Gatherings On The Ridge Barn Wedding

Bride and groom kissing after wedding ceremony in Gatherings On The Ridge barn

Gatherings On The Ridge Barn Wedding in Eastman, WI

Gatherings On The Ridge barn in Eastman, WI is just over 100 miles away from Madison WI where I currently reside. It’s located in a heart of Driftless Wisconsin– area that was never touched by glaciers. Limestone bedrock valleys, rolling hills and streams scattered through beautifully sculpted topography make this 2-hour drive worthwhile.

Laura and Ryan was one of my favorite couples I got to hangout with this past season. Honest, real, down to earth and crazy excited about their upcoming wedding.

They both worked hard and dedicated quite a bit of their time for their wedding day planning in order to make it look unique. By having strong team of good helping hands made out of friends and family members they were able to delegate some of their wedding planning tasks.

That Saturday at the Gatherings On The Ridge barn wedding was one of more memorable events for me from 2016. Weather was truly perfect- partly cloudy with mild breeze and temperature in low 80’s. Laura and Ryan both were full of emotions and good kind of anxiety. Groom saw the bride first time when she was walking down the isle with her dad and shed a nice manly tear. Ryan gets a big high five for that!

Their wedding ceremony was short and sweet. I managed to make a deal with Kyle (Laura’s brother who officiated wedding wedding) to get behind bridal party and shoot the first kiss picture in somewhat non-traditional angle. Yay!

Florence And The Machine’s Dog Days Are Over was the song that kicked off Laura’s and Ryan’ first dance later that night. While being big fans of this band they made sure they incorporate that fact into their wedding day-another small detail that made it more special.

Laura and Ryan didn’t have a DJ at their Gatherings On The Ridge barn wedding. But they had a Spotify playlist made by Laura’s dad Bobby, a retired DJ and vinyl store employee. And while I’ve seen failures in cases like this (dance floor with no DJ or band sometimes in not a good dance floor) that night it wasn’t the case. Crowd went crazy while music magically managed itself (with occasional supervisions by dedicated guest). And when fog machine and lasers kicked in it became clear again that they nailed to perfection yet one more part of the wedding day. Bravo!
Do things right or bust, mavefakas!

P.S. I still can’t figure how these two did it. While residing in Portland, OR, they managed to find a wedding venue 4 hours away from their parent’s house in Western Illinois, get ice-cream from Milwaukee WI, bring in boutonnieres made in California, find an amazing catering company in the middle of nowhere and pick up centerpiece rentals from my favorite wedding rental place in Madison.

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Note regarding the Gatherings on the Ridge barn: due to the lack of insulation, building is not suited well for 4 season weddings as it’s not insulated. But for 3 seasons (maybe 2.5) it’s one helluva amazing wedding venue full of character, history, interesting textures and amazing light.

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To see full gallery from Laura’s and Ryan’s Gatherings On The Ridge barn wedding in Eastman, Wisconsin, please see click >>HERE<<.

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See full gallery from Laura’s and Ryan’s Gatherings On The Ridge barn wedding >>HERE<<.

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Thanks a bunch for stopping by, reading Laura and Ryan love story and checking out their Gatherings On The Ridge barn wedding adventure! I am documentary wedding photographer based in Madison, Wisconsin and specialize in moment driven wedding photojournalism.

During this type of wedding photography I won’t boss you around. I won’t ask you to be an actor and pretend to be someone you are not. I won’t put up a fashion show. I will stay out of your way. I will let you be true you. I will be there and I won’t miss a beat. Read more about common wedding photography styles here.

If you’re planning your Gatherings On The Ridge barn wedding in a country of rolling hills in Southwestern Wisconsin shoot me a message! I would love to be part of your adventure!

