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Jack and Ashley first unofficially met on a dating app, but officially met for the first time at Colectivo on the lakefront in Milwaukee. They hit it off immediately and ended up having the world’s longest first date, finally saying goodbye six hours later. Jack texted Ashley the next day asking to hang out again, and the rest is history. The couple quickly discovered that they only lived a couple blocks apart from each other, so they ended up seeing each other often. They learned that they both loved going for runs and checking out as many eastside locations as possible, and spent all of our time together doing just that.
“I love Christmas; it’s my favorite holiday, and I love giving gifts to all of my friends and family. Because of that, every year we have a holiday party in December to invite all of our friends over for food, drinks, and gift-giving. Jack knows this about me, and he knows that the holiday party is my favorite day of the year, but he also knows that I’m very preoccupied on that day and planned his proposal around it. During the party, while I was servings drinks to our friends in our apartment, Jack said he had to go help one of our friends find parking and would be back soon. I was busy hosting, so I didn’t really notice how long he’d been gone until our friend, Steve, came to tell me that Jack wanted to give me my Christmas present and that I needed to go with him to meet Jack for it. I followed Steve to our apartment rooftop, where Jack had set up a ton of Christmas lights and a projector. When I got there, he played a slideshow of our whole life together, from our earliest dates to earlier that day. At the end of the slideshow, he got down on one knee and proposed. I said yes, and when we got back to our apartment, all of our family members had joined our friends for the celebration. It was really perfect. I loved that it was just the two of us for the proposal itself but having everyone we would have immediately wanted to tell there in one room was so special.”
Wedding Date: July 26, 2024
Guest Count: 190
Style/Theme: Modern urban chic
Wedding Colors: Champagne
Bridal Shows Attended: Wonderful World of Weddings
What was your favorite design?
“I really loved the way our centerpieces turned out! They were simple and subtle but I think they looked so elegant. Otherwise, just our venue as a whole was phenomenal. I loved the views and the natural lighting from the floor-to-ceiling windows.”
Dress: Amelishan
Menswear: Generation Tux
Hair: Beauty Unveiled by Tia
Makeup: Beauty Unveiled by Tia
Rings: Powers Goldsmith
How many dresses did you try on?
“About six. I knew mine was the one once I started comparing every other one to it. I would find myself saying, “It looks different from the other one…” about all of them and knew I was done looking.”
Location: Jan Serr Studio
Photographer: Allysha Noelle Photography
Photo stops: The Saint Kate Hotel, Red Arrow Park, Lake Park, Jan Serr Studio, The Oak Leaf Trail
“I loved every second of our ceremony. We very intentionally wanted a shorter ceremony, so we did our own vows separately during our first look (which we loved; it made the moment feel more intimate with less pressure). Before the ceremony, we wrote love letters to each other, and during the ceremony, we placed them in wooden box that my dad made for us to open on our anniversaries so we could relive how we felt on our wedding day for years and years. My personal FAVORITE part of our ceremony, though, was that the Milwaukee Air and Water Show was happening during it, so our guests got to see the jets fly by. Jack is a huge airplane nerd, so it made the day that much more special for him.”
Location: Jan Serr Studio
Food and Drink: Saz’s Hospitality
Dessert: C. Adams Bakery
“We loved the look of Jan Serr from their website and fell in love with it after touring it, but the main reason we loved it is because it’s located halfway between our respective apartments when were first dating. We used to walk by it all the time when we were going back and forth to each other’s houses and see weddings going on, so it felt like it was meant to be.”
Music & Entertainment: All Star Music DJ
First Dance Song: “Come What May” by Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo
“Our reception was the perfect mix of elegant dining and our 2009-2014 college days. Dinner was so good and our wait staff was so speedy and helpful. Once the music started, we had a few early oldies songs and one slow dance before reliving our most fun bar scene days, with everything from Kesha to Sammy Adams to T-Pain. While most of us were tearing up the dance floor, others were getting strip photos taken at the photobooth set up by our DJ team. It was overall so, so much fun. I loved the nostalgic vibes of our playlist, and I loved that we only did one slow dance. Our goal really was to have everyone on the dancefloor all night long, and having fast-paced, dance tracks felt like the perfect way to accomplish that.”
Biggest Wedding Splurge: “Probably the venue itself, but it was well worth every cent! We loved it so much!”
Which vendor impressed you the most?
“All of them! We had zero negative experiences!
Allysha Noelle Photography–I cannot recommend her enough! Not only was Ali a PHENOMENAL photographer, but she also was imperative in helping me plan out a lot of the day and was so personable and kind throughout the entire process. The Saz’s Hospitality staff, especially Katie, who kept the whole show running. Beauty Unveiled by Tia, but specifically Tia Hoffman and Kristin Jacobi. The entire bridal party and the moms felt so beautiful. All Star Music DJ. They not only played exactly what we were hoping for throughout the reception, but they kept the show running smoothly with ceremony/cocktail hour music and announcements, they provided extra up lighting, and they brought the most fun photobooth experience!”
Three Words that Described the Day: modern, elegant, and energetic
What moment sticks with you the most?
“Our wedding party photos at Lake Park before the ceremony was one of my favorite parts of the whole day. The photos were beautiful, the setting was perfect, and the boys got to watch the air and water show while they weren’t on camera. Otherwise, my favorite part was the dancing at our reception. I am a true karaoke queen, and I knew every word to every song that was played and sang along to them all with everyone I love the most in this world. I don’t think I could truly pick one moment because the whole day felt so perfect and so “us.”
What tips or advice would you share with future couples?
“Do not stress about every single detail and to trust your vendors to take care of everything; it’s their job and they’re so good at it!”
| Wedding Vendor Service | Website | |
| Wedding Shows Attended | Wonderful World of Weddings | @wiweddingshow |
| Consultant / Coordinator | Katie Hoffman from Saz’s Hospitality | @sazshospitalitygroup |
| Invitations/Custom Signage | Minted | @minted |
| Gown | Amelishan | @amelishanbridal |
| Menswear | Generation Tux | @generationtux |
| Hair and Makeup | Beauty Unveiled by Tia | @beautyunveiledbytia |
| Rings | Powers Goldsmith | @powersjewelry_mke |
| Ceremony and Reception Location | Jan Serr Studio | @janserrstudio |
| Photographer | Allysha Noelle Photography | @allyshanoellephotography |
| Catering and Bartending | Saz’s Hospitality | @sazshospitalitygroup |
| Cake/Dessert | C. Adams Bakery | @c.adamsbakery |
| Music/Entertainment | All Star Music DJ | @allstarmusicdj |
| Transportation | Blackline Limousine | @blacklinelimousines |
| Travel/Honeymoon Service | Our Whole Village | @ourwholevillage |
| Rehearsal Dinner | Pitch’s Lounge and Restaurant |
Categorized in: Galleries, Real Weddings, Summer, Downtown, Industrial, Modern/Industrial, Neutrals, Yellow/Gold/Ivory/Creams, Black & White
