15 Picture Perfect Places for Winter Wedding Photos In Southern Wisconsin
The average cost for a wedding was $28,000 in 2021 according to Knot.com up from $18,000 in 2019. Renting out a barn or other venue? Catering? Floral arrangements, stationery/invitations, and hiring a professional photographer all add up. Sometimes, the best weddings, constrained by budget and logistics are the most creative and memorable.
(Pictured above is the Janesville Pedestrian Bridge courtesy of Janesville CVB)
Southern Wisconsin is lake country, it's forested, it's farm country with bit of city living too. All these outdoor locations make for fairytale settings and dramatic photography in the winter.
It is just a matter of choosing how you want that moment captured. No matter where you plan to hold your special day a beautiful setting is close by. And, Southern Wisconsin's lakes are beautiful any time of year or day.
Photography Basics
Any professional photographer knows great wedding photographs are composed and not just edited and cropped in Photoshop. .If you follow these simple professional tricks you too can create memorable wedding photos as well. Popular Instagram posters know photos with dramatic lighting garner the most likes and re-posts. Choosing the time of day you shoot your photos greatly impacts dramatic illumination and deep shadows which contribute to an image's mass appeal.
The "Golden Hour," or the moment in the day an hour or so before sunset or after sunrise is a trick photographers often use to create photos with the greatest impact. Dusk or dawn are great for creating that dramatic lighting and those beautiful long shadows
Composition is another variable photographers consider for making photographic memories. Put another way, think asymmetry. Never put the bride/groom dead center
in middle of the photograph. Choose to place the couple to the left side of the frame. Also part of composition 101, think in terms of diagonals, don't shoot your subjects directly from the front.
The last aesthetic detail for a great wedding photo, ancillary to composition, takes some practice. Look at your backdrop in terms of pattern or textures, and shape or scale. Is the bride's dress elaborate or more subdued? One trick photographers use is simply visual contrast. If the bride's dress has a lot of ruffles or folds finding a simple backdrop will really allow the subject to pop out. Conversely, if the dress is more simple choose a more patterned background such as flowering bushes like lilacs or hydrangeas.
OUR PICKS
In no particular order or ranking here are some of Southern Wisconsin's best
locations for a wedding photo shoot.
Indian Lake County Park
8313 WI HWY 19, Cross Plains, WI
This idyllic, hilly setting feels more like a movie set in the rolling countryside of Ireland, and not a county park in Cross Plains. The trip to the park itself along HWY 19 is a meandering countryside at the foot of wooded hills. Choose from several picturesque settings this destination is actually two parks: Indian Lake County Park and Halfway Prairie Wildlife Area separated by HWY 19. Indian Lake County Park is the 2nd largest park in Dane County so visit the site before you commit to a photo shoot. If you are motivated to have one of the prettiest settings in Southern Wisconsin for wedding pix taking the path to the top in flats or hiking shoes is recommended for the Saint Mary of the Oaks Chapel which overlooks Indian Lake and the verdant hills. Matz Farm Ruins across the street from Indian Lake County Park provides equally photogenic opportunities. Use the abandoned stone farm buildings as a backdrop. Face southwest to take in the panoramic view of Indian Lake across the street.
Phone:
(608) 224-3730
The Howe - Beckman Mill
11600 So. County Rd. H, Newark
Built in 1868, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places the Beckman Mill is a stunning backdrop for any wedding photo session. But the site provides many more opportunities for great photography as it resides in a 50 acre park of wetlands, woods and garden featuring a covered bridge and dam. With so many ideal places to take great photos there often many wedding parties wandering the grounds looking for the perfect place to take a memorable photo.
Phone:
(608)-751-1551
Wisconsin State Capital
2 W. Main Street, Madison
Considered to be one of the most beautiful, state capitol buildings in America and it's right in your backyard. The iconic domed building is situated on a densely wooded square. It's footprint is a plus/cross shape making each entrance similar but offering different backdrops and lighting options. The steps that descend from MLK street entrance are very popular with area wedding photographers. But there also several elevation changes and classical architectural details that are aptly suitable as well.
Phone: (608) 266 - 0382
Leonard Leota Park
5 Antes Drive, Evansville
Another great park in our area listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), this green space mostly created by the WPA program is a backdrop wonderland. Walk around
the park before settling on one location. There are so many settings to choose. There is an old stone bell tower, the large dam on the western edge of the park. There is a covered bridge, lagoon, fairy tail looking stone moats a stone arch bridge as well as a gazebo. And if that is not enough for options there is always Lake Leota as a great backup backdrop.
Phone: (608) 882 -2266
Monona Terrace Rooftop
One John Nolen Drive, Madison
Overlooking Lake Monona, Madison's second most ionic building offers choice backdrops for any future bride and groom. The view from the Monona Terrace rooftop facing south overlooks the wide blue expanse of Lake Monona, while the northern side features a fountain and the looming domed presence of the Wisconsin's state capitol. And true to Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect of Monona Terrace, the building has an amazing exterior aesthetic of curvilinear forms and off white massing great for pattern, scale or shape backdrops.
