Tara & Pon.e

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.”