We had a rehearsal lunch instead of a rehearsal dinner the weekend before the wedding. Some of our family members had already arrived in from out of town, and we decided to mark the start of the wedding week with a Sunday Lunch. We’re members of the Outpost Natural Food Co-ops, and we have ordered their box lunches before for family picnics. This time we ordered platters, which was great. They have lots of vegetarian options, but we usually order free-range chicken and hormone free beef. We still ordered the typical meat and cheese platter that everyone loves, along with sandwich platters and cookie trays and humus trays. I think this was a great option for big groups, because by ordering through the Co-Op you’re guaranteed high quality food.

Alex bought my engagement ring for me at Osterman Jewelers. The ring he proposed to me with was just beautiful. It was a simple diamond on a band. It was really classic looking and elegant. The wedding band that he had chosen for me also had smaller diamonds encrusted on it. I had to have the ring re-fitted, which wasn’t a problem at all. Alex also chose his wedding band from their selection. He said that he went shopping in Brookfield rather than at a jewelry store closer to our house because he was afraid someone would spot him and find out what that he was planning on proposing before he could surprise me. I was surprised, because even though we had been dating two years and had just moved in, we had never talked about getting married. I went there with Alex to have my ring refitted. I think they have a nice selection, but I loved the ring that Alex had chosen for me the best. I think simple is better when it comes to jewelry.

I was really happy working with Paper Envy. They are a small shop, but they have some of the nicest paper sets and invitation templates that I have ever seen! I really liked the wedding invitation cards that they had in stock, but I ended up falling in love with the cutest baby announcement card. We ended up altering one of the baby announcement cards and turning it into a wedding invitation, which they said was no problem at all! They were really accommodating, and really great to work with.

There are two Beauty salons, but I always go to the one on Farwall because it’s on my way home from work. This was where I had my wedding make-up and hair styled. My hairstylist knows me really well, but I still set up an appointment for my bridal party and me so that we could get a better idea of how they would have their hair done. I have really short hair, so it was more about my bridesmaids! I think the practice session was really important, because this was where people could discuss what they wanted with a professional stylist who could tell them what was possible. On the day of the wedding everything went really fast and we all looked great! We had more than enough time for us all to have our make-up and air styled, and we all looked great! The staff is amazing, and I feel super confident going there and trusting them with my hair.

I can’t remember the name of the person who did my make-up. It was the first time I had my make-up done there, and even though I’ve gone back to have my hair cut, I never have facials or things like that there. My make-up did look good, and I was happy to have a professional do it for my wedding day.

We booked a block of hotel rooms early on because we were going to include hotel information with our wedding invitations. My mother suggested the DoubleTree because it is fairly central, it’s a nice hotel, and also because they have a pool which is fun for everyone. Booking a block of hotel rooms is really easy, we just called in with the date of our wedding. We found out early which of our friends and family members would be needing a room so that we booked conservatively. You don’t get charge for the rooms that don’t get taken, but DoubleTree has a limit as to how long it will hold the rooms for you.

This is a really great place for wedding favors and things as well as flowers. The staff is really excellent. The florist I worked with, Mary, was really great about helping to create flower arrangements for my wedding bouquets and centerpieces that were unique and beautiful. They delivered the flowers on the day of the wedding, everything arrived on time and was super fresh. It looked even better than the sample she showed me. Also, they have invitations and wedding favors at the shop. This was wear I bought a few decorations and things for my wedding shower. I really recommend making this your first stop for wedding planning.

We had a great idea for gifts! My mother was against the idea of ordering 200 little boxes of mints or bird seeds, and she suggested that maybe we could have a little contest at the wedding and give out bigger prizes. At first I thought the idea was a bit cheesy, but the more I thought of it, the more I liked the idea. At the wedding we played twenty questions, and throughout the evening we would give each table the chance to answer a question about Alex and I and our relationship. The first table was asked how long we dated for, the second table was asked where our first date was, and so on. If a person at the table had the right answer, they got the prize. It was interactive and I think people bonded over having to collaborate. It made a party of almost 200 guests seem very intimate, too! We gave away $10-20 gift certificates mostly to Borders, Milwaukee Art Museum, and local restaurants. We chose stores and places that we liked, bought the cards, wrapped them up really frilly, and then kept the basket by the head table.

We had a great idea for gifts/favors! My mother was against the idea of ordering 200 little boxes of mints or bird seeds, and she suggested that maybe we could have a little contest at the wedding and give out bigger prizes. At first I thought the idea was a bit cheesy, but the more I thought of it, the more I liked the idea. At the wedding we played twenty questions, and throughout the evening we would give each table the chance to answer a question about Alex and I and our relationship. The first table was asked how long we dated for, the second table was asked where our first date was, and so on. If a person at the table had the right answer, they got the prize. It was interactive and I think people bonded over having to collaborate. It made a party of almost 200 guests seem very intimate, too! We gave away $10-20 gift certificates mostly to Borders, Museums, and local restaurants. We chose stores and places that we liked, bought the cards, wrapped them up really frilly, and then kept the basket by the head table.

We found out about ACA at one of the bridal shows that I went to. Once we booked our wedding reception site, we contacted them right away to find out more about hiring a DJs or a band. They basically are the main dj or band music source in the area. Once we started to explain what we wanted and our wedding date, they recommended DJ Dave Hall. Dave was great! He made sure he had all the songs that were important to us, and let us know what his play list would include for all the different parts of the wedding. He had a different part for the meal, and then for the dancing. Upbeat songs and slow songs, everything was there. People loved it. He also brought in all his own equipment, set up without any problems, and was great about getting the dancers going! I was confused about ACA at first, but in the end I loved them and DJ Dave Hall!

It was important for me to have a baker bake the wedding cake, and not order a cake through the caterer. This was because I wanted something special, beautiful, and really tasty, and I find that caterers who don’t specialize in desserts can’t really accomplish this. Elizabeth’s Cakes came highly recommended from a co-worker who bought a cake for her daughter’s birthday. The pictures of the cake were beautiful, so I got the contact information and made an appointment right away. Elizabeth was great! She’s a really wonderful person, you can tell right away that she’s an artist! She explained to us during a consultation what she does, how she creates the cakes, the ingredients she uses. We also arranged to taste cakes, and every flavor was great. Even though she has made some really elaborate cakes, our cake design was simple, we wanted fondant flowers and butterflies, and when we finally saw our cake on our wedding day we loved it! It was almost painful to cut it, it was so pretty! It looked like a really wedding cake! And it tasted perfect! I was so happy with how it turned out. Each slice had a small flower or butterfly on it, it was cute for each person.