I've been trying to figure out how to start this post for a few days now, and I keep coming back to the same thing: I don't think I've ever photographed a couple who put this much of themselves into a wedding day. Not close.
Ashley and Korey got married at Denizen MKE in June, and if you're not familiar with the venue, it's quickly become one of my favorites in Milwaukee. It's small in a good way — the kind of space where nobody feels like just another face in the crowd. They said their vows outside on the patio, and the weather did that thing where it's warm but not sticky, sunny but not blinding, with those big fluffy clouds overhead the whole day. You know the ones — I kept thinking they looked like they'd been pulled straight out of Toy Story.
After the ceremony, everyone headed inside for the reception, and this is where things got really good. Sage green tablecloths, blue striped napkins, blue taper candles in gold holders, little bud vases with wildflower-ish blooms, white lace runners underneath it all. Summer garden, through and through. It felt romantic without feeling fussy, which is a hard balance to strike and they nailed it.
Here's the part I really want to talk about, though. Ashley styled every single table herself. Korey's suit was custom made, and on the inside of the jacket was a map of Milwaukee — their city, stitched in, worn on the day that mattered most. Instead of a seating chart on an easel, they built a wooden trellis by hand. An actual trellis. That's not a weekend project, that's a "we spent real time on this together" project, and it stood right at the entrance to the reception before a single guest even sat down.
For the younger guests, they made custom coloring books that told Ashley and Korey's own love story. The guest favor was a screen-printed Milwaukee tote bag, printed by the two of them in their basement. Their napkins had their dog on them. And at the start of the reception, they played a video — one they'd been quietly filming that documented the whole planning process, right up to that night - and everyone was in awe.
Honestly, my job that day was easier than usual, in a way. Most of the time as a photographer, part of the work is finding the meaning in a day and pulling it forward. With Ashley and Korey, the meaning was already everywhere. I just had to be paying attention. I caught them giggling together while watching the video. I caught Korey showing his jacket off to guests. And best of all, I caught their guests being absolutely ecstatic to watch these two tie the knot.
I think about this wedding a lot, honestly. Not because everything was Pinterest-perfect — although it was — but because none of it was for show. Ashley and Korey didn't decorate a room and call it a day. They built something that actually looked like them, down to the napkins.
If you're getting married at Denizen MKE, or you're dreaming up something in this same summer-garden lane anywhere in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or Chicago, I'd love to talk. This is exactly the kind of day I want to keep photographing.
