A sunny fall wedding at the Gathering Place in Milton, WI
The Gathering Place was a perfect setting for April and Dan’s September wedding in Milton, WI.
“I tried to pinpoint the exact moment I realized I loved you…. but I couldn’t think of one because I realized I don’t remember a time that I didn’t love you.”
Those words from April’s vows depict the kind of love their wedding day was centered on. When I got to Milton Saturday morning the sun was shining, the air was finally cool enough for jackets and The Gathering Place was still quiet and calm. Cassy and I walked into the library to see the dresses all hanging and 😍! April’s dress is different than any I’ve shot this year. It was classic and simple, no embellishments at all but the row of buttons down the back. I was just finishing putting it in place for photos when April arrived and I got to see the veil.
It’s a pretty special one…
April’s veil was bordered in lace from Mom’s wedding dress, who she lost a number of years ago. It’s a hard thing for a girl to not have her mom there in person on important days like this. The veil was the perfect length to wrap around her shoulders. All I could think when we were doing shots with the veil around her was it was like a sweet embrace that should have been mama’s arms. A mom wants her daughter to be ecstatic on her wedding day and through the little moments of wishing, April was the happiest bride there could be. Her laugh is infectious and we heard it a lot because Dan and most of her family and friends are goofy fun!
Then I got to meet Glen, April’s dad. A 15 second conversation and I was chuckling for the next hour. He reminds me a lot of my own dad with his happy attitude and silly joking around. His reaction when he saw April in her dress was perfection!
The ceremony, as you can imagine from the first part of this post, was sentimental and funny all at the same time. They had everyone in tears and then laughing. When the vows get applause from the guests you know they’re good!
And how about this wedding party. They were the perfect combination of fun and focused. We got ALL the shots April wanted, I wanted, and a couple fun ones they wanted. AND ahead of schedule. Plenty of time for some portraits with just the April and Dan. They are so fun to be with. I felt like I was shooting a good friends wedding from the start and that makes my heart happy!
That party though!!!
They packed a lot of people into a fairly little spot for dinner, but that dinner was worth it. Dickey’s Catering brought all the good stuff, including real mashed potatoes – with cheese! Gotta love Wisconsin! When we cleared out a few tables the DJ was ready to go. Most weddings it takes a few songs before people really get out on the dance floor. No, no. Not this one. It was packed from the start and April made sure of it. She was pulling people on the floor all night and it was awesome! I’m so happy I got to know April and Dan through this crazy job of mine. I hope they had an amazing evening and the party lasted long after I was gone!
Want to see their engagement session from last winter? April + Dan – Engaged
Venue: The Gathering Place – http://www.gatheringplacemilton.com
Catering: Dickey’s BBQ Pit – www.dickeys.com
DJ: Grizzly Entertainment – on Facebook @grizzlyentertainment
Rachel,
You and Cassy did amazing!! While watching you take these photos, I could tell how much you actually enjoy and love what you are doing and that makes these photos that much more special. Thank you so much for capturing these beautiful moments for them, for all of us to see. I can not wait to see the rest of them!
Thank you!!