A Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five Diamond resort in a 1918 red-brick Tudor Revival building originally built to house Kohler Co. immigrant workers, set in the planned village of Kohler with landscaped courtyards, gardens and sister venues at Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run.
VIDART is a Madison, Wisconsin wedding photography and videography company covering Kohler, near Sheboygan and the rest of the Midwest with no travel fee. This page is our planning guide for a wedding at The American Club: the spaces and how they photograph, where the light is, the portrait spots on site and nearby, and the logistics that affect your timeline. Photo or video coverage is $1,500 for a half day and $3,000 for a full day, with no travel fee.
The spaces at The American Club
| Space | Use | Capacity | Setting | For the camera |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Hall of the Great Lakes | reception | 600 banquet (weddings listed up to 450) | indoor | 7,519 sq ft hall divisible into five salons with chandeliers, vaulted ceilings, a grand piano, built-in bar and programmable lighting; a photographer guide describes large south- and west-facing windows giving warm diffuse light. |
| Great Bay Ballroom | reception | 160 banquet / 285 reception | indoor | 2,427 sq ft ballroom with crystal chandeliers, light wood details, 10-ft ceilings and a neutral palette. |
| Gazebo Courtyard | both | 250 | outdoor | Private landscaped courtyard with flowering trees and an octagonal wooden gazebo used for vows; also hosts cocktail hour or evening reception extensions. |
| Fountain Courtyard | ceremony | 50 | outdoor | Circular courtyard centered on a stone sculpture and fountain in front of The Greenhouse’s stained-glass backdrop, with two swings and shaded areas; suited to intimate ceremonies. |
| Founder’s Room | reception | 24 (14-20 dinner) | both | Cozy room with ornate woodwork, a fireplace and French doors to a private courtyard terrace (40 guests); a winter micro-wedding favorite. |
| Thunder Bay / Marquette / Bay de Noc Rooms | both | 30-50 | indoor | Long, narrow salons used for small ceremonies, dinners and rehearsal dinners. |
| The Wisconsin Room | reception | n/a (under 80 per photographer guide) | indoor | The original 1918 dining hall, mid-century redesigned with murals of notable Wisconsinites; dark wood, leaded windows and tapestries; also the resort’s signature restaurant, so confirm rental availability. |
| Carriage House bridal suite / guest rooms | getting-ready | n/a | indoor | A complimentary bridal suite is included; the Carriage House building (home to Kohler Waters Spa) is the preferred getting-ready space, and south- or west-facing guest rooms give the best window light. |
Capacities are the venue’s published figures and change with layout; confirm current numbers with the venue.
How we photograph and film a wedding at The American Club
Our approach is the same at every venue: two of us (or more for photo and video together), documentary coverage of the ceremony, toasts and dance floor, directed portraits only when the light is worth it, and a timeline built backwards from sunset. What changes is the plan for the building.
- Light. Grand Hall windows face south and west and the west lawn catches golden hour; Whistling Straits is the regional sunset-over-water location; December sunsets fall as early as 4:30 p.m. We schedule couple portraits for the last hour before sunset and tell you in advance where we will take you.
- Rain plan. Indoor backup for courtyard ceremonies is arranged through the resort’s salons and ballrooms; no written weather policy is published online. We photograph the backup space during our walkthrough so the plan B images are as considered as plan A.
- Policies. No photography permit or drone policy is published; peak June-October Saturdays book 12-18 months out. We confirm the venue’s photography, drone and vendor requirements in writing before the wedding and provide a certificate of insurance when one is required.
- Timing. Music must end by midnight; amplified music is permitted both indoors and outdoors. Coverage is planned to end with the last dances rather than the venue’s closing time.
For video we run two camera angles plus a locked-off wide on the ceremony, lavalier microphones on the officiant and groom, and a direct feed from the DJ for toasts. Aerials are included where the venue and airspace allow; see our guide to drone video at Wisconsin weddings.
Portrait spots
On site
- Colonnade entrance and Tudor facade — Coarse red Illinois brick, half-timbering and Vermont slate gables at the main entrance; even light under the colonnade at any hour and warm front light in late afternoon.
- Central courtyard inside the U-shaped building — Enclosed garden courtyard with open-sky light and no harsh direct sun for most of the day; two minutes from the entrance and Herb Garden.
- Herb Garden beside The Immigrant Restaurant — Lush summer plantings against the brick building; suits portraits and ceremonies under 60 guests.
- Fountain Courtyard and Greenhouse stained glass — Stone fountain, swings and the antique stained-glass Greenhouse as a jewel-toned backdrop; best in soft morning or late light.
- West lawn at golden hour — Open lawn where the sun drops toward the tree line; the go-to on-property sunset spot before heading back for the reception.
Within a short drive
- Whistling Straits clubhouse and Irish Barn (Sheboygan, WI) — About 5 min by car; fieldstone clubhouse, fescue dunes and stone walls on a bluff facing west over Lake Michigan; sunset portraits before dinner service.
