Through the Eyes of a Bride

Summer in Green Bay means rain sprinkling life onto the flowers, the sun shining through the lively leaves of various trees, the Fox River glistening as it flows into the bay of Lake Michigan, and couples and families celebrate monumental occasions filled with love and fun times before the hustle and bustle of school years and cold weather come around again.

Ally Engel and Taylor Stobbe have been together for nearly their entire lives, growing up at each other’s sides as their sisters played for numerous sporting teams together; so their eventual pairing about eight years ago didn’t come as a surprise to their families. 

“We were always the little kids running around at sporting events, getting into trouble where we probably shouldn’t, he was, and still is, my best friend,” Ally glowed. “We started dating about seven and a half years ago, so we’re sort of like high school sweethearts.”

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Taylor and Ally tied the knot in Gather’s venue on April 5th, 2025, with 190 guests in attendance to celebrate the monumental occasion. 

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Step 1, step 2, I do

“We were introduced to Gather by attending one of their concerts in the Farmer's Market Concert Series,” she reminisced. “We listened to music, ate their food, and had a really great time! The brick atmosphere of the building stuck out in my brain after Taylor and I had gotten engaged because I had a black and white wedding in mind. I'm very Type A, so I was already organizing and planning quite a bit of our wedding before we booked the venue.”

The venue and it’s crew has been fortunate enough to have many couples who were welcomed to the venue in a live music setting, be it the no-longer-running Farmer’s Market Concert Series, a ticketed event, or a live music feature at one of their many public events, Jyll, Tommy, and everyone on the staff is always thrilled to meet new faces and welcome back familiar ones.

“I knew I wanted a black and white, simple wedding, and I like the modern but also rustic feel that Gather has,” Ally described. “It feels very classic while also being earthy and airy, and modern at the same time.” 

“I wasn't too excited about the planning process of our big day, so I was so happy that so much of Gather's process was convenient and straightforward,” she confided. “Gather staged our ceremony and reception, which were set by Ruby Design and Petal Pusher, who worked together so nicely, and perfectly understood what I was looking for just from the pictures I sent. Ruby Design allowed us to stage their showroom with some of my ideas, and that really helped put my mind at ease.”

Ally and Taylor were first introduced to Gather’s cooking at the Farmers Market Series when they happened across the music and appetizers, and the good time that followed. The pair ordered a plate of pork tacos with a mango salsa on top, and knew the location would be more than perfect as a one-stop shop for their big day.

“Mackenzie did my complete booking process. Maddy was the one who got us set up with our menu and all things related to food. We spoke with Mackenzie at our six-month meeting, going over our checklist to be sure everything was covered and all the last-minute setup details, such as how many tables to be used, which ones, and where to place the chandeliers.”

Ally and Taylor had decided on one of Gather’s Wedding packages, so the entire planning process went very smoothly, which was exactly what Ally was looking for. 

“The whole process was super easy from the very first meeting. Mackenzie was on speed dial, so if I ever had any questions about or throughout the process, she was truly just a phone call away,” Ally smiled. “I was never stressed because I knew any question I had, Gather probably encountered three years ago and implemented a solution. I had the utmost trust in the people involved with our planning.”

“Once we were all booked, we attended Gather's meet and greet dinner with all the booked couples of the year, and it was so nice to see the time and care that went into making sure each couple felt welcomed, relaxed, and confident in their booking. It really felt like they knew us, and I just enjoyed how cohesive everything was. It felt like I had everything planned in two weeks, never mind the eleven months we were scheduled out from!”

Ally and Taylor had their rehearsal dinner at Titletown Brewing Company and Sky Lounge, renting out the rooftop patio for their party to show the breathtaking views of Green Bay to their friends and family. 

“We lived in Flagstaff, Arizona, for about two years, so we had family and friends from all over in attendance,” she explained. “I believe, in total, we had people coming in from 11 different states, so we wanted to show them some of the cool scenes hidden in Green Bay.”

