Cherie + Kyle's Summer Backyard Elopement in Suamico, Wisconsin

Two of the sweetest, kindest, most generous people that I have ever met, Cherie and Kyle are absolutely a perfect match. They are a wonderful blend of adoring one another, being affectionate, and giving each other a hard time. Cherie and Kyle are great partners and supporters, and I was truly honored to be a part of their wedding journey.

After proposing in front of Chives Restaurant last year (a short walk from where the studio is!) their dating anniversary turned into an engagement celebration. Cherie and Kyle dove right into wedding planning. They planned a fall engagement session, where we pampered Cherie in the studio beforehand with hair and makeup. Amongst a colorful array of fall leaves, we took pictures in their wooded backyard with their fur babies.

Their wedding day was fast approaching when Cherie and Kyle had to make the difficult decision to restructure their wedding because of COVID-19. The original plan was to have their whole wedding take place on May 16th; instead, Cherie and Kyle chose to split their celebration over a few months. Because they had devoted so much time, energy, and thought to May 16th, they decided to have an intimate wedding ceremony with just their immediate family present on their original wedding date and then a full celebration with family and friends just five months later.

Despite this shift in plans, it was an absolutely perfect day in May—the weather was truly gorgeous, sunny, and bright. Cherie and Kyle set up an intimate ceremony at their home, incorporating their beautiful wooded yard just north of Green Bay. Ginger Birch did an absolutely stunning job with Cherie’s bouquet, the boutonnieres, and the florals on the ceremony arch. And of course they had their dogs running around happily, and their cats purring in sun-filled spots of the house—which was a truly perfect way to incorporate their fur babies.

Cherie was a little nervous before the ceremony. I could tell she was processing some bittersweet feelings; she was excited to be marrying Kyle, it just wasn’t exactly what she had originally imagined. Nevertheless, she kicked Kyle out of the house so she could get ready without him seeing her ahead of time. Her hair and makeup was absolutely perfect, and her beautiful, simple lace dress with cap sleeves was gorgeous on her! She decided to keep her original wedding dress for the celebration in October, and actually wear a different gown for her ceremony with immediate family members.

They had the arch set up with flowers in the backyard all set by the time Cherie was ready. The small creek flowed through behind the arch, and the spring daffodils were blossoming all over their backyard. As Cherie walked down the aisle, Kyle was grinning as wide as could be. Cherie’s brother officiated their gorgeous ceremony as Cherie and Kyle laughed and smiled the whole way through, and finished with a triumphant first kiss as husband and wife!

We cuddled together for some family photos and couples portraits around their lovely property and cheered when they cut the scrumptious cake made by Cherie’s sister-in-law. Enjoying champagne out on the deck before moving inside, the family celebrated while eating Cherie’s mother-in-law’s lasagna for their wedding night meal. Continuing with the festivities, Cherie’s parents passed around slices of rhubarb crisp they had baked using her dad’s rhubarb, while everyone laughed and talked.

Their wedding may not have turned out the way that Cherie and Kyle had wanted it to, but they both knew that the thing that mattered the most, was that they were married at the end of the day. Their commitment to their wedding day proves that nothing can stop their love. These are truly unprecedented times that we are in, but it was an honor and a blessing to be a part of this beautifully intimate day. We cannot wait for part two of their big party in October!

Much love and appreciation,

Kate