Wisconsin Weddings

NFL Player & His Bride’s Traditional Wisconsin Wedding

From The Bride…Bryan and I really wanted a wedding that wasn’t trendy and reflected our personal aesthetic – clean, elegant, unfussy, but classically beautiful and subtly dramatic. (Thirty years from now, we wanted to look back and think “what a gorgeous day!” not “oh, no, what did we make our bridesmaids wear!”) For inspiration in style, we looked to the old-world charm of our breathtaking venue, and also some of our favorite color combinations – the cool, deep navy of the night sky, glittering metallics, and the striking simplicity of white-on-white florals. What took it to another level was the high-drama lighting, which was really our only decor and was a favor provided by a fantastic firm out of Chicago (my dad is a lighting designer and called in a favor with a few friends).

What made us happiest about our wedding was that by making a few strategic choices, we were able to really splurge on what we felt was important and would make our wedding an event that we ourselves would want to attend (we can admit that at this point in our lives, we’d been to enough friends’ weddings to have a short list of ‘must-haves!). We scrimped where we could – even though in the end it didn’t feel like scrimping. We sent digital save-the-dates instead of paper, eschewed goody bags, rented jewelry (Rent the Runway) and bridesmaid dresses (Little Borrowed Dress), my shoes were ones I already owned, my dress was from the clearance rack albeit impeccably tailored. We wrote our invites, menu cards and programs ourselves via a template on Wedding Paper Divas. That meant we could afford several rounds of amazing food and drinks, the best photographer, a fantastic multi-piece band, live ceremony music, and a fabulous wedding planner, that in the end were the most important parts to the day. As we planned, we found that neither of us were obsessed about details and neither of us could craft or DIY to save our lives – so we were more than happy to leave that all to professionals!

It paid off, I think! Our friends and family said it was the best wedding they’d been to (they’re biased), and we were able to throw a celebration that brought together all closest to us who were part of our lives. And in 30 years, we have gorgeous photos to look back on!

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Mikaella

Spring 2018 Collection

Spring 2017 Collection

Fall 2017 Collection

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Abby Capalbo

Design, Styling, Parties

Abby Capalbo Styling

When the Groom (Green Bay Packers’ Bryan Bulaga) proposes with a sparkly pair of Christian Louboutin slingbacks, you know the wedding is going to be a stylish occasion—especially when each bridesmaid is gifted a pair of red-soled beauties (how jealous are you?!)! Combine serious style with beautiful photography from Lexia Frank, and it’s safe to say this wedding was definitely a win. Take a look through the gallery for all the high-scoring details.

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Hotels + Resorts Weddings

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Preppy Striped Kate Spade DIY Wedding

From the beautiful bride… It all started traveling back from Bryan’s hometown, Crystal Lake, Illinois. He was acting strange, continuing to check the GPS estimated time of arrival, which was odd since we make this drive quite often and we know exactly how long it takes. By the time we got home, I ran into the house first, little did I know Bryan was right behind me. When I turned the corner from our garage, on our kitchen table sat a pair of Christian Louboutins that were covered in Swarovski crystals. At first instinct I thought he had bought me the shoes I had always said I wanted to wear on my wedding day, as a “here are your shoes but no ring yet.” Until I got closer to the table did I notice the note that he had written, which said: “My beautiful bride will be wearing red soles on her wedding day that is of course if…” When I turned around he was on one knee.

Our wedding day was beautiful beyond belief. Not many brides can say that their wedding was even more perfect than what they dreamed of as a young girl. Our vision for the wedding was elegant and classic, with some bling, which our wedding planner David Caruso and Dynamic Events accomplished on all aspects. Since classic and elegant was how we envisioned our wedding day, to help add to that we did a few special things for our wedding party. For the groomsmen we had custom suits made, we chose a classic style from Tom James. As for the bridesmaids, we gave each of them their own pair of Christian Louboutins, each was a classic statement that we wanted to add to our day and we wanted to make our wedding party feel special and elegant. Another special element was my bouquet. I wanted to incorporate a special item of my Great Grandmothers who passed away four years ago. While going through her jewelry box, I found an elephant charm that she wore on a necklace which had both her name and my great grandfather’s name. The charm was a beautiful pastel yellow and the elephant’s trunk was up, which is considered good luck, so I decided it would be perfect to attach to my bouquet.

The day went beyond smoothly, I believe in part to the hard work of our wedding planner and on part to the mindset Bryan and I took to planning the wedding. We made sure not to stress the small stuff. Bryan allowed me to do most of the planning alongside David and Dynamic Events, he was not into all of the details but when it came to the reception that was very important for him. He wanted to make sure our guest got enough food to eat and enough to drink, which I believe we accomplished with flying colors. Down to the three meal choices our guests were able to choose from, to the open bar all night. Not to mention the late night cupcakes that where all based on some of our favorite drinks. Such as margarita cupcakes that were soaked in tequila, caramel turtle cupcakes soaked in beer and mudslide cupcakes that were soaked in baileys. We also had late night sliders and, a Wisconsin classic, cheese curds. Along with all of the food and drinks our guest danced the night away, which we ended up adding an hour to the night last minute, because we just were not ready for the night to end. If I had any advice for brides it would be to slow down and take in the day, it goes by so fast and you will not want to miss a second of it. Also, be sure to allow your groom to take part in the planning, they may not want to be involved in the girly side of things, but if it is something they really want let them have it, the day is about you both; you will not regret it in the long run.

