Ben & Beth Ann – Brighton Acres Oshkosh WI Wedding

Barn Wedding at Brighton Acres…

I first met Ben and Beth Ann over some Pizza and a beer. They found be from a friend of theirs that I went to High School with. Also, we are mutual friends with Jenna Kutcher – who also photographed their engagement photos. Jenna was not available for there date, they saw my photos from my last Brighton Acres Wedding, then contacted me. With Jenna as a dear friend and their engagement photos done by her, I knew I had some big shoes to fill. Not going to lie, the day of I was really nervous! I even called Dean (the friend from High School – and Ben’s long lost twin) the grooms name. I felt so embarrassed! It was the first time I have EVER done that! But, thankfully we all had a good laugh about it! And, seriously, they are like Twins!

So how did these two meet? (in the words of the bride) A story where a something bigger than all of us brought these two love birds together!

We met at school at UW-Stevens Point through our mutual friend right before senior year. A bunch of our teammates were going to the beach, and she invited her boyfriend to join. Once her boyfriend realized he was vastly outnumbered – he called for reinforcements and his friend from high school (my now husband) came to the beach to save him. We met that day when Ben gave me a ride home…and the rest is history!

How did he propose? (in the words of the bride)

Last year for Spring Break, Ben and I went down to Siesta Key, FL to stay with my parents for a vacation. The second night of the trip, Ben took me to the famous Siesta Key Beach to watch the sunset. Naturally – I grabbed a bottle of wine and a blanket for us to sit on while watching the sunset.
Once the sun set, I turned to him and asked if we should head out. He replied with “No, lets take a walk up to that point.” I agreed and decided to snap a few beautiful sunset photos. Finally, we get up to the point, and I look at him…..and he says “Okay, we should head back now”.

At this point I didn’t think much of it, and I turned to leave. When he wasn’t by my side – I turned back around.
There he was – down on one knee. He asked…and I answered. (of course YES!)

What would a perfect Sunday look like for these two?

Waking up before sunrise, filling up the coffee thermos and taking Bravo for a long walk to the ponds. Watching the sunrise together as he runs in and out of the brush “hunting”. After that we’d have a big breakfast, get some chores done around the house, and spend the rest of the evening watching netflix with a glass of wine.

These two …. I seriously adore them!

What is their favorite memory from their wedding day?

The incredible dance-off’s our friends and family had! (this was pretty epic!)

Now lets talk some real talk – What was their biggest challenge in planning their wedding? And the best part!?

Greatest challenge – getting every detail in order, and trying to make everyone happy. Not too “girly”, not too pricey, not overly traditional, just keeping everything simple. It’s really easy to let things spiral.

I could have done without pinterest! I wish it didn’t exist! (it can be so over whelming at times I totally agree!)

Best part – Seeing it all come together the week before!

Personal touches are always some of my favorite reasons why I love my clients so much – and here is what these two did!

My folks make wine, so we had lots of wine elements involved. Wine barrels in the ceremony, cork-table numbers, and of course – all of the wine at the wedding my parents made! (and even though I didn’t get to have any of it- everyone RAVED about ti!)

When we arrived we were greeted by the kindest people. These two are surrounded by big hearts and amazing love. The speeches made me cry big happy tears as their loved ones talked about how proud they are of them. The friends and family in the wedding party were there FOR these two, not there because they were asked. These people would have done anything for them. All of these are so important the day of the wedding – and I am a firm believer that it is what makes your wedding day beautiful. Which will follow into your marriage. Having a great support system of friends, family and your partner – is the most important thing in a marriage. And these two have that for sure! I cannot wait to see the amazing memories these two will make in their many years together!