Vanessa & Dustin absolutely nailed their engagement session with me! And with it being their wedding week I figured what better time to share it (getting married TOMORROW!) They were my first engagement session done at Villa Terrace, and I loved getting the chance to explore the property in the morning, just one on one with these two! They had us laughing so hard as we got to know them and their quirky love story. Their shared interest in the movie Mulan 😉 and Dustin proposing to her via Sim’s characters (Vanessa’s Sim said ‘no’ but luckily she said yes in real life)!

They have shared little glimpses of their wedding plans with me and I’m so excited to see it unfold (mismatched bridesmaids, a second look). And with Events to a T, I’m certain it’s going to be one incredible day!

Let this wedding be proof that your Plan B can be JUST as beautiful as your Plan A.

It was a sunshining day at Villa Terrace, starting with Brenna slipping into her satin ballgown dress in the museum, to the first look down the terrace steps, the family first look in the courtyard, and wedding party photos on the lawn below. Everything was perfectly on track, smooth-sailing, AMAZING! Guests arrived and wow’d as the ceremony commenced, and everyone witnessed Brenna & Charlie say I do with the most stunning backdrop of Lake Michigan. Seriously this day was gorgeous (can we also take a second for Bird and Bumble with these florals?!?) Afterwards guests grabbed some champagne and hors d’oeuvres in the courtyard as the strings played and set the tone for a romantic evening that truly felt like being whisked away to Italy.

This day was designed and led by Morgan with Blue Fancy Events and I’m so glad she, her assistant Eve, and Megan with Villa Terrace were on deck. While we were busy getting our shots they were keeping a watchful eye on the weather report, and when the forecast called for chance of rain, they perfectly (and quickly) switched the outdoor reception plan to inside. Would you even know this wasn’t the original plan?? I was so impressed. It’s always so hard to make the rain call. “Do we play it safe? Do we risk it?” Luckily in the end the right call was made. And just as all the tables and decor were placed indoors and candles lit, down came the rain.

Thankfully the rain didn’t last long and Brenna & Charlie were able to carry on with their dance outside as planned. But this is why I am always so thankful when working with a planner. I know they’ve got everything covered down to a science and allows everyone else (vendors included) to be at ease and in-the-moment! Brenna and Charlie were super go with the flow amidst all changes of plans, and never let anything stop them from enjoying their special day. This is the best advice I can give. Let go of perfection and realize that your day will be beautiful no matter what. I know it’s easier said than done, but on your wedding day, do release all control and expectations. Focus your attention on the here and now. These small moments will become your entire day. Pay attention to the beauty that surrounds you and let your emotions run free. And remember, you get to walk away from it as husband and wife. That in itself is a perfect day!

Thank you so much Brenna & Charlie for allowing us to be a part of your day! For the full list of talented vendors, scroll to the very end! Enjoy!

VENDOR TEAM 

Wedding Planner & Designer: Blue Fancy Events – Morgan Liddell // Venue: Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum // Caterer: Ball N Biscuit // Gown: Miss Ruby Bridal Boutique // Rentals: TOC Vintage Rentals // Florals: Bird & Bumble // Officiant – Sonja Coster // Hair: Sweet Ginger Hair // Makeup: Makeup by Esa // Ceremony/Cocktail Hour Strings: Memorable Music Ensembles // DJ Services: DJ Anthony Deustch // Cafe Lights: Milwaukee Airwaves // Bagpiper: Piper Mike //Dessert: Sweet Demise Dessert Catering

I’m super excited to finally share this one with you all! Last summer, in the middle of cancellations and postponements, Jan, the owner of Relics Rentals, was thinking instead on how our industry could pivot. When she contacted me to share her vision for a pop-up wedding day, I first was like “Yes! Wait, what’s a pop-up wedding?!”

“These small, tiny, petite, micro, mini, pop up, intimate, low key, whatevs weddings have been around for several years in other markets, but the pandemic created just the right environment to finally introduce them to our Milwaukee market. Pop up weddings are the perfect solution for these uncertain times: * small guest counts * outdoors whenever weather permits * planned, executed, and hosted by an experienced team of event professionals * environmentally friendly due to less waste since multiple ceremony celebrations are scheduled in one day at the same location using the same rentals and decor and vendor team * more cost-effective for couples during these economically challenging times since they’re “sharing” the expenses” says Jess with Relics Rentals.

Every detail is considered, basically a styled shoot but with a real life couple. With top-of-the-line vendors and all the planning already taken care of for the couple, really all a couple must do is show up in wedding attire ready to get married and celebrate! During such unpredictable times where it was harder than ever for couples to plan, the pop up weddings offered a great solution.

