Reyna & Tyler's Danzinger Vineyards Wedding

The day starts in a white plank-walled room with an arched mirror, where Reyna's ball gown hangs on its own and then spreads across the floor as she holds up the long train. The gown has a scoop neckline, narrow straps and a full skirt, and her veil is long. Tyler wore a tan suit with a light blue tie and a small boutonniere, and his groomsmen wore light blue suits.

Before the ceremony, the two of them stand in a covered alcove with shingled walls and an arched opening and read letters to each other. In one frame Reyna reads from a page while Tyler wipes his eye, and in another Tyler laughs as he opens an envelope. In a third, Reyna's veil blows out as the two of them face each other.

The ceremony took place on an open deck with white folding chairs, a tall wooden cross and a view over wooded hills. Reyna's father walks her down the aisle, and after the vows she and Tyler come back up it with their arms raised and her bouquet held high.

The wedding party wears soft colors. The bridesmaids are in pale yellow and carry bouquets of pink, peach, blue and white blooms, which Reyna also holds up around her face in a frame made of flowers. The last portraits are at sunset in the vine rows, with Reyna's veil catching the light, and the reception frames show a long head table in a hall of tall arched windows and a lift on the floor.

These are the features you can see in the 24 photographs.

• The getting-ready room: the gown on its hanger, the train held up, and the arched mirror.
• A covered alcove with shingled walls and an arched opening: the letters and the first moments facing each other.
• An open ceremony deck: rows of white folding chairs, a wooden cross and wooded hills beyond, shown empty and with the aisle in use.
• The doorway at the end of the aisle: Reyna and her father arm in arm before they walk out.
• Mown grass and vine rows: the wedding party walking together, the bridesmaids with their bouquets, the groom toss and the sunset portraits.
• The reception hall: a long head table in front of tall arched windows under a chandelier.

Danzinger Vineyards is at S2015 Grapeview Lane, Alma, WI 54610. The winery's own site says it is perched atop the Alma Bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, and describes an estate winery with 18 acres of 12 varietals, everything grown and produced on site. The winery's phone number is (608) 685-6000. The wedding venue is The Overlook at Danzinger Vineyards, which the venue's site says opened in June 2024. Its FAQ page states:

• Capacity is 299 guests, or 225 with round tables.
• Weddings run from the first Friday in May to the last Saturday in October, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with one event per day.
• Tours are by appointment, and the wedding email is TheOverlookDV@gmail.com.
• Music ends by 10:30 pm under the Alma noise ordinance.
• The venue has a full liquor license and provides all alcohol.

Eight hours is the length of our Pearl collection, which is $4,200 and includes two photographers. It covers a day that moves from getting ready to a ceremony, portraits and the reception, and it helps to decide early which of those you most want in the gallery. Look up the sunset time for your date and plan the vineyard portraits around it, since the best light on the rows is short, and remember that music at this venue ends by 10:30 pm.

A second photographer matters on a day like this one. One person can stay with the couple while the other photographs the wedding party, the deck and the details, which is how a letter exchange, a recessional and a groom toss all fit into the same hours.

Alma is beyond the 40 miles of travel included from downtown Minneapolis, so travel is billed at cost with no markup and quoted before you book. Our wedding collections run from 4 to 12 hours, starting at $3,100 for the 4-hour Emerald collection. Send your date and venue through the contact page and we will put together a quote.