Sam + Chris's Elegant and Classic Winter Wedding at Olde 41
Sam and Chris had an elegant, classic, beautiful winter wedding, and we were just so happy, thrilled, and excited to work with them. We were able to photograph their engagement session, which you can check out here. We just fell in love with them when we first met at their consultation. They're just such a wonderful couple with a really, really deep and true love. They're the type of people that you can tell are just meant to be together. Having the chance to get to know them and build a friendship during their engagement session was fun for us, and supported us when photographing their wedding day.
The wedding day was finally here, and we were super excited to see them and celebrate with them! The bridesmaids wore different black gowns and went for a very elegant classic look, which every dress was perfect for each Bridesmaid. Sam's dress was beautiful and elegant. The dress had a deep V in the front and a subtle shimmer to it which reminded us of the sun shining on freshly fallen snow. It was perfect for the winter wedding theme they were going for.
The gents were in tuxes, and everyone looked incredibly sharp. Chris had a super dapper velvet jacket and bow tie for his wedding attire. Just incredibly classy. While getting ready the gents were laughing and sharing stories to ease the jitters.
Family is super important to Sam and Chris and because of that their parents were really involved in their overall planning and the getting ready process. Sam shared a really sweet first look with her dad. Having had a health scare in just the past few years, just made their first look all the sweeter, and so special that he could be there to celebrate the wedding to walk his favorite daughter down the aisle.
Chris also shared a first look with his mom at the church just before the ceremony. It was a happy moment filled with tears and hugs between the two. Chris also took a moment of peace to read the letter that Sam had written for him before his groomsmen came into the room to pump Chris up!
Sam had not seen her wedding band before the wedding because they sent it off to be soldered together with her grandma’s wedding ring, which Chris designed. This ring was really really special because Sam's grandma was “her person” and she had passed away before Sam and Chris got married. It was really touching to be able to have her included on their big day in some way. Finally, it was time to get married! They were married at St. Mary of The Angels Catholic Church, which, Sam's family has a lot of history with that church. This church has had a generational impact on their family, having multiple relatives and family members who have gotten married there or had their confirmation, or funeral services hosted in the past. So when it came time to decide where to be married, it was really a no-brainer for them.
Every winter wedding couple dreams of having fresh snow on the ground to create that ‘Winter Wonderland’ feeling, and we were blessed a few days before the big day with a fresh blanket of white fluffy powder. And with that, we went to adventure out for the wedding party and newlywed couples photos in downtown Green Bay! It was extremely chilly but the wedding party prepared the best that they could with changes of shoes, hand warmers, and shawls for the ladies. Even though it was cold weather, that didn’t stop us from creating really beautiful images! As long as our couples have a willingness, spirit, and trust that we are there to keep you safe, we aim to capture magical winter wonderland images, plus keep you as warm as possible. You are really going to love having your photos outside whenever possible. Even if it is the middle of winter.
Sam and Chris really have incredible people that they've surrounded themselves with and that was very evident when taking their outdoor photos with their wedding party. They were just so upbeat, go-with-the-flow people who were willing to do whatever Sam and Chris wanted to really make their day special including freezing their buns off outside in the cold for some really fun photos!
We also got to work with some of our industry favorites like Josh Thompson Media, and Josh from Nature’s Best Floral & Boutique. Josh Thompson Media was the videographer for Sam and Chris’s wedding and we really really enjoy working with them because we feel that we have a lot of open communication and we really support one another to make sure that we all get the shots that we need without being intrusive of each other's craft or space. They’re also good humans, too. It’s fun when you align with another business owner in the industry because we are really all working together to create something magical for the couple. We also wanted to give a shoutout to Josh from Nature's Best, because he just crushed the florals! Sam and Chris’s venue was at Olde 41, and we had the pleasure to work with Marni, who is just a really great coordinator that puts the couple first, and goes above and beyond to make sure that her couples feel like they're having a really incredible wedding day. We also like Olde 41 as one of the best venues for a winter wedding because the rustic feel really makes it feel cozy like a winter cabin. It has just enough space for all of your closest friends and family so you can indulge and have a great time. Chefusion is the catering company that Olde 41 works with for all their weddings, and they also did a fantastic job with hor devours, service, and plated meals.
The venue was super classy. Sam and her mom did all of the planning and visioning, creating an absolutely exquisite vibe for the wedding with the black tablecloths, white accents, and green and white floral centerpieces. It was simple but elegant, with gentle candlelight. Sam and Chris opted for a sweetheart table to dine at so that they could have some time for just the two of them. Sam and Chris shared their first dance right after their grand introduction, which was a lovely way to kick off the dinner festivities. Before dinner was served, Sam’s brothers gave a really fun speech and a touching prayer. Throughout dinner instead of doing the glass clinking, the couple opted to do ‘couples trivia.’ It was a table-by-table effort. If a table got the answer right, the couple kissed, if they did not everyone at the table had to kiss someone else at their table. This was super fun and made the evening more interactive. Plus it gave the couple a chance to eat their meals in peace without being interrupted every 30 seconds. After dinner before the party started, the maid of honor, best man, and Sam’s Dad gave some of the most fun, unique, and memorable speeches that we've seen, which included an infamous goldfish being returned back to the bride. To top everything off, at the end of the Maid of Honor’s speech, all the bridesmaids dressed up as nuns and serenaded everyone with a number from the movie The Sister Act. Everyone, especially Sam was laughing at the performance. Then Sam and Chris thanked all those that were involved, in the planning, and everyone that came to celebrate them. Something we thought was a super fun and unique thing that Sam and Chris did was picking their honeymoon. They weren’t sure where they wanted to go, so they put 22 different options of locations into a bucket, and then in the days leading up to their wedding, they would take one out blindly, eliminating that option. So then on their wedding night, in front of everyone with just two choices left, they took the last slip out of the bucket without looking at it, and the remaining one would be where they were going on their honeymoon. The one that was left, and the destination of their honeymoon was Iceland! There was so much anticipation in the room as they were drawing and when they revealed where they were going all of their families and friends cheered so hard and enthusiastically that you would have thought that the Packers just scored a touchdown, they were that excited!
It was finally time for dessert. Sara's Artisan Gelato was the sweet treat for the night. Sara is actually the bride's sister-in-law. So it was only natural to keep that part of the celebration in the family. Plus Sarah does make the best gelato in Green Bay. People happily ate the gelato, while tables were cleared to make room for the dance floor. Sam and her dad shared a really sweet father-daughter dance, followed by Chris and his mom sharing a mother, son dance. With that, the party officially started, everyone broke out their party shoes and filled the dance floor, and got ready to party the night away, with Chris leading everyone to the dance floor.
We were just so thrilled to be a part of Sam and Chris's special day. They were an absolute dream couple and we're just so appreciative of them. They are the type of people that we absolutely adore working with and building long-term relationships with. We want to wish them a lifetime of love, friendship, adventure, and happiness and we cannot wait to continue our friendship.
Much love and appreciation,
Kate and Kimmy
Shoutout to all the vendors that made this day possible:
Dress: Ivory Rose Bridal Boutique | Catering: Chefusion | Desserts: Sara's Artisan Gelato | Entertainment/DJ: Extreme Entertainment | Tux: The Black Tux | Hair & Makeup: DMArtistry | Jewelers: D&M Jewelers | Paper Designer: l.designs | Rentals/Decor: Ruby Design | Venues: Olde 41 | Videographer: Josh Thompson Media | Florals: Nature’s Best Floral & Boutique