Seek the Unique                                      August 2014 
Photos: Justin Trails B&B Resort, Sparta.

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There are so many ways to say "I do" these days. You can elope, host an intimate ceremony for immediate family, throw a traditional wedding complete with big bridal party and big guest list, even renew your vows. But did you know that you can profess your love in all those ways at member Wisconsin B&Bs? Consider this installment of our e-newsletter a sonnet to love and marriage. We also think you'll be smitten with the recipe for cupcakes, a popular replacement for the traditional wedding cake.
Photo: Green Fountain Inn, Waupaca.
Leading up to the Big Day Leading
Photos: Apple Tree Lane B&B, Waupaca (left); Willow Pond B, B & Events in Weyauwega (right). 
The tradition of hosting weddings at Apple Tree Lane B&B in Waupaca dates back to the 1890s when the home's original owners, the Churchill family, hosted their daughter's wedding at the home. The setting is as lovely as ever for indoor and outdoor weddings, and the inn also hosts bridal showers and catered rehearsal dinners. Rehearsal dinner through ceremony, reception and honeymoon is what's offered at Willow Pond B,B & Events in Weyauwega.
Let's Elope Elope
Photo: Oscar H. Hanson House B&B, Cambridge.

It's so boho chic to elope these days. The Oscar H. Hanson House B&B in Cambridge specializes in elopements, with innkeeper and ordained minister Mary Jane Mihajlovic happy to take couples through a strength-based coaching session prior to the "I do's."  At Bowman's Oak Hill B&B in Wisconsin Dells, it's a similar story, with innkeeper and ordained minister David Bowman available to perform the ceremony. The White Lace Inn in Sturgeon Bay has hosted more than 700 weddings, many of them elopements.
Photo: White Lace Inn, Sturgeon Bay.




At the Honeybee Inn B&B in Horicon, book the "Honey Bee Mine" package that includes a private ceremony for the couple plus four guests. Ask for the "I Do's and Sweet Memories" package at the Westby House Inn in Westby if you have elopement on your mind; the package is also ideal for vow renewals.
 
Surrounded by Those You Love Surrounded
Photo: Old Rittenhouse Inn, Bayfield.

If you're looking to have immediate family and friends present for your big day, consider inns with a lyrical flair, like the Fountain Chateau B&B in Hustler, where there's room for 40 guests. At the Old Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield, exchange vows in the music room, with innkeeper Jerry Phillips available to officiate and a wedding planner right on staff. At Hamilton House B&B in Whitewater, imagine being escorted down the formal staircase of this 1860s Second Empire mansion serenaded by a spring quartet.
We're Gathered Here Gathered
Photo: Fanny Hill Victorian Inn, Eau Claire.
If what you're really after is the destination wedding of your dreams, then explore these B&Bs with large ceremony and reception venues. First up, Justin Trails B&B Resort, which hosts several dozen weddings annually in its incredibly restored barn with gleaming hardwood floor. Fanny Hill Victorian Inn in Eau Claire loves hosting lavish affairs for up to 250 guests. The English-style gardens at Ye Olde Manor House in Elkhorn seem to have been made for weddings. The Livingston Inn in downtown Madison gives couples flexibility - choose the outdoor gardens for guest lists up to 150 people or the indoor space for groups up to 75 - with plenty of personal attention from innkeeper Peggy Furlan. 
Cupcake Heaven Cupcake
The Green Fountain Inn in Waupaca has a bakery right on premise to make your wedding cake using their very own butter cream frosting. For your honeymoon, consider the St. Croix River Inn nestled on the bluffs of the St. Croix River in Osceola with fireplaces in each suite and breakfast delivered to your room. Here's their Centennial Cupcakes recipe created to mark the inn's 100th anniversary in 2008.
St. Croix River Inn
Centennial Cupcakes

Photo: Green Fountain Inn, Waupaca.

1� cups self-rising flour
1� cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting
� stick unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz. plain cream cheese
4 oz. tiramisu mascarpone cheese
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon-sugar mixture (1 part cinnamon to 3 parts sugar)

Preheat oven to 350�F. Line muffin tins with cupcake papers. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about � full. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

For the frosting: Beat butter vigorously with an electric mixer. Scrape the bowl and add the cream cheese. Beat until combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar and
vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add mascarpone cheese. Gently mix until blended. Spread frosting on cupcake and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Yield: 2 dozen

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Thanks for reading the August issue of Seek the Unique!

You're unique. Stay that way.
Kris Ullmer
WBBA Administrator
715-539-9222