We are prettying up your lunch hour with the nuptials of two lovebirds as seen through the lovely lens of Kelly Sweet Photography, and trust me when I say, we take prettying up seriously. One peek at all the sweetness below will feel like we waved a wand of lovely over your afternoon – the rustic glamour, the traditional touches, the loft setting – and ta da! All of the sudden you’re afternoon is as pretty as this party. See it all here!
From the Bride… Kacey and I met in college and then proceeded to have a long-distance relationship that spanned half the continent for the next two and a half years. After four years of dating, Kacey proposed and the wedding planning began! The ceremony location was easy for us. We were married at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Wauwatosa, a beautiful German church built in the late 1800s that Kacey and I both attended during college. The reception location took a bit more effort to find, but we fell in love with Cuvee in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. The exposed cream city brick walls, old wooden floors, loft space and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the main street had the rustic, glamourous look we were going for. It fit seamlessly into our color palette of taupe, blush and gray. The bar and dining room were in two separate rooms, which allowed us to play with the decorations. We didn’t have a wedding coordinator, so we designed all the décor and paper goods ourselves. Many of the projects were DIY, and I must thank my mother, aunts and mother-in-law for their help – it certainly could not have been done without them!
For the cocktail area, we went with simple, rustic flower arrangements in vintage, brown bottles and let the beauty of the venue do the rest. In the dining room, we had loose arrangements of peonies, hydrangeas and roses in vintage blue mason jars that I collected over the previous year from antique shops and flea markets. These sat on burlap squares with mercury glass candles surrounding them for a bit of shine. But the highlight of the dining area was probably the dessert table – something I had wanted from the beginning!
Both Kacey and I are history buffs, and we were so honored to have meaningful family heirlooms be such a large part of our wedding. My veil was my mother’s, and my purse was a spectacular beaded bag from the 1930s given to me by my great aunt. Kacey’s wedding band was passed down from his grandfather, and the beaded butterfly appliqué on my bouquet was actually a piece from my great-grandmother’s wedding dress from 1918. So much help from our family and friends went into making this day possible. My mom and aunts helped with so many of the centerpieces and decorations, and even my dad and brothers pitched in to help tie antique keys onto the escort cards. It truly was a group effort from both of our families that helped make our day perfect. Even the rain couldn’t dampen our spirits — a frantic dash from the park to the venue made for great photos and stories!
Wedding Photography: Kelly Sweet Photography / Ceremony: St. John’s Lutheran Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin / Reception: Cuvee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin / Floral Design: The Flower Lady / Décor: Designed by the Bride / Catering: Chef Jack’s / Wedding Cake + Dessert Table: Simma’s Bakery / Wedding Invitations + Menus: Designed by the Bride / DJ: Sound by Design / Wedding Dress: Robert Bullock / Bride’s Veil: Her Mother’s / Bride’s Shoes: Rampage / Bride Bouquet Applique: From Her Great-Grandmother’s Wedding Dress / Bride’s Necklace: Bloomingdale’s / Bride’s Bracelet: J.Crew / Bride’s Purse: From Her Great-Aunt / Bride’s Hair + Makeup: Sarah of Impressions Day Spa / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bill Levkoff / Men’s Suits: DuBois Formalwear / Groom’s Boots: Nocona Boots