There are certain couples you can just tell had fun planning their wedding, and this charming duo is no exception. With the bold stripes, crisp black-and-white color scheme, and glittering gold accents, this fun Milwaukee wedding would make Kate Spade proud. Feast your eyes on all the darling details from this festive fete in the gallery.

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Spring Weddings

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Eatery Urban Space

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Casual

From Lisa Mathewson… Kirstin and Chris wanted their wedding day to truly reflect their style. Comfy, casual, yet stylish and fun! Kirstin incorporated fun stripes into the wedding theme with accompanying gold as a sparkly accent. Her wedding dress said it all! Flowy, soft and feminine yet comfortable. Kirstin wore stunning Kate Spade flats that set the tone for the day’s events. Their venue selection topped of the day with the fun, industrial space. The Milwaukee Public Market is a year-round indoor market of speciality shops and stores catering to the young, hip, crowd in Milwaukee’s trendy Third Ward. Set on the Milwaukee River, the Public Market boosts some of the best eats in the city!

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Wedding Dresses

Ann Taylor

Fall 2014 Weddings Collection

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Romantic Terrace Wedding Overlooking Lake Michigan

Bathed in sunlight and surrounded by the most beautiful daffodil*parker florals, these law school loves set their sights on forever. From the gorgeous green palette to the stunning reception, one look at the photos from Heather Cook Elliott Photography and you’ll be dreaming of this lakeside loveliness for days. It’s all waiting for you here!

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Classic Weddings Romantic

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Backyard Lakeside

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From Heather Cook Elliott Photography… It’s an age-old saying, but one that bears repeating when it comes to these two: There is more to Katie & Ben than meets the eye.

They met in law school and quietly, slowly bonded over study sessions and coffee breaks and, I imagine, long philosophical discussions about everything under the sun. I get the sense that fairness, equality, justice and compassion are what interests them most about the profession they’ve chosen and, I think, what interests them most about one another. They are both incredibly thoughtful, careful people (ok, Katie is a bit of beautiful klutz as everyone who knows her can attest, but in love she takes great care) and together they form a sort of powerful force for good and happiness.

Bathed in sunlight and surrounded by the most beautiful florals I’ve ever photographed, their wedding day seemed to reflect this. There was joy in everything they did and joy is what I feel when I look back at their photos. I think I’ve written too much already when really, all one needs to see are the photos to know I’m telling the truth.

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Wedding Dresses

Badgley Mischka

Spring 2014 Bridal

2014 Bridesmaids

Spring 2014 Accessories

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Preppy Wisconsin Garden Wedding

What do you get when you combine a dash of southern charm and a boatload of pretty Fresh Design blooms? I’ll tell you, pure preppy perfection. Case in point? This lovely garden inspired affair overflowing with pretty. From their watercolored crest to the postcard guest book, every detail is darling and Heather Cook Elliott Photography captured it to share, right here!

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Country Club

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Glamorous Beer Garden Inspired Wedding

From Heather Cook Elliott Photography… Sarah & Hans’ engagement session found them wandering about a delightful city park in Chicago close to where they live. Among the trails and the flowers and the gardens they told Emily about how they met and how Hans asked Sarah to be his wife. Fast forward a few months and that garden feel was with them again on their wedding day a bit further north in Wisconsin close to Sarah’s family.

At the Milwaukee Country Club they skillfully designed a wedding day made incredibly intimate, sweetly playful and totally them by their delightful inclusion of critters, critters everywhere. They are kind of a signature of Sarah, who leaves them behind to say I love you to family and friends after visits long and short. A likely partial list of animals I spy throughout this submission are puppies, a mouse, otters, bees, and oodles of alligators – a sweet gesture in honor of the time she and Hans have spent at her grandfather’s (alligator friendly) South Carolina property outside of Charleston.

There is a bit of Southern charm to this thoroughly Mid-Western wedding and I can’t be complimentary enough about the dress Sarah chose, their willingness to mix and match here and there, and to incorporate so much of themselves in their details (Sarah watercolored their crest and drew their post card “guest book” as well as the maps included with guest welcome gifts), not to mention the gorgeous setting of the Club paired with its well-heeled china and silver place settings.

Their wedding wasn’t small or in a garden but that’s how it felt – like an intimate garden party among friends, and it was exactly what Sarah and Hans hoped it would be.

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BHLDN

Bridal 2016

Bridal 2019

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Plum Pretty Sugar

Castelbel & Trumpet

Signature

Lilli Tru

PomPon

Plum Pretty Sugar for BHLDN

PPS Couture

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Now this is a wedding weekend I can really get on board with. Think a fun-filled rehearsal dinner followed by a glamorous, candlelit wedding, all with a fabulous beer garden theme. It’s luxe red, blue and gold hues meets gorgeous florals (gorgeous) from Belle Fiori meets an entire gallery of beautiful images from Heather Cook Elliott Photography. Click here for all of the pretty.

