After living abroad and traveling the world together, this adventure-loving duo decided to tie the knot much closer to home. Cherry Blossom Events turned their dreams of a “warm, organic, and elegant” wedding into a reality – and the results truly couldn’t have been more beautiful! Our favorite part? Briar Loft’s stunning “perfectly imperfect” floral arrangements, featuring the most swoon-worthy toffee roses we’ve ever laid eyes on. Read on for more from the bride and don’t forget to head on over to the full gallery of images to see all the details – taken by Clary Pfeiffer Photography!
From the Bride… Brent and I met at college in New York City. After dating for a few years, we moved to Australia together for work. We lived in Manly Beach, a small suburb of Sydney, for five years before we both decided it was time to return home to the U. S. On our way home, we spent a year traveling around the world. It was at the very start of our trip, in Tuscany, Italy, that Brent proposed. The Tuscan countryside and the restaurant where we celebrated our engagement, La Bottega di Volpaia, provided a lot of inspiration for our wedding.
We always knew we wanted to be married in Madison, Wisconsin because it is a special place for both of us, and we hoped our friends and family traveling from all over the world (Australia, New York, London, California, and Canada) would enjoy seeing where Brent grew up. When we first saw the serene lakefront view at Bishops Bay Country Club, we instantly knew that this was where we were meant to be married — by the water, underneath the tall trees, surrounded by our loved ones. Since we were planning our wedding from a distance while we were traveling to New Zealand, Argentina, Spain, and Thailand (to name a few), we sought the help of local event planner to help bring our vision to life. We were so fortunate to partner with Andrea Vandeberg from Cherry Blossom Events. From Day One, we clicked with her. She truly understood us as a couple and our vision for a “warm, organic, and elegant”, outdoor wedding. She introduced us to all of our incredible vendors and went above and beyond every step of the way. She is so talented and creative, not to mention, just an all-around wonderful person. We can’t recommend Andrea and her team enough!
Custom veil – Since I had a long, dramatic train on my Sareh Nouri gown, I was looking for a cathedral length veil to compliment it. Staying with the “elegant but organic” feel, my mom helped coordinate a custom design by Liancarlo, with the intention for it to become a family heirloom. It’s a very special and delicate piece. I loved the way the sunlight hit it during our ceremony by the water.
Toffee roses – Working with our florist, Ariyl at Briar Loft, was amazing. She is a true artist whose work and attention to detail speaks for itself. It was fate when she brought a toffee rose to our meeting that she just happened to have picked up that day. Its golden hue showcased the warmth we hoped to display throughout the day. With Airyl and Andrea’s advice, we opted for a neutral color palette to let the toffee roses shine, and for our floral arrangements to be “perfectly imperfect” — nothing over-styled or too symmetrical. My heart jumped when Airly walked in with my bridal bouquet. It was more beautiful than I ever could have imagined. Ice cream cart – Our favorite local ice cream, Sassy Cow Creamery, has the cutest cow-themed ice cream flavors to perfectly complement our Wisconsin wedding. We thought serving ice cream during cocktail hour would be a fun surprise for our guests, especially our nephews and nieces! We chose “his and hers” ice cream flavors which were “Cow Tracks” and “Vanilla.”
First look – The State Capitol is the middle of the city and is central to Madison downtown culture. When Brent and I love going to the Saturday morning farmer’s markets and Concert on the Square on Wednesday evenings during the summer. The exterior of the capitol building is grand with intricate details made of white granite. It was the perfect spot for us to meet for our first look and wedding party photos. Father of the bride song – My dad grew up on a farm in Canada playing ice hockey and singing in his family band. He asked me and Brent if he could sing a song at the reception, but we had no idea he had written a song called, “Daddy’s Heart.” (LINK below) It was such a sweet surprise. There was not a dry eye in the room after he sang and our guests still talk about it to this day. Harvest moon – It was purely a coincidence that we danced to “Dancing in the Moonlight” for our first dance on the night of a harvest moon. As the night went on, our guests enjoyed the outdoor seating to watch the orange light from the harvest moon blanket the lake. It was absolutely magical! Of course, we couldn’t remember all of these special moments and details without the gorgeous work of our photographer, Clary Pfeiffer, and her husband Travis. I came across Clary’s instagram one day and every single photo on her page made me smile. It’s obvious how much love she puts into capturing every couple’s special day. We knew we wanted a Fine Art photographer and she exceeded our expectations. Clary and Travis were a dream to work with and we can’t thank them enough!
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Photographer: Clary Pfeiffer Photography | Videographer: Character D Films | Event Planning and Design: Cherry Blossom Events | Wedding Planner: Cherry Blossom Events | Florist: Briar Loft | Wedding Dress: Sareh Nouri | Cake: Carl's Cakes | Ceremony Venue: Bishops Bay Country Club | Reception Venue: Bishops Bay Country Club | Hair and Makeup: Arch Apothecary | Band: Upbeat Orchestra | linens and décor pieces: Event Essentials | Bar: Candle Holders | Cocktail Hour Treat: Sassy Cow Creamery | Paper Goods: Mint & Lovely Studios | Rentals and Lighting: Chance Productions