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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random TV channel is showing guy lifting weightsgroomsmen are brushing teeth in hotel room in Country Inn & suites by Carlson in Prairie du Chien, WIgroomsmen are getting ready Country Inn & suites by Carlson hotel in Prairie du Chien, WIgroom’s sister is reading grooms wows and tearing upGroom is laughing and having a good timegroomsmen taking whiskey shots in hotel room before leaving for the ceremonybride Laura is opening a bottle of champagne and laughing hard in hotel roombride's wows sketch left on a chair with banana on top of it bridesmaids are helping the bride to put the wedding dress onbride is tearing up surrounded by her bridesmaid s in a hotel roomgroom and groomsmen doing silly posing in front of the hotelgroomsmen getting on the buss for departure to the ceremony at the Gatherings on the Ridge barnmound in Prairie du Chien, WI with dark skies groom standing on the barn balcony in Gatherings on the ridge and overlooking the fieldgroomsmen getting their boutonnieres pinned ingroom is being escorted to the bathroom in order to avoid seeing bride before the ceremonybest man is inspecting the wedding rings little girl is hiding under the big mom's scarf in ceremony room in Gatherings on the Ridge Groom and groomsmen are waiting in barn balcony for the wedding ceremony to beginbride is reading her wows in solitude in small room at the Gatherings on the Ridge barn before the wedding ceremony beginsbride is laughing and hugging with Dani, owner of Greasy Spoon catering company based in Viroqua, WIwedding guests anxiously waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin at the Gatherings on the Ridge barnclothing behind grooms back is showing 4:35pmgroom is having a moment with his mothergroom is walking his mother down the isle during wedding ceremony at the Gatherings on the Ridge barnflower girls is walking down the isle during wedding ceremony at the Gatherings on the Ridge barn groom is anxiously waiting for the bride to walk down the islesilhouettes behind the closed doo belongs to bride and her father bride and her father are walking down the isle at the Gatherings on the Ridge barngroom is kissing the bride after the wedding ceremonybride and groom are walking away after the wedding ceremony at the Gatherings on the Ridge barnbride and groom are hugging after the wedding ceremonygrooms mother is greeting the newlywedsgrooms grandfather is impersonating the groom by wearing black fake mustache bridesmaid is sharing her cocktails with a groomhard light on bride’s niece’s face during wedding receptionbride and groom are laughing while wedding guests are applauding and is congratulating them bride Laura is hugging her maid of honorgroom is tearing up during the wedding speeches bride and grooms hands together during wedding dinner reception and speechesbride’s tattoo that says “que cera cera” being lit by sunset light at the Gatherings on the Ridgebride and groom portrait on at the Gatherings on the Ridge barn during golden hourgroom making funny face while eating wedding cakebride and groom during their first dance dancing to the Florence and the Machine song Cosmic Lovebride and groom during their first dance dancing to the Florence and the Machine song Cosmic Lovebride and groom during their first dance dancing to the Florence and the Machine song Cosmic Love wedding guests dancing on the dance floor during the reception at the Gatherings on the Ridge barnwedding guests are kissing on the dance floor during the reception at the Gatherings on the Ridge barnbridesmaids dancing on the dance floor during the reception at the Gatherings on the Ridge barngroomsmen laughing and applauding in front of the groombunch of wedding guests are raising champagne glasses for a toast bride and her bridesmaids dancing on the dance floorbridesmaids dancing on the dance floor during the reception at the Gatherings on the Ridge barn bride and groom are drinking champagne on the dance floor and laughing harddance floor filled with smoke and lasers during wedding reception at the Gatherings on the Ridgewedding guest is drinking champagne straight out of the bottle bridesmaids are waving and dancing surrounded by fog and lasersgroom is performing funky gestures on the dance floor during wedding reception at the Gatherings on the Ridgeview of the Gatherings on the Ridge barn from outside at nigh in late summer

 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.

—-

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.

—-

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.

