Emily & Kyle’s Wedding Under the Stars at Lake Lawn Resort

Kyle from Lake Geneva and Emily from Williams Bay have known each other most of their lives. They first met in nursery school at church, became best friends in 7th grade, and started dating when they were 16. “We fell in love, and the rest is history!” Kyle proposed in Washington, a state which holds a special place in his and Emily’s hearts. While in high school, the two visited Washington together, and when Emily lived in Seattle for a semester during college, Kyle also flew across the country to see her.

“We all went to Chelan together as a family for Thanksgiving the year before we got engaged,” Emily says. “We also visited beautiful, remote Stehekin. It’s in the middle of the North Cascade Mountains, and you can only get there by boat or airplane.” The year Kyle proposed, Emily’s entire family once again decided to celebrate the holiday in Stehekin. Because Kyle lived in South Carolina for college at the time, Emily believed he was spending Thanksgiving there with his parents. But after the two-hour ferry ride to Stehekin, a surprise was waiting. “We get off at the dock, and I saw someone at the end. I realized it was Kyle! I thought he was only there to surprise me for Thanksgiving — then I realized that wasn’t the only reason!” Naturally, Emily said yes.

Emily and Kyle decided on a natural and boho August wedding in Lake Geneva. The rehearsal dinner was held at The Ridge, and the ceremony and reception were both held at Lake Lawn Resort on Lake Delavan, outdoors from start to finish. The resort spa, Calladora, did Emily’s makeup, and every photo, including the first look, was snapped right at Lake Lawn. “Jaci at Lake Lawn was our wedding coordinator, and she was wonderful! We couldn’t have pulled it off without her.”

The ceremony was held along the lake. “My Uncle Andy played the guitar as the bridal party walked down,” Emily says. “My dad walked me down the aisle — that will always be my favorite walk!” Kyle and Emily said “I do” under a wooden arch covered in eucalyptus greens, reciting personal vows and using sand from their respective homes for the unity ceremony.

Cocktail hour immediately followed the ceremony. Guests were invited to mingle in a white tent under some trees, overlooking the lake.“During cocktail hour and dinner, we created our own playlist with our favorite alternative music — Gregory Alan Isakov, Lord Huron, Hollow Coves, Edward Sharpe, and more. We wanted the whole wedding to have a vibe that reflected us!”

There was also giant jenga, corn hole, local cold brew coffee, an open bar, and charcuterie boards. Kyle and his dad actually made the wood boards, and at the end of the night, each vendor was gifted one of the boards to take home. Kyle’s dad also made the wooden guest book, which friends and family filled with polaroid photos. “My mom and I made a lot of things for the wedding, too,” Emily says. “I made the menu cards for each place setting, we made all the signs and the wedding favors, personal jars of honey.”

For dinner, there were food stations, each named after a significant place in Emily and Kyle’s relationship. The Bay, where Emily grew up, offered sliders, mac ’n’ cheese, and pulled pork sandwiches. Lake Como, where Kyle grew up, served up fish and chicken tacos. Surfside, where the happy couple moved after being married, was a salad bar with build-your-own potato salad and assorted fruit. Chelan, where Kyle and Emily spent their engagement weekend, was the drink bar, and Stehekin was the dessert bar. Sweet treats included individual apple, cherry, and s’mores pie, plus scrumptious chocolate-covered strawberries.

The dance floor was set outside next to the tent, under trees strung with café lights. “It was so dreamy,” Emily says. “When the night was over, everyone threw olive leaves at our send-off. Kyle dipped me for a sweet kiss, and we were off in our 1966 AMC Marlin — the car we took to all of our proms in high school! It was the most perfectly beautiful day. Everything we dreamed of and more!”

[table]
Make-up Artist~Calladora Spa at Lake Lawn Resort
Hair Stylist~Lake Zurich House of Hair, Diana Giannini
Invitations~Esty download/Vista Print for printing
Rehearsal Dinner~The Ridge
Ceremony, Reception, Catering, Bartending & Cake~Outside at Lake Lawn Resort
Flowers~Forget Me Not Flower Market
Bride & Flower girl’s Floral Crown~Pesche’s Greenhouse
Music/Entertainment~DJ Felix Entertainment
Photographer~Raegan Lintner Photography( now Clay House Photography)
Gown~BHLDN from Show Me Your Mumu
Formalwear~Dobel
Rentals~Linens & Chairs: Lake Lawn Resort
Rings~Fontana Jewelers
[/table]