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Weddings in Historical Venues

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Elegant Boysenberry Wedding at The Villa Terrace

From Heather Cook Elliott Photography… Stephanie and Jay are my kind of people. They love coffee dates and lakeside walks, European beer gardens and travel, family traditions and did I mention beer? They live in Minnesota but traveled to her home state of Wisconsin for an October wedding that reflected a fair amount of those loves and its an understatement to write that we were thrilled to get to photograph it.

People in the midwest take their heritage seriously and this wedding proves it – both were born and raised in the midwest, but Stephanie’s family is solidly German, while Jay’s is all Scottish and they designed a wedding to celebrate both sides – blending cultural traditions with midwestern classics to create a wedding weekend that managed to be both glamorous and cozy, upscale and down-home; all about the drinks, the flowers and the love.

The original inspiration for most of their design ideas was to host the weekend in a beer garden – think floating lights and florals dripping from the ceiling and you have the right idea. To that end, the weekend started with a groom’s dinner at Best Place, a rathskeller type space that used to be the boardroom for executives at the Pabst Brewery in Milwaukee. Stephanie wore a dried flower crown for the evening in keeping with an old German tradition and their beer was served in glass boots from Mader’s, a local 100+ year old German restaurant.

The next day they revisited Pabst Brewery for stunning portraits on the campus before hosting guests at the Historic Pritzlaff where an area that used to be loading docks was transformed with dripping candles and florals to be their European style beer garden. On this day the flower girls wore the flower crown and Stephanie a bold Lazaro dress with gorgeous ruffles and a glam topknot. At the reception they offered guests a Milwaukee favorite – brandy old fashioneds – and the Scottish side changed into kilts (and the mother of the groom donned a tartan sash!). Stephanie even changed out of her sparkly Jimmy Choos and slipped into a tartan clad pair of shoes that I adored. Overall, the color palette was a surprise – teal and rust colors with pops of purple and lots of green – but I love how those deep fall colors suggested the change to kilts that was to come.

With gold details, lots of candle light and garlands galore on wooden tables the effect was perfect and beautiful and very Stephanie and Jay.

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At first glance, you might mistake this slice of elegance from Lexia Frank Photography and Tailored Engagements for an affair set at an authentic Italian villa. That’s just how gorgeous The Villa Terrace in Milwaukee is—and a successful win-win for the beautiful Bride and Groom who craved a destination wedding packed with family. Drenched in the prettiest shade of boysenberry, it’s a beauty all-around.

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Villa

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Farm to Table Inspiration

From Lexia Frank Photography…Kelly and Alessandro found the perfect place to marry. It was close to home for ailing relatives, but it felt like we were all transported to Italy, where all of the groom’s family resides. The villa terrace is an exact replica of a villa in Italy, so Kelly and Alessandro got the destination wedding they wanted, while also being able to celebrate with the entire family.

The ceremony took place on the terrace overlooking the water, and guests enjoyed a pre-ceremony cocktail hour in the courtyard. After the ceremony guests were welcomed down in the villa’s gardens where Italian style antipasti were served, children played soccer, and an incredible balloon artist created whimsical creations for the wedding’s youngest guests (and some of the bride and groom as well!). Later in the evening, children were ushered into their own private wedding ‘party’ while the adults were happy to dine together and listen to the live italian opera singer serenade the evening. It was a perfect day, and could not have been more lovely!

Farm to table style inspiration is always a good thing, but add a team of Milwaukee’s finest vendors to the mix and it’s an entirely new level of amazing. But I guess that’s what happens when Britt Taylor, Events To A T, Miranda K Levy and Rachel R Lee (just to name a few) combine their creative talents to craft a shoot that is all at once rustic, modern and fabulous. See it all right here.

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Elegant Milwaukee Summer Wedding

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Urban Space

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Rustic

From Britt Taylor… Britt Taylor Photography and Tiara with Events to a T came together with Milwaukee’s most creative vendors to achieve this modern day feast. The goal was to create a relaxed sense of togetherness with a heavy emphasis on beautiful organic textures and simple elegance. One of the main focal pieces is the farm to table style dining which is showcased beautifully by the craft style cascading banner menu designed by PaperWhites.

The decor lends itself perfectly to creating a relaxed atmosphere; the paint chipped farm house chairs add a fantastic texture while joining the grand wooden feast style table all provided by Relics Vintage Rentals. This style of dinning allows for guest to feel incredibly relaxed and engaged with the intimacy of the celebration. With the visual focus remaining on the feast we wanted to incorporate natural elements that would be an alternative to traditional florals. The use of moss and hand picked Wisconsin grown foliage enhance the visual splendor.

We loved the modern design of Project Runway alum Miranda K. Levy’s Bridal gown. The high neckline and cropped waist create a really chic fashion forward look while the beautiful choice of satin retain a timeless elegance. Rachel Lee developed a romantic natural hair and makeup look by emphasizing our brides lashes with individual lash extensions and keeping her palette to all neutrals with a pinky nude lip. She finished this polished look with the perfect amount of cheek luminizer to create a etherial glow. Our bride’s look was perfected by the custom jeweled caplet by Elan Couture. We love the idea the bride jewelry can be incredibly unexpected and completely exciting. Her cathedral veil from Miss Ruby’s Boutique was adorned with an Wisconsin grown sprig.

