Milwaukee Loft Wedding

Kate and Dave planned a “destination” wedding in Milwaukee so they could share their new hometown with family and friends. The bride designed her dress with local dress maker Delanie Couture, which is absolutely fabulous! Kate also recruited family to help with flowers for the big day, which in retrospect, she says she does NOT recommend, but is happy they turned out gorgeous, nonetheless! Very special thanks to Apryl Ann Photography for letting us share these gorgeous images!

Tell us about finding your gown.

After trying on over fifty wedding dresses and not feeling like any were the one, I worked with local dress maker Delanie Couture to design my dress. I loved the experience and the outcome of working with Delanie, it made my dress so feel so much more personal.

What made your day special and unique?

Right after getting engaged, Dave and I moved to Milwaukee. We have both lived in quite a few different cities and our families are in different states, so we decided to make our wedding a “destination” for our guests. We were so grateful to those who were able to make the trip, and wanted to share with them our favorite parts of a beautiful city that we have quickly grown to love. Our ceremony was downtown in a historic, gothic-style church, and our reception was held in the Historic Third Ward, Milwaukee’s arts district. I studied art history in college and have always loved Renaissance art, so I used a favorite painting, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, as color palette and mood inspiration for designing the wedding.

I have a passion for flowers, and in the months leading up to the wedding I researched everything I could find about flowers and floral design. With the kind and generous help of my mom, mother-in-law, and matron of honor Jill, we did all the flowers the Thursday and Friday before the wedding. It was a massive undertaking, and one I wouldn’t recommend, but I had practiced and done my research and in the end had my dream flowers on a dream day. I remember telling Jill as I was tying my bouquet that I wanted to make it as gigantic as possible. It ended up being so heavy, my arm was sore the day after the wedding! That bouquet still makes me smile.

Our invitations were from the amazing local Broadway Paper, and the paper I used to DIY the envelope liners was also from there. I learned calligraphy and hand addressed all of the envelopes, which turned out to be a bigger project than I expected, but it was a labor of love!

We purchased a couch, chair and decorative rugs to use for a lounge area at our reception. I love design, but I’m usually not a person that gets too attached to things, and had actually planned to sell the furniture and rugs after our wedding. Now, I wouldn’t dream of selling a thing! I didn’t expect it, but I have such a strong emotional attachment to any thing from that day — my shoes, my dress, the ribbon from my bouquet, my husband’s tux. To me, all of these things are now family heirlooms.

What was the most memorable part of the day?
I thought the reception would be my favorite part of the day, and I did love it, but the ceremony turned out to be my favorite. Making our sacred vows in a historic church before God, our family, and friends was so deeply meaningful. Before the ceremony, Dave’s sister sang one of our favorite hymns, Amazing Grace. My dad, a Lutheran minister, performed our ceremony.

For me, the most memorable part of the day was having my dad walk me down the aisle to give me away and seeing Dave for the first time that day. The look on his face as I was walking towards him is absolutely priceless to me, as are the words he whispered to me when I first reached him and he led me up to the altar. I’m glad we took our amazing photographer Apryl’s advice and didn’t do a first look before the ceremony, and we are so thankful to Apryl and our videographer Jake for capturing that moment (and all of the day!).

Tell us how you met and became engaged!

Dave and I met in grad school when we were randomly paired together for an in-class project. We immediately hit it off and for the next nine months we were inseparable best friends. On January 6, 2012 we went from best friends to something more when Dave took me out on our first date — to the Olive Garden. Just under a year later, he proposed the day after Christmas at my parent’s home, surrounded by family, so we could all share the moment. Without the love, support, and guidance of our parents, neither of us would be where we are today, and we want to thank them for showing us every day by example what it means to have a strong, loving marriage and family.

Vendors: Photography: Apryl Ann Photography // Flowers: Kate Weinstein of Le Bash // Bride’s Hair: Kaley Wittnik at Roots Salon // Dress: Delanie Couture // Videographer: Jake Ring of Ringo Productions // DJ: Milwaukee Airwaves // Groom’s Tux: Alfani // Bride’s Dress: Delanie Couture // Bridesmaid Dresses: BCBG, Rent the Runway, J.Crew, Amsale, Nordstrom // Groomsmen Tuxes: Vera Wang at Men’s Warehouse // Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo at Nordstrom // Trolley: Discovery Coach // Catering: Joey Buona’s // Cake Balls: C. Adams Bakery // Invitations: Broadway Paper // Rehearsal Dinner: Coquette Cafe // Reception: Cuvee // Handmade paper for table numbers: Papermaker via Etsy // Calligraphy: Kate Weinstein of Le Bash

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