How The Couple Met
While online dating has become the norm for many couples, a first date can feel like a lot of pressure—especially when going from screen to the real world. Both Emma & Peter considered canceling their first date, but ultimately decided to take a leap of faith when they met for coffee. Their nerves immediately calmed, and they settled into easy conversation that lasted several hours. Emma recalled knowing Peter was the one for her within the first week, and they got engaged a little over a year later.
An Indoor and Outdoor Wedding at Hatchery Riverside
Hatchery Riverside in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosts weddings and events year round, while also offering a modern luxury hotel experience for guest accommodations. Located in Riverside Park along the Mississippi River, the historic venue offers beautiful views, an outdoor patio space, and indoor capacity for 120 seated guests.
Emma & Peter wanted the best of both worlds for their September wedding, envisioning an indoor ceremony followed by an outdoor reception. The weather cooperated from start to finish, beginning with on-site preparations.
Blue and Red Stationery, Details, & Getting Ready
The couple envisioned a French garden wedding with a color palette of pale blue, bold red, white, and blush accents. Stationer Kara Anne Paper designed a playful stationery suite that embraced the couple’s color palette and added floral motifs, frames, and contour-cut pieces. The invitation suite consisted of a rectangular invitation and a square RSVP on white paper, pairing a high-contrast, modern typeface with a delicate script. The invitation and RSVP were layered with a red return envelope and tied with a blush bow, before being secured in a pale blue envelope with a striped liner.
Kara Anne Paper also designed and printed day-of signage, including a layered bar menu, acrylic bar signage, and oval-cut table menus and table numbers.
Emma & Peter prepared for their big day at Hatchery Riverside, as photographer Stephanie Sunberg used her artistic eye to capture details and unique angles, and played with film grain to create a subtle vintage feel in the final gallery.
Emma found her dream dress, from designer Lihi Hod Bridal, at Tailored Bridal. The fit-and-flare dress featured a clean, luxe fabric, a sweetheart neckline, and a flowing skirt. Delicate floral lace extended from the top of the bodice into off-the-shoulder sleeves, and cascaded down the back of the gown, in lieu of a veil.
Metropolitan Salon & Spa did Emma’s hair and makeup for the day, a natural look with subtle blush hues on the cheeks and lips.
Peter wore a black tuxedo from Indochino paired with a white dress shirt with black buttons, black dress shoes, and a black bow tie.
Indoor Wedding Ceremony Inspiration that Blends Vintage & Modern
Fun was at the forefront of Emma & Peter’s minds when planning their wedding, and they prioritized good music, delicious food, and experiences that brought everyone together. The live music began with Freegrass Trio playing as Emma walked down the aisle.
The couple officially tied the knot in an intimate ceremony surrounded by their closest friends and family. They chose minimal décor, allowing Hatchery Riverside’s natural brick backdrop to shine, along with ground floral arrangements from Pennycress Studio. Emma also carried a bouquet from Pennycress Studio, with prominent blooms including white and blush roses, dahlias, blue delphinium, and bold red ranunculus.
After the ceremony, Emma & Peter hopped into a yellow convertible for couple portraits and to take a quiet moment and soak in the joy and excitement of their day before the reception.
Emma & Peter’s Tented Reception on the Mississippi River
Set under a tent from Après Event Décor and Tent Rental, the reception space felt like a French garden dream. The white tent served as a neutral backdrop, with the illusion of vaulted ceilings perfect for romantic chandeliers, string lights, and crawling vine greenery. Bud vases and small floral centerpieces by Pennycress Studio spanned the length of each table, set side by side into long rows.
Striped tablecloths from BBJ La Tavola, crystal glassware, black candles, greenery walls from Resource Vintage Rental, and additional rentals and décor from Orange Door Event Rentals all came together to create a sophisticated, welcoming environment to celebrate and dance the night away.
As a heartfelt personal detail and favor, Emma designed custom embroidered napkins for each of their guests that also doubled as name cards at the reception.
The Driftless Cafe served up delicious meals and desserts the couple says guests still rave about, and Meringue Bakery & Cafe brought a delicious and stunning single-tier, textured white cake covered in raspberries.
One of the most memorable parts of the day was the couple’s private sunset dance. Emma wrote,
“We chose to have a private first dance. The amazingly talented Freegrass Trio played the song Matilda by Elizabeth Moen—a song that Peter sent [me] in a playlist early on in the relationship, which I still maintain was a subconscious profession of love a few weeks into dating. We danced just us as the sunset.”
The dancing continued with more live music from Reckless at Tiffany’s, set on staging from Interstate Sound Reception.
Reflecting on their day, from the planning to the last dance, Emma & Peter wanted to express their gratitude to their planner, Summer Snyder, as well as their parents and families. A wedding not only celebrates the love between a couple, but also everyone who supports them and makes the day even brighter.
We wanted to end with a special note from the couple:
Our parents worked so hard to make everything perfect for our wedding, including manual labor to get the spaces ready for the welcome party and the reception. We cannot thank them enough for making this whole thing happen.
Are you a La Crosse couple or photographer with a wedding you’d love to share? WedPlan is always looking for beautiful local celebrations to feature on our blog, social media, and in our annual publication. Visit our submissions tab to help inspire other couples planning their big day in the La Crosse area.
