Taylor & Zach’s Brindlewood Barn Wedding

Photographer: Hailey Stark Photography

A romantic, mid-September barn wedding with a dash of elegance.

How They Met

Taylor, a Green Bay native, and Zach, who is from Hatley, Wisconsin, met at a Current Young Professionals event at Badger State Brewing Company in Green Bay.

The Engagement

As they say, the third time’s a charm… During his first attempt to propose, Zach planned the special moment with his soon-to-be in-laws. The goal was to propose to Taylor in front of her whole family while they were getting the Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, Zach came down with shingles that same week. When he went to urgent care, the doctor even asked him if there was anything causing large amounts of stress for the shingles to develop. He responded, “Well, I plan to propose this weekend. Would that cause it?”

The second plan included the family again, with the addition of the Green Bay Packers. The family originally planned to tailgate together before the home game on Christmas. Not only were Taylor’s parents unable to attend the game at the last minute, but Zach caught COVID. It was apparent that every sickness was trying to stop the engagement from happening.

Finally, it was New Year’s Eve. The day began with Zach frantically shopping for snow pants, claiming it was going to be cold that night when they attended the festivities at Titletown by Lambeau Field. The truth, however, was that if Zach was going to hide the ring box in his boot, it needed to be covered by the snowpants all night. Taylor and Zach had dinner with her parents, during which Zach was texting their good friends to head over to Titletown to film the engagement. Just a few minutes before midnight, the two were about to – at least what Taylor thought – pose for a picture with one of the ice sculptures. Instead, Zach got down on one knee and pulled the ring from his boot. The video captured by their friends is an absolute treasure. Taylor was stunned, freezing cold, and kept shouting, “No, you’re not!” over and over again. Eventually, she said yes, and they had a great crowd of people cheering. They watched the fireworks at midnight and shared the joy of the beginning of their next chapter together.

The Dress

Taylor found her dream wedding dress at Vera’s House of Bridals in Madison. Although the sparkly gown fit her perfectly, she made alterations to it and included some fabric from her mom’s wedding dress.

The Venue

Taylor and Zach got married at Brindlewood Barn in Hilbert, Wisconsin. The couple chose the site because everything was there, they didn’t have to move from one venue to another. Brindlewood provides both a bridal and groom suite to get ready. The renovated barn exudes romance and charm, equipped with everything you need for a perfect day.

The Ceremony

The ceremony featured plenty of unique elements, along with lots of love and laughter that filled the air. It also happened to be the officiant Alex’s birthday, so when Taylor and Zach turned to face the crowd at the beginning of the ceremony, Alex played “Happy Birthday” on a kazoo while wearing a birthday crown.

For the unity, the bride and groom began an infinity barrel, in which they poured two separate bourbons into an oak barrel. They will continue to add other bourbons to the barrel as they drink from it throughout the years, so it never runs dry and will always contain a new bourbon. In the second part of their unity, they shared their first meal together as a married couple: the Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell. They also wrote and shared their own vows during the ceremony, which was a beautiful touch.

Music was another significant element in their ceremony. The song “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele played as the bridal party approached the altar. As the beautiful bride Taylor walked down the aisle, “Kiss the Girl” by Brent Morgan played. “We’ll Make It Through” by Ray LaMontagne played during the unity ceremony, and “Forever and Ever Amen” by Randy Travis” was played as everyone walked out.

The Reception

The reception was full of fun with lots of dancing and plenty of memories made. The wedding party entered the reception to the Packers touchdown theme song, “Bang the Drum All Day” by Todd Rundgren. The newlyweds ate amazing food, danced the night away, and were surrounded by a crowd of their favorite people in the world.

The Decor

The flowers from the ceremony were all brought in and adorned the head table.  Taylor’s sister Tiffany created the bar, ceremony and welcome signage.  Taylor DIY’d the elegant table numbers, seating chart and thank you notes.

The Food and Drinks

For their wedding dinner, Biebel’s catered a pig roast with macaroni and cheese. Taylor, who happens to be the the owner of  The Cupcake Couture, decked out the dessert table with a host of decadent  treats for guests to enjoy!  There were also seven different flavors of popcorn from Fun Factory Sweet Shoppe to snack on as well.

The bar offered two signature drinks, a brandy old-fashioned sweet and an apple Moscow mule, plus three beer selections: Busch Light, Spotted Cow, and an Oktoberfest. Wine and mixed drinks were also available. As a late-night snack, guests noshed on soft shell tacos from Taco Bell.

Advice from the Bride & Groom

Enjoy it, you are planning for your special day, the more you put into it, the more the day will go smoothly. Trust your vendors. If you are not a planner, hire someone! Don’t let a friend or family member be your DJ. The DJ is someone who is going to make or break your wedding day. Make sure you hire someone who is in the industry and is good at their job because it’s going to make a huge difference in how your night goes.

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