Wisconsin river wedding: an extraordinary adventure of Midwesterner and Southerner

bride and groom are walking barefoot in the woods near Wisconsin river

a story about two amazing souls and their extraordinary Wisconsin river wedding

“You were recommended to us and we were told that you’re wedding photographer who loves weird and not normal. I knew right away you were just the right wedding photographer for my husband and me.” This was a first sentence from Laura’s very personal initial wedding photography inquiry she sent me. I was 100% ready to photograph Laura’s and Adrian’s wedding day without even talking to them first. That was the the exciting beginning.

Then I got to meet them in person. Laura- Southerner, an award-winning storyteller, actor, writer, and speaker. Adrian- Midwesterner, entrepreneur, co-founder of Yum Butter. Two amazing souls, full of life and love, building their own house with their own hands (one of my dreams) in Salida, CO. Seriously my kind of wedding couple.

“You were recommended to us and we were told that you’re wedding photographer who loves weird and not normal. I knew right away you were just the right wedding photographer for my husband and me.”

Laura Thomas

And then the wedding day came it turned out Laura lied- there was nothing weird about their wedding day at all. Just a extraordinary day filled with down-to-earth people, singing into deodorant stick, lots of bare feet, meaningful hugs, river shore slip-n-slide, talent show for the brave, breath taking outdoors views, great food buffet and Xena the dog that interrupted wedding ceremony twice. As a result Laura’s and Adrien’s wedding day was real and simple, yet amazing in every aspect.

Just like centuries ago, the tribe (closest friends and immediate family) got together and helped to make it all happen: make up, decorations, music, officiating, etc.

Laura and Adrian showed us once again: it’s not about how much you spend, but how you feel about it.

See full Laura’s and Adrian’s Wisconsin river wedding gallery on Paulius Musteikis Pixieset.

exterior of the AirBNB house in Dekorra, WI that Laura and Adrien rented for their Wisconsin river wedding broom and grooms father are helping groom’s mother with the dress bride is laughing with her bridesmaids while getting ready for the wedding ceremony family dog is observing people getting ready for the Wisconsin river wedding bride and her bridesmaid are dancing and singing into deodorant stick while getting ready for Wisconsin river wedding ceremony girl is looking for shade during Wisconsin river wedding ceremony bride and groom are kissing during the Wisconsin river wedding ceremony bride and groom are making funny faces while walking away after the Wisconsin river wedding ceremony bride and groom are making funny faces while walking away after the Wisconsin river wedding ceremonybride and groom surrounded by friends and immediate family are sharing their life stories mother of the groom laughing during the gathering in living room area grooms friend is giving blessing to the newlyweds bride, groom and groom’s parents are doing a group hug after the wedding ceremony black and white portrait of bride and groom in the woods near Wisconsin river bride and groom are hugging and smiling in the woods near Wisconsin river bride and groom are walking barefoot in the woods near Wisconsin river bride and groom are hugging and smiling in the woods near Wisconsin river bride is chatting and laughing with wedding guests after the dinner beautiful sunset in Dekorra near Wisconsin river

WISCONSIN RIVER WEDDING VENDORS:

Wedding Date: June 3, 2017
Wedding Location: Rental House on the Wisconsin river via AirBNB
Catering: Underground Butcher

What your wedding day is really about (or) professional wedding photographer’s advice to bride and groom

Bride in dressing room of Overture Center is having a private moment before the first look with groom

 

// professional wedding photographer’s advice to bride and groom

So I am at the recent wedding. Doing, you know, my thing- wedding photojournalism and stuff. I’m hanging out with the bride and her friends. Ladies are about to be done with getting ready. Emily and I are about to head out for the first look with Andrew (her future husband to be).

At one moment Emily looks me in the eye and says “I’m very nervous. I’m really really  nervous.”

I pause for a second. I look at Emily. I know I need to respond. What do I say?

“Well Emily…” I begin slowly…

__________

I often ask myself what it’s all about. You know, what wedding day is about? How people see it? I mean technically it’s a ceremony where two people or a couple are united in marriage. But what else?
Timeline? Shoes? Dancing? Friends and family? Tears? Laughter? Beautiful weather? Princess dress? Helluva amazing party? All the love in the world? 5 tier wedding cake? Bartender that makes best Old Fashioned in Midwest?

A nice mix of everything?

Does anybody ever think about a wedding day as just a day? Like just another day in life? Expensive one, but just another day. Not a day filled sugarcoated with fairy tales and princesses, but a day filled ordinary people. Imperfect ordinary people.

Wedding dress will get dirty. Sparkly sandals won’t be nearly as comfortable as initially anticipated. DJ will get drunk. Wedding pictures outside won’t happen because of rain. Best man will get into fight at the after party. Food will be served cold. Mother of the groom will turn into momzilla. Stressed out maid of honor will take too much Valium. Limo driver will get lost in downtown after football game traffic Armageddon.

And when imperfect real people will look back into their wedding day 5 years from now, they, hopefully, will laugh at all those small things that went wrong. Because it’s just life. And life happens. And it’s happening right now. And we’re breathing it in.

