Rachel & Dusty's Wedding at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Milwaukee, WI

Maddie
Oct 15
4 min read

When most couples choose an October wedding date for their Wisconsin wedding, they picture fall colors and cool and crisp temps....poor Rachel and Dusty. For this October 4th wedding we got record high 90 degree temps that week.

But let me tell ya.....Rachel & Dusty's wedding at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Milwaukee, WI was GORGEOUS. The heat quickly tapered off as the ceremony hour approached, and by the time the reception rolled around it was the perfect mix of cool and calm.

When I first spoke with Rachel and Dusty on our initial consultation call they mentioned a certain something that caught my attention. "We're getting married at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, and having a raptor demonstration at cocktail hour!" UM, WHAT. My jaw dropped. "I mean, how freaking cool!!", I thought. I hoped and prayed round the clock that they would book me, and I was STOKED when I recieved an email saying they wanted to book.

My excitement grew when I got to meet them for their complimentary engagement session at Willow River State Park. They were so sweet to make the drive to me for their e-sesh "We figured you're making the drive to us for our wedding, so we'd make the drive to you and make a fun weekend of it!" How freaking thoughtful. And they were so fun right off the bat, very comfortable and cool in front of the camera, and the chemistry! Whew, the chemistry!

Willow River State Park in Hudson Wisconsin

Then the wedding day rolled around. Schlitz Audubon Nature Center is a must stop place if you're ever in the Milwaukee area! It's large, and has wonder and beauty around every corner. With trails going through the woods, and down to the shoreline, there are endless backdrops for photos.

After first looks I went off on an adventure with the wedding party in the golf carts to find some cool spots for photos. We utilized the bridge just off the path from the parking lot, then made our way over to the pond.

Schlitz Audubon Nature Center wedding photos

The lily pond was my absolute favorite. Okay, well...tied with the beach, but we'll get to that later. There's a beautiful curving boardwalk that wraps around the edge of the pond, and leads to more trails. With all the trees and foliage it was the perfect spot for some portraits. The way the sun came through the trees...*chef's kiss* and it wasn't even golden hour!

Before heading back to the main building we made the short hike down a trail from the pond to some tall staircases. It made for a nice private place for photos.

The ceremony was absolute magic. Schlitz Audubon Nature Center has a stunning area set up for ceremonies, and the sun was coming through the tress just right. Rachel and Dusty included hand-fasting in their ceremony, and personal, handwritten vows.

Then it was on to cocktail hour....an absolute treat! Between the raptor demonstration and the food, there were smiles all around. The appetizers were from Tall Guy and a Grill and they were serving up chicken and waffle bites and tomato soup shooters. There was also a gorgeous charcuterie out that was loaded up with goodies. It's a good thing I kept busy with photos, because I could easily eat my weight in cheese. All jokes aside, I would recommend this venue for the birds alone. But the birds aren't the only great thing about this Milwaukee wedding venue. The staff, stunning sights, and acommodations were top notch. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful all the staff and other vendors were. Rachel and Dusty clearly have a wonderful intuition when it comes to reading people and choosing vendors who would help make this day magical for them.

Hawk during the raptor demonstration at Schlitz Audubon Nature Preserve

As cocktail hour neared to an end, we snuck off in one of the golf carts to capture some photos at the beach. The sky was a perfect pastel pink and blue, with the moon shining high in the sky. As someone who grew up on Michigan and spent a fair amount of time along the Great Lakes, I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVED taking these photos along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Bride and groom portraits along the beach/shoreline of Lake Michigan

Once we wrapped up portraits, it was back to the reception for a grand entrance and dinner. The food was phenomonal, and absolutely gorgeous! If you follow my work you may have noticed I'm kind of obsessed with food pictures.

As always, the reception flew by, with dancing, cake cutting and all sorts of fun little surprises, like Rachel gifting her bouquet to her mom, or an outfit change into a fun and flirty dress for dancing.