Meg & Dan | A Wedding at Elkhart Lake from I Do Films

Dan and I got married on the most perfect summer day in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin – the same location where we had met six years earlier before my freshman year at Cornell.

I had always dreamed of having a tent wedding, so it was easy to settle on the beautifully-trimmed lawn at Victorian Village as the location for our reception. Using the warm, friendly, and vintage aesthetics of this family-run and family-fun resort as the foundation for our inspiration, my mom and I infused a little “Father of the Bride” and a few homemade touches to create a romantic and unforgettable Midwestern bash.

We started the day at my family’s home on Elkhart Lake, where Dan and I had a “first look,” but a very different kind. We were surrounded by my whole family while I came down the stairs and my brothers, dad, and Dan saw me for the first time. It was so special to have my whole family with us for such an important moment. The ceremony took place at Holy Name of Jesus in Sheboygan, where Dan had grown up and gone to church as a child. Our priest, who flew in from my family’s home parish in Los Angeles, stole the show with an incredibly touching homily that made reference to our “path” around Elkhart Lake. After the ceremony Dan and I took photos at a friend’s barn while our guests sipped homemade vodka lemonades and munched on Wisconsin cheese and meatballs.

Our 242 guests found their seating assignments on frames hung from vintage glass door knobs that Dan helped me power-drill onto a salvaged barn door found at my favorite antique shop, The Red Rooster in Plymouth. Dinner proceeded in a 60’ x 100’ century tent that glowed with warm rosy uplighting, ivory rice paper lanterns, and string lights. The tables were adorned with fresh roses, hydrangeas, and plenty of candles found at a local craft store by our florist Silvana Cassia of Twig Flowers. An oversize slate found at an antique shop and framed chalkboards found on HerMajestysPug’s shop on Etsy served as the menus for dinner and cocktails. To finish the look, we invested in a black-and-white checkered dance floor that exuded a snappy, jazzy feel.

A Beatles cover band called The Cavern Beat played four sets and kept the dance floor packed with guests of all ages. My mom always told me, “Meg, all you need for a great party are the two B’s: booze and a band.” She was so right!

Dessert included chocolate ganache cake from the bakery at the local Piggly Wiggly adorned with hydrangeas, an ice cream bar, and my mom’s molasses, snickerdoodle, and chocolate-chip cookies served on a three-tier cookie tower created with the help of a local carpenter.

We absolutely loved working with Anna and Jonathan Wheeler of Anna Page Photography, as well as Matt Buckman and Élan Villamor of I Do Films. Their ability to go with the flow, their attention to detail, and their cat-like reflexes certainly did not go unnoticed! Dan and I are so grateful to both of them for documenting our memories in such a beautiful and unique way!

Photography:  Anna Page Photography / Cinematography: I Do Films / Tent: Canopies Events / Band: The Cavern Beat / Event Coordination: Laura Cooper, Cooper Consulting / Floral Design: Twig Flowers / Ceremony Location: Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church / Caterer & Reception Location: Victorian Village Resort / Invitations: Bella Figura / Bride’s Dress: Amsale via Belle Vie Bridal Couture / Bridesmaid Dresses: Vera Wang / Bride’s Heels: Vince Camuto / Bride’s Flats: Aldo / Bride’s & Bridesmaid’s Earrings: Anthropologie / Bride’s Bracelet: J.Crew / Engagement Ring and Groom’s Ring: Steve Quick Jeweler / Floral Hair Clip: Sara Gabriel / Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse / Groom’s Bowtie and Groomsmen’s Ties: Brooks Brothers / Hair & Makeup: Aspira Spa, The Osthoff Resort / Guest Transportation: Discovery Coach / Wedding Party Transportation: Stargazer Limousine / DJ: Matt’s DJ Service/ String Quartet: Jubilate String Quartet, kayesara@hotmail.com (Sarah Oftedahl ) / Guest Photo Station: Beyond the Booth Photography / Candle Holders & Flower Bases: Hobby Lobby & Pier 1 Imports / Framed Blackboard Cocktail Signs: HerMajestysPug / Ice Cream Sign: The Back Porch Shoppe / Cake: Natalie’s Pastries, natalieblattner@hotmail.com / Ice Cream: Scoops Ice Cream Parlor