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Bride’s mother cooking food in Prevailing Winds lodge kitchen Wedding reception tent in prairie Blue Mounds, Wisconsin bridal party laughing while getting ready in Prevailing Winds lodge, Wisconsin bride and groom drinking champagne during getting readyWedding ceremony spot under the oak trees wedding officiant is checking the timelineflower girl being dressed rain storm on a wedding day in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin two groomsmen working in the rain in Blue Mounds, Wisconsinwedding guests getting off the school buswedding guests in Prevailing Winds lodge, Blue Mounds, Wisconsintwo dogs sitting on Prevailing Winds lodge porch stairsgrooms mother and groom looking at each other wedding guests walking to the wedding ceremony location wedding guest at the outdoor bar during heavy rain wet floor in wedding tent in Prevailing Winds lodgeflower girl during Prevailing Winds lodge wedding ceremony outdoor wedding ceremony in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin bride and groom parents smiling during wedding ceremony wedding guests cheering after wedding ceremony bride and groom wedding portrait in prairie near Prevailing Winds lodge bride and groom tearing up during wedding speeches sunset outside the wedding tent in Blue Mounds, Wisconsinorange sunset skies in prairie near Blue Mounds, Wisconsinwedding guests dancing at the outdoor weddingwedding guests waiting in line for photobooth in Prevailing Winds lodgewedding guests dancing at the outdoor wedding reception guests dancing in Prevailing Winds lodge wedding bride’s and grooms first dance in Prevailing Winds lodge wedding bride with her girlfriends at the Barmadillo bar wine bottles left on table at the wedding reception bride hugging with a group of friends at the Prevailing Winds lodge wedding wedding guests dancing and sliding on the wet dance floor guests falling on the wet dance floor in Prevailing Winds lodge wedding groom interacting with a guest at the Prevailing Winds lodge weddingbride’s dirty feet and dress covered in dirt brother of the bride stashing wine for the after party darkness of the night at the after party

 

 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

Emily, Mats and their Sunday brunch wedding at the Bishops Bay Country club

 

+ Bishops Bay wedding in Middleton, WI

Normally, there’s numerous reasons why I am excited to photograph someone’s wedding.

And when Emily and Mats reached out to me, I got excited about their wedding because of two somewhat unusual ones. First of all, the wedding was going to be Sunday brunch wedding. Secondly, wedding was planned to happen in Bishop’s Bay Country club.

But this time, excitement was there because never photographed brunch wedding AND I’ve never photographed a wedding in Bishops Bay. Boom! I was ready to meet the team.

Since Emily’s has a somewhat challenging schedule (she works with foster care and adoption) and I was traveling at the time, it took a bit of planning on both ends in order to set-up an initial wedding consultation. Eventually, Emily her mom (bot traveled from Illinois) and I met for a coffee at Black Locust cafe. It’s always fun to see family coming together to help with a wedding planning.

Emily and Mats Bishops Bay wedding with amazing vies, good light and newly built seasonal reception tent.

On a wedding day, Emily’s and Mat’s Bishops bay wedding had it all: outdoors wedding overlooking lake Mendota, good wedding crowd, amazing Sunday brunch buffet, croquembouche (Gosh, I LOVE just how it sounds!) for dessert and a framed letter as a gift from Mats mom. It had the following words in it:

“Dear Emily and Mats,
Please accept our sincere congratulations to you both on this special day.
Your relationship has bridged the states of Wisconsin and Illinois, and we are pleased to join your loved ones in wishing you great joy as you begin this new chapter in your lives together.

United States Senator Tammy Baldwin
United States Senator Tammy Duckworth”

Just like that! BOOM!

For their grand departure, Emily and Matt got into their speed boat, waved goodbye to the wedding guests on the shore, and took off fighting choppy waters of Lake Mendota.

That was on Sunday.

And on Monday, posts with pictures from Iceland started showing up on Emily’s Instagram account. That’s where couple went for their honeymoon. Now that’s what I call a starting your new week (and life together) with a bang!

