Real Wedding: Andrea & Robert

University of Wisconsin is one of my favorite things about Wisconsin so when I see a wedding that incorporates the University of Wisconsin, I can barely contain my excitement!!  This couple, Andrea and Robbie, started talking to one another after both joining the University of Wisconsin-Statesider Dorm Facebook group.  Soon they realized that they would be living in the same dorm in Madison.  As their freshman year started, Andrea and Robbie remained close friends.  Although they lived on different floors, Robbie always managed to do a load of laundry on Andrea’s floor – it was the perfect excuse to stop by!  The two of them got to know each other so well.  During their second semester of their freshman year, Andrea invited Robbie to her sorority’s formal.  Andrea and Robbie had developed an amazing friendship that was now blossoming into something more.  Robbie made plans to visit Andrea in Milwaukee that summer and that’s when they made things official!  And the rest…is history!

Andrea and Robbie were cruising through the Caribbean on the Celebrity Silhouette with Andrea’s family on December 25th, 2012.  It was the first formal night on the cruise, so everyone aboard was dressed to the nines.  Andrea was wearing a red lace dress and Robbie wore a dark suit with a red tie to match.  After a delicious five course meal, it was time for Andrea’s favorite meal…DESSERT!! What girl doesn’t love dessert!? The maître d’ came to their table holding a silver platter with a dome.  He got everyone’s attention in the gorgeous two-level main dining room and said, “I have a special request for this young man, I’m sure he has been waiting for this one for a long time!” Meanwhile, Andrea was under the assumption that her dad was playing a joke on Robbie pretending it was his birthday. (He tends to do that a lot!) Andrea takes out her camera to take a picture of Robbie and his “birthday cake.”  The silver dome was lifted and to Andrea’s surprise, a ring box was placed in the middle of the platter!  Robbie proceeded to get down on one knee while presenting the stunning ring and asked, “Andrea Michelle Winter, Will You Marry Me?” (I’m dying here, how romantic in front of the family!) The entire dining room cheered and applauded, and as for Andrea…well…she said…”YES!”

Andrea’s advice to other brides? HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER!! It will make the process more relaxing and so much fun!  From the second Andrea and her mom talked to Ellen Moskol on the phone about Andrea’s vision for the wedding, she was all in with amazing ideas and 100% open to Andrea’s.  They worked together throughout the whole planning process.  They even worked together to custom design and make the perfect invitations, programs and menu!  Ellen was available to chat with Andrea at any time of the day no matter what she was doing! She puts her brides before herself!  Although Andrea was extremely involved in the planning process, Ellen told Andrea on the day of that she wanted Andrea to feel like a guest at her own wedding. Andrea REALLY did feel that way!!

Andrea’s great grandparents, grandparents and parents had ALL been married at The Pfister Hotel.  Since Andrea was a little girl, she’d always dreamed about her “happily ever after.”  As soon as Andrea and Robert stepped foot into the gorgeous Pfister Hotel, they knew IMMEDIATELY that this was the perfect venue and setting for their fairytale wedding.  They were immediately drawn in by the artwork displayed throughout the hotel, the lavish decor, beautiful ballrooms, and the sparkling chandeliers.  Knowing that they would be the 4th generation to wed at this historic hotel was beyond special.  They knew that choosing to have their wedding at the Pfister was meant to be; it is amazing that they were able to continue this wonderful family tradition.  To top it all off, Andrea’s grandparents were able to celebrate their 66th anniversary at their granddaughter’s wedding and will continue to share an anniversary with Andrea and Robbie for years to come!

The rehearsal dinner was held at the Pfister Hotel in the Rouge Room.  Andrea’s dad surprised everyone with the University of Wisconsin Marching Band!!! An abundance of Wisconsin alumni were in attendance and everyone was singing and dancing as if they were in Camp Randall Stadium!! Go Badgers, On Wisconsin! Such a memorable night!!

