedding Coordinator: Ashley with The Bur Oak

 
 

Our Top 5 Favorite Wedding Reception Venues in Madison, WI

We love all the wedding venues we’ve had the opportunity to work in, but these are our favorites!

In no particular order, here are our top 4 favorite wedding venues in Madison, and a bonus favorite venue in Milwaukee!

  1. The Madison Central Library

  2. Barnwood Events

  3. Goodman Brass Works Building

  4. The Tinsmith

  5. BONUS: Ivy House in Milwaukee

 

  1. The Madison Central Library

The Madison Central Library’s 3rd floor gets gorgeous natural light, and is a dream to photograph in, even at night. It has great views, and who doesn’t want to be surrounded by books and art on their wedding day? (I’m sure it’s not just me!) There’s also an awesome little rooftop garden, and you have easy access to all kinds of great downtown Madison places to take photos!

2. Barnwood Events

Barnwood Events isn’t just any barn venue, it’s a gorgeous and modern place with indoor and outdoor options. The outdoor options are so ludicrously lovely (look at that willow treeeeeeeee!!!!!) and have made an excellent backdrop for some of our favorite wedding days! They also have a patio area outdoors that is perfect for outdoor games for your guests, and it’s truly one of the most accessible venues we’ve ever had the pleasure to work in!

3. Goodman Brass Works Building

This venue in the heart of Madison’s East Side is a perfect mix of modern and industrial and I absolutely love it! I love the exposed duct work (yeah, I know that’s a weird thing to like, but it photographs so well), as well as the brick and lovely skylights. It’s just a beautiful backdrop for simple and fancy weddings alike, and the Goodman Center has such a positive impact on the community, as well as awesome catering!

4. The Tinsmith

We photographed a wedding at The Tinsmith for the first time in 2021 and absolutely loved the industrial chic vibe of the venue! It’s also notable for how accessible it is for guests (and vendors) alike! The venue also gets an amazing amount of natural light which I love, and the greenhouse area at night is perfect for the first dances!

5. Ivy House in Milwaukee

Ivy House is stunning. This venue is filled with actual, living ivy (the title picture of this blog post is from Ivy House) and has an awesome retro vibes with the cool tube lights and excellent bar area. It has getting ready room that is filled with all my favorite colors (So. Much. Teal.) and it’s nearby lots of cool places to grab drinks and photos with your wedding party! Also, the vibe is such that only minimal decorations are needed, which is always a bonus.

Wherever you choose to celebrate your wedding, we’re honored to celebrate with you!

—Sam

 

Marshall + Francesca: A Lovely Outdoor Wedding Day 3.0

Marshall + Francesca had not one, not two, but three wedding celebrations!

They first got married in February 2023 (you may remember them from such weddings as this one), but also had a gorgeous formal wedding celebration in England in March 2023 so that Francesca’s family in the UK could celebrate with them. Finally, wedding day 3.0 came about in August of 2023 which was meant to be the big celebration with their friends on this side of the ocean!

It was a gorgeous day for wedding 3.0, and the Barnwood Events venue is stunning this time of year (more on that in another blog post, but I want to mention that Barnwood Events is the most accessible venue I’ve ever shot in), and folks were clearly so happy to be celebrating with these two! There were smiles all around, and so much laughing, and even heat and mosquitoes couldn’t keep folks from feeling so much joy for Marshall + Francesca!

After dinner and speeches, we snuck out for a little golden hour light, and wow did the sunlight and the venue grounds deliver some perfect scenes for photos!

Afterward, it was all about the dancing, as you’ll see in the photos. ;)

Help me wish these two a BIG congrats to Marshall + Francesca, and also let’s congratulate them on not having to plan anymore weddings! (Though they’re very good at it!)

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Barnwood Events

Officiant: Casey Varecka (friend of the couple)

DJ: Isthmus DJs

Florist: daffodil*parker

Wedding Cake: The Baked Lab

Catering and Non-Cake Desserts: Ugly Apple

 
 

Sam + Joe: Wedding 2.0 in the Mountains of Colorado

Sam + Joe celebrated their 3 year anniversary with a vow renewal in Boulder, COlorado

Boulder is an incredibly important part of Sam + Joe’s story; It’s where they first said “I love you” to one another. These two had originally planned to get married in Boulder in 2020, but, as we all know, 2020 disrupted a lot of wedding plans. They opted instead for an outdoor micro wedding in Madison (see the pics here) that was lovely, but kept dreaming of a celebration in Boulder, and in 2023, decided to make it a reality!

They started the celebration on Thursday at Rayback Collective, which is a magical place with food trucks, yard games, beautiful and interesting murals, and tasty beverages! We stopped back there on the day of the wedding 2.0/vow renewal celebration to take photos at one of my favorite geometric murals ever.

Next up was the “rehearsal dinner” on Friday evening at the Rio Grande Restaurant in downtown Boulder, where the wedding guests had tasty Mexican food and desserts and the kiddos learned how to make origami frogs for fun!

