Shantz Family Farm Wedding: E + R

Many know Shantz Family Farm for their amazing family fall fun, but this farm was the backdrop for Emily & Ryan’s rustic wedding this past weekend. You see, Emily is the eldest daughter of Angela and Kevin, the owners and operators of this wonderful property. Together with their 200 family and friends, they gathered in the wheat field, where they had laid out straw bails with home made quilts from Emily’s grandmother. I could go on forever about all the personal details of this wedding but that would take up the entire blog post. Emily, the eldest of 8 children, is the first to marry. Kevin, Emily’s Dad, told us a story during his speech of how Emily’s kindergarten teacher used to say how much Emily would talk about one day getting married on the family farm. Little did she know, that her dream would become a reality. I could not believe it when Emily told me that she purchased her dress on sale from a bridal store 8…yes 8… sizes too big. She told me how she completely had the dress redesigned to match her style better. Well Emily, you totally rocked that dress! It looked stunning on you. Ryan, you cleaned up pretty good yourself.

Once the ceremony was complete, the couple greeted their guests in the field next to the ceremony site while guests sipped on wine and snacked on some finger foods before heading over to the reception hall, Hubertushaus. I do not think they could have chosen a venue closer to the farm, it was literally across the street. While guests and family played lawn games and mingled at the venue, the happy couple, the wedding party, party wagon driver dad and I took off to explore the hundreds of acres for photos. Emily had pre planned locations she knew she wanted to hit up for photos, and she did a great job. Minus the mosquitos, that seemed to LOVE me lol.

Can we just chat about the first dances for a minute. Who knew dad had such moves. He has Emily twirling, sliding, slipping all over the dance floor, which was a first for me. However, made for some excellent photo opportunities. We finished the evening with a few sundown photos around the pond and it was a lovely day, spent with lovely people. Emily & Ryan, you are truly blessed with the most wonderful family and friends. I wish you many many years of happiness together.