Sarah & Matt Lennon | 7.31.2021

What was your color palette? Why did you choose those colors?

Dark navy and dusty rose – We decided to go with dark navy suites and dusty rose bridesmaid dresses. We really love the classic look of these two colors together and they were the perfect match for the wildflowers we had in our bouquets and included in the centerpieces.

What was the inspiration for the look and feel of your wedding?

We are both pretty simple people so we wanted our look and feel for the wedding to be minimalist but inviting. We then settled on wildflowers as our main inspiration since it was a July wedding and that time of year there are so many colorful flowers in bloom. Our ultimate goal was to throw the best party for all of our friends and family so this really is how we made many of our decisions!

Why did you choose to host your wedding at Celebrations on the River?

We chose Celebrations because of their ability to be an all-inclusive wedding venue. We wanted the day to be as hands-off as possible for us, our wedding party, and our family. The Celebrations staff really takes care of everything! The staff at Celebrations is so generous and attentive, they took care of all of the planning and set-up so everyone could relax and enjoy the moment. The venues at Celebrations are all beautiful and unique but we settled on Center Court because we absolutely LOVED the outdoor bar and patio area.

What was your favorite moment of your wedding day?

The whole day was amazing but I would say my favorite part of the day was actually getting married, having all of our friends and family there to celebrate meant so much to us. And also the dance, everyone was out on the dancefloor having a great time – we definitely achieved our goal of throwing the best party possible!

Would you change anything if you could do it all over again?

Honestly, there is nothing I would change – it was the best day ever!

What advice do you have for future couples planning their weddings?

Keep it simple. The day is about the two of you so you want to be sure you can spend it in the moment, everyone is there to celebrate you! Also, get a videographer – definitely worth the investment as the day goes by so quickly.

How did you manage your guest count?

We are from the same hometown so we had a lot of overlap on our guest list. As we finalized our count we kept in mind our budget to hold us at a reasonable number.

Who were your vendors? (DJ, Photographer, Flowers, Hair/Makeup, Dessert, etc.) How did you choose them?

– DJ: Alec Nissan (La Crosse, WI): based on a recommendation from Celebrations, we wanted a DJ that would play a variety of music, high energy, and that would keep people on the dancefloor. Alec absolutely crushed it!

– Flowers: Sweet 16 Farm (Houston, MN) – I had a vision for the bridal party to build their own bouquets as a way to make a fun memory and be creative, Sarah at Sweet 16 Farm was an absolute gem to work with and provided us with stunning local blooms.

– Bridal party hair: Blondes & Bridals (Ettrick, WI) – based on a recommendation from Celebrations and her Facebook and Instagram posts of beautiful hairstyle designs that were a mix of formal and fun.

– Bride and moms hair: Bombshell Salon (Reedsburg, WI) – one of my best friends and bridesmaids who has her own salon in our hometown and has been making my hair beautiful for years

– Makeup: Brooke Weber (Bangor, WI) – based on a recommendation from Celebrations and her Facebook and Instagram posts of beautiful makeup with more of a natural look

– Dessert: Festival Foods – for us, dessert wasn’t a huge priority so we did cupcakes and cake from Festival and a candy bar two of my aunts created

– Photography: Savannah Steiger Photography (La Crosse, WI) – when I met Savannah I knew she would be our wedding photographer, her personality and attention to detail was exactly what we were looking for & her documentary style of photography was a perfect match for our taste.

– Videography: Hoffland Films (La Crosse, WI) – Trinity was so accommodating with a few special requests for the style of our wedding film, her personality and style with filming made it a perfect fit for us.

– Bridal Gown: Brides N’ Belles (Reedsburg, WI) – such a fabulous selection of dressing and a wonderful staff made this local business in my hometown as easy choice

– Bridesmaid dresses: Azazie – my bridesmaids live all over the state so an online store was a great choice and they had a the dusty rose color to match what I was looking for

– Groom and Groomsman suites: Knight’s Menswear (Rochester, MN) – their selection of quality suites to purchase, rather than rent