Beth & Shannon’s Personal & Music-Filled Wedding at South Shore Pavilion

As musicians, Beth and Shannon met through the music department at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. After a cozy dinner at home on Christmas Eve, 2015, Shannon proposed. The couple planned an April 2017 wedding. “We didn’t have an official theme. We set out to have a wedding with all the things that were most meaningful, personal, and fun, without a ton of fuss or excess.”

Both the ceremony and reception were held at the South Shore Pavilion, a historic Milwaukee County Parks building with an exposed brick interior, stately wood-beam ceiling, and gorgeous views of Lake Michigan and the South Shore Marina.

“We created the entire ceremony out of poetry, readings, and songs that are meaningful to us. Neither of us is religious, but we wanted a sense of ritual and reflection to the ceremony. Our good friend performed the ceremony, our family and friends did all the readings, we sang together, and read our own vows. We loved that it was simple, but unique and personal.”

The reception started as soon as Shannon and Beth walked up the aisle. “We had a Hawaiian food buffet, local beer, and a local folk duo perform, which made it casual and fun. As the night continued, we switched over to a DJ for the dancing.”

To decorate the space, the two turned to Belle Fiori for colorful, gorgeous bouquets and floral arrangements and rentals from Well Dressed Tables by Arena Americas. Beth and Shannon also tackled some DIY projects: “We repurposed Miller High Life chaser bottles for our vases, cut our own table runners from burlap, made votives from mason jars and beach sand, and built cairns from stones we collected here in Milwaukee as centerpieces.”

Dinner was catered by One Kine Grindz and featured a buffet of pork, chicken, and veggie stir fry, with sides like carrot slaw, macaroni salad, and fruit salad. “It was fresh and delicious.” For drinks, there was Lakefront IPA and Spotted Cow on tap, and a selection of wine and soda. “We opted for no formal cake, but ordered bars and cookies for dessert.”

During dinner, Shannon and Beth did an open toasting session. “People could speak up as they wished, and we encouraged people to sing songs with their table that had the word ‘love’ in them, if they wanted us to kiss. The entire event was a mix of the best parts of every wedding we’ve attended, plus our own personal touches.”

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Rehearsal Dinner~Urban Ecology Center with pizza catered by Transfer Pizzeria
Ceremony & Reception~South Shore Pavilion
Catering & Dessert~Ono Kine Grindz
Flowers~Belle Fiori
Music/Entertainment~Frogwater (local duo) and Milwaukee Airwaves
Photographer~Nikki N Photography
Rings~ Nouveau Antique Jewelry in Cedarburg, WI
Rentals~Well Dressed Tables
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