Right before I left for my own wedding, I had the honor of capturing the most beautiful couple at Gillman’s Bay Resort- a northern wisconsin wedding venue right off of White Sand Lake. It was the most gorgeous Wisconsin northwoods wedding.
Prior to their wedding day, I had gotten to know Kiley + Danny well as I captured their engagement pictures last fall! Kiley is a planner and she had so many unique little details incorporated into her engagement session, and wedding! I love how prepared she was and how good she was at communicating the photos she desired most. I always tell my couples the more prepared you are ahead of time, the better your session turns out. Kiley + Danny are originally from Minneapolis, but they opted for a northern Wisconsin wedding venue because they both love the outdoors and are quite the adventurous couple. It took some planning and coordination to plan a wedding at a venue that is a few hours away from you, but they absolutely rocked it.
The wedding party started the day off with getting ready at a woodsy cabin nearby. The morning felt very chill, but you could totally feel the excitement in the room for what was coming. Kiley’s bridesmaids were so sweet and you could just tell how much they loved Kiley!
After we captured some getting ready pictures, we headed outside to capture the first look. It was drizzling throughout the morning, but it cleared up and we got a well-lit sky for their first look. We set Danny out on the dock on White Sand Lake and had him wait for Kiley to walk down. When she was in position, we had her turn around for their first look. It was seriously one of the sweetest first look’s I witnessed. Danny was SO happy to see her in her wedding dress. Following their first look, they opted to do a private vow reading. It was intimate and sweet. Both of them were laughing at how shockingly similar theirs were to one another! I guess that’s a sign you’re with the one you’re meant to be with, right?!
Following the first look and vow reading, we had plenty of time to take some bridal party photos. Everyone was so laid back and fun! I loved seeing the lake peek through the trees for these photos! After some bridal party photos everyone went in to their places and prepared for the ceremony. My favorite part about the ceremony was as everyone walked down the aisle it was cloudy. When Kiley walked down, however, the skies parted as these amazing rays of sunshine were shining down on her! The sky literally parted as she began to walk down – it was incredible.
After the ceremony we did some family portraits. They went so smoothly (which is always a huge plus). Smoke from campfires near by came over and down the hills for a hazy sky.
The couple continued their night with speeches and dinner. I’ll be honest. I truly think speeches can make or break a wedding dinner, and these couple’s speeches did not disappoint! Kiley and Danny were laughing, and I mean deep, belly laughing the whole time as well as the crowd! It was so fun and nice to know how much of an impact Kiley and Danny have made on their lives.
As the couple prepared for dancing, Danny’s siblings gave him a little surprise. As his siblings got up onto the stage with their instruments, they said to him, “Little does Danny know we are getting the band back together today.” They proceeded with a song dedicated to them. It was so sweet and special.
We were able to sneak in a few sunset portraits before I wrapped up the evening at the reception. The whole night truly felt magical. I am so honored I could be a part of it!
