Morgan and Grant’s Butte des Morts Country Club Wedding was a dream. These two are genuinely the sweetest, most laid back humans I have ever worked with, and their early fall wedding day in Appleton, Wisconsin was a perfect reflection of that. Classy, colorful, calm, and full of love. From the most fun and upbeat morning getting ready at Grant’s parents house, to an intimate first look in the backyard, to an absolutely gorgeous ceremony overlooking the golf course, and reception at Butte des Morts Country Club, every single moment of this day was perfect. If you’re planning a Wisconsin wedding and looking for venue inspiration, vendor recommendations, or just want to see a beautiful day unfold, you are in the right place.

A Classy and Colorful Country Club Wedding Day at Butte Des Morts

Morgan and Grant’s wedding day was one of those weddings that just flowed perfect. They did a first look before their ceremony so they could soak in a private moment together and do private vows. This made for such a calm and relaxed timeline! They both got ready separately at Grant’s parents house in Appleton, portraits at Butte Des Morts Country Club, a gorgeous outdoor ceremony overlooking the golf course, and a fun colorful reception partying with their favorite people. Keep reading if you want to see how their day came together and how you can use it as inspiration for your own Wisconsin Wedding.

Getting Ready at Grant’s Parents House in Appleton, Wisconsin

Getting ready mornings are honestly some of my favorite parts of a wedding to photograph. Morgan and Grant’s whole wedding morning was fun, upbeat, and had party energy. Morgan and Grant both got ready at Grant’s parents house in Appleton, with the girls getting ready upstairs and the guys hanging out downstairs and outside.

Bridal Details and Getting Ready

Morgan and her wedding party were in matching pajamas and slippers, and the moms were in different matching ones too. The bouquets were there when I arrived which was so fun for detail photos. Morgan and her wedding party actually made their own bouquets using sola wood flowers and you would never know. They turned out so pretty! Her essence of australia wedding dress was beautiful and simplistic. It was a gorgeous and fun morning!

Grant and His Wedding Party Getting Ready

Grant and his wedding party were relaxing, hanging out, and drinking beers downstairs and out back while Morgan and her wedding party got ready upstairs.Grant’s suit was from NL Suits in Milwaukee and they had nice pocket squares instead of boutonnieres. They were all so chill and relaxed!

Bridesmaid Reveal

Before the first look, Morgan had a sweet bridesmaid reveal with her wedding party. It was so cute and their reactions were so fun and emotional.

A Romantic First Look at Grant’s Parents House in Appleton

After getting ready separately, Morgan and Grant wanted to see each other and do a first look in the backyard. It was such a sweet and intimate moment, We were also surrounded by trees and woods, which made it feel even more romantic.

The First Look

I set up Grant so that his back was turned, while Morgan walked up in her stunning wedding dress and tapped him on his shoulder. They spent about 15 minutes taking it all in, reading their vows,and just being present with each other. If you are planning a first look, I definitely recommend doing this!

Exchanging Private Vows Before The Ceremony

Morgan and Grant did private vows during their first look, which I love when couples do this! They didn’t want the pressure of saying their vows in front of everyone at their ceremony and wanted this intimate moment to be just between the two of them. Morgan also surprised Grant with a card for his parents at this time too which was so thoughtful and really just speaks for Morgan’s character and how sweet she really is.

First Look With Dad

Morgan also did a quick first look with her dad before leaving to Butte Des Morts Country Club. It was such a special moment. There’s just something I love about capturing father daughter first looks before walking down the aisle and I’m so glad Morgan decided to fit one in her timeline.

Wedding Party Portraits at Butte Des Morts Country Club

After the first look at Grant’s parents house in Appleton, we drove about 10 minutes to Butte Des Morts Country Club (also in Appleton) for full wedding party portraits and immediate family photos. The venue is gorgeous besides the golfers being there still we were able to find so many spots for photos. Because of the sun, we took the immediate family photos in front of the building first and then worked around the sun with some tree coverage for wedding party photos on the golf course after the golfers left. We did finish all of the wedding party photos and most family photos besides the extended family photos before their ceremony, which makes for such a relaxed timeline.

Bridesmaids in Birdie Grey Dresses 

Morgan’s wedding party looked absolutely gorgeous in their birdie grey dresses. The colors were so classy and vibrant and looked so good at Butte Des Morts. I always love how Birdie Grey bridesmaid dresses look too, so if you’re looking for bridesmaid dresses, definitely keep them in mind!

Groomsmen in NL Suits

Grant and his wedding party looked so good in suits they got from NL suits in Milwaukee. Plus, the pocket square instead of boutonnieres looked so classy. 

Butte Des Morts Country Club Wedding Ceremony in Appleton, Wisconsin

Morgan and Grant’s ceremony was absolutely gorgeous overlooking the golf course at Butte Des Morts Country Club. They had a 5:30 pm ceremony, which is perfect timing for an early September Wedding. The weather was warm and sunny which was also so nice for an early fall wedding!

Morgan’s Surprise Cathedral Veil

I loved that Morgan didn’t have her veil on during her first look and decided to surprise Grant with it when she walked down the aisle wearing it for the first time. It was a special and emotional moment that you can really feel through the photos.

Butte Des Morts Country Club Wedding Ceremony Details

After Morgan and Grant’s gorgeous ceremony that lasted about 30 minutes, Morgan and Grant exited, along with their wedding party to a fun bubble exit.