Our Groom keep his fashions simple, comfortable and sophisticated by mixing patterns and adding an extra detail of texture with his leather adorned suspenders. we enjoyed creating an event that both Bride and Groom can feel very inspired by and can easily achieve by mixing different textures, patterns and keeping the color palette to a muted minimum.

A beautiful day, pretty petals galore, a gorgeous couple and an adorable pup; what more could you ask for? This wedding right here is the epitome of lovely and the little bee’s scattered throughout, from stationery to jewelry, paying homage to the couple’s last name, is as sweet as can be. m three studio captured it all so we too can soak up the love that radiates from this buzzworthy Bride and Groom.

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Ballroom Weddings Religious Institution

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Tips for Making a Romantic Winter Bouquet

From m three studio… A classically beautiful day in absolutely every way – Christina and Chris had the sort of wedding day you see in movies. Perfect weather, a gorgeous dress, a fun and attentive wedding party, loving families on both sides full of joy, adorable littles running around, lush florals, a dramatic ballroom, and love, love, love everywhere. The perfection of it all can leave you dizzy like a good glass of champagne.

What I love most though are the small touches that they incorporated to make it all so personal – you have to really pay attention to see them. Well, the first one is hard to miss – they made sure their beloved pup got to join in on the fun for their bridal party pictures. Chris’ love for baseball was incorporated into the men’s dressing area (that’s vintage Milwaukee Braves memorabilia on the walls) and the guestbook and favors; baseballs for guests to sign and crackerjacks to take home. Chris’ last name is Beesley and his Mom has a long standing tradition of incorporating bees into her home decor and life moments. Christina intends to continue the tradition and made sure one appeared in their invitations, menu cards, on the guest welcome bags, and also gave each bridesmaid a gold bee charm bracelet. Christina’s mercury glass collection gave each dinner table an eclectic and personal touch. Their stationer got things rolling with a custom illustration of Milwaukee for their invitations.

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Vera Wang

Spring 2015

Fall 2014

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Dessy

Bridesmaid 2014

Women's Tuxedo

Tuxedo

Fall 2014

Spring 2015

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Allure

Allure Bridals Fall 2014

Allure Couture Fall 2014

Allure Romance Fall 2014

Allure Bridals Spring 2015

Allure Romance Spring 2015

Allure Couture Spring 2015

Allure Bridals Fall 2015

Allure Couture Fall 2015

Allure Romance Fall 2015

Allure Bridals Spring 2016

Allure Couture Spring 2016

Allure Romance Spring 2016

Allure Bridals Fall 2016

Allure Couture Fall 2016

Allure Romance Fall 2016

Allure Romance Spring 2017

Allure Couture Spring 2017

Allure Bridals Spring 2017

Allure Couture Fall 2017

Allure Fall 2017

Allure Romance Fall 2017

Wilderly Collection

Allure Bridals Spring 2018

Allure Romance Spring 2018

Wilderly Collection

Allure Couture Spring 2018

Wilderly Collection 2019

Allure Couture Spring 2019

Allure Bridals Spring 2019

Allure Romance Spring 2019

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I’m a firm believer that pretty blooms are just the thing to brighten up a day anytime of year, especially during the cold winter months when most everything is bare and blah. Enter the perfect romantic winter bouquet, captured by Kate Weinstein and crafted by our darling friend Tiffany from A Splendid Occasion, who is generously giving us the sweet recipe. From Chocolate Cosmos to Amaranthus Hot Biscuits to Caramel Antike, these winter petals sound good enough to eat!

Materials

Pepperberry
Italian Ruscus
Peach and Orange Ranunculus
Garden Roses (Yves Piaget, Caramel Antike, Romantic Antike)
Parrot Tulips
Fall foliage (Maple Branch)
Tuberose
Chocolate Cosmos
Amaranthus Hot Biscuits
Gomphrena

instructions step-1 Incorporate Tons of Texture. I love incorporating different types of textures in my bridal bouquets all throughout the year, and winter is no exception. This time of year there are so many unique elements that can be incorporated, so why not get a little adventurous! One of my favorite elements to use right now are foraged branches or any fall or winter foliage around your home. These are extremely unexpected, but add that unique and wild touch. Texture also provides dimension to the arrangement. If foliage isn’t your thing, try berries or succulents.

step-2 Be Bold with Color. In the winter we all start to bring out our neutral sweaters and subtle accessories, but what about the color? Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean we need to tuck away all of our fun and festive colored items. The same goes for floral! Just because you are having a winter wedding, doesn’t mean you need to banish vibrant colors from your wedding palette. Be bold and brave. A pop of color never hurt anyone! I love going all out with a color palette. My inspiration for this winter bouquet were the colors of sunset and A Splendid Occasion’s new brand and website!

step-3 We all love giant, fluffy peonies and dinner plate cafe au lait dahlias, but unfortunately they are not available all year long. Garden roses are my favorite to use in the winter. The soft pink romantic antike garden roses that we used in this bouquet bloomed so beautifully and ended up being the show stoppers. Large, fluffy and perfectly bloomed! A lot of brides write off roses instantly, but these voluminous garden roses can really make all the difference. Instead of using a large amount of smaller, more expensive flowers, do your research (or ask your florist!) and find the best fuller varieties for your bouquet. The bigger blooms make more of a statement too!

step-4 Have fun with it! Overall, having fun with your winter bouquet is key. Winter bouquets don’t all have to look like the holidays or be completely white. Get creative and find the flowers, colors, or natural elements that mean the most to you and incorporate them. Spray paint is always a great idea too if you are looking for a specific color. I really enjoy spray painting my greens gold in the winter for a little extra sparkle. Don’t be afraid to get a little wild with it, just keep playing around with it until it is perfect!