If you ask ANYONE, they know that Andrea LOVES anything and everything that sparkles. Andrea and Robbie wanted to make sure that they could incorporate that into their wedding dream.  From the Swarovski crystals on their invitations to the gorgeous centerpieces at their reception, there was always a little sparkle to be found!  Robbie and Andrea absolutely LOVE orchids; after getting engaged, they always kept an orchid plant in their home.  Each time Andrea passed it, she thought to herself how gorgeous it was.  When it came time to wedding planning and figuring out the wedding style, they knew that they wanted to center their vision around radiant orchids.  Andrea found the perfect bridesmaids dresses at Stone Manor Bridal that were a beautiful blend of fuschia, purple, and pink…and of course little bling to add that touch of sparkle.  When they found out “Radiant Orchid” was the 2014 Color of the Year, they knew it was meant to be!

Andrea and Robbie knew they wanted a unique, one of a kind Ketubah (their Jewish marriage contract). They wanted it to also be a piece of artwork that they could hang in their home and enjoy for years to come!  Andrea & Robbie looked at website after website, and nothing seemed to catch their eye.  Suddenly, Andrea thought about checking Etsy.com.  She came across Sandrine Kespi’s store and absolutely LOVED all of her work.  Sandrine lives in Tel Alviv, Israel and creates beautiful works of art.  Andrea sent her a message and Sandrine immediately put her at ease and informed her what the customization process entailed.  From there they remained in touch via Esty for a few months.  They discussed the couple’s vision and color scheme and Sandrine sent the couple a sketch before she started to make their Ketubah.  They finalized their text and Sandrine worked with the couple’s Rabbi to ensure the translation was accurate.  She even sent Andrea and Robbie pictures throughout the process of their Ketubah being made! How exciting for them! At the end, she combined all of the pictures together so that the lovely couple could see “Our Ketubah’s Story.”  When Andrea and Robbie received their Ketubah in person they were speechless.  It was absolutely perfect! It was an honor I’m sure to be able to work with the artist on the Ketubah.  Andrea and Robbie took the Ketubah to Creative Enterprises to get it framed.  They played around with different ornate frames and mount colors and finalized their custom Ketubah. The pictures don’t even do it justice! The beautiful Ketubah is now hanging in their home for everyone to see!

Andrea & Robert selected Impressions by Esther Flemming for their wedding flowers.  At the first meeting, she really got to know the couple and their overall vision for the wedding.  Andrea showed up with an inspiration binder filled with beautiful pictures from Pinterest.  In a room filled with gorgeous floral prototypes and centerpieces, your imagination can go wild!  Meeting after meeting, they discussed many details, but Andrea was unsure of how everything would come together in the end.  Esther showed Andrea prototypes of the bridesmaid and bridal bouquets and allowed them to tweak them until they were perfect!  On the day of the wedding, Andrea was in awe! Her “Pinterest Wedding” had come to life and far exceeded her wildest dreams!

Now how to capture all of this fun? Andrea and Robert selected leo&jenny Photography. Leo and Jenny are a husband-and-wife team who are incredible at what they do!  WOW!! All the wedding pictures are AMAZING!! The turnaround time was so fast. Leo and Jenny also took Andrea and Robert’s engagement pictures-it was so nice for Andrea and Robert to get to know their wedding photographers before their special day. That way the wedding couple were completely comfortable with Leo and Jenny on their wedding day. Their chosen photographers certainly exceeded Andrea and Robert’s expectations. Each and every photo was perfect.  They do a wonderful job of directing everyone on the wedding day.  Each shot looks so natural! And let’s face it, that’s not always an easy task at weddings.  Pictures worth cherishing forever.

Front Row View Films was the videographer for this wedding. The end result was amazing. From the ‘getting ready’ shots to the very last-minute shots on the dance floor, Jamie and his steady cam man were there to capture EVERY moment!  He was a joy to work with and I know Andrea highly recommends him to other brides in the Milwaukee area. He is a Chicago-based videographer who specializes in a cinematic style of wedding videography.