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lake view through the window in Bishop’s Bay Country club in Middleton, WI bridesmaids fixing little girl’s hair at Bishops Bay country club bride is sitting with her eyes closed in silence before her Bishops Bay wedding ceremony bride helping her grandmother with jewelry before Bishops Bay wedding ceremony in Middleton, Wisconsin groom and groomsmen are preparing for Sunday wedding ceremony in Bishop’s bay country club groom hugging and his dad during wedding ceremony on a shore of lake Mendota, Madison Wisconsin flower girls dropping flower petals during wedding ceremony at Bishops Bay country clubbride laughing after seeing the groom for the first time on her wedding day groom smile after seeing bride for the first time before the wedding ceremony in Middleton, Wisconsin bride and groom kissing during their wedding ceremony with the Bishops Bay in the backgroundbride kissing the groom during their Bishop’s Bay wedding ceremony little girl in the doorway during Bishop’s Bay Sunday brunch wedding reception in the tentbride and groom kissing before their grand entrance to the Bishop’s bay tent wedding reception parents of the groom are smiling while listening to wedding speeches groom and groom laughing during wedding speeches in Bishops bay country club outdoor tent bride and groom receive framed wedding greeting signed by two United States senatorsbride and groom dancing at their Bishops bay outdoor tent wedding reception in Middleton, Wisconsin bride with her father dancing at the Bishop's bay tent wedding reception wedding portrait of bride and groom outside of Bishop’s Bay country club bride and her mother dancing at the Bishops bay outdoor tent in Middleton, Wisconsinbride and groom walking down the dock for a boat departure at Bishop’s Bay wedding wedding guests watching departure of the newlyweds at the Bishop’s bay country club bride and groom preparing for grand departure on the speed boat bride and groom riding a speed boat in Lake Mendota, Middleton, Wisconsin afternoon Sun shining through the tree tops at the Bishop’s bay country club in Middleton, Wisconsin

 See full Emily and Mats Bishop’s Bay wedding gallery >>HERE<<.

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Planning your wedding in Bishop’s Bay Country Club? Looking for documentary wedding photographer that? Look no further! I’m an an award-winning wedding photographer from Madison, Wisconsin and I would love to be on board of your wedding team. Please visit my wedding photography FAQ page to get better idea what to expect on a wedding day. And give me a shout via my contact page!

 

BISHOP’S BAY WEDDING MIDDLETON, WI VENDORS:

Ceremony and Reception: Bishop’s Bay Country Club
Wedding Dress: Nordstrom
Boat rentals: Skipper Bud’s

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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during wedding reception in rural Wisconsin outside of Madisongroom and guest are dancing on the dance floorguest has funny face while opening a bottle of whiskeytwo guests are dancing and shouting on the dance floor at the wedding reception in rural Wisconsin guests are dancing and shouting on the dance floor at the wedding reception in rural Wisconsinwedding guests are hugging on the dance floor at the wedding reception in rural Wisconsinwedding guests are hugging on the dance floor at the wedding reception in rural Wisconsinbride’s and groom’s friends are helping in the mobile kitchen during wedding receptionguests are dancing and shouting on the dance floor at the wedding reception in rural Wisconsin group of groom’s friends is performing a dance at the wedding reception in rural Wisconsinguest is pulling groom’s tie at the wedding reception in rural Wisconsingroom, his brother and their friends are jumping on the dance floorguests are hugging and laughingguests are posing in front of the food truckclosing time is being announced and wedding reception is being closed downrefrigerator truck and ski shot in the darklast drinks are being poured for wedding guests before the departuresnacks are being passed for wedding guests before the departuredrunk wedding guests dancing in the bus way back to Downtown Madison WIdrunk wedding guests singing in the bus way back to Downtown Madison WIdrunk wedding guests passing a bottle of alcohol in the bus way back to Downtown Madison WIdrunk wedding guests posing funny in the bus on the way back to Downtown Madison WI

 See full gallery from Amy’s and Jason’s DIY family farm wedding >>HERE<<.

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Thanks a bunch for checking out wedding pictures from Amy’s and Jason’s outdoorsy DIY Labor Day weekend wedding! If you’re planning your simple yet elegant outdoors wedding, like to celebrate like there’s no tomorrow, have a creative and adventurous soul, shoot me a message! I would love to be part of your adventure!

I am documentary wedding photographer based in Madison, Wisconsin and specialize in moment driven wedding photojournalism. See here about common wedding photography styles.

