This past weekend James and I had a whirlwind of a trip to northern Wisconsin to photograph the wedding of our dear friends Lana and Jon! On Friday we flew to Minneapolis, rented a car, drove 2.5 hours into Wisconsin, and then finally took a ferry* across a lake to our final destination – a little island resort made up of a whole bunch of guest houses & cabins. (*Note – it wasn’t really so much a ‘ferry’ as it was a pontoon boat that I was initially worried might not get us all across the lake… haha!)
It was quaint, adorable, rustic, and peaceful… and at times could possibly be mistaken for a horror movie set. haha! (Seriously, some areas freaked me out a bit… old sheds full of stuff where it appeared someone could be hiding out waiting to snatch you… a rickety old boat house on the water… no phones in the rooms… no locks on the doors to your rooms/guest houses.)
But no worries – the horror movie worries were all for nothing… we had an AMAZING weekend taking in nature, and enjoying great times with old friends.
It was just what I needed, which I realized immediately upon arriving. I’m pretty sure within an hour I told James that we absolutely HAD to come back again another time for a longer period of time than just a couple days. It calmed my soul and made me SO excited to get out and take pictures just for me. I shot whatever my heart desired in the days surrounding the wedding day and it was magical.
Not to mention the wedding itself was just perfect. It was made up of a wonderfully intimate group of 27 people (which included us, the couple, & the priest), and the day’s events were so low-key and laid back – just like a lake wedding should be!
Lana and Jon encouraged people to change into comfortable clothes if they would like to for the reception (which most people did). People played bocce ball, danced to their heart’s content, and made s’mores around a bonfire at the end of the night. In short – it was the perfect weekend and reminded me once again why we love photographing weddings so much.
It wasn’t until the ride back to Minneapolis that I realized something though… We had reached a milestone of sorts. I realized that this wedding marked the 50th wedding I’ve ever photographed! I honestly can’t believe it has already been 50, and at the same time feel like it must be more than that by now, because I forget what life was like before I was shooting weddings! It is crazy to think I’ve been a part of such a huge moment in 50 couple’s lives. What an honor!
But rather than naming this a milestone… I would rather call it a stepping stone… because I plan to continue to shoot many, many more weddings in the years to come!
That being said, I don’t want to discredit this moment either… I’m honored we’ve made it this far and that 50 couples have trusted us with documenting this milestone in their lives! It really is so humbling to think about.
And if I do say so myself, I think this weekend’s wedding was the perfect way to ring in the big 5-0. Here’s to many more amazing couples and weddings to come!
