Barn at the Harvest Moon Pond Wedding

This was a beautiful wedding under two willow trees, with both the ceremony and reception taking place at Harvest Moon Pond in Ponyette, WI. The thing that I’ll always remember from this wedding is how GORGEOUS Dustyn’s smile is. Just check out all the pictures below, her smile is shining in all of them. Amazing smile=amazing lady with an amazing love. Without further ado…

Dustyn & Calvin’s Wedding, in their own words

How did you meet?

Calvin and I met in Menomonie in 2006. I attended college with Calvin’s sister, Summer, and she introduced us. Our relationship was sparked the weekend of May 6, 2006, when we spent a long weekend in Kentucky with Calvin’s family. Calvin met me at the airport with a bouquet of roses – a great start to the weekend! We did some sightseeing around Louisville and also went to the Kentucky Derby! It was an amazing time. We wore big hats, went to a special derby breakfast, met the Derby Festival Queen, and had our fair share of mint juleps- Calvin also gave me my first lesson in betting at Churchill Downs. We started dating soon after, on May 24, 2006. The rest is history!

What were your deciding factors in choosing your venue?

We wanted something both rustic and nice, but with a laid back feel. We were also looking for a place that had a great view.

What was the most enjoyable part of planning your wedding?

I had an 18 month engagement so I really tried to enjoy the whole process. I loved dress shopping and meeting with all of the vendors.

What was your greatest challenge in planning your wedding?

My biggest challenge was to try and make our wedding day our own. With so many people giving their opinions, wedding websites telling you what you “need”, and Pinterest, it is easy to get lost in how other people see your day.

What resources helped you in planning your wedding? (blogs, websites, magazines, friends, wedding shows, etc.)

Blogs, friends, and websites helped us plan. But in the end I realized that most of the things I saw online ended up costing me $$ and didn’t pan out. So, I would say that Pinterest actually hurt me more than it helped!

What memory stands out most from your wedding day?

I loved the first look! I wasn’t going to do it, I actually was super against it at first, but it was an amazing part of our day. I was very calm during the first look, but right before I walked down the aisle I got very nervous and excited. Having the first look didn’t take anything away from seeing my husband while I walked down the aisle. It was almost like having two weddings, if that makes sense.

The first look!
The beautiful willow trees.

I love love love photographing the hugs!Dustyn asked to have a photo with me. Can you find me?

If you had an unlimited budget or simply could redo your wedding day, would you have done anything differently?

If we really had an unlimited budget, I would have loved to have lobster and king crab on our menu, a videographer, and I would have wanted two photographers to shoot; I would have loved to see all the different angles.

How did you calm your wedding day nerves?

I actually didn’t really have wedding day nerves, but Calvin did :). I was able to eat all morning (the determining factor if I am nervous or not) I guess I calmed them by being with my husband for 8 years prior and knowing that he was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We also spend a lot of time planning for our marriage instead of just our wedding. We took financial classes, consulted with our pastor, and took a marriage counseling class. All of these situations allowed us to talk about things that we don’t typically talk about in our day-to-day lives.

What one moment from your wedding day will last with you both forever?

Calvin and I both agree that the first look was the best moment of the day! I also loved on our bus ride back to the hotel, Calvin held my hand and said, “This was a perfect day”.

Do you have any advice for people planning a wedding?

Make sure that you decide what you want your day to be like before you start planning. Also, don’t ask other people for their opinion unless you are ready to hear it. I realized that people like to live vicariously through you, and they try and push their ideas on to you.