Rustic Meets Elegant Turner Hall Wedding

I have to agree with Britta Marie Photography on this one: these two are awesome. They’re obviously gorgeous, obviously fun and dance like NO ONE is watching. I love them. And their elegant meets rustic Milwaukee wedding? Well, it’s what dreams are made of with one moment after another of pure, unadulterated bliss. Check it out right here.

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Ballroom Weddings

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Botticelli-Inspired Bridal Shoot

From Britta Marie Photography… The only thought that went through my head as I edited this wedding was that I needed to find a way for those who were not there, or who do not know this couple, to understand how incredible this day was.

I got to the hotel that I was to meet Kate (the bride) at for getting ready photos. I got all checked in to my room and did a little exploring around the neighborhood to check out the photo locations she had suggested for the first look and portraits (Milwaukee is an awesome city, by the way). When I got back to the hotel I went to Kate’s room and what I found was the most calm and collected bride I have ever seen. She kept saying to all in the room over and over that “this is the best day ever!” and she meant it with her whole heart. The day was, in my mind, flawless. There was no scurrying around, everything was on time, there were no heated tempers or worrying over the fact that someone else’s wedding was being set up in the location we had chosen for photos, or that it was the first hot and humid day we had had all summer. No. There was only joy on the minds of this bride and groom, and those around them.

The entire day was filled with the most intense (happy) emotion. The first look was filled with tears and “I love yous” from both the bride and the groom. The ceremony, officiated by Kate’s mom, was just as heart felt. As Kate and her dad were walking down the aisle, I turned to grab a quick shot of Dan, waiting for his bride, and what I saw was a tear-filled groom with his arm around the Mother of the Bride (yup, I totally lost it when I saw that). Every moment of this day had purpose and had celebrating these two in mind.

And Kate and Dan are not your average couple. Besides being ridiculously good looking, photogenic, and tall – these two collectively have the biggest hearts of anyone I have ever met. I saw the joy in their eyes as they greeted each and every guest and the way they looked at each other on the dance floor made it seem like there was no one else around (I know, it sounds cliche, but look at some of these “open dance” photos. ITS SO TRUE!). They love each other and the people around them with so much passion that it is impossible to be around them and not feel like you are in the presence of two of your favorite people ever.

This day will go down and a wedding I will never forget. I can only hope that these images will allow those who were not there, to live through some of the magic that happened, and that those where were fortunate enough to witness this day in person are brought back to one of the happiest days of their lives.

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Nicole Miller

Spring 2015

Fall 2014

Fall 2015

SPRING 2016

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Back in college, I sort of prided myself on being an art history buff. And when one summer program took me to the city of Florence, studying the greats like Botticelli, you better believe that love of Italian Renaissance stuck with me. *Enter* this Primavera-inspired shoot put together by the fabulous Kate Weinstein Photo, A Splendid Occasion and Layers Of Loveliness. They teamed up for their own dreamy bridal interpretation, and if you ask me? Well, they hit the nail on the head.

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Villa

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Elegant, Rustic Summer Warehouse Wedding at Historic Pritzlaff

From Kate Weinstein Photo…The Villa Terrace is a beautiful Italian-style venue and art museum located in the heart of Milwaukee. For this shoot, we wanted to design something that fit the classical style of the venue but we also wanted to keep it simple; the Villa Terrace is already beautifully designed as it is so it doesn’t require much additional decoration. Our color and mood inspiration for the shoot was Botticelli’s moody and ethereal painting “Primavera.”

I need to profess my love for this wedding, and yet I don’t know where to start. The ceremony backdrop will make your mouth drop right to your desk, the reception is elegant with a fabulous mix of urban and rustic (complete with full size trees), and this couple just couldn’t be more adorable if they tried. It will only take one look at these gorgeous images from Heather Cook Elliott Photography to see why I can’t stop gushing – and you can join me in the swoonfest here.