There was no wedding the day before Ally and Taylor’s were scheduled, so they even got to conduct their rehearsal the night before within the already staged venue. 

“My friends and I have all been in weddings and bridal parties before, so we didn’t really need the rehearsal, but my husband and his groomsmen definitely wanted one,” Ally laughed, “so it was nice to be able to do that rehearsal in the same spot we were going to be married the next day. Mackenzie was at the rehearsal, ready to answer any questions or make any changes up to the last minute, so that was very assuring.”

Not only were they able to rehearse in the nearly completely set venue the evening before the big day, Ally and Taylor were invited to view the ceremony setup, the reception setup, and the dining area before the rest of their guests and wedding party were able to tour the vicinity, leaving a special first-look for the star couple.

The different wedding packages offered by Gather are all laid out in a very straightforward manner, with everyone happy to make adjustments and customizations to fit your needs and a few (or many) of the extra wants you might think of. This should be a stressless process all the way down the aisle!

“Total, I had one meeting with Petal Pushers and two with Ruby Design, and I didn’t feel like I needed any others! I had my one-month meeting with Mackenzie and once more on the day of the wedding, where she was very receptive to last-minute changes, but the overall process was so easy. Much easier than I thought it would be! I was comfortable and confident everything would be successful.”

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The princess bride

Although the official ceremony didn’t start until about 4:00 PM, the bridal party is typically awake and present much earlier than that to start with hair and makeup, and lifting the bride's spirits with memories and merriment before any nerves settle in.

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Nestled above the mainspace on Gather’s second floor, with private access from behind the venue, Ally and her bridal party prepared in the bridal suite with their photographer catching both candid and staged photos of the process.

“Our photographer came at noon to catch a few small shots of the venue, and then upstairs where we were all getting ready to get a few photos of our dresses and the men's suits and some of the attributing details,” listed Ally. “One of my goals was to be there and enjoy our cocktail hour, so we were able to capture the first looks and even most of our group photos before the ceremony entirely!”

While Ally and Taylor got to enjoy cocktail hour with their friends and family, Gather’s quick and polished crew members flipped the elegant ceremony hall into an elegant reception hall, ready to host a King’s banquet table, numerous tables for their nearly 200 guests, and a dance floor!

“We took some photos with our guests and family around the curtain as the crew flipped for the reception, which was such a nice element because everything was in one spot,” she illuminated. “It’s nice because you don’t have to worry about your food traveling from anywhere, everything is in one place, it’s not sitting in traffic, they haven’t forgotten a dish at their kitchen, nothing has broken in route – it was just so nice to have that peace of mind that our food was fresh, hot, and literally just plated.”

Ally’s great-grandmother was her flower girl, who recently celebrated her 103rd birthday in early August! Since she played such a vital role in the wedding, Ally requested a few shorter tables, chairs, and seating arrangements for their cocktail hour so her great-grandmother could enjoy the wedding comfortably and without exertion.

“Everyone was so kind, continuously checking in on us, making sure we got our appetizers and had the time to enjoy what we’d been planning. The staff as a whole was so great and attentive, it almost felt like they were part of our wedding too.”

The party ate directly following their cocktail hour, allowing Ally to savor every bit of the menu she was so anticipating, including her favorite blueberry Moscow mule, before the eventual tearful toasts made their appearance.

“The appetizers we'd selected were my favorite part of the menu, so I had to be there, and it was so special to make that work. Our photographer followed us around for some candid shots during cocktail hour, and in the last 15 minutes before dinner, we went to snap a few photos in front of the murals outside.”

“All of the food we had from the venue before our engagement was delicious, so we agreed booking Gather for our appetizers, meals, and desserts would be the best and most convenient option for our day,” Ally recounted. “We did their core four options for our plated meals, and we selected the variety dessert table with cookies, assorted flavors of mini cupcakes, and a collection of their famous macarons, and giant pretzels for our late-night snack to close out the party.”

