Emillie & Jonathan’s Vintage Winter Wedding at The Lageret

We have a thing for The Lageret. Fur stoles, jewel tones, a wine-blending ceremony inside a historic brick warehouse? As a Lageret wedding photographer, we’ve shot this venue in every season and every configuration. Then Emillie and Jonathan walked in with a vision that felt like old Hollywood got lost on a back road in Wisconsin, and suddenly every corner looked brand new to us. Their day was rich in texture, warm in light, and full of the kind of energy that pulls an entire room forward in their seats.

Getting Ready at The Lageret

Emillie’s bridesmaids were already buzzing when we arrived, gathered in matching burgundy robes beneath a rustic wooden rack lined with dresses in velvet, satin, and gold. That palette alone told us this gallery was going to have range. Across the venue, Jonathan pulled his son in close for a bear hug and a big grin. Quiet, easy, completely unposed. Those are the frames we come back to when we’re culling at midnight.

Soft window light flooded the white brick wall where Emillie’s mom helped her into her lace gown. We barely had to adjust anything. The light just gave and gave. Then came the first look with her son, who broke into a full sprint and landed right in her arms. Honestly, that moment is one of our favorites from the entire gallery. Real, unhurried, just the right amount of happy tears. We pulled in close for that one because you don’t get a second take on something like it.

A First Look Under Draped Ceilings

The Lageret’s main hall is something else. Exposed brick stretching up to dark timber beams, billowing white drapes softening every industrial edge. Jonathan stood at the front while Emillie walked toward him in her fur wrap, and we shot wide to let that architecture do the talking. His face when he turned around said everything we needed. They stood together in the moody, low light, laughing and holding hands before a single guest had taken a seat. These two were completely relaxed, and honestly, that is when we do our best work.

The Ceremony and a Wine-Blending Ritual

The hall filled up fast. Beneath those timber trusses and flowing drapery, Emillie and Jonathan stood together and did something we hadn’t seen before: a wine-blending ritual. Each of them poured a different wine into a shared glass. Two lives becoming one, right there in the room. Personal, a little unexpected, and all the more meaningful for it. That kind of detail tells you a lot about a couple.

After the vows, the room erupted. Cheers, hugs, big applause echoing off old brick walls. From there, we headed out into the cold Stoughton air for portraits, and nobody complained once about the temperature.

Portraits by the Trains

One of our favorite things about shooting at The Lageret is what sits just steps from the door. An industrial rail yard with weathered metal, gritty textures, and graffiti-tagged boxcars that contrast beautifully with a lace gown and a fur stole. The wedding party brought serious energy, climbing on train cars and cheering through the cold. Emillie and Jonathan leaned into each other beside the tracks while snow dusted the ground around them. A lace dress against rusted steel in winter light? That’s a photographer’s dream, and we leaned all the way into it.

The bouquet deserves its own mention. Peonies, anemones, roses, and sprigs of lavender in blush, burgundy, and white. Lush, layered, and perfectly suited for a vintage winter celebration. If you’re searching for a Lageret wedding photographer who lives for these kinds of rich, textured details, this gallery is a good preview of how we see a wedding day.

Reception Under String Lights

Back inside, The Lageret shifted into something warmer and more intimate. String lights crisscrossed the ceiling above dark wood farm tables. Blush napkins, eucalyptus arrangements, and hand-lettered place cards on agate stones filled each setting. A chalkboard sign with the couple’s names welcomed guests, and a hand-drawn bar menu on kraft paper added exactly the kind of personal touch we love to document. If you’re planning a winter wedding and want a space that feels both grand and personal, this venue delivers on both.

The cake sat against the venue’s original brick wall with trailing greenery and globe lights overhead. Two tiers, gold leaf, white florals. Emillie and Jonathan cut it together, then kissed beside it while their guests looked on. Their first dance capped the night, slow and close, with a marquee letter glowing warmly behind them. That shift from a polished ceremony to string-lit slow dancing is something we live for. It’s where a wedding stops performing and just becomes itself.