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Urban Space

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Romantic Wisconsin Wedding at Lake Park Bistro

From Heather Cook Elliott Photography…Lindsey & Tim’s wedding day was beautifully styled and made for general photographic awesomeness, but despite the fact that this gallery is full of photographs of all their lovely details, I must write that their wedding day was really and truly about love – the love they share for one another, the love they’ve been blessed to grow up with and the love they’ll have for their future family. Tim & Lindsey met in medical school at Mayo and are starting careers at a prestigious institution out east so yes, they have really good resumes, but at their wedding Tim & Lindsey’s big, happy hearts were what anyone noticed and everyone cared about most. All day they exuded a joyfulness that touched everyone around them, that threatened constantly to well up and over into tears, that made everyone present grateful to be a part of such a day. But Lindsey & Tim didn’t just absorb well-wishes – they continuously gave them back (as I suspect is the norm in their everyday lives) and delighted guests with, delicious foods, sights to be seen, games to be played, dances to be danced and even a meteor shower to be enjoyed. And they said Thank You in a most memorable way. After the toasts and dinners had been enjoyed Lindsey and Tim stood proudly in front of all their guests and told everyone about how lucky and blessed they are to have amazing families, parents and friends. Their parents, they said in particular, had formed them, modeling healthy marriages and lives well lived such that Lindsey and Tim have no doubt that they too will have a happy marriage. And as her dad teared up, Lindsey confirmed what everyone instinctively feels about the two of them – they are ready and excited to make each other the ultimate priority and build lives worth celebrating together. She simply said “mom, dad: we got this.”

And a note about their style – Lindsey & Tim adore their urban warehouse venue but wanted to bring a bit of rustic Wisconsin loveliness to the whole thing. They selected barn tables and soft florals plus live full sized trees (!) to soften the venue’s concrete, timber and brick architecture while mix and match linens and glass chargers dressed up their different shaped dinner tables. They custom upholstered lounge furniture and candle lit as much as possible, adding puzzles, bean bag toss and a band to keep the fun quotient high. Their paper was simply to die for – letterpressed and totally customized to share more details about their old, new, borrow and blue, as well as their gift of education to a needy child in lieu of favors. Their vows were screen printed on large swaths of fabric and hung first in the ceremony space and then as a backdrop to a dance floor lounge – very chic, very urban but still somehow romantic and rustic.

I have a tendency to gush about things (rightfully so, I suppose, since I do spend my days knee deep in pretty), but if there ever was a wedding worthy of a serious gush-fest, this beauty captured by Leo And Jenny Photography would be it. Perfectly planned by this gorgeous Bride’s sister, every detail is not just beautiful, but filled with love – leaving me head over heels for this gallery.

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Eatery Religious Institution

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Romantic Candlelit Evening Wedding

From The Bride…Josh and I both graduated from Notre Dame, but we didn’t meet on campus. Ironically, we met in Ann Arbor at the Notre Dame/Michigan football game. We’d both be lying if we said there weren’t instant sparks. Four years later, Josh proposed while visiting me in my hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on a dock on Lake Michigan. I was so surprised and excited, I thought I was going to pass out and fall into the water!

We knew we wanted our wedding to be romantic and beautiful, but also wanted to throw an awesome party for all of our friends and family. I had always dreamed of having an outdoor wedding, and when we discovered that Lake Park Bistro, one of our favorite restaurants in the city and the place we celebrated our engagement, did tented weddings, we were sold.

With the venue set in a tent at Lake Park Bistro overlooking Lake Michigan, truly the rest wouldn’t have gotten done without my sister/MOH/wedding planner/coordinator, Amanda. With her eye for aesthetics and style that I will never understand, she planned the most perfect day that Josh and I could ever have imagined. From the cocktail hour on a staircase that looked down on the lake, to the sea of blush flowers that greeted guests in the tent, to the rocking band that kept the dance floor packed all night and Leo and Jenny that captured it all, our wedding was our definition of perfect. We feel so blessed, and only wish we could go back and do it again!!

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Bridesmaid

Jenny Yoo

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Jenny Yoo

Spring 2014 Maternity

2016 Bridesmaid Collection

2016 Bridal Collection

Spring 2017 Flower Girl Collection

Spring 2017 Bridal Collection

Spring 2017 "Jenny by Jenny Yoo" Collection

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Fall 2016 Separates Collection

Spring 2017 Lingerie Collection

Spring 2017 Separates Collection

Spring 2017 Bridesmaids Collection

Spring 2018 Bridal Collection

Spring 2018 "Jenny by Jenny Yoo" Collection

Spring 2018 Flower Girl Collection

Spring 2018 Bridesmaid Collection

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If I could dream up my idea of the perfect indoor wedding, it would look like this Milwaukee affair to a T. Think a gorgeous, loft-style space covered in candles and infused with romance like you wouldn’t believe. Of course, the amazing Woodnote Photography and Robert Ingraham made it all the more stunning, and you can visit the gallery and read this couple’s serendipitous love story below!

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Weddings in Historical Venues

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Romantic

From the Bride… Jon and I met on August 9, 2006 at a well-known Milwaukee pub. It was on a random Wednesday night and we were both there separately with friends. All of a sudden, someone bumped into me and I turned around quickly to just say a meaningless “sorry” and the red head that bumped into me said “Ow! That really hurt.” I smiled and laughed at his sarcasm and we started talking from that moment.

We realized how much our lives were aligned starting with the fact that Jon was equally as obsessed with the idea of leaving the Midwest and starting his life in New York City as I was. That evening, I knew I found the man I was going to marry. I told my mom the next morning, “I’ll never kiss another man again,” only we hadn’t even set our first date yet let alone had a kiss. It was perfect and to this day I have a ring (that I now wear stacked with my wedding band) that has a number nine on it to always keep that day (well, really night) in my mind. The night I met Jon was, hands down, the best night of my life.

