Lauren & Steve's Lovely Wedding at The Paine Art Center & Gardens

Lauren from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Steve from Madison were set up by friends and family. “We couldn’t be more thankful to them!” At the time, Lauren was living in downtown Chicago and Steve was in Madison, so they would never have met without the help of their match-making loved ones. “It was fireworks from the start, since we literally met to watch the Fourth of July fireworks on Lake Monona. Everyone plotted to get us to attend. We spent the following three years traveling back and forth between cities on weekends.”

Steve popped the question while the two were on a romantic weekend get-away in Door County. “After checking into an adorable bed and breakfast, Steve suggested we go for a walk along the waterfront during sunset,” Lauren recalls. “At the end of the boardwalk, he turned on one of our favorite songs on his phone, and we slow danced under a lamppost before he got down on one knee. We were the only two people. It was wonderfully romantic.”

Lauren and Steve planned a beautiful wedding at The Paine Art Center & Gardens. “The Paine is a Tudor Revival-style country estate with elegant gardens. Naturally, we wanted to pull that into the overall look of our wedding and make sure what we did complemented the grounds. We landed on a cross between California wine country and English garden for our wedding.”

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Steve works in the beverage distribution industry, and so has visited the Napa Valley often for work. That’s where he and Lauren drew a lot of their inspiration. “I love the sun-drenched, rolling hills, warm creams and blushes, and romantic candlelight that embody the wine country feel,” Lauren says. They landed on a blush, cream, and white color palette, with gold accents and small pops of navy blue. Planning the look and feel of the wedding was one of Lauren’s favorite things: “There are so many beautiful looks for weddings these days, and a lot of creative vendors who can bring those looks to life.”

For Lauren, oe of those standout vendors was Jaclyn from Feisty Flowers. “She impressed us with her talent, taste, and style, as well as her ability to really listen to us as clients and bring the vision we had in mind to life. She made sure each element brought something to the table, from the delicate votive candles to the sheer ivory fabric cascading across the arbor to my beautiful bridal bouquet. Absolutely nothing was missed. I can’t thank her enough!”

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Both the ceremony and reception took place at The Paine Art Center & Gardens. Lauren’s top two moments from the ceremony: “The first was when our flower girl, Emma, walked down the aisle. She was incredibly poised; you can see the amazing woman she is going to become. The second moment was when Steve and I turned to look at my brother, who officiated the ceremony. I swear I saw tears in his eyes!” Following the ceremony, photos were also taken at The Paine. “Your wedding day flies by, and we wanted to spend as much time as possible with our guests.”

The reception was held in The Paine’s conservatory, an elegant space of white and glass overlooking the new formal garden. “We did a mix of banquet tables running in parallel down the center, with rounds along the exterior. It was really important to us that everyone feel included, and this mixed approach to the seating was perfect.” Lauren looks back with particular fondness on the moment she and Steve got to see the space before guests arrived. “We were blown away,” she says. “It was really special to get to share that moment together.”

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Dinner and drinks were catered by Zuppas Market Cafe and Catering. “The food was delicious — we heard lots of compliments. The drinks were easy for us to choose, since Steve is in the beverage industry. He’s an expert!” Looking back, Lauren’s advice for future brides revolves a lot around choosing vendors: “It’s important to lock down certain vendors far more in advance than you might think. We should have booked transportation earlier than we did. Trolleys in Wisconsin book quickly! We also should have scheduled our engagement photo shoot before the save the dates — it would have made choosing a photo to include on them a lot easier!”

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In the end, with the help of wonderful vendors, the support and love of family and friends, and the gorgeous, historic Paine as a backdrop, Steve and Lauren’s wedding day turned out to be one of utter enchantment. The three words they’d use to describe it: “Elegant, lovely, and joyous.”

Wisconsin Wedding Vendors:

Wedding Consultant~ Tailored Engagements (Amanda Felsman)

Make-up Artist~ Naturally You (Amanda Shallow)

Hair Stylist~ Nicole Rotto Styling (Nicole Rotto)

Rehearsal Dinner~Fratellos Riverfront

Ceremony Location~The Paine Art Center & Gardens

Reception Location~The Paine Art Center & Gardens

Caterer~Zuppas Market Cafe and Catering

Bartending Service~Zuppas Market Cafe and Catering

Cake Designer/Dessert~Classy Girl Cupcakes

Chalkboard/Custom Signage Artist~Etsy (BlissPaperBoutique, Z Create Design)

Flowers~Feisty Flowers