When I first spoke with Ashlynn and Logan they were living in sunny San Diego and planning their private wedding event near Lake Wawasee in Ashlynn’s hometown Syracuse, Indiana. I was psyched at the opportunity to work in my own neck of the woods. I grew up here moved away and recently returned with my family. I’ve always enjoyed the beauty of the lakes area. It’s a beautiful area to plan a summer or fall wedding, especially with new venues offering public access to events on the lake.

location. location. location.

Hosting a outdoor home wedding event can be financially beneficial and convenient especially during a pandemic year. Ashlynn & Logan hosted their wedding at a family friends home near Lake Wawasee. It was a beautiful private spot set deep back a long drive with a pond and large lawn. Of course hosting at a private residence isn’t all fun and games there are some things to work out as they did. You must make special considerations for parking, seating, tent space, seating space for guests. It’s important to choose a location with plenty of room for parking and lots of surrounding space so the noise of the music dissipates at the reception. This location had all that and created a spacious and very private experience. Side note, if hosting a private event don’t forget to notify close neighbors ahead of time about the noise and traffic!

get to work!

The truth is doing it yourself is a lot of work so be prepared to roll up your sleeves. Logan and Ashlynn were up to this challenge and with lots of hard work provided a beautiful wedding experience for their guests. They made custom wood benches and wedding arches for the ceremony overlooking the pond. For the reception they made a custom dance floor and portrait wall decorated with flowers. Also beautiful table arrangements for the wedding cake and head table. For the cocktail hour and dinner they provided a delicious self serve food truck from Ziffles Zip N Go plus tasty specialty drinks pre-mixed for convenience. For activity there was corn hole and giant sized Jenga lawn games available. All of which are in the film.

With lots of hard work and much love in their hearts Ashlynn and Logan pulled off their dream wedding. And they did it their way. They enjoyed the heck out of it and had beautiful weather. I would call that a great success!