summer camp

Joe + Steph: Wisconsin Summer Camp Wedding

March 26, 2020 By Sarah Davidson

What do you get when you cross an American, a Brit, and a whole group of guests ready for a good time? The ultimate summer camp wedding of course!

During our initial phone call, the first thing I asked Joe and Steph to share with me was their unique love story. It at all started a few years back when Steph (who is originally from the Madison area) took a vacation to Spain, where Joe happened to also be vacationing at the time. They met at a bar and hit it off, which led them to becoming pen pals for the following year (yes, that’s still a thing!) while living across the ocean from one another. Then Joe chose to make the journey to NYC to visit some friends, and came to see Steph again in the same trip, pretty much to “seal the deal” of turning their pen pal friendship into something serious. From there Steph moved to London, and as they say, the rest is history.

When discussing where their wedding was going to be held, Steph and Joe loved the idea of providing as much American novelty as possible to the British side of their guest list, who have all seen The Parent Trap, but never gotten to ride on a big yellow school bus 🙂 As they looked at venues they stumbled upon Holiday Home Camp, a real operational summer camp in South Central Wisconsin and decided it was the perfect setting for this great adventure.

This certainly wasn’t the easiest event to pull off logistically, but the couple had a great deal of experience on their own right with large-scale production and we at HUE were more than ready to team up with them in the task of creating a memorable weekend. A key vendor that was brought in alongside us all to carry things out was Chance Productions, who provided a majority of the lighting and rentals needed in this very raw space to pull off an event for many guests on-site at one time.

And you know what? The weekend was beautiful. Everyone gathered, pitched in when needed, jumped in the lake, did yoga, cheered, danced, and was merry. In the end, this wonderful couple got exactly the wedding they wanted, and we feel extremely lucky to have been a part of it.

Congrats Steph and Joe!

The Dream Team:
Wedding Coordination: HUE By Sarah Davidson
Photography: Anda Marie Photography
Venue: Holiday Home Camp
Catering: Underground Food Collective
Bar Service: Bartender 608, Pre Cooler
Lighting and Rentals: Chance Productions
Floral: Jessie-Rae of HUE By Sarah Davidson
Band: Bluegrassify
DJ: Cage and Aquarium
Bridal Hair: Jordan Lynn Beauty
Additional Catering: El Grito, Crescendo Coffee, Buddy’s Special Events
Transportation: Dousman Transport Co., Browns Golf Carts
Restrooms: Crown Rentals

(PS: Want to see what this wedding looked like behind the scenes? Check out our HUE Planning + Coordination Film to follow my journey working together with this couple before and on their wedding day.)

Cristi + Jim: Camp Wandawega Wedding

March 28, 2018 By Sarah Davidson

From Jessie:

If I could pick my dream wedding venue, it would be Camp Wandawega. Camp Wandawega is a unique venue that gives off some serious Wes Anderson movie vibes. It was the perfect backdrop for Cristi and Jim’s adult summer camp, all-things Wisconsin weekend complete with a fish fry from Rushing Waters. Guys, they served potato pancakes! Festivities included corn hole (that’s bean bag toss for you non-natives), table tennis, and other quintessential camp activities like archery and hatchet throwing.

Farmer’s market inspired florals from Burlington Flowers and vintage rentals from Vintique Rentals completely transformed the reception tent. The dinner was capped off with delicious cookie crust apple pies from Elegant Farmer. Family friends moved the party to the dance floor where guests could boogie until the night capped off in the biggest bonfire I have seen, compliments of the camp’s resident expert, Ranger Joe.

Congrats Cristi & Jim!

The Dream Team:

Coordination: Harmonious Union Events
Photography: XO Azuree
Venue: Camp Wandawega
Wedding Catering: Sherman’s Catering
Dessert: Elegant Farmer
Floral: Burlington Floral
Bar: Best Events
Tent: Capital City Tent Rentals
Rentals: Vintique Rentals
Transportation: Jones Travel

Camp Wed 2015

November 11, 2015 By Sarah Davidson

One of the great parts about being in the wedding business is that there is an abundance of talented people I get to meet and work with on a regular basis. TWO of these women are Andrea VandeBerg and Sarah Sarbacker, creators and owners of Cherry Blossom Events. This year they pulled together their own industry retreat, bringing together the best in the business for a few days at the beautiful Camp Wandawega in Elkhorn, WI. Camp Wed included workshops from top wedding professionals around Wisconsin and the county, delectable food and beverage, beautiful floral and other details, new head shots for everyone, and also a DANCE PARTY.

I really appreciated the variety in our workshops throughout the retreat, which proved to be equally important to attendees whether there alone or with a business partner, working for themselves or with a company. We covered topics including but not limited to: destination and cultural weddings, chalkboard design, small business taxes, authenticity and being happy, videography, and illustration to name a few. Each presentation led to a discussion and each discussion built new friendships and potential future partnerships. It would take me years to get this kind of knowledge on my own.

Did I mention that the weather was BEAUTIFUL the entire time? Wandawega is straight out of Wes Anderson film, complete with teepees, camp flags, announcements over a bullhorn, a giant bonfire circle and a lake pier to jump off of. They host many different groups throughout the year including weddings. You can also book a stay on Air B&B. It was picture perfect.

In addition to workshops, there were so many opportunities to get to know my colleagues better including mealtimes, swim breaks, over cocktails, and at campfires. Kudos to all of the vendors who participated in and provided for these, as everything was first class, from the delicious cocktails of Gib’s Bar to the Gourmet s’mores from Bloom Bake Shop. It was definitely the finest I’ve eaten in a long time (or maybe even in my whole life). Our final dinner was even catered by Celebrity Chef Scott Wagner, who has personally cooked for Justin Timberlake and Kobe Bryant. Pretty cool, right?

Overall, I feel that Camp Wed is probably one of the best things I could’ve
participated in as a new business owner. I have just enough knowledge to be dangerous, but still so much to learn, and couldn’t have asked for a better group to be with. While participants were from all over, many are from the Madison area and hopefully people that I get to work with more in the future. For now, it’s time to absorb and practice until the next opportunity. Or the next camp!