Cassandra & Cale’s Rustic DIY Wedding at Tryba’s Simply Country Barn

Cale and Cassandra met like a couple of true Wisconsinites: at a Packer party! They were on their way to a a weekend get-away in Door County for their four-year anniversary when Cale proposed. While hiking near Death’s Door Bluff, Cale coaxed Cassandra to a particularly scenic overlook. “He started talking about how I should take pictures,” Cassandra says. “I thought this was odd since he’s not a picture person, but I took advantage of the rare moment. When I turned around, he was down on one knee, holding a ring. Before he could get the full phrase out, I said ‘YES YES YES!’” The two carved their initials in a nearby tree to mark the spot.

Cassandra and Cale planned a rustic wedding at Tryba’s Simply Country Barn in Freedom, Wisconsin. In preparation for the big day, Cassandra attended the bridal show at Shopko Hall in Green Bay. She decided on coral, mint, and champagne as a color scheme, with lots of mason jars and DIY touches for decoration. On the eve of the wedding, family and friends gathered at 5th Quarter Sports Bar & Banquet Hall: “We had a pizza buffet — good food and reasonably priced!”
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Both the ceremony and reception were held Tryba’s Simply Country Barn. “We asked one of Cale’s closest friends to perform the ceremony,” Cassandra says. “He happily came up with his own ceremony script. We had two speakers read short poems that I felt really summed up love and marriage.” Instead of combining sand or having a unity candle, Cale and Cassandra combined wine. “Cale likes red and I like white, so we got a bottle of each and poured a little of both into a glass.” When the two drank their mixed wine as a symbol of unity, Cale came away with a sour look on his face — but Cassandra went eagerly back for a second sip. “The whole group burst out laughing. That was my favorite part of the ceremony.”

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Then it was time to party! “The reception was great. We had the dance floor filled at all times, people outside playing lawn games, or just hanging out — but the Grand March was the most crazy.” Cassandra’s family are big into bowling, so that was the theme of the Grand March. “The wedding party wore white t-shirts (for the bowling pins) and four people wore blue t-shirts (for the gutters). I got in a big yellow ball, and Cale rolled me down the ‘lane’ toward the pins — and of course we got a strike! It was a very non-traditional Grand March, and everyone talks about it to this day.”

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Dinner was like a big, buffet-style picnic, chockfull of pulled pork, burgers, cheesy potatoes, beans, coleslaw, and fruit. For dessert: cupcakes. As for décor, the linens, chairs, and other such must-haves were provided by Tryba’s Simply Country Barn. “Everything came with the venue, so it was very convenient. A lot of the items are included in the venue rate, or are available to rent from them. The employees — bartender, cleanup crew, and owners — at Tryba’s were all great to work with!”

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When it came to adding personal flair, Cassandra tackled a bunch of DIY projects. “We decorated mason jars, and Carrie from Tryba’s Simply Country Barn provided us with flowers to put in each one.” The jars and flowers were set on slabs of wood that Cassandra’s uncle hand-cut. There was a pallet with a hand-written schedule of the day, and Cassandra’s veil and flowers were handcrafted by her aunt. Looking back, Cassandra says she just loved seeing how much their guests were enjoying themselves. “It made me so happy to see everyone having a great time and in awe of how beautiful the venue and decorations were.”

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Vendors:
Bridal Shows attended~The Wedding Show at Shopko Hall
Invitations~Created the save the dates and invitations myself with my friend Sara’s help and had Badger State Printing print them out.
Rehearsal Dinner~5th Quarter Sports Bar & Banquet Hall 
Ceremony Location~Tryba’s Simply Country Barn
Reception Location~ Tryba’s Simply Country Barn
Caterer~Renard’s Catering
Cake Designer/Dessert~Frosted Delights – They were AMAZING!! We had a 2 tier cake and then cupcakes to feed the guests. The guests LOVED the cupcakes. We had 3 different flavors – Chocolate / Amaretto / Raspberry. I would recommend this vendor to anyone looking for a bakery for any occasion.
Flowers~Carrie’s Simply Country Floral
Music/Entertainment~ Advanced Entertainment – They were really good with the quality of music and kept everyone on the dance floor. There was not one moment that the dance floor wasn’t full. I had so many compliments about the music and DJ’s. They had one person DJ’ing and an MC. They were awesome!
Photographer~ Amenson Studio: I love who they are and how they cater to their clients. We told them right away that we are not comfortable in front of the camera, but they worked with us and got wonderful shots for our wedding and engagement pictures.  During the wedding, they fit right in and all the guests loved them. They were chatting with the guests and dancing with them, while still getting amazing shots. 100% recommend this photographer.
Bridal Salon~ David’s Bridal
Party Rental Company (linens, tents, chairs etc.)~ All came with the venue – Tryba’s Simply Country Barn – Very convenient and they have a lot of items that are offered within the rate or are available to rent from them.

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