Becky and Chris’ Vintage Beer-Themed Wedding at the Pabst

When Becky and Chris first started dating, Chris had just moved back to Milwaukee while Becky still lived in Chicago. “When I lived in Chicago, Chris drove down almost every weekend for the next two-plus years to be with me,” Becky says. In January 2015, Becky was offered a job in Milwaukee, and the two have been together ever since. Chris proposed over a photo shoot, under the guise of wanting photos of the two of them for their new apartment. At the end of the shoot, Chris and the photographers coordinated a series of photos leading up to the proposal. In the series, Chris hands Becky a card, she opens it, reads the words aloud, and Chris takes a knee, asking for Becky’s hand in marriage.

In preparation for the big day, the couple attended the Wonderful World of Weddings bridal show and took a dance lesson at Fred Astaire. Becky found her Allure dress at Amelishan Bridal. For all the flower bouquets and ceremony arch, Chris and Becky worked with Feisty Flowers, and they chose In-Focus Photography to capture the celebration in pictures. “In-Focus was fantastic to have that day. The team worked together very well and communicated constantly. They made our wedding day and night perfect!”

The wedding was held at Zilber Park for the ceremony and old Pabst Brewery — Best Place Pabst Great Hall  for the reception. “Once we picked our venue, we were inspired to do a vintage and beer theme. There were beer bottles and barley hops as part of our centerpieces, old picture frames featuring some of our favorite quotes about love, and the guest favors were customized wood coasters with our name and wedding date, made by the Pabst gift shop.”

Before the ceremony, Becky and Chris did a first look that resulted in an especially fond and funny memory: “Chris was at the bottom of a long, winding set of steps that led to the front door. Moments before Becky was going to start coming down the steps for the first look, a tour bus arrived and about 50 people came walking in, completely oblivious to what we were doing. The group delayed us by about 10 minutes — but once the tour guide figured out what was happening, she was able to corral everyone and give us a few minutes to get back on our timeline. We had a good laugh about it.” Becky loved doing a first look and says, “I would recommend to all brides and grooms that even if you don’t do a first look, make sure to schedule a small amount of time to be alone and take in the day together.”

During the exchange of vows, officiated by Chris and Becky’s friend Brad, the couple did a beer unity ceremony. Becky selected a beer form her hometown, Oshkosh, and Chris selected a beer from his hometown, Milwaukee. “We poured them together and shared a toast to represent our unity.” Immediately following the ceremony, all the guests were invited to gather under the Pabst sign to take a group picture. A cocktail and appetizer hour followed in the speakeasy at the Great Hall.

Dinner was catered by Maders, with reuben rolls and beer cheese dip as appetizers and steak, salmon, and giant portabella mushrooms for entrées. As a late-night snack, guests enjoyed pizza and giant pretzels with a delicious lineup of dips. After dinner, the newlyweds got the party started with a unique twist on the longest-marriage dance: Instead of starting with all guests on the dance floor and ending with the couple that has been married the longest, the DJ started at 0-5 years and worked all the way up to 50+ years, representing Becky’s grandparents; this way, the dance floor was full at the end of the song.

When all is said and done, Becky advises future brides: “Don’t sweat all the little details. Remember that a little chunk of money here and there adds up. Take care of your priority items first — you don’t need to go big on everything. Looking back, what sticks with me the most is the first look, the ceremony, the food, and our guests. It’s surreal knowing that all of our favorite people were all together in one place for our special day.”

[table]
Bridal Shows Attended~ Wonderful World of Weddings
Day of Coordinator~Meredith Sipe at Blue Fancy Events
Dance Lessons~Fred Astair
Invitations, Table Numbers~Tara at Cracked Designs
Rehearsal Dinner~Mader’s
Ceremony Location~Zilber Park
Reception Location~Best Place Pabst in the Great Hall
Caterer~Mader’s
Cake~Aggies
Flowers~Feisty Flowers
Music/Entertainment~Accent Events
Photo/Video~IN-FOCUS Photography
Gown~Allure from Amelishan Bridal
Rings~Mona Shaw at Fred Meyer
[/table]

Save