A Rustic Fall Wedding at the Buck Trails Archery Club in St. Francis, Wisconsin

Jessica Ciatti (25 and an educator) and Joseph Lewandowski (24 and a sales supervisor) met during college while living in the same dorm. They started chatting on move-in day and something just clicked, not long after Joseph asked for Jessica’s number and after just one date the two became inseparable. After years of dating, Joseph surprised Jessica with a proposal at her aunt and uncle’s home. For their wedding, the couple wanted the day to reflect their love of the outdoors. While a barn seemed like the perfect place to host the affair, the wedding’s November date meant that many of the area’s barns were closed for the season. After some searching, they finally settled on the Buck Trails Archery Club in St. Francis, WI. “We looked at a lot of locations, but they either couldn't accommodate all of our guests or were too far out of our budget,” says Jessica. “We chose the Archery Club after Joe's mom recommended it to us. It was even better because the club was started by Joe's Grandfather, Mom, and Uncle!” Once the venue was squared away, the couple started working on the details that would bring their vision to life. An earthy gray and green color palette was chosen for the day to capture the natural vibe of the outdoors. “When people first asked me about the theme for the wedding, I would always say ‘pinecones.’ It sounds odd, but they are one of my favorite natural elements,” says Jessica. “It was included in our invitations, flowers and our reception decorations.” The couple enlisted the help of a close family friend to do all of the bouquets, boutonnieres and terrarium centerpieces for the day. “I was actually able to come out to her farm to pick out special natural elements from the property to incorporate into each arrangement,” says Jessica. To highlight the wedding’s locale, the couple served up locally made wines and beer during cocktail hour. Making guests feel special was important to Jessica and Joseph, so they chose to incorporate elements like handmade Wisconsin-inspired glasses for their guests to take home and surprising Jessica’s grandmother and cousin with birthday cakes and a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday, since the wedding fell on both of their birthdays.