Happy 2019, guys! My year is off to a bomb start–Kara + Aash’s Lake Geneva wedding at the Mountain Top Ski Chalet at Grand Geneva is featured all year in the Wisconsin Bride 2019 Weddings guide! This magazine is available all of 2019 and full of some stunning eye-candy from “the region’s most inspired experts to plan the perfect celebration.” Kara + Aash’s ‘Enchanting Evening’ is snuggled in there amongst so many of my friends I’ve gotten to know over my twelve years in business. Yep…this year marks twelve for Carly McCray Photography! What a wild ride it’s been, too! I never knew just how far and wide my business would blossom when I started up after my own wedding in 2007. I sit here now with my thoughts spinning a little on just how many close friends I’ve made in my industry, and how many of my clients have become long-term friends. It’s magic!! Starting off the year from a place of gratitude is a great way to start. Thank you, Wisconsin Bride, and thank YOU to my little photography family! xoxo
To say I’ve been dying to share this editorial wedding photoshoot is the understatement of the year! Last spring, the talented ladies of Et Voila Events and Frontier Flowers of Fontana and I dreamed up a moody, intimate, romantic elopement wedding set to take place in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, showcasing some fantastic details along with the incredible scenery where I call home. I absolutely love Stevens Point, and wanted to share its gorgeousness and tall pines through my lens.
We drew inspiration directly from the woods and lakes of beautiful central Wisconsin, and the intimacy of eloping. There’s something magical and uniquely private about marrying your best friend in the middle of the woods! We envisioned a palette from very organic, raw elements of the earth—greens found in the natural settings, moody blacks, and soft blues and grays. Our initial dream for the elopement included these elements combined with overflowing greenery and florals, including local pine and foraged materials from the woods. We lit up thinking of telling a love story in these verdant surroundings.
Real-life definitely ended up mixing with art too! Our models ended up the real-life couple–my brother, Alex, and his now-fiance, Fallon–and their sweet French bulldog puppy, Flynn, all the way up from Texas! (We couldn’t resist making Flynn an impromptu flower garland and including her in with their elopement, a wink at our invitation suite composed in French!). Scroll through to the end for the full inspiration description and the talented team that came together to make this magic come alive! Last but not least, thank you so much to Utterly Engaged for featuring our shoot! xoxo
The bride began her day on the farm with her horse, meeting her groom before eloping in the woods. The couple whispered meaningful vows under a round canopy of greens and florals including lily of the valley, peonies, larch, garden roses, columbine, hellebores, lilac, fern + foraged pine.
Their intimate dinner with a handful of friends followed in a stone cottage in the woods. The cottage stands apart with its hand-hewn beams and charming fireplace, with another overflowing floral installation from Frontier Flowers of Fontana above the cozy fireplace. Seniman Calligraphy crafted raw, organic invitations with watercolor and lettering in blacks, blues, and grays with gold foil accents. Black taper candles filled the farm table from A La Crate Rentals, using simple organic-shaped dinnerware accented with gold flatware. Silk + Willow adornments line the plates and the bride’s bouquet, as well as delicate greens on the table, with rustic wood chairs and simple gold vessels.
The intimate wedding day ended at sunset along the sandy shores of a lake, nestled in the pines, surrounded with light, love, and just the two of them.
Thank you so much to Utterly Engaged for featuring our Stevens Point ‘earth elements’ inspired wedding editorial! Frontier Flowers of Fontana, Et Voila Events, and I all dreamed this up to showcase Stevens Point and central Wisconsin’s natural beauty, and we are SO thrilled to share everything with you. Click here to check out the feature, and you can view the full editorial on my blog here! xoxo
