White Oak Savanna is a unique, eco-friendly wedding and events venue in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, located just 35 miles west of Madison. Our property sits on 88 acres of rolling hills in the Driftless Region, which you would have full access to with your rental. We are also a certified organic farm focused on operating sustainably and bringing the land back to it's native state. Our venue offers rustic charm with elegant and modern touches to help captivate the natural, outdoorsy feel without having to give up the luxuries of being in the city. With beautiful indoor and outdoor locations, we have everything you need for an array of events, both large and small.
Facilities and Capacity
White Oak Savanna can accommodate events for 300+ people, depending, which we would be happy to discuss in greater detail in conversation. We have 5 main areas for ceremonies, and utilize our barn + surrounding areas for receptions.
Indoor Locations:
For a ceremony, we can fit ~300+ people. For a reception we can fit ~200 people formally seated comfortably with room for a tent adjacent to the barn (tent is an extra rental fee) for another 100 formally seated. This varies case-by-case, of course.
Our farm also has 3 captivating outdoor ceremony locations:
The Sundial (as we call it) is a circular grassy space in the main event area at the top of a hill overlooking our property. There is a natural center aisle from one of our dressing rooms to the alter, and an area for guests to sit in the shade, if needed. We are able to fit ~300+ people, and have electrical hookups at this location.
The Pond Amphitheater is a natural limestone amphitheater. It is at the base of the hill, ^ described above, and next to our natural spring pond. There are a few different ways we could go about setting the seating, but we can fit about 200+. People can sit on the limestone or hill if they want, making this option a bit more informal if you'd like. There are electrical hookups down here as well.
The Savanna Sanctuary is a magical place and the epitome of an outdoor wedding. It is set farther back in our property surrounded by pre-Civil War bur oak savanna trees and full of vegetation. Guests can take a little walk up our path, or hitch a ride on our shuttle service (included in rental). The canopy of trees provide partial shade to keep things cool on a hot day. We can fit 400-500+ out here and recently purchased 170 chairs for your use. If you do a full 360, all you see is nature; quite amazing.
Services Offered
With our venue rental we offer several useful services including (but not limited to):
On-site Accommodations
White Oak Savanna offers 2 on-site accommodations, 11 campsites, and 2 RV hookups for an extra rental fee so your fun doesn't have to end! Our Norwegian Hollow Farmhouse sleeps up to 13 people; perfect for your wedding party or family. Our Driftless Cottage sleeps up to 5, but is perfect for a honeymoon suite. Our campsite rentals come with access to our shower room and spacious bathrooms.
History
White Oak Savanna began as a family farm in the early 1900s, where the barn was built by Frank Lloyd Wright's first cousin, Charles Lloyd Jones, and utilized by his family until the land was subdivided. The current owners, Paul and Audrey Gaynor, fell in love with the beauty of the Driftless Region and have since purchased 88 of the original 100 acres. They are dedicated to bringing the land back to it's native state, and strive to operate their business as sustainably as possible. Recent construction, restoration, and renovations finished in April of 2017, and no details were spared. This amenity-rich, eco-friendly sanctuary provides the premiere place to immerse yourself in the beautiful environment we live in without having to give up your city-like comforts.
Recommended by 95% of couples
Brandon Wilhelm · Married on 10/13/2018
Wedding Ceremony was perfect!
We had only the Wedding Ceremony at White Oak so I can only speak for that. I don't believe they normally allow Ceremony only with no reception, due to demand, but were very accommodating to us. At the last minute we needed to change venues due to the weather. Paul made arrangements for us immediately and set us up with his event coordinator, Jill. Jill was amazing! She helped with everything from start to finish and made sure everything was smooth up to and including walking us to the barn to go down the aisle. The barn is really set up nice. We had approximately 285 guests. It was a bit tight with that many but no complaints. The barn has mood lighting throughout that allows you to choose any color on the entire color spectrum to suit your wedding theme. The chairs are very nice and light blue in color. Parking attendants helped park cars. The outside premises are beautiful. Large oak trees, a West view for sunsets, and a nice rolling valley with a pond. We have no complaints at all! Based on our experience I highly recommend... but again I can only speak for the professionalism and accommodations we received during the ceremony. The kitchen did however appear to be very clean and modern for those weddings looking to have a reception. Thanks so much to Jill and Paul for allowing us to have our special day there!
Jess Sladek · Married on 09/01/2018
Best wedding ever
"Best wedding ever" - according to many of our friends and families, and this had so much to do with White Oak Savanna. It is an amazing venue ; beautiful, unique, historic yet modern, ecologically-aware and in touch with nature. We highly recommend White Oak Savanna, after looking at many other outdoor venues in Wisconsin/Illinois. An excellent value for all that is included.
Sent on 01/09/2019
The staff is fabulous and worked so hard to make our weekend special. Many guests commented to us about how lovely the people at WOS were. Lots of games on site for kids and families to play, everyone just had a blast!
The surrounding area and small towns make for a great get away, and there are a variety of things to explore from Governor Dodge State Park, to local artisans and artists, theatre, and good restaurants.
The venue is very well-appointed, with many different options for ceremony sites, dinner/dancing configurations, etc.
We rented the whole venue for the entire weekend, stayed in the cottage, and also had our close friends stay in the farmhouse. All the accommodations there were excellent, and we loved having the little cottage hideaway just a short walk from the barn, where we had our dinner and reception. Lots of personal touches were considered like spare toiletries in the cottage, wine, snacks, etc. We could not have found a more relaxing place to host a very hectic, special weekend. Do not hesitate to book your wedding at White Oak Savanna - you will have the best time!
White Oak Savanna's reply:
User4936910 · 1+ year ago
White Oak Savanna is the most beautiful wedding venue in Wisconsin.
We went and looked at it when it was still under construction, just a barn with a new concrete floor. But we saw the plans for what they wanted to do and took a chance on them. And it couldn’t have turned out better. They were so accommodating with our requests and helped ensure we had a flawless wedding.
We rented the whole venue for the weekend and it was well worth the money. We had the rehearsal dinner there complete with a bonfire after. We had some of our wedding party stay in the farmhouse and used it to get ready the day of. It’s deceivingly spacious and a simple backdrop for getting ready photos. We rented the honeymoon cottage for the wedding night and it was the perfect getaway. We were secluded and the cottage was so beautifully decorated and spacious we could have stayed there longer.
We appreciated every hand-written note we received during our stay with them, the fresh squeezed orange juice, the attention to detail and making sure we didn’t have to worry about minor details. White Oak Savanna is not your typical wedding venue. It’s a destination wedding in Wisconsin where the staff takes on your wedding as if it’s their own.
We don’t have a single regret, or wish that one thing was done differently. We had an amazing wedding that no one can stop talking about and it all started with the venue.
1 Endorsement
It was wonderful working with White Oak Savanna for an evening event. Their barn is gorgeous as well as their unique outdoor spaces connected by well-defined paths and surrounded by beautiful trees. I went there three days in a row, and I could see how their staff worked hard every day to take excellent care of the property. Jill was very kind, organized, and helpful and a delight to work with.
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