Lake Geneva Wedding Photography at The Abbey Resort

Remember that blog post I made about what to wear for winter engagement sessions? That all gets tossed out the window when you’re a bride, it’s your wedding day, and you’re getting married in the winter. Of course, you can opt for sleeves, a balero, a faux fur wrap or this stunning cape from Jenny Yoo; but at the end of the day most people aren’t going to wear winter jackets for their wedding portraits. People in suits have it easy, but if you’re in lace and tulle, chances are you’re just going to have to think warm thoughts while your photographer works as quickly as they can to get all of your portraits done before you lose feeling in your fingers. Insert: Allie and Andrew’s December Lake Geneva wedding at The Abbey Resort.

It was a cold one.

I was honestly hoping we’d have snow for this day from the moment Allie inquired with me, but I have shot many winter weddings so I know its either hard hit or hard miss. I hate the cold, but snow always makes you forget how cold it is because you’re focusing on how pretty it is. We didn’t get any snow, BUT all of our outdoor portraits were still a vibe as the grass wasn’t completely dead and we had the resort’s boat dock to make for a nice background during sunset. This day was so much fun to be apart of from start to finish, and Allie and Andrew’s wedding portraits were some of my favorite moments from the day. You cannot tell for one minute it was 28 degrees, outside of their cute lil rosy cheeks.

Allie got ready with her sisters and mom, and had the sweetest first look with her bridesmaids. The couple opted not to do a first look before their wedding, which can sometimes be stressful in the winter due to sunlight availability for portraits, but it ended up being a perfect day with more than enough time to shoot all of their wedding party photos and portraits outside. Allie’s dress sparkled all day and I freaking loved getting to photograph her in it.

“Working with Arielle was a dream come true.”

Following portraits, they had some downtime to warm-up and chill before family formals and cocktail hour, which also gave me and my assistant time to warm-up our hands and get to just gawk at how beautiful their reception florals and cocktail hour details were. The entire room smelled like balsam and that is one of my frickin favorite candle scents. Their reception was made even better by having the Lakeshore Encores there to provide the music and vibes. They also had a cotton candy station for their late night treat 😍

I photographed Allie’s sister’s wedding in 2020, so it was an absolute joy to be around her family for another wedding day. Shooting sibling weddings is so much fun, and its so flattering having family members coming up to you throughout the day to either praise your past work or tell you how great it is to have you directing wedding party and family photos so efficiently. 🥹

Scroll to see some of my favorites from their day.