Keara and Sean had the perfect Wisconsin winter wedding except for one thing – there was no snow! Since we first met in June of 2010 as they were planning their December 2011 wedding, they had one major theme in mind, a winter wedding wonderland. With the unseasonably warm and dry December Southeastern Wisconsin was having, their plans were in jeopardy; fortunately we found a way to cheat Mother Nature.
For me, their winter wedding planning actually started in February of 2011 when we took advantage of all of the snow to create a fun series of engagement photos. The fresh powdery snow of our engagement session was not to be for their wedding as there was barely a cloud in the sky and not even a dusting of snow on the ground.
Since their wedding took place in Lake Geneva, we knew we’d have a back up plan. The Grand Geneva, where they held their reception, has a ski hill. Thanks to a few days of cold weather the week before their wedding, the resort was able to make their own snow for Keara and Sean (as well as local skiers).
Despite the lack of snow outside, Keara created a beautiful winter theme inside with winter lights, bare branch centerpieces, LED lights and black and silver linens. The couple also added several personal touches such as Keara’s wedding gift to Sean. She had Sean’s grandpa’s cuff links re-plated for him to wear for the wedding. As a special favor for guests, the two created a personal blend of coco powder for everyone to take home and make their own hot chocolate. The evening was filled lots of love and stories about how the two met, fell in love and came upon that special day. It was an energetic crowd too with everyone dancing late into the evening creating many wonderful memories.