The wedding day 2.0 itself was absolutely gorgeous. There was some threat of rain, but the skies cleared just in time for photos, and Saturday was one of the brightest (and hottest!) days we spent in Boulder. Sam, Joe, and I made our way up the Flatirons to take photos in the mountains just before the vow renewal ceremony, then headed down to the lawn of Chautauqua Park for the main event. My son, Ben, even helped second shoot the wedding ceremony with me, which was an awesome first!

The vow renewal ceremony was short and sweet, and Sam + Joe repeated their original wedding vows from 2020, but they hit even harder this time around, given the last few years of trials that Sam + Joe have gone through since wedding day 1.0.

Following the ceremony, Sam, Joe, and Ben and I headed to a few spots around Boulder to take photos of the happy couple, and then onto the reception, at West End Tavern for BBQ (delicious cauliflower steaks for the vegetarians among us) and very fancy drinks. There were tender speeches, dancing, and cake as the sun set around us.

It was such a beautiful celebration of love, care, and tenderness, and I am so honored to have been able to celebrate love with these two not once, but twice!

Help me wish them a BIG congrats on their 3rd anniversary!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony Venue: Chautauqua Park (Boulder, CO)

Reception Venue: West End Tavern (Boulder, CO)

Officiant: Maid of Honor and Best Man

Bridal Gown: Torrid

Desserts: Costco

Catering: West End Tavern (Boulder, CO)

 
 

Madi + Rysa: An Intimate, Queer Downtown Madison Wedding

Madi + Rysa’s wedding day was filled with fun and laughter (which in my opinion is the perfect kind of wedding day)!

Madi (she/her) and Rysa (they/them) met at Plan B originally (A queer Madison bar that sadly is no more) and began hanging out more and more, and planning gay movie nights, Drag Race marathons, and other fun outings, until they made things official. Even though they wanted a small and intimate wedding day at the Capitol building, it was important to them to work in photos at the formerly Plan B “L-O-V-E” mural on Willy St., and we had so much fun goofing off, doing cartwheels, and dancing pre-ceremony.

Once it was time for the ceremony, it was short and sweet (folks after my own heart - mine was also very short and sweet), and then onto more pictures with family and very close friends, and a walk around State street, as well as some fun photo ops with their beloved dog, Trixie (who is a VERY good doggo)!

It was a beautiful and hot summer day, perfect for the start of a very big adventure.

Congrats to Madi + Rysa!!!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony Venue: Wisconsin State Capitol Building

Jewelry: Rysa’s Band - Chalmer’s Jewelers | Madi’s Ring - Kessler’s Diamonds

Wedding Gown: David’s Bridal

Wedding Tux: Jazzman

 
 

Sarah + Patrick: A Romantic Orpheum Theater Wedding

The Orpheum was the perfect romantic venue for sarah + patrick’s wedding

Sarah + Patrick wanted a beautifully romantic wedding day with a more intimate vibe, and a wedding day that worked in their mutual love of music! They knocked it out of the park with the gorgeous floral installations for their ceremony, family style meals for each table, and the amazing live band (seriously, so fun!) to finish off the evening with dancing, laughter, and pure joy!

Everyone on their wedding day was so happy to be there, and I’m ecstatic that we got to celebrate with them!

Congrats to Sarah + Patrick!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Orpheum

Officiant: Theresa Roetter (family friend)

Hair & Makeup: Bang Salon

Jewelry: Vintage Diamond Engagement/Wedding Ring for Bride and Vintage Wedding Band for Groom

Bridal Gown: Loren by Allure Bridals

Groom Tux: Men’s Wearhouse

DJ: Craig Droessler

Live Band: The People Brothers Band

Florist: Ray Mejia (family friend)

Desserts: The Baked Lab

Catering: Upstairs Downstairs Catering

Day Of Wedding Coordinator: Paige Endres

 
 

Emily + Patrick: A Chic and Modern Wedding at Garver Feed Mill

A beautiful and elegant wedding on Madison’s east side

Garver Feed Mill has been a favorite spot of mine since even before it was renovated (shhhh… don’t tell anyone I used to go there when it was still condemned for photos). I absolutely love the aesthetic and what they’ve done with the venue since it opened in its current iteration, and it was the perfect backdrop for Emily + Patrick’s wedding day.

The day was absolutely lovely (seriously, just look at the photos!) and was so fun and full of joy!

Join me in wishing a big congrats to Emily + Patrick on their wedding, and enjoy the photos!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Garver Feed Mill

Officiant: Jen Patricca Bloesch - United Church of Christ

Hair & Makeup: Melissa Ann Artistry + Co.

Jewelry: Chalmer’s Jewelers

Bridal Gown: David’s Bridal

Groom Tux: Indochino

Band/Entertainment: Velocity

Flowers: Sola Wood Flowers, dyed and arranged by the bride

Desserts: Garver Feed Mill

Catering: Garver Feed Mill

Wedding Coordinator: Kanoe Riedel - Midwestern Bride

Decor Rentals: Tablecloths and napkins from Event Essentials