Two-story cream city brick tobacco warehouse at the east end of Stoughton’s historic Main Street, restored as an 18,000 sq ft industrial wedding venue with original timber beams and wood floors, one event per day, with an in-house floral studio and bar company.
VIDART is a Madison, Wisconsin wedding photography and videography company covering Stoughton and the Madison area and the rest of the Midwest with no travel fee. This page is our planning guide for a wedding at The Lageret: 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 Lageret
| Space | Use | Capacity | Setting | For the camera |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second-floor ceremony space | ceremony | 250 | indoor | 1,800 sq ft room separated from the dining area with 250 fruitwood folding chairs and optional sheer drapery from the rafters; exposed timber, cream brick and tall warehouse windows give directional side light. |
| Second-floor dining and reception area | reception | 250 | indoor | About 4,000-4,500 sq ft running the full length of the building beside the ceremony room, with a partition wall option for groups of 120 or under; long sightlines down the beam line, brick on both sides, moody evening ambience. |
| First-floor bar and dance floor | cocktail | n/a | indoor | 1,200 sq ft full-service bar with copper and penny bar top and custom back bar, 1,200 sq ft dance floor, soft seating and lobby; darker low-light zone where cafe and string lights carry the exposure. |
| Patio | cocktail | n/a | outdoor | 500 sq ft patio under a canopy of cafe lights with five tables and 19 chairs; the only outdoor space, used for cocktails (90 standing) and smoking. |
| The Leif Room | getting-ready | n/a | indoor | 500 sq ft first-floor partner suite beside the floral studio with natural light, huge wall mirrors, garment hanging and steamer; the brighter of the two suites for prep photos. |
| The McKay Room | getting-ready | n/a | indoor | 1,400 sq ft lower-level partner suite with pool table, dart board, leather seating, TV and a vintage scoreboard photo backdrop; lower light, lounge mood. |
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 Lageret
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. The building runs along East Main Street with long side walls of windows; interior window light is the main daylight source and the patio cafe lights become the primary evening light, so golden-hour portraits are best taken outside along Main Street or at a nearby park. We schedule couple portraits for the last hour before sunset and tell you in advance where we will take you.
- Rain plan. Ceremony and reception are entirely indoors by design, so weather is not a factor; the patio is the only outdoor area and holds about 90 standing. We photograph the backup space during our walkthrough so the plan B images are as considered as plan A.
- Policies. Catering is open but every caterer must be professional, insured and pre-approved by The Lageret (preferred list: Upstairs Downstairs, Wendigo, Buck & Honey’s, Blue Plate, Food Fight); all alcohol must come through the in-house licensed bar company Drikke LLC; no published photographer or drone restrictions, and a professional day-of coordinator is recommended but not required. 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. Rental access runs 8am to midnight on Friday and Saturday and 10am to 10pm on Sunday, so events wrap by those times; amplified music is allowed indoors with unspecified restrictions. 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
- Cream brick and timber-beam interiors — Original 1880s brick walls and heavy wood posts throughout; shoot couples along the beam line with window light raking across the brick for texture.
- Warehouse windows on the second floor — Large original windows along the long walls; use them as a soft key for portraits and first looks, and expect the room to go moody once the sun drops.
- Copper-top bar and back bar — Warm metallic bar with custom shelving for cocktail-hour candids and detail shots under tungsten-leaning light.
- Cafe-lit patio after dark — String-light canopy for evening couple portraits and sparkler-style frames.
- Vintage scoreboard in the McKay Room — Built-in retro scoreboard backdrop for groomsmen and party portraits.
- East Main Street brick facade and rail-side exterior — Historic warehouse exterior and surrounding Tobacco Junction buildings for street-style frames; late afternoon light favors the west-facing elevations.
Within a short drive
- Historic downtown Stoughton and the Opera House (Stoughton) — About 3 minutes west; Victorian brick storefronts, the 1901 Stoughton Opera House and city hall clock tower.
- Mandt Park and the Yahara River (Stoughton) — About 5 minutes; riverside park, bridges and open lawns along the Yahara.
- Lake Kegonsa State Park (Stoughton) — About 10 minutes southwest; beach, oak woods and prairie trails on the lake; state park vehicle admission required.
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
- Vendor policy: Catering is open but every caterer must be professional, insured and pre-approved by The Lageret (preferred list: Upstairs Downstairs, Wendigo, Buck & Honey’s, Blue Plate, Food Fight); all alcohol must come through the in-house licensed bar company Drikke LLC; no published photographer or drone restrictions, and a professional day-of coordinator is recommended but not required.
- Noise/curfew: Rental access runs 8am to midnight on Friday and Saturday and 10am to 10pm on Sunday, so events wrap by those times; amplified music is allowed indoors with unspecified restrictions.
- Parking: Free private lot behind the building with 80 stalls included in the rental; ramp entrance and an elevator serving the first and second floors.
- Rain plan: Ceremony and reception are entirely indoors by design, so weather is not a factor; the patio is the only outdoor area and holds about 90 standing.
- Sunset/orientation: The building runs along East Main Street with long side walls of windows; interior window light is the main daylight source and the patio cafe lights become the primary evening light, so golden-hour portraits are best taken outside along Main Street or at a nearby park.
- Lodging: No lodging on site; partner suites are for day-of preparation only and Stoughton hotels or Madison (about 25 minutes) handle room blocks.
- Other: Rental fees are $6,000 Friday, $8,000 Saturday and $5,500 Sunday with winter seasonal discounts and a $500 refundable damage deposit; tables, 250 fruitwood chairs, both suites and a prep kitchen are included.
- Accessibility: Listed as wheelchair accessible with a ramp entrance and elevator to both event floors.
The Lageret, 515 E Main St, Stoughton, WI. Venue website.
About the venue. The warehouse was built in 1885 by the Turner and Atkinson Tobacco Company as part of Stoughton’s “Tobacco Junction,” stored tobacco until the late 1960s, was owned by Stoughton Trailers for storage until 1987 and was renovated from 1994 as the Tobacco Junction Mall before becoming the venue. The restoration kept the original wood beams, wood flooring and cream city brick walls across 18,000 square feet on two floors, with large windows and an open flexible plan. Here Comes The Guide lists seated capacity of 250 for ceremony and reception indoors and 90 standing outdoors, available year-round Friday through Sunday. The venue grew out of a floral business; its owner, a floral designer of more than 20 years, runs the in-house studio Flora by Jamae inside the building and the idea began about 2014 after walking past the empty warehouse. Bar packages run about $20-28 per person for the first two hours through Drikke LLC with a champagne wall, mimosa cart and second-floor mobile bar as upgrades.
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 Lageret’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 Lageret 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 Lageret?
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 Lageret?
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 Lageret?
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 Lageret?
Send us the date and we will confirm availability within a day, walk through the timeline for The Lageret with you, and hold the date with a $300 deposit.
Nearby and related
More on weddings in the area: our Madison wedding photographer and Madison 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, Bishops Bay Country Club, The American Club, The Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee Art Museum, Grand Geneva Resort.