GATHERINGS ON THE RIDGE BARN WEDDING VENDORS:

Ceremony/Reception: Gatherings On The Ridge
Flowers: Village Market Floral
floral Crown: Westerwisp
Boutonnieres: Eucca
Bride’s Sandals: Grecian Sandals From Etsy
Bridesmaid Dresses: Bhldn And Forever 21
Groom’s Suit: Paul Smith
Groomsmen Suits: Kohls
Dj: Spotify Playlist By Bobby Wads
Catering Company: Rooted Spoon
Wedding Cake: Piggly Wiggly
Ice Cream: Purple Door
Transportation: Warco Transportation
centerpiece Rentals: A La Crate
Hotel: Country Inn & Suites By Carlson
Honeymoon: Italy, France, Amsterdam
Wedding Date: 8.20.2016

Jenny, Pip and One Helluva Wet Prevailing Winds Lodge Wedding

Bride and groom portrait in Prevailing Winds lodge

+ Prevailing Winds lodge wedding in Blue Mounds, WI

It’s Saturday on Labor Day weekend. I am at Prevailing Winds lodge in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin.

Hanging out with Jenny, Pip and their tribe. Observing and documenting happenings around me. Getting ready part of the wedding day is at full swing.

Final decorations finding their places at the reception tent high atop of prairie nearby.

Brian, wedding officiant and owner of Maduro, is going through ceremony’s timeline.

Members of immediate family and closest friends continuously showing up at the door step.

Lots of good energy. Lots of hugs. Smiles. Cocktails.

There are also talks about severe thunderstorms predictions for the area.

I step outside to snap few pictures of wedding ceremony location. It’s under two oak trees with a handmade ribbon backdrop in between. “Chad, what’s the update for weather forecast this afternoon?” I shout. “Update is not good” Chad says. “Not good at all.”

I look up. Sun’s beaming through the leaves of lush late summer vegetation. Skies look happy. Weather is fine.

Until it’s not.

Within half an hour sun’s gone. Skies grow darker every minute. Lights start coming up in rooms of the Prevailing Winds lodge.

First wedding guests getting dropped off at the lodge. Wedding ceremony is planned to start in 40 minutes or so.

And suddenly the skies open up.

And all hell breaks loose.

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That afternoon, over 200 wedding guests that arrived ready for an outdoor wedding ceremony, end up gathering inside Prevailing Winds lodge to wait out first wave of rain.

While everybody lingers under the roof, hardcore bridal party team is transporting all wedding ceremony attributes from outdoor location to wedding reception tent.

Rain, and the fact that groom’s suite was left at home in Madison, delay wedding ceremony start by hour and a half.

As soon as reception tent is ready to accommodate wedding ceremony and rain slows down, weeding guests make their way to the tent.

Lots of umbrellas and lots of bare feet are present.

People move in just in time- second wave of rain pour was about to start.

So is Jenny’s and Pip’s wedding ceremony.

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It was definitely not your average wedding ceremony, and yet there was nothing weird about it either. Just bride and groom surrounded by smiling faces of friends and family, two dogs, and rain pounding the tent and splashing all over the dance floor.

And while the rain storm caused some pain the ass for everybody, without it, double rainbow some seriously beautiful sunset skies (see wedding pictures below) would not have ever happened.

And probably dancing later that night wouldn’t have happened d as well.

Though I might be wrong about that one.

As I often say to my wedding couples during the wedding consultation, “rain or shine, you two still are going to get married”. And few ups and downs you might encounter on your wedding day- well, that’s just life at its best. It all will make your wedding day more adventurous and more memorable.

To see full gallery from Jenny’s and Pip’s Prevailing Winds lodge wedding in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, please see click >>HERE<<.

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See full gallery from Jenny’s and Pip’s Prevailing Winds lodge wedding >>HERE<<.

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Planning your wedding in Prevailing Winds lodge and looking for documentary wedding photographer that? Look no further! Please visit my wedding photography FAQ page to learn more about my award-winning wedding photography philosophy and get a better idea what to expect on your wedding day. And give me a shout via my contact page! I would love to be part of your wedding tribe!