During this type of wedding photography I will stay out of your way and I will let you be true you.

FARM’S BACKYARD WEDDING VENDORS:

Ceremony/Reception: Friends Backyard in Middleton, WI
Bride’s Sandals: Toms
Bridesmaid Dresses: Bhldn
Groom’s Suit: Men’s Wearhouse
Catering Company: Stalzy’s Deli
Catering Company: Oliver’s Public House
Catering Company: Jordandal Cookhouse
Wine: In Vino Veritas
Craft Punch: Death’s Door Spirits
Rentals: Event Essentials
Transportation: Badger Bus
Hotel: Hilton Monona Terrace
Wedding Date: 9.4.2016

How Jackie and James turned their dreams of rural Wisconsin family farm wedding into reality

a story about Jackie, James and their perfect rural Wisconsin family farm wedding

True story: I have a really bad memory. My wife says it’s not true, but it really is. Certain memories stay, but certain memories just go straight to the dark abyss.

That’s why when talking to wedding couples, I normally take notes. Lots of them. And later store it all in a secret file. So, when the wedding day comes, I can refresh my memory with all the details and small facts about the couple and their wedding day.

Here’s an original excerpt from my initial notes I took during Jackie and James Skype chat:

“Jackie and James wedding will happen in Jackie’s family farm. Land around the family farm has been sold out for developers. Family’s farm is the last man standing in the area. Family takes a pride in it. Jackie’s dad retired about one year ago and lives in that family farm. Farm is a big deal for him. He is fixing it all up. Growing produce. About 50 acres of land. Garden, corn fields, woods. Certain patches in those woods has no growth. Magic woods? (first look/ pre-ceremony pictures there?)”

There were more notes from our initial chat: about the brother who was going to officiate the wedding ceremony, about uncle who would roast the pig, about another uncle who would make booyah (stew). James’s dad was going to make beer, family friend was going to make wine, another family friend who would help with music, etc. And the list goes on.

I remember going thought my notes when it suddenly struck me: Wisconsin family farm wedding they were putting together was exactly how weddings would happen centuries ago. Two families would come together and people would contribute their knowledge, craftsmanship and skills to make one helluva wedding in one of the family’s backyard. It would be family team work and there rarely would be an outsider involved.
Isn’t it amazing?

And when I arrived Jackie’s and James wedding day, I saw it all come together just perfectly. Amazing couple with their families getting ready in their family house, 300 wedding guests, pig roast and stew preparation, coolers loaded with handmade beer and wine, and the sunset skies that you remember for a long time. Yet another example of how it’s not about how much you spend, but how you feel.

It was yet another perfect DIY family farm wedding!

Right before the sunset, by a special order, bypassing storm painted the sky and the clouds in truly most amazing colors. With some amazing lightnings in the distance. Boom! I was done. Everybody else was not. The party was just starting.

See full Jackie’s and James’s Wisconsin family farm wedding gallery on Paulius Musteikis Pixieset.

Bride and her bridesmaids getting ready in Wisconsin family farm mother of the bride sees her daughter in wedding dress for the first time groom is shaking hand with uncle at Wisconsin family farm wedding family dog during Wisconsin family farm wedding brother of the bride is preparing for Wisconsin family farm wedding mother of the groom is fixing grooms tie before Wisconsin family farm wedding ceremony groom hugging his father and smiling during Wisconsin family farm wedding ceremony flower girls walking down the isle at the Wisconsin family farm wedding ceremony bride and groom holding hands and smiling during wedding ceremony parents of the bride holding hands and laughing Wisconsin family farm wedding ceremony two ring bearers walking down the isle at the Wisconsin family farm wedding ceremony bride and groom kises after excaning rings and reading wows during Wisconsin family farm wedding ceremonybride and groom are walking away after Wisconsin family farm wedding ceremony bride and bridesmaids examining bride’s wedding ring bridesmaid and groomsman pouring shot glasses for a toast groomsman laughing after wedding ceremony bride and groom hugging in family farm cornfieldwedding guests are playing mini golf at the wedding reception in family farm bride and her grandfather are hugging during wedding reception at the family farm brother of the bride and family dog during the wedding reception three kids standing and laughing next to wedding ceremony decorations father of the bride and bride are hugging after the wedding speech friends of the groom presenting a gift during wedding reception bride is listening to the wedding speech during dinner in Wisconsin family farm wedding guests are applauding and laughing during wedding reception blue sky with fluffy white clouds and a tops of the treesall bridal party is laughing while family dog is passing in front of the wedding photographer candid conversation between the bride and couple of her bridesmaids two bridesmaids holding bride in their arms kids on the dance floor at the Wisconsin family farm wedding reception bride and groom are dancing their first dance groom and bride are embracing during their first dance bride with her father embracing during the father daughter dance bride embraces her father during the father-daughter dance groom embraces his mom during the mother-son dance wedding guests dancing and laughing on the dancefloor in the Wisconsin family farm wedding stormy evening summer sky with intense clouds and beautiful light near Green Bay, WI wedding guests dancing and laughing on the dancefloor in the Wisconsin family farm wedding wedding reception tent with stormy evening summer sky with intense clouds and beautiful light at the Wisconsin family farm wedding