As Ally mentioned before, she was very much looking forward to the food they had decided on for the evening, especially the appetizers. She and Taylor had a filet mignon crostini, a hot honey and prosciutto flatbread, and a few other delectable delights before the main courses. 

“Maddy’s food was amazing, of course, but what I appreciated most from our menu is that she remembered I’m trying not to eat dairy, and made a special plate of dairy-free appetizers especially for me, so I didn’t even have to worry about their supply running out for our guests!”

“They even sought out a few of our other guests with dietary restrictions and presented them with special appetizers or meals to ensure that they, too, could experience the best of Gather’s food,” Ally smiled softly, “Their initiative to individualize and customize these features for their guests and couples truly puts them on another level, even the way they customize the wifi to each couple or event! They definitely made me feel like a princess.”

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Dancing Queens take over the bridal party

As direct as Ally kept her planning, following Gather’s laid-out and frequently chosen packages, their evening celebrating the milestone of husband and wife was seeped in sentimentality through and through.

“Seeing the whole day play out was better than I could have imagined,” Ally gushed. “You always have this idea, but you never really know what the day is going to bring, and it was beautiful.”

“For about 11 months to sometimes more than a year, you’re anticipating how this monumental celebration is going to pan out, letting your imagination run wild with good and bad possibilities, whether or not things are going to run smoothly, but with Gather, everything was truly so simple. I wasn’t stressed ever, just excited. The whole process was so easy: we showed up, my bridesmaids and I set out a few personalized and special items, we partied, and then we cleaned up our leftovers and went home!”

Ally and Taylor’s wedding was filled with picture-perfect moments and memories they’ll be looking back on with love and laughter for years to come, ranging from Ally’s stepmom’s birthday, to her 103-year-old great-grandmother taking up the role as the flower girl, to her two young nephews cruising down the aisle in remote control cars to present the rings.

“My sister’s son and Taylor’s sister’s son were our adorable ring-bearers, and we knew that the 13-month-old boy was not going to be able to walk down the aisle, so we got them these mini convertible cars to ride down the aisle in style together,” she laughed heartily.

Rather than being officiated by a minister, priest, or anyone of a faith or religion, Taylor and Ally’s best friend and college roommate got ordained specifically for the honor to officiate their ceremony, setting the stage for the sweet features of the celebration. 

“We lived together in a house with our friend for a few years, who then excitedly accepted the role of wedding officiant, getting officially ordained for our big day, and surprised us with some really sweet words to tie it all together,” Ally said. “Taylor and I also wrote our own vows, and recited them for the first time in front of everyone, so it was a lot of fun and a tad nerve-wracking in the best way to be anticipating what he wanted to say.”

Their beautiful ceremony was far from the last place where tearfully warm words would be shared; Taylor’s little brother began toasts with his light-hearted and hilarious Best Man speech, and Ally’s sister followed with her speech as Maid of Honor. Taylor’s mom and Ally’s dad also delivered heartwarming toasts for the beloved couple as dessert was served and dancing ensued. 

“One of mine and Taylor’s goals was to truly share the whole day together,” Ally smiled. “We wanted to experience the day at each other’s sides, almost as if we were experiencing the day as one, so that we could reminisce on the big day and its memories together. However, my favorite moment from the whole weekend has to be our first dance. I’m still imagining myself there in that moment with him.”

Incredible Vendor Team:

Photography: Daniela Rollin
Venue: Gather on Broadway
Catering: Gather on Broadway
DJ: Ryan Prueher
Videography: Kelsey Buttner
Hair and Make-Up: 920 Bridal Collab
Florist: Petal Pusher 
Decor: Ruby Design
Bridal Gown: Tie the Knot
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Are you looking to dance the night away with your partner at your side? Whether it be for a wedding or one of Gather’s live music or public events, we can help shape an evening you won’t soon forget. 

‍https://www.gatheronbroadway.com/