Traci + Nicci: Wedding Portraits in a Wooded Wonderland

Traci + Nicci wanted to do their wedding portraits in a place that is very special to them

So we headed out to Donald County Park in Mt. Horeb to stop at some of their favorite spots along a trail they used to hike and run when they lived in Madison. It was a gorgeous day, and the spots they picked couldn’t have been more beautiful. Their actual wedding was just a few days before, which was an intimate gathering of close friends and family that they hosted at their house, but they knew they wanted their wedding portraits at the park, and I’m so, so glad they did, because it was just perfect! These adventuring folks climbed trees and rocks and braved all kinds of things to get fun photos, and it was such an honor to get to celebrate with these two!

Help me wish these two a big congratulations!!!

—Sam

 
 

Fall Family Portraits at the UW Arboretum

I love the enthusiasm and personality Kayleigh and Alex bring to family portraits!

I also am soooo jealous of having that much energy, but it’s always a blast spending time with these four, and seeing what wacky adventures the kids will get into. I love all the “monster” pics in particular!

Enjoy these adorable fall family photos!

—Sam

 
 

Winnie + Fiona Lakeside Family Portraits

This adorable little family had fall family portraits right on the lake!

I love this little park in walking distance from Winnie + Fiona’s house, and the kids clearly loved it too! We had fun goofing around and playing games to keep the kids entertained and enjoyed the crisp fall weather and lovely clouds this past Sunday while we were taking photos.

Enjoy these super sweet family moments and get out there and enjoy some fall time yourselves!

—Sam

 
 

Cassie + Luke: A Halloween-Themed Costume Party Wedding

A fun and sweet (literally) wedding day celebration!

Cassie + Luke met at The Bodgery (Madison’s makerspace) and bonded over a shared love of learning new things, making stuff, tabletop games, and a good sense of humor (love a good “yes, and”!)

Their wedding day was halloween-themed, complete with a trick-or-treat dessert bar, and adorably spooky accents, as well as games and crafts! Cassie + Luke also handmade each of the terrariums for each table, showcasing their love of making things, and, it was a costume party, which I love!

It was such a beautiful and joyful wedding day, and I’m so happy to have been able to celebrate with these two and their closest friends and family!

Help me wish them a big congratulations and enjoy the pics!

—Sam

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

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Red Oak Shelter and Devil’s Lake State Park

Jewelry: Engagement Ring by Aurora Designer; Wedding Bands by Lee Dorn Jewelers

Bride’s Outfit: Dress by Holy Clothing; Armor by ArtisansDAzureLARP

Groom’s Outfit: Atelierbacodaseta

Band: Fermata Caesura

Desserts: Madison Sourdough

Catering: North & South

 
 

Terri + Megan: An Intimate and Joyful Queer Wedding Celebration

Believe it or not, These two had not one but two failed proposal attempts

Megan (they/them) had planned to propose to Terri (she/her) on a gorgeous waterfall hike in Iceland, but COVID ruined those plans, and then less than two months later, Terri planned to propose to Megan at Disney World, but plans were thwarted by a hurricane! After all the plans gone awry, they both proposed to each other sweetly tucked away in their house and then began work on planning a small, intimate celebration in September!

Their wedding day was filled with personal touches, most importantly a beautiful memorial to family members who have passed, including Megan’s brother, and Terri’s father. Other personal touches include their dogs, Lars and Apollo walking each of them down the aisle. Megan gave Terri a beautiful gold bracelet that contained a locket with pictures of Terri’s dad. Terri gave Megan gorgeous custom cufflinks with their various furry friends’ faces. Megan made Terri’s bouquet and their own boutonniere out of pages from their favorite book! (The book is House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, which is one of my favorite books also!) Megan’s dad wore a tie Megan colored for them back in 1994 and he also made the s’more flavored wedding cake (which was delicious)! Megan + Terri had custom cocktails made for the celebration, and for their wedding favors? They hand-picked different books for each of their guests and wrote a person inscription in all of them.

It was a beautiful and deeply personal wedding day with so much love, laughter, and joy. I am so, so grateful to have been able to celebrate with these two and their family and closest friends! Help me with them a big congratulations!

—Sam

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

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Air BnB

Hair Stylist: Union Hair Parlor

Bridal Jumpsuit: Strike Bridal Bar

Mx. Suit: Bindle & Keep

Custom Cocktails: Mint Mark

 
 

Haylee + Julia: A Chic Modern Wedding at Barnwood Events

These two had a beautiful wedding day!

It was a gorgeous day (absolutely perfect weather) for an equally gorgeous wedding celebration for Julia + Haylee. The wedding was chill and simultaneously chic, and I am so excited to share these photos with you all! I’m even more excited and honored to have been able to celebrate with these two. Help me wish them a big congratulations!

—Sam

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

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Barnwood Events

Catering: Buck & Honey’s

 
 

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