Summer lake weddings are the best, and if you’re looking for a quaint little summer lake town in the heart of the Midwest, the Village of Winona is waiting for you! Just outside of Warsaw Indiana, Winona Lake has a rich history, and the picturesque Winona Heritage Room is a wonderful venue for a large wedding. Originally built as Rodeheaver Auditorium and part of the campus of Grace College, the building boasts a stage and unique architecture, as well as a lovely grounds overlooking the Lake, perfect for an outdoor wedding ceremony.

And that’s exactly what Mindi and Andy had in mind for their event in July with the ceremony taking place outside and nearly 300 guests enjoying cocktails, dinner, and dancing inside the Heritage Room later. Mindi and Andrew had actually been guests at Anastacia and Zach’s wedding with DJ Sticky Boots earlier that year, and Sticky made a repeat performance at this event with our Platinum Package and Dazzle uplights to highlight the unique archways in the room.

Highlights of the evening included an open mic time during the toasts where anyone could speak, as well as a “smash jar” for cash donations towards the couple’s honeymoon fund. This feature was a unique take on a traditional dollar dance where instead of dancing, guests voted on who should be able to smash the cake in the other’s face by placing money in one of two jars. In the end, Mindi collected the most donations by a landslide and so Andy was left with quite a bit of frosting to clean off his face. The guests loved it!

This celebration also included a large number of Amish guests, including many family members, and although many chose not to stay for the dancing portion of the evening, they thoroughly enjoyed the food and fellowship early in the evening, including a touching speech from the couple’s grandparents during the anniversary dance. It was a lovely evening all around!