Couple Portraits at Butte Des Morts Country Club

We took a few portraits during the first look, a few after wedding party photos, and the rest we snuck away during golden hour to do. Early September in Wisconsin at golden hour is such a dream for couple photos. The way the sunset hit the golf course at Butte Des Morts was also so beautiful.These are always some of my favorite photos!

A Classy and Colorful Reception at Butte Des Morts Country Club

The reception was so fun and felt more like a big party rave than a normal wedding reception. Morgan wanted her reception decor to be fun, colorful, and full of life, which I think she completely slayed.

Dinner and Dancing at Butte Des Morts

After cocktail hour, guests were seated and were served plated sit down dinner. The speeches were directly after and they were around 3 minutes each. They were so fun and sweet too. After that they did first dances, parent dances, and then grandparents polka. Finally, the dance floor was open and Morgan and her wedding party handed out glowsticks , glow in the dark markers, and black lights came on. It turned into the most fun and rave-like reception. Morgan also changed into a reception dress after the grandparents polka which was so fun and totally her. Honestly loved this reception so much and it was one of the coolest ones I’ve seen!

The Wedding Day Timeline

Morgan and Grant had eight hours of photography coverage which gave us plenty of time to capture every moment of their day. We started at 1:15 at Grant’s parents house for detail and getting ready photos, and finished up at 9:15. Having a first look in their timeline definitely made everything flow smoother and gave them a chance to actually enjoy cocktail hour.

Other Details

Morgan and Grant kept things so personal throughout the day and made it a thing to really be with each other throughout the whole wedding day. Every little detail really felt like them and not a trend. It was such a beautiful wedding day!

Butte Des Morts Country Club Wedding Venue

If you’re looking for a wedding venue in the Appleton, Wisconsin area, Butte Des Morts Country Club should be on your list. The wedding venue offers gorgeous outdoor ceremony space overlooking the golf course, a gorgeous ballroom for your reception with large windows and natural light, and so many photo spots around the golf course. For more information on Butte Des Morts Country Club weddings, you can click this link.

Wisconsin Wedding Venues Near Appleton

• The Paine Art Center – Oshkosh, WI
• The Gibson Social Club- Oshkosh, WI
• The Fox Club- Appleton, WI
• The Ledgecrest Reserve- Depere, WI
• Brindlewood Barn- Hilbert, WI

Appleton, Wisconsin Wedding Hair Stylist: 920 Bridal Collab

Abby and her team at 920 Bridal Collab absolutely slayed Morgan and her wedding party’s hair. If you’re looking for a hair stylist near Appleton Wisconsin, I highly recommend doing a trial with them. You can find more information here.

Appleton, Wisconsin Wedding Makeup Artist: Taylor Dawn Makeup

This wasn’t my first time working with Taylor at Taylor Dawn Makeup, and she always completely slays everyone’s makeup. Morgan and her wedding party all looked so good. Seriously Taylor is amazing and so fun to work with as well. Check out her work here.

Florals: Sola Wood Flowers 

Morgan and her wedding party actually made their own bouquets with Sola wood flowers and they turned out so pretty!! Check them out through this link.

Bridesmaid Dresses: Birdie Grey

Birdie Grey always has my favorite bridesmaid dresses that I see at weddings. The wedding party looked so good in their Birdie grey bridesmaid dresses. Check them out here.

Mens Attire: NL Suits Milwaukee

Morgan and Grant actually live in Milwaukee, so Grant and his groomsmen got their suits in Milwaukee at NL Suits. I highly recommend checking them out through this link if you’re in the Milwaukee or Wisconsin area, because everyone looked so sharp!

Invitations: Truly Inspired Paper Company

The invitation suite was so beautiful! You can check out Truly Inspired Paper Company here.

Wisconsin Wedding Desserts: Nothing Bundt Cakes

I love when couples have Nothing Bundt Cakes for their wedding desserts. Its such a fun and delicious dessert choice. You can contact Nothing Bundt Cakes here.

Appleton, Wisconsin Wedding Venue and Catering: Butte Des Morts

Butte Des Morts Country Club was so nice to work with. All the staff was so friendly too! They include in house catering as well. Check out Butte Des Morts Country Club Weddings here for more information.

Other Wisconsin Wedding Venues

If you loved Morgan and Grant’s wedding and want to see more Wisconsin Weddings, check out some of these blogs:

• Brindlewood Barn Wedding- Hilbert,WI
• The Paine Art Center Wedding- Oshkosh,WI
• The Marq Wedding- Green Bay,WI
• Best Wisconsin Wedding Venues

Appleton Wedding Photographer

If you’re looking for an Appleton Wisconsin Wedding Photographer, I’d love to capture your day! I’m Jessica Frigge Photography, a southeastern Wisconsin based wedding photographer. I travel all over the state and anywhere else! I genuinely believe weddings should be more than stiff poses and a photoshoot, but they should feel real and authentic and your photos should reflect that. Weddings are stressful and sometimes you won’t remember or be able to be a part of certain parts, and that’s what I’m here for! I’m here to capture all the moments that you’ll remember forever, but also all those little in between moments that you don’t remember as well. Get in touch here!

If you’re planning a Wisconsin wedding and want to chat more about working together, reach out through this link.