Cottage-Core Inspired, Adventurous Wedding Weekend at Camp Wandawega

Real Wedding
This couple drew inspiration from their first meeting place to craft a retro wedding weekend getaway.
Written by
Sydney Stevens

Published:

Wisconsin Bride Fall/Winter 2024

 Cityscape weddings can boast skyline views and a cosmopolitan atmosphere, yet the enchantment of a picturesque woodland wedding proved irresistible to Maeve Plunkett and Ryan Smith. Honoring their teenage meeting place at Camp Smitty in Indiana, the couple’s vision of recreating the camp seemed perfectly fitting. Their closest loved ones embarked on a weekend adventure at Elkhorn’s Camp Wandawega. The camp’s history goes back to the Prohibition era of the 1920s, serving as a speakeasy and a hub for organized crime. While undergoing numerous transformations over the years, today the grounds offer various retreat experiences, including weddings. 

We wanted that feeling to reflect the magic and simplicity in the purest form of happiness we’ve ever known: being thirteen years old at summer camp.
— Maeve Plunkett 

Danielle Horvatin of Rosewood Weddings brought the couple’s dream of a relaxed cottage-core-inspired party to life with a chic two-day event brimming with camp nostalgia. The festivities kicked off with Maeve and Ryan sporting matching tennis attire and warmly welcoming campers to their rehearsal day, filled with cannonballs, canoe races and a waterside BBQ feast.  

The wedding day unfolded like a scene from a fairytale. The outdoor chapel ceremony was enchanting, adorned with billowing floral installations of baby’s breath, button daisies and delicate peonies. The bride was a vision of ethereal beauty in her romantic Lihi Hod gown, accompanied by her bridesmaids dressed in green. “I do’s” filled the air with celebration, while guests gathered for the al fresco reception complete with a sailcloth tent and a black-and-white dance floor. Inspired by the natural surroundings, Sunborn Gardens fashioned a rustic tablescape embellished with moss, rocks and delicate florals atop banquet-style tables, mirroring the bride’s hand-painted candlesticks and paper goods. As the dance floor grew lively, the newlyweds stole a quiet moment in the treehouse to share a slice of their own mini cake. Later, a cozy bonfire, accompanied by a s’more’s charcuterie board, provided the ideal conclusion to their retro camp getaway. 

This Gen Z couple effortlessly blended nostalgia with modern twists, creating a wedding weekend that was both timeless and filled with contemporary charm.
— Danielle Horvatin, Rosewood Weddings

City State:

Elkhorn

Region

Southeast Wisconsin

Season:

autumn
winter

Styles:

Rustic
Vintage

Colors:

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