Brooke + Matt

Low-key and Local

or Brooke Rawlins and Matt Sampson, choosing to host their September 2021 wedding in Door County was a natural and easy choice.

“Stand on any beach, at any overlook, on the top of any bluff, or in the middle of any field and look around,” Rawlins said.

In addition to the surrounding beauty, choosing to say “I do” in Door County was a way for the couple to weave in elements of their ties to the area, both individually and as a couple.

“My paternal grandfather and grandmother took my dad and his two brothers to Door County as children,” Rawlins said. “My dad remembers driving north on 42, down the hill and descending onto Main Street in Fish Creek as a young boy.”

Fast forward to today, and a house on that very road is now Sister Golden, the retail store Rawlins owns with her mom.

During the years between, Rawlins’ father introduced her mother to the area, and later Rawlins introduced Sampson to the peninsula. In 2016, Rawlins and Sampson decided to call Door County home and lived above Sister Golden for the first few years before buying a home in Baileys Harbor. As a part of the community, one nonnegotiable for the couple's wedding was working with as many local vendors as they could. And despite Door County’s remote and rural location, it wasn’t hard to do.

“You don’t have to look far,” Rawlins said. “There is so much talent in this community. There is zero reason to source outside of the peninsula.”

In deciding on the vision for their wedding, Rawlins and Sampson let the peninsula’s vibe lead them: warm, natural, nothing too fussy.

“I am not the girl who’s been dreaming about her wedding since she was little,” Rawlins said. “I didn’t have a fully developed vision waiting to be brought to life.”

What she – and Sampson – did know, however, was that they wanted an outdoor wedding.

“How could you not want to be outside in September in Door County?” Rawlins said.

Garden Gables, an old-farmstead-turnedwedding-venue in Sister Bay, offered the laid-back, organic vibe they were looking for.

“There are many gorgeous venues in Door County, but Garden Gables just felt very us. We saw it, and we knew,” Rawlins said.

From there, the couple let the natural beauty and allure of the venue guide the rest of their plans, with some suggestions from venue owner Kayla Larsen.

“She knows her space so well,” Rawlins said. “We trusted our vision with her, and she helped us cultivate it to the fullest.”

When the day arrived, 60 guests gathered to celebrate the couple. And although the venue could easily have accommodated twice that number, keeping the guest list small amplified the warm and cozy atmosphere of the space. Inside, simply chic décor tied everything together.

For this couple, less meant more, so Rawlins said she actually made an effort to not have their wedding look like it was plucked from a Pinterest board.

“While we could have chosen to go above and beyond with florals, lights, customized linens, glassware, etc., I knew it wasn’t in

Like many couples, Rawlins and Sampson thought they would opt for the popular “first look” moment until Rawlins’ mom questioned the idea a few weeks before the wedding. “It made us think again about the special moment that is Matt seeing me for the first time as I turn the corner to walk down the aisle,” Rawlins said. “We thought this could be a sweet memory, so we decided against the ‘first look.’” “I knew how gorgeous she would look walking down the aisle,” Sampson said, “but that moment still blew me away.”

Rawlins and Sampson found sweet ways to pay tribute to their families throughout their wedding day. They chose a carrot cake – the same fl avor of cake that Rawlins’ parents had had at their wedding – topped with two ceramic turtle doves that had once adorned her grandparents’ wedding cake. our budget,” Rawlins said. “And honestly, it wasn’t important to me.”

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the details of the day. For that, Rawlins o ered this advice: “Decide what is most important to you, and work in those things first. Everything else can be worked into place around it.”

Tapping into the insight of local vendors can also alleviate planning paralysis. When Rawlins felt herself getting caught up in the minutiae of the day, she handed the reins to her vendors for their expertise.

“If [Kayla] thought one thing over another would work best, we said yes to it,” Rawlins said. “Those were the details we didn’t need to get caught up in.” They shared their vision with their vendors and trusted their wisdom and experience, and together they cultivated the vision to its full potential.

Looking back on the day, there isn’t anything the newlyweds would change about their plans. In fact, they would encourage other engaged couples to follow their lead by choosing local whenever possible.

“[Ask yourself], what are your favorite things about this wonderful area, and how can you collaborate with local business owners to make them part of your special day?” Rawlins asked. “You chose to have your wedding here, so commit to it fully.”

Planning Pointer

Don’t make decisions based on how something is going to look in a photo. Choose something because you truly like it and it feels good to you.

Rawlins and Sampson asked a close friend to o ciate the ceremony as an added special touch to the day. “We would recommend having a good friend o ciate your wedding,” the couple said. “Looking through our wedding photos and seeing a familiar face standing at the altar with us, as opposed to someone we didn’t know well, is quite special.”

“We were able to achieve [a feeling of] cozy elegance with simple table settings, fl owers and greenery repurposed from the ceremony, and an added touch of tealights and candle sconces that warmed everything up,” Rawlins said.

Planning Pointer

Use Instagram to get a feel for di erent vendors’ styles and vibes. We could tell from their photos which vendors t best with what we were trying to accomplish. Vendors

Planner: Kayla Larsen, Garden Gables Photographer: Artemis Photography Venue: Garden Gables Catering/Dinner: Door County Underground Cake/Dessert: Pink Bakery Flowers: Blossoms Flower House Music/DJ: DJ Brawny Bar Service: Garden Gables Tent Rental/Additional Décor: Elite Rentals Rehearsal Dinner: Gordon Lodge