- Blackwolf Run clubhouse (Kohler, WI) — Rustic log-and-timber clubhouse with a terrace over the double 18th green and the Sheboygan River valley; morning or late-afternoon light.
- Inn on Woodlake beach and patio (Kohler, WI) — Private lake beach ringed by trees and a patio with firepit at the resort’s sister inn, minutes from The American Club.
- Kohler Village and Kohler Design Center (Kohler, WI) — Tree-lined streets of the planned garden village plus the Design Center’s showroom interiors, a short walk from the hotel.
Thirty to forty-five minutes of portrait time across the day is enough; we split it between a longer session before or after the ceremony and ten minutes at golden hour.
Logistics and planning notes
- Parking: A large parking lot and valet parking are available for events.
- Noise/curfew: Music must end by midnight; amplified music is permitted both indoors and outdoors.
- Vendor policy: All food and beverage is handled in-house with a food and beverage minimum and venue-supplied alcohol; the venue must approve all decorations; couples may hire the photographer of their choice and coordinators keep a vendor referral list.
- Lodging: The resort offers 240 guest rooms between The American Club and Carriage House plus a complimentary bridal suite with wedding bookings; additional rooms at the Inn on Woodlake.
- Rain plan: Indoor backup for courtyard ceremonies is arranged through the resort’s salons and ballrooms; no written weather policy is published online.
- Sunset/orientation: Grand Hall windows face south and west and the west lawn catches golden hour; Whistling Straits is the regional sunset-over-water location; December sunsets fall as early as 4:30 p.m.
- Accessibility: The Grand Hall of the Great Lakes is listed as fully ADA compliant with a freight elevator.
- Permit or photo policy: No photography permit or drone policy is published; peak June-October Saturdays book 12-18 months out.
The American Club at Destination Kohler, 419 Highland Drive, Kohler, WI. Venue website.
About the venue. Walter J. Kohler dedicated The American Club on June 23, 1918 as housing for single immigrant men working at Kohler Co., where they learned English and prepared for citizenship. Architect Richard Phillips designed the Tudor Revival building with coarse red brick imported from Illinois and a Vermont slate gable roof. Kohler Co. closed the dormitory in the late 1970s and converted it into a luxury resort; the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The American Club earned its Forbes Five-Star rating after a 2012 restoration and holds the AAA Five Diamond award. The Grand Hall of the Great Lakes is 7,519 sq ft with banquet seating for 600 and reception capacity of 850; the Great Bay Ballroom seats 160.
Pricing
Same rates for photography and videography; book one or add the second for the same price. No travel fee anywhere in our service area.
| Coverage | Photography | Videography | Both |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half day — up to 5 hours | $1,500 | $1,500 | $3,000 |
| Full day — up to 10 hours | $3,000 | $3,000 | $6,000 |
Every booking includes professional editing, an online gallery, a USB drive with the high-resolution JPGs or finished films, and a print release with full usage rights (we do not retain copyright over your photos or films). Videography includes an edited highlight film plus the full ceremony and toasts. Albums, prints and RAW archive drives are add-ons on the pricing page. A $300 deposit holds the date.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to be on The American Club’s preferred vendor list?
Most venues, including resorts and hotels, allow outside photographers and videographers; some require a certificate of insurance or a short vendor form. We provide event liability coverage and a certificate of insurance whenever a venue requires it, and handle any vendor paperwork before the day.
How much does wedding photography at The American Club cost?
Photography or videography is $1,500 for a half day (up to 5 hours) or $3,000 for a full day (up to 10 hours); both together are $3,000 and $6,000. There is no travel fee.
How many hours of coverage do we need at The American Club?
A full day (10 hours) covers getting ready through the dances. A half day (5 hours) works for a ceremony and reception in one place when coverage starts shortly before the ceremony. See our guide to how many hours of wedding photography you need.
Can you fly a drone at The American Club?
Only where the venue permits it and the airspace allows; we check both before the wedding and include aerials at no extra charge when they are possible.
When will we get our photos and films?
Edited photos are delivered in an online gallery in two to six weeks; wedding films in four to twelve weeks depending on season.
Do you photograph engagement sessions near The American Club?
Yes. An engagement session can be added to any wedding photography or videography package; the portrait spots listed above work well for it.
Planning a wedding at The American Club?
Send us the date and we will confirm availability within a day, walk through the timeline for The American Club with you, and hold the date with a $300 deposit.
Nearby and related
More on weddings in the area: our Kohler wedding photographer and Kohler wedding videographer pages, the wedding-day timeline guide, the best months to marry in Wisconsin and what wedding photography costs in Wisconsin.
Other venue guides: The Edgewater, Monona Terrace, Garver Feed Mill, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, The Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee Art Museum, Grand Geneva Resort, The Abbey Resort, Kalahari Resort.