Wedding :: The Reception

Our reception venue was the pavilion at Olin Park in Madison, WI. The pavilion is available for special event rental from the City of Madison. In order to secure it, we had to enter a lottery in the fall before. With the help of some family and friends who stood in line with us, we were able to secure it as our first choice! The pavilion is an old barn with beautiful wood floors and high ceilings. It was absolutely spectacular.

The main focus of the reception was the food, provided by Blue Plate Catering. They were absolutely fantastic and incorporated our requests for local and seasonal food without raising an eyebrow. They also worked very well within our tight budget.

During the reception, we had toasts from both of our dad’s. Pat also gave a toast. I have never laughed and cried so hard ever! Looking at our photos, it’s good to see the happiness on all of our guests’ faces as well.

We also hammered nails into a wooden box containing a bottle of our wedding wine. The purpose is to put aside a bottle to enjoy at our 10 year wedding anniversary! Of course I messed up the nailing and Pat had to fix it for me. This is pretty standard.

We also signed our marriage license and made this marriage legal!

It was so nice to share our first dance to Sweet Pea, by Amos Lee. It was a little quiet time with just Pat and I. I just smiled and smiled.

Because I spent so much time on the dessert table, I really wanted Pat and I to serve dessert to our guests instead of the hired servers. I was momentarily furious with Pat because instead of the typical dab of frosting, he attempted to shove a whole plate of cake in my face! Luckily I squirmed away – can you imagine my wedding makeup mixed with a plate of buttercream!?

I danced with my dad to My Girl, by the Temptations. 

Vendors:

Hair: Anna Lutzke, Be Inspired Salon
Make up: Erin Helley
Dress: Custom
Shoes: Kate Spade
Jewelry: Kate Spade
Flowers: Fontaine
Photography: Kinsey Mhire Photography
Food: Blue Plate Catering