 

WISCONSIN FAMILY FARM WEDDING VENDORS:

Wedding Date: July 22, 2017
Wedding Location: Family farm near Green Bay
Photography assistant: Lina Soblyte from SoBeIt Creations
Catering: Family members (Bernie, uncle Kevin, Grandma Oryall) and Spork Café and Catering

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

how to interview your wedding photographer: no BS advice by wedding industry insider

bride is approaching groom for the first look

how to interview your wedding photographer: no BS advice by wedding industry insider

True fact: there are few of you out there that know how to interview your wedding photographer properly. Sad but true.
This is how it usually goes: sheet of paper lands on the table, future husband or future wife looks at it and says the magic phrase: “We’ve printed a list of questions to ask your wedding photographer and would love if you could answer them”. And that’s where usually the problem lies.

Now don’t get me wrong- I don’t mind answering those questions, or any other questions for that matter. Questions usually excite me a lot! But if that question list they put together was picked up online at websites like Wedding Wire or The Knot, red glowing sign comes on in my mind and it reads: “Houston, we’ve got a problem!”.

Here’s why: people who put those articles and question lists together (often) have no idea or little how wedding photography works. Or at least that’s what I see when I read those tips. In fact, I often feel like things just get copy/pasted from one website to another sending same shitty message- ask lousy generic answers, get lousy generic answers and learn nothing about the person who you are going to big chunk of your exciting day. My math formula for it looks like this:

MEAH QUESTIONS = MEAH ANSWERS

So when it comes to the list of questions on how to interview your wedding photographer, here are few tips:

  • ditch cookie cutter questions and get personal
  • be present in conversation
  • go deeper down the rabbit hole
  • keep an eye open for the red flags

Follow the simple instructions above and you’ll get better understanding how wedding photographer works. You’ll also feel more confident and  trust your wedding photographer (that’s a big one) more. And that trust is crucial. As it will allow you to enjoy your wedding day at its fullest. It will make your pictures more relaxed and candid, it will make your wedding photographer’s work easier and as result it will help to yield better pictures. Seriously, who doesn’t want better wedding pictures without too much extra effort?

Cookie cutter questions are not for you: your wedding day is unique and so should be your questions.

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Below I put some examples of generic questions I found on online wedding planning networks, and added some replacement questions and reasoning behind them so you would get the most out of wedding photographer interview. Hope that helps!

How do you describe your photography style?

More personal question: Besides wedding pictures, what other pictures you like to take? What pictures you like to look at? What do you find interesting about them? What do you find interesting about wedding photography? What motivates you as a photographer/ wedding photographer? What do you like/ don’t like about weddings?

Reason: You will learn how your wedding photographer sees photography and life. You will also better understand what motivates her/him. And of course you will get better idea what’s her/his wedding philosophy and wedding photography style is.

woman sleeping on chairs in airport with funny sign above her

An image of a woman sleeping in airport is an example of street photography

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Do you have a portfolio I can review?