From the Groom… I have to admit, I was opposed to having a first look. I had never heard of people doing that before and it sounded strange to see Miranda before she walked down the aisle. Now, I get it and I loved it. Seeing her in that amazing dress for the first time was incredibly moving. I was completely blown away with how beautiful she looked. The tears flowed out of my eyes instantly.

DIY Filled Milwaukee Wedding

I love a good love story and this one touches on love, weddings and generations past. In the 1940’s, at this very spot, the Bride’s grandparents met and fell in love. Now fast-forward 70+ years and a granddaughter and her beloved are saying “I Do”. It’s the stuff that movies are made of but it’s all real life and a beautiful one at that captured by Ann & Kam Photography. See so much more of this heartfelt celebration right here.

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Classic Milwaukee Wedding at Villa Terrace

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Industrial

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Casual Classic Weddings

From Dawn, the Bride… On the day of our wedding, I felt more peaceful than I ever could have anticipated and certainly more serenity than I had experienced in the two years prior. There were no fears associated job changes, relocating to a new state (times two), or major wedding planning disasters. We knew planning a wedding was work, but we had many more other bumps and surprises than we were sometimes prepared for. We had weathered through it and I was calm because everything felt right and it felt good. Life was great!

Bobby and I met in New York City, moved to Chicago together, and finally settled in Milwaukee where I grew up. The location of our ceremony and reception were very important to us. We wanted spaces that had architectural character of the NYC, as well as the charm and beauty of the Midwest. Our hearts were full when we discovered that our chosen reception venue was where my grandparents met in the late 1940’s.

Formerly a whole sale and retail hardware store from 1857-1957, Pritzlaff is now a symbol of love and commitment from one generation to another. I think the pictures of the Villa Terrace are easy to convince anyone of its inherent allure, so that was another easy choice!

For our big day, Bobby and I spent a lot of time on the details because it would mean that much more to us knowing they were homemade by our family, friends and us. Bobby created a beautiful sidewalk sign, my mother-in-law and her husband made homemade strawberry jam, my grandmother and bridesmaids helped make the boutonnieres and photo booth props, doilies were donated by friends and aunts, my dad made wooden crates, and I religiously collected vintage items to pull it all together. I also designed the stationary, most of the signs, and table settings. It was a lot of work, but I honestly loved it. When Bobby gave a short speech at the reception, he said “our wedding is like the suberbowl of pinterest.” Guilty! I spent hours on blogs and Pinterest ooking for vintage chic inspiration.

The entire day was magical. It was happy, emotional, fun, and loving. We had a first look and we are both so glad we did. It was one of my favorite moments. A wave of emotions came over us and it was such an intense, rich feeling! I also loved taking my grandparents upstairs of Pritzlaff for some special photos. It was like memories flooded my grandpa and I felt so lucky to hear him relive their past together. I hope our love is 73 years strong (and counting). Best wishes to all of you in the planning stage. Hire a planner, if you can ;) Our budget didn’t allow it, but I so wish it had!

If you can get past the stunning Bride, or the gorgeous Bridesmaid dresses, or the layers of amber colored vases tucked inside this affair, you’ll see all of those sums coming together to create a truly elegant whole. It’s a wedding with an old world feel all captured by Aliza Rae Photography and you can see so much more right here in the full gallery.

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Museum

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Snowy Old World Wedding Inspiration

From the Bride… We didn’t exactly have a theme for our wedding – the venues that we chose had so much personality that I wanted them to shine. The ceremony site, Villa Terrace, has a beautiful garden and courtyard which inspired me to incorporate that idea into the floral arrangements and bouquets. Throughout our engagement I had collected all of the amber vases, mostly from different antique stores and flea markets in the Milwaukee area. My Mom and Aunt, both who live in Michigan, also contributed to the collection of vases as they found them. I had an amazing florist who worked with the vases and my vision of organic seasonal arrangements – she made everything better and more beautiful than I could have imagined!
I tried to do as much DIY as I could, from the table numbers and escort cards, to the advice hearts and the invitations- we tried to pinch pennies in as many places as possible, so I taught myself calligraphy to address the invitations that we used Photoshop to make and then printed at home- I learned a lot in the process!
From the get-go I knew that I wanted my girls to wear different dresses. To make sure that they still went together, I decided on gold and then found a handful of dresses online from which they could choose, it was actually a very simple process! They looked so beautiful together and I was happy that each of their personalities and style could come through. For the boys we decided to forgo traditional boutonnières in favor of unique pocket squares. I made them myself and pre-folded them a few days ahead of time so that they didn’t have to struggle with them the day of; I think they looked really great!
Nick and I decided to write our own vows, we wanted the ceremony to be very personal and heartfelt and I think we achieved that. I think each of our vows complimented the other so well and the ceremony was my favorite part of the wedding- which says a lot because our reception was a blast! We danced all night and had such a good time with all of our family and friends- most of who came from our home state of Michigan. We had a fairly small wedding- 85 people, but it was the perfect amount to be able to talk to and enjoy everyone. It was the best wedding I could have ever imagined, especially now that I am married to the man of my dreams!

