As Dana and Pat planned their wedding, there were several things that were very important to them. One was having a ceremony and reception on the lake. Another was having a fun, live band to play during the reception.
Both of those elements made their wedding day remarkably fabulous–and certainly more expressive to their individual style than a cookie-cutter approach would have allowed.
With the reception taking place at the Elk’s Lodge, which sits right on Lake Monona and only blocks from downtown, Dana and Pat wanted to arrive to their party by pontoon boat. To make the trip, it made perfect sense to also have a wedding ceremony right on the lake.
As any bride and groom looking for outdoor wedding locations in Madison knows, the city parks fill fast. Such was the case for Dana and Pat. Their first choice had been Olin Park, located on the other end of downtown, also on Lake Monona. With it already being booked, they started looking for other options. The perfect solution came when Pat’s father offered to host the ceremony in his backyard. His home, in the city of Monona, sits on the other side of Lake Monona from downtown. This was a gorgeous location that offered access to the water for the boats and had the added bonus of being personal to the family.
You can see more of their wedding on the blog: a behind-the-sccenes peek and about their 1,000 origami cranes.
Having a great party is probably every wedding couple’s goal. And the dance at the reception is a large part of that party. There is an level of energy that a live band can create at a wedding reception that a DJ is just not able to produce. At Dana and Pat’s wedding, the local cover band Blue Light Scene was amazing! They sounded great, covered a wide array of music and kept the crowd on the dance floor.
It was a fun day and I’m sure it was memorable for all the guests, from the beginning to the end!