Oh man! Okay so I know I’m not in Wisconsin this winter so I can’t really talk, but boy does this wedding give me all the summer vibes. It makes me SO excited for summertime in Wisconsin, lakeside. What is better!? Becca & Seth got ready at nearby cabins in a remote area in the countryside, meadows mixed with pines. That combined with their gorgeous lodge venue on the lake provided us some seriously beautiful backdrops to work with. I know location isn’t everything when it comes to pictures, but having a little variety can make such a difference! It was so impossible to narrow down these bride and groom photos, these two are just so stunning. Becca – beautiful, sweet, laid back and Seth – super down to earth and relatable (my heart was actually melting before the first look even began because you could just FEEL the excited jitters, and how it was such an anticipated moment for the both of them). — Quick backstory – Seth had moved out to Tennessee for work, and their wedding was what reunited them together after so many days apart. It was so beautiful seeing them really enjoy every bit of this special day together at last! And becoming husband and wife after literally growing up together in their small towns.

My favorite part of this day, what stood out the most, had to have been their first look. Once they saw eachother it all fell into place. I quickly watched their nerves vanish, taking in a big smile and sigh of relief, and it was so real and genuine and made me appreciate a first look all the more. Becca mentions it in her Q/A below, and as a past nervous bride myself I cannot stress this enough–> If you’re nervous when thinking about your own wedding day, I do suggest a first look prior to the ceremony. It’s really the best! You actually get to spend majority of your wedding day together, without having to anxiously hide until the ceremony start time – which often times isn’t even until 4pm! You only get one day, and these two chose to spend it together. And when you spend more moments together, not only does it make the day feel longer and amazing and all the above, but it creates a little problem for me called SO MANY BRIDE AND GROOM PHOTOS TO CHOOSE FROM. Not a bad problem for you or I to have 😉

Enjoy their beautiful wedding day & make sure to read Becca’s full advice at the end!

ADVICE FROM BRIDE BECCA:

What was your FAVORITE memory of your wedding day?

I loved when we went to go take the sunset photos. It was after all the craziness and everything had settled down and we became more relaxed. We were out of the group setting and we could just laugh and have fun with it.

How far in advance did you book vendors? Which 3 did you book first?

I booked most vendors over a year out. I wanted to make sure we got who we wanted without having to worry about them being booked already. I believe I booked photographer, venue & videographer first.

Any tips on dress shopping / saying yes to THE dress?

Don’t feel bad if you’re not feeling the dresses you’re trying on and don’t cave in to others opinions. I put on a dress that had my mom in tears but it just wasn’t the one for me.

What was the hardest part to plan?

We booked cabins for our wedding party to stay in but nobody could make up their mind on who was going to stay in them. It was honestly the most stressful part of the entire wedding. I wish we would have just gotten a hotel block for people to make their own reservation.

What detail (or vendor) did you NOT include but wish you had?

We invited half the guest list to the ceremony and reception and the other half to only the reception because of the number of ceremony chairs we had. There ended up being empty seats and people sat on the deck or stood anyway so I wish we would have just invited everyone to both the ceremony and reception so they didn’t feel less important.

What detail/expense could you have done without?

The photo-booth. There ended up being a miscommunication between my venue and the photo booth and there wasn’t room for his setup. He had to come before the DJ for like an hour which was pointless. Most of our guests didn’t even know there was a photo booth.

Overall, what is the best advice you can give to planning brides?

Don’t get so nervous about it. I was like the most nervous bride before my wedding day! I would google stories about how other nervous brides handled the day because I was almost positive I would pass out or something. I ended up being super relaxed all day, even more relaxed than my groom. I think the first look helped with that.