Callie & Austin’s had a late summer wedding at Woodlands Receptions and Rentals in Piedmont, South Dakota! I’ve known Callie since grade school, and Austin since high school – so naturally when I was asked to shoot their wedding I was 1000% SO excited to drive back to South Dakota to share in the magic of their wedding day.
It also happened to be a bonus that my father still lives in Spearfish, SD. The perfect excuse to make the 6 hour trip to hang out with family and help Callie & Austin document their wedding day!!
Woodlands Receptions and Rentals is a beautiful venue located just outside of Piedmont, South Dakota. Pine trees surround the large space and make the perfect backdrop for a wedding ceremony, first look, and even formal family portraits.
The event hall is 3,600 sq. ft and the lighting is phenomenal as the ceiling is lined with white drapery, gorgeous chandeliers, and plenty of lighting! This would be the perfect place for a winter wedding with it’s massive stone fireplace and close proximity to the highway. So if you like snow and plan to get married here in the winter – please invite me!
Back to the wedding day, I started the day by seeing what the groomsmen were up to! Austin was helping his son put on his bowtie.
Bridal Details
Let’s be real, the getting ready part of the day of one of my favorites. I always tell my brides they will want these photos – it really helps set the tone for your photo gallery and tell the entire story of your wedding day.
Check out my other galleries here to see my favorite getting ready photos!
These ladies were KILLING IT! 10/10 would pop champagne with these lovely women any day of the week.
Callie’s mom was there to help her get dressed, and it was such a beautiful moment. She helped to button her dress, put on her necklace, and get ready for the first look.



First Look
Austin waited patiently (mostly) by a tree while his bride came out to greet him. I asked if they wanted to hold hands before they turned around and the result was perfection. I highly recommend that couples do a first look before their ceremony. It allows a little ‘just yourselves’ time, before you officially tie the knot.
In addition, it can make the flow of your day easier as that allows us to make time to do formal portraits BEFORE the ceremony. Which means no frantically chasing after your 5 year old nephew or wild Grandpa so you can get the formal photos out of the way.
I’m happy to say we were AHEAD of schedule at this wedding. It’s always my goal to help my brides stay on time to reduce stress.



Ceremony at Woodlands Receptions & Rentals
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What an adorable outdoor space for a ceremony – am I right?! The wooden door and arbor were a very nice touch.
Callie & Austin decided to plant a tree to symbolize the joining of their new family, talk about the cutest tradition ever.
The love that radiated throughout this ceremony was everlasting. Every photo I took – I had a giant smile on my face. Their family and friends all came together in order to make this day happen and you could feel the warmth, happiness and love wherever you went.





Time to celebrate!
If you were wondering about getting a party bus for your wedding – the answer is yes, yes you should get a party bus. There should be no debate.





The Venue
Woodlands receptions and rentals is so far my favorite wedding venue I’ve shot at in South Dakota to this day. The stone fireplace, and space for giant jenga was definitely a plus in my book. Make sure to ask your photographer to get a photo in front of the venue at night!














Planning Your Own Mountain Wedding?
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What a great ceremony setup! Lovely outdoor wedding!
What a fun wedding!You did such a great job capturing their wedding! Love it!
This looks like such a fun wedding, I love all of their ceremony details!
beautifully captured!! what an amazing thing to be able to capture such a special day for an old friend <3
What a gorgeous wedding! SOuth Dakota is stunningly beautiful and you captured it so majestically! And that fireplace!
What a gorgeous wedding! You captured this perfectly!!
Love their hexagon arch, so fun!
I aBsolutely love thEir ceremony details and those night shoTs! So beautiful!
THIS LOOKS LIKE SUCH A FUN DAY!! LOVE THE DECOR!