Outdoor Private Wedding in Madison, WI // John + Kelsey
John and Kelsey wanted a simple, yet beautiful wedding held in Madison, Wisconsin. When their original plans of an outdoor tent wedding venue had to fall through because of the pandemic restrictions, these two got creative. They found a piece of private property and invited their very close family and friends for a relaxed and fun celebration. With a natural, simple, casual but classy feel to the wedding day, their wedding was perfect. They shared their wedding vows in the same church her mother and father did, and they celebrated on top of a beautiful private hill with a towering oak tree and open fields. They danced well into the night and shared some of their favorite cocktails with the ones they cherish the most. It was a beautiful day for a celebration.
How did these two meet? Kelsey shared: “We met in high school. We aren't sure when we actually met, but think it was probably through swimming. We both were on the swim team in high school and worked at the local outdoor pool together for many summers.”
They shared a bit of their engagement story:
Kelsey's version - “I could tell he was trying to plan something in June. He really wanted to go for a walk in Pheasant branch that Friday night (which seemed suspicious), but I had made plans with a friend who was home from out of town. Saturday we went to Devils Lake. It was a beautiful day so of course it was super busy. We hiked around, got kinda lost and then hung out at the beach for a while. It crossed my mind that he might propose there, but we left and headed to a distillery in Baraboo. We sat on the back deck by the river and had an appetizer and drinks. Then we went to a winery outside of Baraboo and had a glass of wine on the patio. I wondering if he was trying to figure out a time to propose because he was kind of acting funny all day. He kept wanting to take a walk down this path at the winery. I was pretty sure it was a private road, so I shut that down. On our way back into town we stopped at a friends house who was hosting a party. We spent a few hours there, so by the time we got home I really had stopped thinking about it and figured it wasn't happening that day. I was getting ready for bed and John came up into the loft where our bedroom is and told me not to go to bed because he had a question to ask me. Several rambling minutes later he finally asked me to marry him. I was actually surprised at that point and it ended up being perfect and private at our first place together.”
John's version -"It was failed attempt, after failed attempt, after failed attempt, and then I said screw it. I'm just going to do it at home".
The Team: Ceremony: St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Reception: Private Location in Cross Plains, Dress: Marah's Elegant Bridal, Florist: Mary Kay Brekke, Entertainment: Chance Productions, Bakery: Greenbush Bakery, Bridesmaid Dresses: Birdy Grey, Groomsmen Attire: Calvin Klein & Men’s Warehouse, Invitation: Minted, and Rings: The Diamond Center.