You might be confused at the title of this blog post – a vineyard in Wisconsin? Yep, in the past decade, grapes have been engineered to thrive in our short upper-midwest growing season, which means vineyards are popping up all over Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Cottage Winery and Vineyard in Menomonie, Wisconsin just opened and happens to be co-owned by on of Marie’s very best friends. Corey and Marie got engaged there, and their wedding was the first of many to come at this beautiful venue.
Cory and Marie met in high school, but didn’t fall in love until they happen to run into each other in their hometown of Hudson, Wisconsin years later. By that time, Marie was working for a big ad agency in NYC, so they dated long distance until Corey could join her in the Big Apple. They are such lovely people, and are so in love with each other.
Something that Corey and Marie told me in one of our meetings will stay with me until the end of my wedding photography career. When asked what they were looking forward to most on their wedding day, they answered, “Seeing all of our family and friends. This is the one time in our lives when all the people we love will be together in one place.” My heart jumped – YES – this is why I focus not just on the bride and groom and bridal party when documenting a wedding, but also work very hard all day to capture relationships, moments and emotion of the day. That simple phrase “This is the one time in our lives when all the people we love will be together in one place” has become a guiding value for me for my future work.
The forecast for their wedding day was for rain. The radar was lit up in green and it was pushing in our direction! We had heard reports that just a half hour east, it was pouring. We worked fast to get group photos finished, because we thought that at any minute the sky would open up. And wouldn’t you know? It never did. Just at the end of cocktail hour, it started to sprinkle, so everyone just went into the dinner tent. Whew!
Corey’s dad was also his best man. I love that!
Marie’s dress was perfect for the setting. Soft and flowing…
Marie wore her mother’s veil, so it was fitting that mom should be the one to put it on.
The blessing of overcast light was being able to shoot anywhere we wanted and not worry about the sun angle. :)
We got to use this cute old car to do some of their photos. :)
The bride was tucked away in this little cottage until the ceremony started. The door was supposed to stay closed, but Corey’s sister accidentally let it open wide!
The top blue pin was our location. This was minutes before the ceremony!
My second shooter Tiff’s photo. :)
One of Marie’s closest friends sang the couple’s favorite song, “Feels Like Home.”
There weren’t a lot of dry eyes at that point.
See what I mean?
Their vows got mixed up and Corey started reading Marie’s. The laughter lasted a long time!
Then Corey got choked up and had to laugh it off! This is another of Tiff’s photos. She’s awesome!
For their sand ceremony, they used sand from Fire Island, New York, and Hudson Wisconsin.
Lots of sweet tears for the touching toasts as well.
Just as the sun was setting, the sky turned pinking orange. I went nuts! Ha ha!
“Call me, maybe?”