More personal question: What was your favorite wedding you ever shot? Why? How did the last wedding you shot looked like? Did you ever photographed a wedding that somewhat had a similar feel like my future wedding? Can I see examples?

Reason: If someone doesn’t have a portfolio, she/he is not a professional wedding photographer. If you see 20 best pictures from someone’s 10 years wedding photography portfolio, you really not seeing the real picture of what you will be getting. Listen to your wedding photographer, tell them about your wedding plans and see ask for wedding gallery examples with the same/similar wedding venue, amount of people, time of the year, etc.

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Have you ever shot at my wedding venue before?

More personal question: How do you approach photographing a wedding in the venue you’ve never been before? Do you research online? Do you look at Google Maps? Do you arrive earlier to check out wedding location in advance? Do you talk to venue staff about possible spots for shoot?

Reason: It honestly doesn’t matter if photographer shot at your wedding venue or if he went there to check in advance. If he’s a professional, going into unknown location and making things happen is his/her regularly conducted activity. Besides you rarely will find the same light conditions in the building- light in the same wedding venue could often look very differently depending on time of the day, season, weather conditions, etc.

best man is having a craft cocktail at the wedding venue during the golden hour beautiful sunsetBest man lit up by setting sun during golden hour at the wedding venue

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How many hours of coverage do we get?

More personal question: Can we go through our wedding day timeline and see what do you think? What time do you recommend to start the coverage? When do you recommend doing family portraits? Why? Does the timeline we have look feasible?

Reason: Let photographer help you figure out amount of coverage he/she recommends. I’ve often run into couples that think they need 10 hours of coverage when in reality 7 is what they need. I get asked for 5 hour coverage, when reality is at least 8 hours of continuous coverage. Talk to professional, hear their opinion and decide what will work for you afterwards.

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How many photographers will be on my wedding?

More personal question: Why do you think are pros and cons of having 2nd photographer? What do you recommend for my wedding day? Why?

Reason: Don’t get stuck with an idea that 2nd photographer will do miracles. Talk but be ready to listen. There are definitely scenarios where 2nd photographer is OK and certain situations where 2nd photographer is a MUST. Professional wedding photographer should have a good explanation of all pros and cons that apply for your wedding. There are weddings with 120 guests where 2nd photographer is a must and there are weddings with 300 wedding guests where one photographer is just enough.

Talk. Listen. Hear and be heard.

picture of wedding photographer and her assistant at the Masonic Center Madison WI wedding explaining on how to interview your wedding photographerwedding photographer Ilana Natasha and her assistant Mary on a wedding day
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Do you bring your own lighting?

More personal question: Have you ever photographed in the dim church? Have you done a photo shoot outdoors when it’s dark? Can I see examples?

Reason: Bringing the lights to the dark venue or ceremony to show off isn’t going to do much if the wedding photographer doesn’t know how to use them or venue (e.g church) wouldn’t allow to use them. There’s plenty of photographer’s that go through the day without an artificial light. All they have is available light and they kill it!

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What camera do you use?

More personal question: Have you ever photographed wedding in a rain? Snow? Dark church? What problems did you run into? What was your challenge? How did you solve it? Can I see an example gallery or two?

Reason: Remember- it’s not the $5,000 Santoku knife with ivory handle that makes a chef known nationwide. It’s the food the chef makes. Professional camera’s are relatively inexpensive these days and its way easier to own one than 15-20 years ago. But a lot of people forget that camera is just a tool. And the most important thing is how photographer puts that tool in use. That’s where the great skill is. And one sees and works with light. And how photographer communicates with the surroundings. And many other things. You get the idea.
If you really really want to know, I use pro level Fuji mirrorless cameras and lenses. But it really is not about the camera.

paper bag with Fuji photo equipment to exemplify how to interview your wedding photographer and to show that gear doesn’t matterContents of my “photo bag” AKA “too lazy to stuff my photo gear back to the photography case”
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Thanks for stopping by and reading! I hope you find tips and recommendations about how to interview your wedding photographer useful. If you have any questions or suggestions of your own, feel to reach out to me via contact page. Check out my FAQ page with common questions Madison Wisconsin wedding photographers get asked a lot!

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