I'll Keep Her Safe. I'll Keep Her Wild. | A Wedding at Red Sands Beach | Wisconsin Rapids

Mar 18

The morning started at Cobblestone Hotel & Suites in Wisconsin Rapids, where the two of them got ready surrounded by the people they love. Before joining their guests, Lindsay and Erin slipped outside the hotel for a private vow exchange — just the two of them, quiet and unhurried, saying the words that mattered most before the celebration began. It was intimate and tender and exactly the right way to start a wedding day.

Erin's suit had her late father's initials embroidered on it. A quiet, permanent, deeply loving nod to someone who couldn't be there in person but was absolutely present in every other way. I photographed that detail carefully because it deserved to be seen and remembered.

And then there were the sneakers. The bottoms of Lindsay and Erin's shoes — the part nobody sees unless you're looking for it, unless you're in on it — were painted in a rainbow. One pair read I'll keep her safe. The other read I'll keep her wild.

From there, we made our way to Red Sands Beach Pavilion at Lake Wazeecha in Wood County — and if you haven't been, the name tells the truth. The sands really are red, which gives the whole place this warm, distinctive quality that makes it unlike anywhere else. The pavilion sits right on the lake, open and airy, with the water stretching out in front of you and a stillness to the whole setting that felt made for a ceremony.

The ceremony was intimate and full — family and friends close, the kind of gathering where you know everyone in the room and the love is right on the surface. After the vows, we wandered around the lake for couples portraits, the red sand and the water and the late afternoon light all conspiring to make every frame feel easy and beautiful.

We returned to the pavilion to find dinner waiting, lawn games set up, and everyone ready to celebrate. The evening wound down the way the best ones do — unhurried, full of laughter, a dance party that nobody was in a rush to end.

Getting Ready: Cobblestone Hotel & Suites | Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin | Ceremony & Reception: Red Sands Beach Pavilion | Lake Wazeecha, Wisconsin