PREVAILING WINDS LODGE WEDDING VENDORS:

Wedding Venue: Prevailing Winds Lodge
Hair & Makeup: Midwest Beauty House
Cocktail bar: Barmadillo

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James Madison Park wedding in Madison, WI | Cindy + Martin

bride and groom with sparklers standing on the dock at James Madison park wedding

+ James Madison park wedding in Madison, WI

Cindy and Martin have met at a spaghetti dinner the night before Martin ran the Tough Mudder (!!!) competition with a group of mutual friends. Cindy was only there for the spaghetti. In the end, guess she ended up getting a bit more.

Their first date took place at the Mediterranean Cafe on the State Street about week later. Couple got ice cream at the Memorial Union Terrace afterwards. And the rest is history (:

I’ve met Martin in their house on the Park street where I photographed him getting dressed. I witnessed him put to and moved on to see what Cindy was up to.

I’ve met Cindy in The Madison Concourse hotel where she got ready surrounded by immediate family and bridesmaids. That part of the day was filled with laughter through tears (after opening Martin’s wedding gift), raw emotions and lots of hugs.

Wedding definitely doesn’t need to be this over-the-roof extravaganza to be special. In fact, spending big money for the wedding and expecting it to be amazing just because of that, couldn’t be further from the truth. And Cindy’s and Martin’s James Madison park celebration is a good proof of it. Their wedding was simple and modest, yet delightful and very much inspiring.

Lawn games, dancing in the tent filled with beautiful afternoon light, keg stand, sparklers, big bottle of bourbon passed around, mysterious smiley face on grass in front of the reception tent. All these elements happened to be in James Madison Park wedding that day. And it all made Cindy’s and Martin’s wedding special and unique.

And I’ve been there to witness it all.

I love my job!

To see a full gallery from Cindy’s and Martin’s James Madison park wedding, click >> HERE <<.

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To see more photographs from Cindy’s and Martins’s outdoor wedding, click >> HERE <<.

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Planning your wedding in James Madison Park upcoming summer? Need local wedding photographer? Look no further! I’m an outdoors loving, laid-back wedding photographer from Madison, Wisconsin and would love to be on your outdoors wedding team. See my wedding photography FAQ page and give me a shout via my contact page!

JAMES MADISON PARK WEDDING MADISON, WI VENDORS:

Getting Ready location: The Madison Concourse Hotel
Ceremony and Reception: James Madison Park
Floral: Lewiston Perennial Farm
Catering: Smokey Jon’s
Rentals: Mad Fox Party Rentals

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Na zdrowie to Katrina, Jeff and their Hubbard park wedding

bride and groom posing in Hubbard Park pedestrian tunnel after their wedding

+ Hubbard park wedding in Milwaukee, WI

Want to hear my little secret?

There’s this kind of people. When presented with safe (less rewarding) and risky (more rewarding) solutions for certain situation, they choose the latter one.

Some of my wedding couples that do behave that way. I believe, I am that kind of person myself.

You know how I call my wedding couples that take risks? Gamblers!

And, boy oh boy, I love gamblers!

That’s who Katrina and Jeff were.

Their outdoor wedding ceremony in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was planned for October 21st, 2017. And in Midwest terms it’s definitely a serious gamble. Because during my wedding photographer’s career, I’ve seen snow in early October.

Anyway, I’m glad they went for it! Because, it was the last, please, hear me out, THE LAST, nice day that fall. It was high 70’s, it was sunny. That was Saturday. And the weather went all down to hell on Sunday. But who cares about Sunday, right?

Katrina’s and Jeff s outdoor wedding ceremony took place in Hubbard park, situated on the shore of Milwaukee River, overlooking river and greenery surrounding it. If you ask me, Hubbard park as a wedding venue is one of better kept secrets in Milwaukee area.

Throughout the wedding ceremony, couple and their bridal party were back lit by late afternoon fall sun. Combine it with a good wedding ceremony vibes, and” Boom!”, you’ve got yourself a combination any wedding photographer would die for.

