Stephanie and Darwin

October 28, 2006

Ceremony: The Gardens, Nenno Wisconsin

Reception: Mayville Golf Club, Mayville Wisconsin

I get all sorts of weddings. Fancy ones, not so fancy ones, and pretty much everything in between. I’ve shot weddings at the Art Museum, the Hilton, the Union Grove Elks Club and outdoor BBQ’s in mom and pop’s back yard. What I love most about this is that my job is not static. Every wedding has it’s different feeling and if I had to pick three words to describe Stephanie and Darwin’s wedding it would be these three words:

Big. Damn. Fun.

It was, what I like to refer to as a “Big Fat Wisconsin Wedding”. Growing up in the area I think we all just figure weddings are the same everywhere. Ceremony. Cocktail hour. Polkas. Dancing and drinking beer until the wee hours. But no no no….if you travel to other areas of the country, that’s not at all the standard. I have a network of wedding photographer friends from around the country and I am always shocked by their wedding traditions. As they are by mine. They’ve never heard of the chicken dance, the reception ending at midnight and FREE BEER. One friend of mine saw some images of mine with the bouquet toss and didn’t understand why everyone was circling around the bride and groom…he’d never seen that in his area in the Pacific Northwest. I did a wedding down south and the bride and groom there do an “exit” at about 10PM and that’s it. Everyone goes home. I was stunned. I could not for even a minute understand why people were leaving when there was still FREE beer to be had.

So, if I had to pick the perfect “Big Fat Wisconsin Wedding” for 2006 it would be Stephanie and Darwin’s. Why? All of their best friends…all so blissfully happy for them. Friends from childhood, high school, family who loved them and beyond.

I grew up in a farm community very similar to Mayville, and maybe part of my love for this wedding was because of that. I loved seeing the important people in their lives just connecting to them and really being happy for them and their marriage. It was clear over and over that this was a union that made everyone happy.

And even though I left before the reception ended, I’d bet good cash money that Steph and Darwin did not leave early.

That’s just how we roll in Wisconsin.