Morgan and Sam got married in a place where people usually go to drink beer, bowl and hear live music. Butch and Anne’s in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin is a dive bar with a vintage bowling alley tucked inside. The wedding photographer bride and musician groom first met while working the same wedding. Having both worked in the industry for years, they already knew exactly what they didn’t want.

“We picked the venue because we got drunk one night with the owners and they had just built a stage and event space in the dive bar that we loved so much,” Morgan says. “It felt like it was meant to be. Everything else fell into place so easily after that. We had a small budget we wanted to stick to, so we made unique, fun decisions that aligned with that.” The result was what they describe as a honky tonk disco party.

The day began with Morgan and Sam getting ready together alongside their friends. At 4pm they stepped outside for private vows at the lake. The party started an hour later. Guests arrived and joined the couple for drinks and music. People ate when they felt like it and enjoyed bowling, drinking and catching up. At around 8pm, Morgan and Sam gathered everyone near the stage where they had an informal ceremony, led by a friend.

“It was such a fun vibe,” Morgan said. “We walked to the stage together hand in hand, no music was playing but all of our people were yelling and cheering! Our private vows earlier in the day were so sweet and meaningful so the ceremony vows were fun and poetic.”

One of their favourite décor elements was the flowers, gifted by their friend Joey of Remington’s Flowers. “We saved money on flowers because Joey is an absolute queen and icon in the flower game and one of my good friends. I asked Joey to make my bouquet only and she showed up with gorgeous flowers for the whole space including the ceremony setup. Best flowers of my life.”

After the ceremony, the night turned into a full live show. Sam performed with his band while friends bowled and danced some more. Partway through the night. Morgan changed into a second outfit – a custom honky tonk party dress designed as a nod to the bowling alley setting.

“My second outfit change iconic”, she continued. “The live band and the photo booth were a super fun touch to keep the party going and very specific to us (as I am a photographer). We had a Bolo Tie wall where all our guests could pick their own bolo ties to wear. Our nickname is ‘The Bolos’ which stems from Sam’s music nickname ‘Sammy Bolo’ so the honky tonk theme went hand in hand with ‘The Bolos’ getting married and everyone wearing one as favours.”

The couple planned the day with a small budget and made decisions that felt fun rather than formal. They didn’t want a rigid structure or schedule. “Honestly I wouldn’t change a thing”, Morgan concluded. “It was perfectly us and we didn’t need a lot of money to throw a good fucking party.”