I soon would find out this pop up event would be held at my all-time bucket list venue in Wisconsin, Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum. This, combined with the unique structure of a pop up event, I of course was 100% down for whatever these ladies were dreaming up. This would be their first pop-up wedding event and the design was inspired by the interior of Amsterdam’s Bar Botanique with its rich spectrum of greens in emerald and citrine, jewel tones with pops of navy blue and hints of bubblegum pink, apricot hues, and bright yellow.

 

For this pop up wedding event we had two couples and their guests enjoy what this vendor team created for them (scroll to the end for the full vendor list)!

CAITLIN & BENJAMIN 08.08.20 12PM

 

From the Couple: We were inspired by all the other couples who were finding ways to make their wedding day dreams happen amidst the pandemic. Our wedding was originally going to be Summer 2021. However, as you know, Covid turned the world upside down, but the unfortunate circumstances provided us some wonderful opportunities. The pop-up wedding was a perfect option for us – Caitlin does not like to have to make decisions so a pop-up wedding really helped limit the number of decisions that she/we would have to make. It also eliminated a lot of the planning difficulties which take up time and energy – resources that are limited for us who are both full time students with jobs.

All-in-all: an easy, stress free option for a long-distance couple! Relics Rentals and their team of vendors put together such an amazing wedding for us with all of their excellent ideas and vision to fill in the spaces where our creativity came up short. We absolutely loved our venue overlooking Lake Michigan – stunning! The popsicles and the ice-cold beverages were certainly a hit on a warm summer day! We were so excited to have our families and friends together at our wedding ceremony!! It’s super rare for us to have our families together because we live in separate states. Although it was a head-in-the-clouds kind of day, the conversations, hugs, and smiles shared with our friends and family that day are something we’ll remember forever.”

 

KATIE & JOSH 08.08.20 3PM

 

From the couple: “We had a big wedding in the works for next Spring, but haven’t really been able to get anything accomplished because of Covid-19. We got engaged last August, so we’ve had a while to think about getting married. We also live in Madison, so getting to and from Milwaukee for planning just wasn’t feasible. I’ve (Katie) been ogling over the pop up weddings for a while and the thought of everything being ready and just showing up was truly enticing. It’s very hard to not know what 2021 will be like. We both are extremely laid back, but still wanted a wedding that was nice. We had the opportunity and we decided that why not?! The perfect wedding doesn’t walk into your life any other time so we decided to go for it.”

These two have a really unique proposal story – they BOTH proposed!

“I (Katie) actually proposed first. We have one of those letterboards by our kitchen and front door and we can post nice little sayings and whatnot on it. I got really excited and bold one day and just wrote, will you marry me? On it. I got nervous every time Josh walked past it, but he didn’t notice it for a day and a half! It was obviously worth it when he did, he stopped dead in his tracks and after confirming that I was, indeed serious about the question, he said yes. We were able to then do the sort of traditional proposal where I directed him to what kind of ring I wanted and he got one and surprised me with it one day.

Josh came into our library and asked if I was hungry (it was about 4ish in the afternoon and as always, I WAS hungry) so he asked if I wanted to go out for dinner! We hopped in the car and started driving, and Josh told me he wanted to pick the place, but it was taking a really long time and we were all the way across Madison before I started getting suspicious. He actually hopped on the freeway and said we were going to Milwaukee to our favorite restaurant by our old apartment! This was not typical behavior, as we are not usually so spontaneous. When we got to Milwaukee, instead of going to the restaurant right away we went to the lake to a park where we had our first date and we took a walk to a bench where we had been on our first date. That’s where he proposed to me! We were so happy, but also very hungry at that point so we did go to our favorite restaurant after that!

Katie & Josh love going for walks, bike rides, hanging out with their dog, going to outdoor concerts like Concerts on the square or Chill on the Hill, Jazz in the Park. Really anytime they can get outside or if food, beer, or wine is in the equation – they are SET! Katie adds “And when I can convince Josh, a game of scrabble!” 😉

 

HUGE congrats to both of our couples! It was such a pleasure working with you both on this unique wedding day & I’m so excited to finally be sharing it! And thank you to the Relics Team for allowing us to be a part and for putting together such an incredible vendor team – we will remember it forever!

VENDOR LIST:

Visionary, design, rentals, decor, planning: Relics Rentals // Coordinator: Blue Fancy Events / Cake or Desserts: Mia Stav Cakes  & Pete’s Pops / Florist: Bird & Bumble / Invitations & Stationery: Wit & Co / Stringed Trio: Elegant Music Services / Photography: Meghan Lee Harris