Barb and Bob were married Saturday at the charming Country Bluff Wedding Chapel just outside of Baraboo, a refurbished 1882 church now used exclusively for weddings.

I shot their engagement photos in July and knew they would be a fun, relaxed couple – and that their marriage was one not only of two people who love and respect each other, but a marriage of two families.

Barb is a strong and creative mother who orchestrated every little detail of the wedding herself, from tying the ribbons on the programs to the making the cakes. Yes, the cakes. She pulled it off with grace and made it look effortless.

Here she is tying Bob’s parents’ own delicate wedding bands onto her bouquet, for her “something old.” Such a neat idea.

Barb is tall and has an amazing figure, and she pulled off these shoes like nobody’s business.

This little guy, by comparison, was considerably less happy to have his shoes put on – even though they were Chuck Taylors!

Barb was so busy getting everything else ready for the big day that she forgot to buy the veil she had picked out. An hour before the wedding she rushed down to Specially Hers in downtown Baraboo, where she had bought her stunning dress, and they hooked her up. While having her dress laced up, Barb looked in the mirror and said, “I kinda feel pretty.” So sweet.

They packed every pew with people who loved and supported them through their journey to this day. The ceremony was intimate and beautiful.

The mothers and grandmas were having way too much fun pelting the newlyweds with rice.

I snapped this one quickly and without flash while Barb was being bustled at the reception. The exposure wasn’t perfect… the subject was. She looks so old Hollywood.

The party was at the Baraboo Arts Banquet Hall, a refurbished Ringling Brothers building along the Baraboo River. Barb and her family decorated the entire space and it was gorgeous.

Barb surprised Bob with a groom’s cake decorated like the Jeep he’s had since high school. That woman was a SuperBride.

Barb’s dad gave an emotional toast honoring not only the newlyweds, but all three of his children and their spouses and reminding them that marriage takes work, and they are nothing without each other.

The couple hired Universal Sound, a Madison-area band, to play live music at the wedding reception. They rocked everything from Bob Seger to Johnny Cash and got the little kids, the teenagers and the grandparents out on the dance floor – and kept them there. Here Bob takes a turn with his spunky mother.

In the matron of honor’s speech about the depth of love between a husband and wife, she said, “Everyone deserves to be with someone who thinks you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to them.”

Barb and Bob, thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of your day, and congratulations on finding the person who knows you’re the best thing that ever happened to them.

This weekend I got to be part of an amazing and intimate wedding at Devil’s Lake State Park between two people whose love for each other was absolutely palpable.

Tara and Pon.e knew each other in high school, then drifted apart before meeting one day on the street a decade later.

Both had been through a lot in their time apart, Tara said, and didn’t take anything for granted. Especially each other.

The wedding party stayed at the super charming Devil’s Lake Resort, a family joint that unfortunately is closing at the end of this season.

Both Tara and Pon.e are incredibly stylin’ individuals, and though the wedding was small every detail was vintage and romantic and perfect.

Check out her veil:

And her dress, which her mother made from hand. I made her do some twirling to show off the effects of the petticoat underneath:

Tara and her very talented mother:

And doesn’t Pon.e look dapper?

Every couple I’ve worked with has been happy on their wedding day, but Tara and Pon.e took the crowns for being the most outwardly joyful. They honestly looked this thrilled every moment of that day:

Getting married just feet from Devil’s Lake during peak color season probably didn’t hurt, either. Here’s Pon.e watching his lovely bride come down the aisle:

The ceremony was short and very sweet:

And after it became official:

Their reception in the lakeside Rock Elm Shelter celebrated how they bonded as a couple over camping, and included a chili cook and more adorable details. Here are their custom rings:

Of course they had fabulous taste in music, and they filled the lodge with Etta James for their own slow dances, and played the favorite love songs of all the important people in their lives. Oh, and they swing danced. Those kids could cut a rug.

Pon.e told me he predicted a year ago that his wedding day, a mid-October Saturday in Wisconsin, would be 75 degrees and sunny. It was, exactly. I said he might have a future with the Farmer’s Almanac. “Nah. You know what it is?” he said. “The power of love.”