Kerrigan + Sam | Wedding | Mystic Ponds Estate

Kerrigan and Sam’s gorgeous summer wedding at Mystic Ponds Estate in Junction City, WI.

Buckle up people, there’s gonna be some reading to do here. Allow me to set you up with a little background. Kerrigan happens to be my niece, the first of the generation in my little family to get married. She knew when she was really young, like elementary school age, what college she was going to and what she was going to do. Her life went exactly as she had planned so far. If I try the details on Sam’s background I’ll get them mixed up but he’s from the Stevens Point area now. He was finishing college when I first heard of him and was helping at Refuge church where he ended up working.

Both of these young people have put their commitment to God first and foremost in their life. They had both prayed for a partner who would be their equal in that commitment. Well, prayers are sometimes answered pretty quickly. Kerrigan and Sam met at that church, started dating a year after they first met, and pretty soon she started having a different look on her face when she talked about Sam.

As the Maid of Honor said in her speech “the girl got giddy!”

Fast forward not too far to February 2022 (they started dating spring/summer 2021) and Kerrigan called. “Aunt Rachel, I’m engaged”. Pretty sure I screamed a little. Then a few days later I got a text saying “Whatcha doin’ July 9th? Want to take some wedding pix?”!

So yes, engaged in February 2022. Married in July of 2022. She’s a teacher so they wanted a summer wedding and they didn’t want a long engagement. Less than 5 months, a venue they loved, great food, a great florist, stunning dress, and all the people they needed. Not such an assumable part when there were 5 bridesmaids who lived in 5 different states. You would think from the look of this wedding they had planned it for a year.

At rehearsal I got to see the lay of the land for this venue and really have a good plan. It’s a gorgeous place. If you’re wondering why I was at rehearsal, the little guy you’ll see is my little guy. The morning of, I went to the bridal cabin for details and to say hi to the bride. I always love that moment but it was a little special this time. A few quick details and I headed over to the guys cabin for the gun show. They all had their handguns to be photographed with. So very Wisconsin, right?

Back to the bride!

After getting Kerrigan in her dress which I can’t even explain how great that was, we had three first looks. The bridesmaids hadn’t seen her so that was fun. Then her dad got to see her for the first time and awww, the sweetness. Only daughter for this daddy. Then the big one, her groom got to see her in a very private first look. It was beautiful and his reaction was just perfection. The way he looked at her, it was like “there’s my future and isn’t she beautiful” printed across his face. They read their vows to each other there at the first look so those could be very private as well.

Photos, photos, photos! We got a bunch of them all done and then brought in the bridal party. It’s so nice to get those done before the ceremony and they are awesome! One little note, they chose to hold off on kissing at all that day until the ceremony so our “kissing” shots were even more fun with hiding them behind the bouquet and letting the bridal party freak out. It made the first kiss at the ceremony that much more special!

The real reason for the day…..

The Ceremony. When the pastor is getting choked up talking about the couple you know they have a strong connection there. The ceremony was intimate and beautiful, the couple had communion for just them and tied the ropes on their cross while the guitar played and the soloist sang like an angel. It was the perfect summer wedding setting. When they walked out they walked right past the barn and headed out to a quiet little path to keep the first moments as husband and wife very special and private. I waited down the path for the “okay, more pictures” cue.

Alright, I’ll warp it up. Sunset photos? Yes! King Cone ice cream truck for dessert? Yes!! A sparkler exit where they jumped right into their car and drove off together, holding hands the whole way home? Yes!!!

The DJ still played a few more songs as we packed up for the day, chatting about how tired we would all be the next day and how perfectly everything went. On a personal note, when the DJ announced the couple would be leaving and it was time to say to goodbye to them, the ring bearer cried that he didn’t want to leave the party. But when mom got him in pajamas and gave him Lamby everything was okay. Mr. and Mrs. Schneider I’m sure don’t give a hoot about what was going on after they left and that is just perfect!

Congratulations Sam and Kerrigan! Also – huge shout out to these vendors who helped get this summer wedding done right!

Venue – Mystic Ponds Estate – mysticpondsestate.com

Bridal Gown – Designer: Oleg Cassini | Shoppe: David’s Bridal

Caterer – Village Hearth – villagehearthcatering.com

Ice Cream Truck – King Cone – kingconehomemadeicecream.com

Florist – Blooming Envy – bloomingenvy.com

Invites and Programs – Chain O’ Lakes Litho – chainolakeslitho.com

Videographer – Strobel Entertainment – strobelentertainment.com

You might be wondering if she looked as incredible in her engagement photos as she did on her wedding day. Check out that post here! Kerrigan and Sam | Winter Engagement.

Time to let Dad see her….

And now for Sam to finally get to see her!!!

Let’s get this thing going!

The rest of the night was food and fun!

You gotta love a bride doing the Macarena with ice cream in hand!