And we often get so obsessed about the destination that we forget to enjoy the journey. We discard those small little imperfections that happen to us we find along the way as a bad thing. And yet these imperfections, these small bumps in the road is what the journey is about.

So here’s my professional wedding photographer’s advice to bride and groom: Live in the moment. Take it all. Enjoy every little bit of it.

__________

So I look at Emily and give most honest yet (hopefully) comforting advice that I can give as a true wedding photojournalist: “Emily, there’s nothing wrong with being nervous. It’s an intense moment you’re about to experience. So it’s OK to be nervous. Heck, it’s event OK to be REALLY nervous. Who wouldn’t be nervous in this situation? I know you’ll be fine. I know you’ll get married today. So, enjoy the being nervous part. Enjoy every little uncomfortable moment of your wedding day. Because that’s how life is- an exciting journey filled with lot’s of uncomfortable, and yet amazing, moments. Now let’s go find the man and let’s get you two married.”

And off we go to find her man.

 

how Amy and Jason’s did it right: family backyard wedding madison wi

people are giving high-five after drinking alcohol shots out of the ski shot at the family backyard wedding Madison WI

Amy and Jason both been in the restaurant and food industry for well over a decade. Having spent so much time in the food industry they’ve made friends with incredibly talented people- bartenders, chefs and other service professionals. And when Jason proposal and when Amy said “Si Señor”, they knew right away they had themselves plus a pool of incredible people to draw from to help put their family backyard wedding Madison WI together.
However the fact that the couple managed to put a nice helping team for their DIY family farm wedding in rural Wisconsin didn’t mean Amy and Jason will sit back, relax and enjoy wedding preparation show. I knew these two for quite a few years now, and I knew how dedicated and restless and hard working they both are. It was clear from the very beginning that everybody will work hard, including Amy and Jason, to make that wedding day unique and awesome.
When I showed up at the hotel on their wedding day there were signs all over the room indicating all hard work while putting that wedding together. Jason was still wearing dirty clothing as he spent his morning at the family friend’s farm doing final wedding preparations. Amy was talking about all types of sausage they made (classic Wisconsin brat, spicy Andouille and a German Leberkäse) night before at their friend’s commercial kitchen.
Amy and Jason got married at the bottom of small hill under the big tree. Jason’s brother was the officiator. Wedding ceremony was nice, short and sprinkled with few smiles and few tears.
Real cheese cake made of variety of cheeses was the way to go for dessert. Somewhat unusual, but it really shouldn’t be. Wisconsin is America’s is dairyland after all.
Due to the fact that big percentage of guests were from food/restaurant industry and most of family folks seemed to be pretty straight forward party animals I had my own expectations for the reception part. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Booze helped people to celebrate life for many centuries. But add a ski shot that Brian and Grant from Death’s Door Spirits distillery brought along, and you got yourself another level of fun.
Dance floor at this family backyard wedding Madison WI was bouncing; people were enjoying fresh September night and outdoor garden illuminated by with candles, LED’s and torches.
Bottles were passed around on our way to after party in Maduro cigar bar later that night. We closed the bar, i walked them back to the hotel, and took pictures of them making out in the dark.
Amy and Jason they did their homework indeed. No slacking. No corner cutting. Everybody on Amy and Jason’ had on their team were dedicated in making this family backyard wedding Madison WI special. It was an exciting day for everybody.
See more pictures from this DIY family farm wedding here.

_____________________________

getting ready in Madison Wisconsin Hilton hotel bride and groom rings in boxes friend of the bride is fixing bride's hair bridal party is ready in Hilton hotel Madison WI bride’s parents see bride on a wedding day Holton Monona Terrace hotel surroundings, tents and wedding vendors getting ready for outdoor wedding reception Guests lining up for an outdoor wedding ceremony groom cries while listening to wows during wedding ceremony in rural Wisconsin outside of Madisonplane passinbg by during wedding ceremony first kiss during outdoor wedding ceremony in rural Wisconsin outside of Madison guesta are laughing at the wedding reception in friends farm guests are doing ski shots sausage is being grilled for the outdoor wedding reception greens are being prepared chicken coop in farm's backtaard guests are laughing at the outdoor wedding reception in rural Wisconsin outside of Madison bride and groom standing in the field lit by the sunset during the golden hour guests are laughing at the outdoor wedding reception guests playing outdoor lawn games at dusk in friends and family farm during wedding reception bride’s and groom’s friends are helping in the mobile kitchen during wedding receptionfamily backyard wedding Madison WI outdoor garden setup and decorations at night time bride’s and groom’s friends are helping in the mobile kitchen during wedding reception guest has funny face while opening a bottle of whiskey bride and groom performing first dance during wedding reception in rural Wisconsin outside of Madisonwedding guests are hugging on the dance floor at the wedding reception in rural Wisconsin group of groom’s friends is performing a dance at the family backyard wedding Madison WI in rural Wisconsinfamily backyard wedding Madison WI guests sitting in garden refrigerator truck and ski shot in the darkwedding guests are hugging on the dance floor at the wedding reception in rural Wisconsin snacks are being passed for wedding guests before the departure drunk wedding guests dancing in the bus way back to Downtown Madison WI bride and groom are making out in the dark alley on their way to the hotel

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