Katie and Patrick got married at Sugarland Barn on August 8th, and the place fit them almost too well. There’s a huge oak tree over the lawn and an 1850s colonial revival farmhouse behind it, old beams and all, and the whole property reads a little more like a Southern plantation than a Midwest barn — which is a strange, wonderful thing to stumble onto in the Wyoming Valley. Whether that was Katie’s own eye for a Southern-leaning palette rubbing off on the day, or just what this particular property does on its own, the two lined up perfectly.

Katie and Patrick are high school sweethearts, and it shows — they’re genuinely warm, easy to laugh, the kind of couple you like more the longer you’re around them. Both of them love the outdoors and the north woods, so a barn wedding was never really a question. They found us through our website, and told us it was our photos that sealed it — they wanted a day that felt fun and memorable for their friends and family, and figured we’d know how to catch it while it was happening.

The bridal party got ready in that same farmhouse, with its old beams and genuine history doing a lot of the work before a single photo was taken. Later, the reception spilled out in front of the house’s white exterior, with Katie’s florals — succulents, berries, and spiky purple thistles — playing right into that vintage, romantic feel. Sugarland’s vintage cars were parked out on the property, and it wasn’t long before nieces and nephews were running loops around them. The barn itself was styled down to the last detail, and it showed in every frame.

Mostly, though, the day was just fun, start to finish. By the time the dancing got going, Katie ended up hoisted into the air on a chair, Patrick right behind her lifted overhead by the crowd — the kind of moment that happens when a room full of people who love you stops holding back.

At the end of the night we walked out into a field of Queen Anne’s lace, all white and lace-thin against the last of the light. The first wedding we shot at Sugarland, one year earlier and six days apart on the calendar, ended with a walk through head-high purple coneflowers instead — about as opposite as two fields can be. It’s the thing we tell couples about this property now: what’s blooming out there is different every single season, and it’s worth asking a couple of weeks out.

We’d already spent a day with Katie and Patrick once before, out exploring the hills and the Mississippi River bluffs for their La Crosse engagement session, so by the time their wedding day came around, it felt less like working with clients and more like catching up with old friends.

Congratulations, Katie and Patrick. Thank you for trusting us with a day this good.

Thinking about getting married here? We wrote up everything we’ve learned shooting this property in our Sugarland Barn venue guide.