Kelsey & Scott’s Timeless Wedding at Van Abel’s of Hollandtown

A July wedding near Green Bay in Northeast Wisconsin

An Amsterdam Engagement

Kelsey and Scott are big travelers, so much so that they were on their fifth international trip when they got engaged. “Amsterdam was the very first city we ever visited together internationally,” Kelsey says. They were back in the city that started it all in September of 2019. That morning, Scott told Kelsey he’d made a nice breakfast reservation at 9am. “I got all dolled up, and then Scott told me I needed to put on tennis shoes because it was a long walk.”

“Tennis shoes didn’t go with my outfit, so I completely changed and dressed down to be more casual. When we met my now brother and sister in law in the lobby, they were all dressed up. I felt very out of place as casually dressed as I was, but Scott forced us to leave instead of letting me change—because he had a photographer waiting!” Kelsey says she was very upset the whole way walking to what she thought was breakfast. But to her surprise, Scott instead proposed on an Amsterdam bridge and booked a private canal tour afterward to celebrate.

Wedding Planning

Originally, Kelsey and Scott planned an August 2020 wedding, which was postponed due to Covid-19. “Covid wreaked a lot of havoc on our wedding day, but it could have been so much worse!” They ended up delaying their big day by 11 months, and luckily were able to re-book each of their original vendors. In the end, some close family were still unable to attend due to Covid but, “we were getting married regardless—which is what it was all about.”

Kelsey found her Justin Alexander gown at Vera’s Bridal, and Scott’s formalwear came from DuBois in Green Bay. To help plan, the couple turned to 88 Events , who provided rentals and a day-of coordinator. “They were great to work with. Our day-of coordinator, Travis, was fantastic. We had a lot of decor and set-up that he took care of fully. It was so nice for our family and friends to fully enjoy the entire night.”

From Photos to Ceremony

Scott and Kelsey chose Abigail Traver Photography to capture the day. “Her quality of pictures is so high, and she is so good at communication!” The bride and groom started their photos with a first look at Hotel Northland in downtown Green Bay. “Our first look was incredibly special,” Kelsey says. “It was the perfect setting for our classic, timeless theme. We read personal vows to each other, because I knew I would be too emotional to make it through with a large number of people watching at the ceremony.”

Kelsey and Scott also took some photos with Scott’s dad’s 1967 Ford Mustang before heading to the ceremony location, the Green Bay Botanical Garden. “We did all the pictures before the ceremony.” The ceremony was just 20 minutes—”perfect timing.” Scott’s uncle officiated, making it all very personal. “And it was great weather!”

Van Abel’s Reception

Van Abel’s of Hollandtown is owned by Kelsey’s family, so hosting the reception there was a natural choice. “This is my family’s restaurant, which I have a great amount of pride in the family history and traditions. Scott’s family is from out of state, and it was great to introduce so many family and friends to Van Abel’s. Our printed menu included a small history blurb about the restaurant.”

The bride and groom took some sunset photos outside of Van Abel’s, in the field right in Kelsey’s parents’ backyard. “I grew up right next to Van Abel’s!” The restaurant provided all the food and drink for the reception. There was an open bar all night with a signature drink, “The Walter,” named for Scott and Kelsey’s dog.

The food was traditional Van Abel’s country-style tenderloin tips and broasted chicken. “It was fantastic as always. It was so great to share the tradition of Van Abel’s food with all our out-of-town guests.” But the desserts were Kelsey’s favorite: “Hilltop Bakery donuts and Scott’s favorite—cake pops!”

The Honeymoon

Following their wedding, Kelsey and Scott checked another international destination off their bucket list. “We went to Greece in September for two weeks. It was amazing! We went to SanTorini, Paros, Mykonos, and Athens. It was the perfect honeymoon spot.”

Wedding Film by Frassetto Films–

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