Ashley and Tate are head-over-heels in love, their laughter endless, and their classic winter wedding in the Northwoods of Wisconsin is overflowing with love and joy! The couple both wanted a traditional wedding, with a sophisticated style and simple color palette. They chose Wausau’s Rothschild Pavilion to play host, and selected a color palette of black, white, and gold, with a mix of winter blooms for bouquets and fresh greenery for the reception, featuring a dramatic king’s table and swaths of white draping from the pavilion’s ceiling. Ashley donned her grandmother’s vintage gown for their ceremony and changed into a custom silk gown by Monirose Bespoke Bridal for the reception. Classic black tuxedos and black bridesmaids’ dresses of the maids’ choosing completed the elegant winter look. Wisconsin winter is magical, and we adore the images by Natashia Nicole Photography!
How did you meet?
From Tate: We met in college at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. There were a few times throughout our college careers where our paths crossed with friends and classes, but we never got to know eachother until our final semester in college. With both of us too nervous to make the first move, eventually we were paired up into a group project were we were forced to get to know one another. Much of our time together was spent in the library. Ashley was an excellent student, and I was a frequent visitor because I had broken my computer. It seemed that fate was bringing us together! Eventually Ashley invited me to her birthday party which sparked the beginning of a beautiful journey.
What is your proposal story?
Tate proposed at Rib Mountain State Park in Wausau, Wisconsin on October 10, 2015. The proposal was a complete surprise! Tate asked me that morning if I’d like to hike up Rib Mountain to check out the fall leaves and have lunch. Tate is usually pretty busy fishing for muskies or sitting in the woods during the fall season, so I was excited that he choose to spend his Saturday afternoon with me. During our picnic, Tate handed me a gift which he said was an early birthday present. (My birthday is in November so I was a bit thrown by gesture.) Inside was a bracelet with a pendant that said “engaged”. (I’m sure there was a serious look of confusion on my face at this point.) When I turned to Tate, he had opened a box with a beautiful solitaire engagement ring. I was blown away that Tate pulled this off and I hadn’t a clue! He hid the ring in the garage for months without me knowing. It was the best surprise and so, so sweet. My favorite moment of that day was right after we became engaged, having that time together (alone), knowing your lives are forever changed!
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
Weddings can get super expensive real quick! When we set our budget, we also identified our “wedding planning priorities”. We chose to spend money on the elements that mattered most to us. Tate and I both love live music so we decided our one big splurge would be to hire a band! They were so much fun! We skipped sending “Save The Dates”.
What were your favorite parts of the day?
My favorite part of the day was our ceremony at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Weston, Wisconsin. We asked our parents and grandparents to provide us with either a scripture reading or music from their weddings or just a favorite reading/song for us to incorporate into our service. I am so, so glad we did this. It definitely made our ceremony much more personable, meaningful and special for our guests (primarily family members). It was the most moving, fulfilling and powerful experience in my life. There is nothing like it!
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
The best advice I can offer to couples planning their special day is to remember the real reason for getting married. The wedding planning process can be so stressful! Tate and I would take “timeouts” from wedding planning and have a date nights where we wouldn’t discuss the big event. It was important for us to continue working on our relationship and not let the wedding dominate our conversations for the two years we were engaged.
- Photography
- Natashia Nicole Photography
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- Reception Venue
- Rothschild Pavilion
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- Event Planning
- Et Voila Events
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- Floral
- Inspired by Nature
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- Jewelry
- Bling it Around Again
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- Videography
- RM STUDIOS
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- Band
- Southbound
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- Wedding Dress
- Monirose Bespoke Bridal
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- Groom’s Attire
- The Black Tux
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- Matchology
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