Romantic Backyard Indiana Wedding, Kim Thiel Photography

Ryan & Sara

You might be wondering where all the wedding goodness is around here. While we are sharing a bit today with Ryan & Sara’s romantic backyard Indiana Wedding – our spring and early summer season is light this year. But don’t let that deceive you, we’re gearing up for some busy weekends ahead. With a lopsided season this year, we have been able to spend more time focusing on our clients and the experiences they have during the best days ever! So get ready to read some behind the scenes accounts from our favorite lovebirds starting with Ryan & Sara…

What did you envision your wedding being prior to planning? I (Sara) grew up on Lake James. My grandparents lived there so I spent every summer growing up out on the lake, and when my folks moved there when I was in 6th grade the lake further cemented its place in my heart. Even though I moved away to college and later three other states, the lake was always home. It was the place that centered and calmed me, I always looked forward to time spent there. So, when Ryan proposed I knew I wanted to get married in my favorite location; yet, I didn’t think it would be possible due to the small lot sizes. However, my Dad surprised me and asked our neighbors if they’d be willing to let us use their cabin property and they happily agreed.

I loved that Ryan and I were able to celebrate and bring our friends and family to the place that not only was home for me but was quickly becoming home for Ryan. Since we’re both big outdoors people and intentionally spend a lot of time outside, having an outside wedding was a huge must for us. Since a lot of our friends and family from out of town have heard so much about Lake James, we wanted the lake to be the focus and didn’t want decorations/flowers/whatnot to take away from the natural beauty. So, that was why we incorporated simple lake elements into our day–as a way for people to see how much the lake has impacted our lives. Hence the water skis for seating placements, the canoe, the adirondack chairs, and, of course, the old classic wooden boat.

The old wooden boat was a surprise for all, hatched by my dad. Slightly cheesy but it just seemed to fit not only my own story but OUR day. It was equally important to us that all of our guests get a feel for the lake and a feel for this small part of Indiana. We had people coming from all over the USA to this small po’dunk town and wanted to show them “there’s more than corn in Indiana.” The wine and beer were from local wineries and breweries literally right down the road. The cake was made by a local lady who just started making cakes as a hobby. Included in the flowers were peonies, my favorite, and Indiana’s state flower. Lake James is known for their fireworks show every Fourth and I had introduced Ryan to the fun the previous year. When a family friend offered to do fireworks at the end we knew we had to. While we could have outsourced more or gotten things from the bigger city nearby, we’re so glad we didn’t and chose to show people the local vibe. If only we could’ve included Tom’s Donuts…

Kim-Thiel-Photography-Indiana-Wedding-Photographer-01, Romantic Backyard Indiana Wedding