Meet Abbey & Tyler.
Abbey and Tyler are a Stevens Point couple and we just LOVED being their wedding planner! They wisely chose to have their wedding at Stevens Point’s SentryWorld, the dream venue in town for many reasons. We’ll get into that later!
This was a fun day for Team VanArk. I (Marsha) was the wedding planner, my husband Steve was the officiant, and our daughter Olivia was my wedding planning assistant. We were only missing Ian! This was such a fun day for us to serve together. Adding on an extra layer of small town charm, Steve was the groom’s 5th grade teacher in addition to his wedding officiant. How sweet is that!!
Abbey and Tyler chose to have a first look out at the pergola. It was important for them to have some private time together before involving all their friends and family, and this time proved to be precious! They had some letters to each other that they were able to exchange. They did most of their photos ahead of time so they were freed up to be present with guests during the cocktail hour.
Abbey was also able to have a first look with her dad, and this one always gets us misty!
Photos at UWSP's Schmeeckle Reserve
The couple and wedding party jumped over to Schmeeckle Reserve, per the photographer’s suggestion, and this was such a great call! James knew that the natural beauty of Schmeeckle would be the perfect backdrop and moment to breathe for everybody, and allowed for some sweet moments of connection in the middle of a big, big day.
SentryWorld: Ceremony & Reception Wedding Venue
Cole, SentryWorld’s day-of wedding venue coordinator, was such a key to our success. He expertly helped us navigate the fabulous venue, making sure we could capitalize on all the gorgeous nooks and crannies and have a smooth and stunning wedding day at every point. He did a fabulous job. Sentry is such a dream venue for us because they have staff and support built in to weddings there, so everything is taken care of smoothly and we aren’t left scrambling to pick up the pieces. This way, I can do my job as a wedding planner and don’t also have to be the facilities manager. This simplifies my job tremendously!
The ceremony location was outside, and the perfect weather made this extra dreamy. The indoor facilities for the reception are immaculate, along with the prestine golf course, and so many gorgeous nooks for great photos.
Evolutions in Design designed this wedding and the florals, and no surprise, they executed their work brilliantly. We love their work – they have a unique ability to use florals in modern ways to create such lush, beautiful spaces for weddings. We love working with them!
Sentry has nearly infinite locations for gorgeous photography. Of course, there’s the Flower Hole, and Abbey and Tyler wanted to make sure they had sunset photos there. To make this happen, we coordinated the timing with the photographer and venue to make sure that the Flower Hole was available during that magical sunset golden hour, making sure that golfers stop and wait for the photos to happen, but we were able to work with SentryWorld’s incredible staff to line this up just right.
SentryWorld’s reception space is just gorgeous, well-staffed, and well-designed. Abbey and Tyler opted for some reception games and cocktails utilizing the tennis courts for some extra fun with their guests. Abbey also wisely chose cozy tennis shoes for the end of the evening so she could dance the night away and be comfortable the whole time!
Abbey & Tyler's Vendor Team
Abbey and Tyler hired a fabulous team of vendors, and because they hired trustworthy people who do a great job, our job as their wedding planner was made easy. It is a delight to coordinate a wedding with wedding pros like these. To be directed to each vendor’s website, click on the company name.
Venue: SentryWorld
Photography: James Stokes Photography
Flowers: Evolutions in Design
Rentals: Party Envy
Musician: Wisconsin String Quartet
All our love!
Abbey and Tyler, we just loved planning your wedding. And we are so glad to have been a part of this major milestone for you both, especially since we have known you for so long! How special! We hope your first months of marriage have been your best months together yet.
All our love,
Marsha + Team