our summer camp wedding: the details
On September 21st, 2024, we tied the knot at YMCA Camp Jorn in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin – a spot that couldn’t have been more perfect for us. Jake’s family has been rooted in the area for as long as anyone can remember, so choosing this location felt like coming home. Plus, we knew that most of our guests would be traveling from out of town, so we wanted to give them more than just a one-night event. We wanted to create an unforgettable experience – a weekend that felt like a trip back to summer camp.
We were lucky enough to rent out the entire YMCA camp from Thursday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, and it was incredible. Lodging was covered for all our guests, which meant we could all settle in, relax, and really enjoy each other’s company without worrying about hotel logistics. Our vision was simple: we wanted to recreate the magic of a true summer camp, and I spent an entire year pouring my heart into every single detail to make that happen.
From the moment our guests got their invitations in the mail, we wanted them to feel like they were stepping into a nostalgic getaway. I hired the most talented graphic designer, illustrator and amazing human: Maddie Freeman of Little Miss Bummer Co. to help brand our wedding weekend. Together we brainstormed and came up with the most epic wedding invitation suite I have ever seen (I might be biased, but it was truly incredible). One of my husband’s fondest memories growing up in Manitowish Waters was taking rides on his grandpas Cessna float plane. It was important for me to incorporate this detail into our weekend, so Maddie created the most perfect wedding logo… a retro Cessna float plane that was almost identical to the one Jake’s grandpa had! You bet I slapped that logo on EVERYTHING. I’m talking the coolest custom frosted cups from For Your Party and embroidered hats. She also created incredible illustrations of our pups wearing girl scout/boy scout/Smokey the Bear hats that we were able to put on custom napkins and juice boxes by ordering from For Your Party! (seen below).
When guests arrived, we had welcome bags waiting for them in their cabins (bags were obviously also customized with our camp logo + ordered from For Your Party!). They packed with camp essentials – think bug spray, bandaids, custom coasters and bottle openers made by my FIL, a brochure with the weekend schedule, and even sweatshirts that were hand screen printed by myself using one of our custom illustrations from Little Miss Bummer that matched our invitation suite!
We kicked things off with a welcome bar crawl on Thursday night. We rented a party bus from Stargazer Limousine that ran back and forth between town and the campsite all night, making it easy (and fun) for our guests to explore local bars without worrying about transportation. To help everyone break the ice, I made a custom photo scavenger hunt using Canva. It was a total hit! Watching our friends and family run around trying to capture silly moments and complete challenges was hilarious – and it made for some pretty epic photos.
Friday was dedicated to camp games, and it did not disappoint! We started the day with an intense round of bride vs. groom kickball (brides team won, duh), which was followed by a fierce dodgeball match. The competition was real, but it was a blast. After all that action, we took a break for lunch with Neeners Weeners, who served up some seriously delicious hot dogs that fueled us for the rest of the day. Then, we gathered everyone for a big camp day group photo – a keepsake we’ll treasure forever. The afternoon continued with a canoe race around Fox Island, which was hands-down one of the most fun activities of the weekend. It was a chaotic, hilarious mess of paddles, water splashes, and friendly rivalry. Watching our guests cheer each other on from the shore was a moment I’ll never forget.
Saturday morning we held a “Cold Feet 5K” that was completely organized by my FIL + his running friends. I did not partake because I had to do bride things, but I did stop by and it was SO EPIC! They had custom race bibs, mile markers and they DIY’d the coolest race medals. About 50ish people participated! Which is way more than either one of us expected, especially when we held a bar crawl the night before!
Saturday afternoon, we exchanged vows by the lake, framed by the towering pines that made the moment feel intimate and grand all at once. We bought our flowers wholesale from Flower Moxie (highly recommend, this saved us 10’s of thousands!!!!) Then hired Hattie from Twin Blooms Floral Co. to use those flowers and create the most stunning aisle markers, ground floral arch and gorgeous centerpieces for our tables. Everything was crafted with love and purpose.
The reception was also filled with details. I hand built the bar from scratch, making it modular so that we were able to transport it from Texas to Wisconsin in a U-Haul. Here’s the video if you want to see how I did it! I painted it in the color Early Summer by BEHR, which I color matched to our invitation suite!
We bought our alcohol in bulk and hired freelance bartenders, Social Sips, who ran the bar like pros, making sure no one had to wait too long for a drink. The bar was FILLED with little goodies like these custom pennant flag straws, frosted cups with our logo, custom cocktail napkins and custom matchbooks with our “I survived Camp Rydland” logo! All ordered from For Your Party!
Goodies also included buttons I made with this cheap button maker and the custom screen printed patches from Little Miss Bummer Co.!
Other details include the Field Note inspired menus I handmade with my Cricut Maker 3 that included a lucky fish inside (duh!), my handmade seating display chart, our Wisconsin beer mirror inspired welcome sign, the checker board vinyl dance floor I bought + installed myself, the Cessna flyover, our camper photo booth rental from Northerly Photo Camper, the 100+ glass goblets I thrifted and the color candles I scoped our at an estate sale! I truly put thought and effort into every single thing (with the help of my amazing wedding planner, Deanna from Olive Branch Events Co.)
I definitely plan on doing another blog post to dive even more in depth on all my DIY’s, but in the meantime, I have a ton of videos on my Instagram detailing my wedding projects! All photos in this post are taken by Wanderlynn Photography with the exception of any film photos, which were taken using Cheecam Film!
Disclosure: Please do not copy or reproduce any photos or content from this blog post without our express permission. All images and text are original and hold sentimental value. If you wish to share or reference any part of this post, kindly reach out for authorization. Thank you for respecting our memories and creative work.
Vendors:
Venue: Camp Jorn YMCA
Planner - Olive Branch Events Co.
Custom Favors (matchbooks, frosted cups, pennant straw flags, juice boxes and cocktail napkins) - For Your Party
Photography - Wanderlynn Photography
Illustrations/Invitation Suite - Little Miss Bummer Co.
HMU - Cassy Laessig
Floral Wholesale - Flower Moxie
Freelance Floral - Twin Blooms Floral Co.
Dress - NEWHITE Bridal from Lovely Bride Dallas
Groom Suit - Suit Supply
Rentals - Velvet Rentals
Linen Rentals - BBJ LaTavola
Photobooth Rental - Northerly Photobooth
DJ/Entertainment - James Kelly from Yo DJ Entertainment
Chairs - Accentu Chairs
Cocktail Hour Charcuterie Table - Graze Farms LLC
Dog Sitter - Abbie’s Woodland Wags
Audio Guestbook - After The Tone
Reception Catering - Tip Ups
Camp Day Catering - Neeners Weeners
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
