Some weddings you say yes to before you’ve even thought it through. Zach reached out, we got on a video call with him and Kar-Kate, and within the first few minutes he and I were trading stories about growing up at Wisconsin camps. That was enough.
Kar-Kate and Zach got ready at Silver Birch Ranch, but the wedding itself took place ten miles away at Northwoods Retreat, a sister property along the Wolf River, owned and run by Silver Birch Ranch. The river ran right behind the ceremony site, and it gave the whole day a backdrop that felt remote and unbothered, the kind of setting you can’t fake with decor. White Lake sits about two hours north of Green Bay, deep in the Nicolet National Forest. Northwoods Retreat isn’t a typical wedding venue. It’s a private retreat center, and Kar-Kate and Zach were able to get married there because of Zach’s connection to the camp. It’s the kind of place that only opens its doors for a wedding like this when it really means something to the people getting married, and that set the tone for the whole day.
I shot this one solo. We rarely do that. Usually Kelly and I are both there, and when we’re not, it’s typically a small micro wedding. This was bigger than that. But some weddings you make an exception for, and this was one of them.
After the initial call, I mentioned to my dad that Zach’s dad was connected to the Wisconsin camp world. Turns out, about twenty years ago, my dad and Zach’s dad road-tripped together to Texas for a camping conference. They’ve been friends ever since. The camp community in Wisconsin is genuinely that small and that tight-knit, and there’s something about discovering that kind of overlap that makes a wedding feel less like a job and more like a reunion.
The day itself moved the way the best camp weddings do: unhurried, warm, full of people who were genuinely glad to be there together. Kar-Kate and Zach matched that energy all day. Gracious, warm, present, the kind of people who seem to understand that the point of the day is the people in it.
One moment I hadn’t seen before: a tea ceremony during the wedding. Kar-Kate’s family brought the tradition with them, and watching her and Zach share tea with parents and grandparents, then receive their blessings, was one of the most quietly meaningful things I’ve photographed. No one explained it for the camera. People just leaned in, and you could see what it meant on their faces. It made for some of my favorite frames of the day.
I’ve said it before about camp weddings, but this one was different in the way that the best ones are. It could only have happened at this camp, with these people. I’m proud of the work I did here, and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.
Here’s a look at the full day at Northwoods Retreat — Kar-Kate and Zach’s camp wedding on the Wolf River in White Lake, Wisconsin.
If you’re dreaming about a camp wedding in Wisconsin, we’d love to hear from you. You can also browse our full guide to Wisconsin camp wedding venues, and if you’re thinking about renting a private camp for your wedding weekend, take a look at our guide to renting a summer camp for your wedding.