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aldo, Amsale, Anna Page Photography, Anthropologie, Aspira Spa, Bella Figura, Beyond the Booth Photography, Black Tie, Bowties, Brooks Brothers, Canopies Events, Chinese Lanterns, Cooper Consulting, Discover Coach, Elkhart Lake, Etsy, Father of the Bride, Father of the Bride Inspired, HerMajestysPug, Hobby Lobby, Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, I Do Films, Ice Cream, Invitations, J. Crew, Jubilate String Quartet, Matt's DJ Service, Men's Wearhouse, Natalie's Pastries, Neutral Color Palette, Outdoor Weddings, Pier 1 Imports, Piggly Wiggly, Rustic Chic, Sara Gabriel, Scoops Ice Cream Parlor, Sheboygen, Stargazer Limousine, Steve Quick Jeweler, Tented Reception, The Back Porch Shoppe, The Beatles, The Cavern Beat, The Osthoff Resort, Traditional Elegance, Twig Flowers, Vera Wang, Victorian Village Resort, Vince Camuto, Vintage, Wedding Cinematography, Wedding Stationery, White Color Palette, Wisconsin
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Cinematography

Is that not the most beautiful video you’ve ever seen? The dress, the veil, the everything. I must admit that I was actually brought to tears by this gorgeous film. Pairing the understated background music with the vintage charm of the 16mm and 8mm film, the end result just seemed so authentically beautiful. Lucky for us, Jones will be posting a series of clips from this incredible wedding on his blog for the next three weeks!

Here are some details of the event from Jones…

Thursday night, Trevor and Cece had a Crawfish at CeCe’s brother’s house. Family and friends gathered to reacquaint and eat crawfish, shrimp, sausage, corn, and new potatoes along with their favorite beverages. Local brew Abiza was generously served.

Trevor is Scottish, so along with his relatives and the bagpiper, he wore a kilt. To show the joining of two families, the Father of the Bride (Pierre Villere) wore shoes designed with the groom’s family crest on the toe.

Before entering into the reception, guests were treated to cocktail hour at the mother of the bride’s house (Mimi Bowen) before the Storyville Stompers led the 2nd line into the tent. (The 2nd line is a New Orleans tradition in which guests dance from the ceremony site to the reception site behind a jazz band)

Along with the amazing array of local fare, guests were given a little lagniappe by being treated to freshly rolled cigars from the Cigar Factory of New Orleans and freshly made taffy from local favorite The Roman Candy Man.

The Jimmy Church band played until 2 a.m.

***

And guess what…the amazingly talented Stephen Karlisch photographed the affair, and has been sweet enough to share these stunning images with us…

Thank you so much to our Little Black Book members Mason Jar Films and Stephen Karlisch for sharing this incredible wedding with us. Don’t forget to check out the clips that Jones will have on his blog for the next few weeks. And, stay tuned for more fabulous cinematography features!

Here are the sources for Cece and Trevor’s amazing New Orleans wedding…

Event Design: Van Wyck & Van Wyck, Wedding Planners: Crescent City Consultants, Pat
Denechaud, Ceremony: Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Bridesmaid’s Luncheon: Galatoire’s, Rehearsal Dinner: Arnaud’s, Wedding Gown: Vera Wang provided by Mimi’s
Boutique, Entertainment: Jimmy Church Band

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 27 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Arnaud's, Cigar Factory, Crescent City Consuultants, Galatoire's, Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Jimmy Church Band, Mason Jar Films, Mimi's Boutique, New Orleans, Photography & Videography, Stephen Karlisch, Storyville Stompers, The Roman Candy Man, Van Wyck & Van Wyck
Post categories: Wedding Cinematography