The Farm at Dover Wisconsin Barn Wedding

A breathtaking celebration of love at Wisconsin’s most magical barn wedding venue.

How They Met

Julie and Drew met online nearly a decade ago and hit it off immediately. Once they got to know each other a bit more, they discovered they actually had many friends in common. Surprisingly, they had never crossed paths before.

The Engagement

Back when Julie and Drew celebrated their first dating anniversary nearly a decade ago, they decided to take a trip to Arizona to visit her parents. They saw the Grand Canyon (Drew’s first time!), and they truly began to think about spending the rest of their lives with one another. As the years passed by, Julie continued to wonder when Drew would pop the question. Several years later, Drew’s family was having a reunion at the Grand Canyon, where the couple had traveled early on in their relationship. He wanted to go a day early to catch the sunset – a serene moment they missed the first time due to rain. Deep down, Julie had a feeling that the time had come for them to become engaged, but he didn’t ask just yet. The next day, the rest of his family arrived. On the last day of the reunion celebration, Drew asked Julie to take a walk before they had to catch their train home. Finally, Drew sat down next to Julie and asked her to marry him. Of course, she said yes! They hopped on the train and rode off into the sunset.

The Dress

Julie found her dream wedding dress at Bliss Bridal in Brookfield. Her gown, which was fully customized by Allure Bridal, featured two dresses merged together.

The Ceremony

On September 2, 2023, Julie and Drew got married at The Farm at Dover in Kansasville, Wisconsin. The ceremony was “probably the best part of the day,” Julie shared. A string quartet welcomed the guests into the venue, and a live painter was there to capture the moment they became husband and wife. They also recruited Julie’s brother’s best friend and their neighbor to serve as their “flower boys.”

The Reception

The party continued at The Farm at Dover, and the reception was everything the couple had ever wanted, from the food to the desserts to the dancing. They were able to take photos with every table of guests. In lieu of the traditional bouquet toss and garter toss, they did a T-shirt toss with a shirt that read, “1st Official Fan Club Members of the Suhaysiks.”

Being in the hospitality industry, Julie had seen so many different venues over the years. She knew from the very first moment she walked into The Dover years ago that she wanted to get married there – even well before she knew Drew.

The Décor

For the ceremony, the aisle was lined with 500 long-stemmed white roses, which absolutely took Julie’s breath away. Feisty Flowers was able to bring her exact vision to life. They later repurposed the roses in the reception area for the table centerpieces. At the end of the night, extra roses were placed in a planter, and guests were encouraged to take a part of the day home with them. The table linens were a beautiful navy velvet from Windy City Linen. The head table featured custom name cutouts for all of the guests.

The Photos and Videos

Northern Roots Photography and Salem Media Productions captured every special moment throughout Julie and Drew’s big day.

The Food and Drinks

Julie has been working in the hospitality industry since she was a kid. Her dad was a chef, and she worked for him for seven years before going to school to study hotel restaurant management. She landed a job as an event manager for Zilli Hospitality Group and has spent the last 15 or so years planning menus for beautiful gatherings, including her own wedding. Needless to say, having the best food ever was an extremely important element!

During cocktail hour, guests munched on appetizers as well as miniature Bloody Mary shooters – garnishes and all. Dinner featured a choice of salmon with lemon beurre blanc, tenderloin filets with Jack Daniel’s sauce, and spinach and ricotta-stuffed chicken topped with brandy basil cream. The sides included parmesan green beans, baby green top carrots, roasted tri-colored one-bite potatoes, a mixed berry arugula salad, and a pasta salad, and a fresh panzanella salad.

Dessert was a feast all its own! Le Reve French Bistro and Café in Wauwatosa whipped up a variety of beautiful pastries. Guests also indulged in an array of hand pies from Hatched in Brookfield. For a sweet touch, there were even scoops of Kopp’s ice cream and Sprecher root beer floats. The small cake was baked by The Gingerbread House in Muskego. The late-night snack was the Streetza Pizza truck, which certainly hit the spot at 10:00 pm!

Words of Wisdom from the Bride

“Take your time to enjoy it. Spending the money on good quality vendors to make your life a lot easier, it took the pressure off of us. Also getting a month of planner was great to make sure everything was ready and in place for us so I could enjoy myself.”

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