I have to admit – I have been seriously craving summer. But this gorgeous shoot from the lovely state of Wisconsin? It has me remembering just why winter is so very, very awesome. A sweet combination of snowy weather, crazy gorgeous colors and a team of talented vendors (think Kate Weinstein, Sugar River Stationers and Laura Timmer), it’s the prettiest way ever to spend your Thursday. See it all here.

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Winter Weddings

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Outdoor Weddings

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Romantic

From Kate Weinstein Photo… I am excited to share our Snowy Old World Wedding inspiration shoot with you!

Here in Wisconsin, one thing is almost always certain: if it’s winter, we will have snow on the ground. Towards the end of winter, Wisconsinites tend to tire of snow, but all that white really can be a beautiful complement to a bride’s dress and a winter wedding. I wanted the colors of this shoot to play off the white snow and the blue of Milwaukee’s frozen Lake Michigan, and this muted dusty blue, white, and mauve color palette would be perfect for a snowy and romantic winter wedding.

When I think Old World, I think timeless, European-style elegance, and that feeling was the inspiration for this shoot. BHLDN provided their elegant Cypress gown, luxuriously paired with their Effie fur topper. Lizzibeth contributed the jewels to accent the dress worn by our model Katelyn Kosinski, with hair and makeup by Laura Timmer. The Home Market in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward provided the table, table settings, and many of the props seen in the shoot. Sugar River Stationers created the invitation suite, and the flowers were a mix of hellebores (one of the few flowers that bloom in snow!), ranunculus, spray roses, garden roses, tulips, and privet berry.

Thank you so much for considering this submission, and please let me know if I can provide you with any additional information! Stay warm! xo

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Wedding Dresses

BHLDN

Bridal 2016

Bridal 2019

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Classic Military Wedding at Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel

So girls. I think you’re going to kind of love this wedding. Because the “there is just something sexy about a man in uniform” theory definitely applies. Add to that a girl fit to be a princess, a stunning ballroom backdrop and oh, maybe some of the prettiest pics – shot by The McCartneys – I’ve ever seen and bam. Love gone wild.

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Winter Weddings

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Ballroom Weddings

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Elegant Dusk Wedding Ideas

From the bride, Jess…When we were planning our wedding, we tried to always keep in the forefront of our minds that we wanted the day to be true to us as a couple. We wanted our wedding to be beautiful, formal but not stuffy, fun, and joyful. It was also important to us to throw a great party for our guests!

We also wanted to showcase the military aspect of the wedding — having our sword detail participate as much as possible was very important!

Without really explicitly talking about it, I think Dom and I had the same vision for our wedding. We wanted the day to be traditional and classic, but wanted to throw in some personality. It ended up being exactly what we wanted…I felt like an absolute princess, straight out of a fairy tale. I think in the end all that really mattered was that we were finally marrying each other, and finally had the opportunity to start living our lives together. The fact that everything and everyone came together in such a beautiful way made the day that much more special and magical.

We did a little bit of DIY, and had a lot of fun with it! I ordered the Save the Dates on Etsy, but had a couple friends over one night and we hand-sewed a thread from Milwaukee to wherever the guest was living to personalize them a bit. I designed the invitations (and had them printed by an incredible family owned letterpress in northern WI) as well as the menu cards. My parents and uncle made the card box for us, and my parents also made our table numbers. We made a customized calendar for our guest book (now we have everyone’s birthdays!). We also framed a bunch of old family photos to put on display – a touch that was very important to us as we wanted to honor the people in our lives that help to bring us to that day!

The parts that stick out in my mind the most, were walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing Dom for the first time, the entire ceremony (we had so much more fun that we thought we would and were so, incredibly impressed with our priest), the hours of time that we had alone together between the ceremony and reception to just reflect on the day and the night ahead, standing on our little balcony watching guests enter the room (and feeling like a princess, once again!), and our first dance. I guess that is the whole day, but those are the moments that play in my mind as the ‘highlight reel’!

If I were to share advice with future brides, I would say.

1. Have fun with it, and don’t take it too seriously! Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice, but stay true to your choices and opinions and don’t second guess yourself once you make a decision. There are so many options out there, you could drive yourself insane!

2. Make sure that you keep in perspective what the wedding is all about – the love that you have for the person you are going to marry – the wedding is just the gateway to your new life together, which ultimately is WAY more important!

3. Do things together — even though Dom was deployed for 6 months of our engagement, we still make decisions together, which was really important.

4. If you’re going on a honeymoon right after the wedding — don’t leave the honeymoon planning to the last minute (it gets a little stressful!!)

We had the most incredible day of our lives, in every way. We still can’t stop talking about it!!

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
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Nicole Miller

Spring 2015

Fall 2014

Fall 2015

SPRING 2016

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Romona Keveza

Romona Keveza Luxe Bridal

Romona Keveza Luxe Bridal Fall 2016

Romona Keveza Bridal Fall 2017

Romona Keveza Collection Bridal Spring 2017

Romona Keveza Collection Bridal Fall 2019

ROMONA New York

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When you’re planning your wedding, and you really want it to ooze the romance, dusk is it. Is there anything more romantic that that fleeting moment between daylight and night sky? (No.) You simply must layer on the love with candles and candles and candles and bring along m three studio to capture it all. Then it will be perfect.

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