And honestly, Katrina’s and Jeff’s wedding had it all: laidback schedule, amazing weather, good crowd, amazing river views in both locations- wedding ceremony and reception.

And for the last wedding of the season, I couldn’t have asked for more!

Na zdrowie, you two!

See full gallery from Katrina’s and Jeff’s Hubbard park wedding in Milwaukee, WI >>HERE<<.

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HUBBARD PARK WEDDING MILWAUKEE, WI VENDORS:

Getting ready: Hotel Metro
Transportation: Partridge Family Party Bus
Wedding ceremony location: Hubbard Park, Milwaukee, WI
Wedding reception location: Surg On The Water
DJ/Music: DJ Fuzzy Logic
Honeymoon: Iceland
Wedding Date: 10.21.2017

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Amy, Jason and their DIY family farm wedding

Bride and groom drinking from shot ski during their wedding

+ DIY family farm wedding in Middleton, WI

Original one-of-a-kind wedding full of good vibe come to those who work their asses off while planning DIY family farm wedding in Madison, Wisconsin. That hard work includes deep sea fishing in Florida for mahi-mahi and king mackerel, carefully selected wines and cheese, hand making sausages for the wedding reception, putting all decorations together, and, of course, endless hours of planning.
Amy and Jason both been in the restaurant industry for well over a decade; he has been primarily back of house cooking and baking, while she has been solely front of house service. When couple got engaged, they knew right away they didn’t want the typical tradition wedding. That meant no caterer, no bartenders, no cake, no assigned seating and so on. That also meant that it was going to be largely DIY family farm wedding. Or as Amy calls it “do it (y)ourselves”.

Location: this was first Amy and Jason’s task. After a few hiccups (losing their first venue 4 months before the wedding) couple wound up using a friend of a friend’s parent’s backyard. Filled with trees, gardens, wetlands, location had heaps of space for guests and kids to run around. That was a good start.
Food: once the location was settled, it really became all about the food and beverage. During that DIY family farm wedding Wisconsin planning stage Amy and Jason were dedicated in sourcing all of their protein and vegetables from areas around Madison Wisconsin. The idea behind it was to support local farmers. And it was easy task due of the strong relationship with local vendors that Amy and Jason have built throughout many years via shopping Dane county farmer’s market on Saturday. As far as wedding menu creativity went, from the very beginning Amy and Jason wanted their friends to have as much as possible while helping pout the wedding together. So while they offered guidance in terms of likes and dislikes, they ultimately left the decisions and flexibility to those up for those cooking (Neil from Stalzy’s, Patrick from Oliver’s public house, etc).
Beverage: Amy and Jason ordered variety of wines from in vino veritas wine distributors as well bunch of different beers from local breweries.
Decorations/lights: Amy and Jason asked proprietor of the venue to put away some square hay bales (that he harvested before their wedding) so they could use them as seating. For covers they used burlap sacks. And for burlap sacks couple reached out to barriques, a local coffee roaster. Jason’s father brought a few hundred mason jars that later were filled with candles and placed all over the garden to illuminate the paths in the darkness. Couple also bought some battery powered led light strings that they strung in trees around the area.
Tent/ furniture: after all above was taken care of it was a matter of renting a tent and some tables with chairs for the wedding reception.

And it would nice to say that just like that a DIY family farm wedding venue was born, but there were plenty more moments where Amy and Jason’s DIY attitude came into play. They won’t be listed here, but let’s just say that popcorn was popped, lights were strung, grasses were mown, firewood was chopped, and the crowd was fed. Many of its thanks to the lovely help and support that they had from their friends and family.
And while Amy agrees that DIY family farm wedding Wisconsin is certainly more work than your average wedding, all DIY customization also means, that your family farm wedding day will be unique and exactly the way you wanted it.

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To see full gallery from Amy’s and Jason’s DIY family farm wedding in Middleton, Wisconsin, please see click >>HERE<<.

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