Phone: (608) 261 - 4000
The Clarence Covered Bridge
County E and Golf Course Road NW of Brodhead
There is a certain nostalgia and romanticism about covered bridges. Only 10 covered bridges remain standing in the state of the Wisconsin. Fortunately, for Southern Wisconsin The Clarence Covered Bridge, over Norwegian Creek in Brodhead is of two bridges in our area. The original was built in the mid-1800s and burned down. In 1984, a replica was reconstructed on the very same site as the original. near New Glarus,. Every August, the community of Brodhead holds Covered Bridge Days, a festival to honor the architectural gem and this great historic town.
Lincoln -Tallman House
440 N. Jackson St., Janesville
This elegant Italianate mansion constructed in 1858 for the Tallman family offers stately grounds and elegant architectural backdrops for couples seeking traditional but memorable wedding photo album keepsakes. The property owned by the Rock County Historical Society also offers renting options if you are looking for those vintage
Victorian era interior backdrops.
Phone: (608) 756-4509 ext. 305
Lower Yahara River Trail
Even if you're not taking photos a visit to the "longest inland boardwalk bridge constructed solely for non-motorized transportation in North America" is well-worth a visit. This unusual setting is an ideal sunset backdrop, facing south overlooking Lake Waubesa and if you're fortunate maybe even a passing Sandhill crane, or Great Blue Heron. Just be courteous to the numerous bicyclists that stream through. More than likely the cyclists will yield to a bride and groom dressed up for the their big day. .
The Pedestrian Bridge
Downtown Janesville
Construction completed in 2019-2020 this jewel of downtown Janesville's new Riverwalk is a great place wedding pictures especially at sunset with bridge is lit up with LEDs. Visit the riverwalk's pavilion for a great view of the light show and stage dramatic photos.
Governor Nelson State Park Beach
This often overlooked state park is close to Madison, situated on Lake Mendota's northern shore. The beach and parking lot for humans (not dogs) is at the terminus of the park's main access drive. Excluding possibly Geneva Lake, the beach at Governor Nelson State Park is the largest beach in Southern Wisconsin comparable to even some of those found on our nearest Great Lake. There are so many photo shoot options here. The beach faces south but there is also the potential for southwestern shots as well. Start simple a barefoot bride and groom carrying their dress shoes. There are also restroom and shelter facilities nearby.
Please check the Wisconsin DNR website for update information regarding water quality issues.
Phone: (608) 831 3005
Cooksville
State Road 59 and Hwy 138, Cooksville
Yes, we are recommending an entire town. And why not, Cooksville is the quaint, picturesque, post card perfect New England town that's located in the heart of Lakes Edition country. From the General Store, to the bed and breakfast farmstead, to the old schoolhouse overlooking the Commons, and the numerous federal style homes from the 1840s - 1850s there are far too many shot locations to focus on just one site. Consider a car trip to Cooksville a week in advance to scout out a few potential locations. The town is quite small so a five minute drive around should get you quickly oriented.
The Rotary Gardens
This 20 acre park offers several unique settings such as the annual garden, rose garden and the always popular Japanese garden. A very popular destination for wedding photographers so much so the Rotary Gardens require that you fill out a form before visiting. As stated on the form " a permit is necessary only for those who wish to use the Gardens’as the background for posed photography."
Phone: (608)-752-3885
The Risum Round Barn
3 S. Risum Road, Brodhead
Built between 1890-1892 the Risum Round Barn near Orfordville was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1979. This barn likes its' neighbor the Gimpler Round Barn. The Luther Valley Historical Society held an open house of these privately owned barns in 2019. That organization might be the best place to start in order to get permission to use the barns as a background.
Stoughton Opera House
Opened on February 22, 1901 as City Auditorium the Stoughton Opera House is a handsome brick structure in the heart of downtown Stoughton. If you are looking for an urban feel with a bit of history thrown in this building is a great backdrop for wedding photos. There are also tours offered. Call ahead if you are interested in doing a photo shoot inside the theater.
Phone: (608) 877-4400
Magnolia Bluff
4002 North Croak Road, Evansville
At only 187 feet Magnolia Bluff is the highest point in Rock County. But don't worry about scaling this hill in your high heels Rock County Parks placed a convenient parking lot at the very top. The park designated as a Wisconsin State Natural Area (SNA). Magnolia Bluff County Park's has diverse setting of native Wisconsin landscape, significant geological formations and archaeological sites and makes for some optimum photographic settings.
Head west from the bluff top parking lot for the best views of the beautiful sandstone outcroppings and panoramic vistas across the farmland below. Great "Golden Hour" shoots at this location. Please use caution on the narrow trails around the rock formations.
Phone: (608) 757-5451