You know how every wedding has the same wedding cake table?  Well, NOT this one! Andrea had this ‘crazy’ idea of making the cake look as if it was floating/hanging from the ceiling!  Sure enough, Esther said that she had been wanting to do something like this for a long time! She ended up building a custom plexiglas stand that would make Andrea’s dream a reality. This one would stand out – it sure did for me!  From the second they walked into Delicately Delicious, Jennifer greeted the couple with a smile.  They told her what they were looking for in a wedding cake, gave her their budget (VERY important) and showed her a picture of one they liked.  The couple picked the flavors and placed their order.  Andrea and Robert even bought a few cupcakes to take home!!  They chose a chocolate and vanilla cake filled with chocolate ganache and cream cheese filling (I am drooling right now) with a vanilla buttercream frosting to top it all off.  They decided on a traditional 4 tier cake and wanted to elevate the top two tiers to give it some drama!! (Love it!!!!)  You need to ask yourself, “what can we do that’s different and unique to display the cake?” Andrea and Robert thought that not many people are able to see the cake before it is cut and sent into the kitchen to be cut for service.  After brainstorming with Andrea’s parents, Robert, and the wedding planner, Andrea figured out the perfect solution! They displayed the cake in the cocktail area so that everyone could enjoy it and they could really get the WOW factor they were looking for.

The food at this wedding was to die for! It was absolutely delicious and tasted as good if not better than the tasting Andrea and Robert had. I was really impressed that they could prepare amazing food like that for 200 guests! There were two options: Filet Mignon with a Mushroom Demi Glaze or a Miso Glazed Sea Bass.  Both were excellent, restaurant quality dishes.  There were a variety of hors d’ oeuvres during cocktail hour as well; mini crabcakes, Baha shrimp skewers with pina colada sauce, lamp lollipops, Parmesan artichokes, and sliders, just to name a few!  The Bride and Groom’s signature drink was called ‘Kitsis Kocktail’ – a bubbly champagne with fresh peach puree! Yum!!  There was also a late night coffee and dessert bar. Simma’s Bakery supplied mini desserts. Are you ready for this?  Mini eclairs, cheesecake bites, bride and groom chocolate covered strawberries, tiramisu cups, chocolate dipped pineapple, grapes and more!  What was the big hit you ask? They also had sorbet that was served INSIDE of a fruit shell! It was quite the hit!!

WOW!! I can’t say enough about how wonderful TVK Orchestra was at the wedding!  From the beautiful music played during the ceremony to the very end of the reception, they were absolutely fantastic!  Andrea and Robert were able to go through their list of songs and let them know what they wanted them to play.  They even learned a few songs that weren’t on their list! Talk about dedication! The couple knew how important it was to find a band that would keep their guests on the dance floor the entire night.  Let me tell you…people actually were on the dance floor – THE WHOLE NIGHT! Everyone kept saying how much they loved the band.  It’s a great feeling to know your guests are having the time of their lives at your wedding!! Andrea and Robert are STILL receiving compliments about how amazing the band was.  Although live wedding bands can sometimes break the budget (let’s be real here for a moment), TVK is an amazing bang for your buck! Having a great band was one of the highest priorities for Andrea and Robert’s wedding day.

One magical moment from this wedding day that I’m sure Andrea and Robert will remember forever is their first dance.  Months before the wedding, a friend of theirs choreographed a dance for them to their song “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz.  The couple moved all of their furniture in their apartment and continued to practice until it was perfect! The wedding day finally arrived,  Andrea and Robert couldn’t wait to debut their first dance.  They kept it a surprise from everyone! The wedding party was introduced and then came their grand entrance as Mr. and Mrs. Everyone was cheering for them as they approached the dance floor.  All of the sudden, the band started playing their song and that was it – their moment!! Their FIRST dance together as husband and wife! They had to of felt like they were on Dancing with the Stars!!!

Photographer~leo&jenny Photography
Videographer~Front Row View Films
Flowers~Impressions by Esther Flemming
Venue~The Pfister Hotel
Coordinator~Ellen Moskol
Bride’s Dress Designer~Enzoani
Makeup Artist~Kayti Bartholomew from Paulina Aesthetics Boutique
Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer~Angelina Faccenda
Bride’s Dress & Bridesmaid Dress Retailer~Stone Manor Bridal
Bride & Bridesmaid Hair Stylist~Kris McAdams at The Bean Salon
Band~TVK Orchestra
Cake~Delicately Delicious
Late Night Coffee & Dessert Bar~Simma’s Bakery