Katie & TJ's Downtown Milwaukee Wedding at the Discovery World Pavilion

When Katie and TJ met their freshman year in a mandatory one-hour credit class, little did they know they’d be formally introduced through friends their sophomore year, become better friends and study buddies during business school, and one day say “I do.” Although Katie knew the proposal was on the horizon, TJ’s surprise blew her away.

TJ told Katie there was a “work event” at the Art Institute of Chicago. “We arrived to the Art Institute and found our way to the gardens. TJ had a cellist playing and got down on one knee to propose,” Katie recalls. “When I thought there couldn’t be any more surprises, we went to a celebratory dinner downtown where both of our families were waiting. It couldn’t have been more special.”

The two planned a romantic and elegant September wedding with a ceremony at St. Monica Catholic Church and a reception at the Discovery World Pavilion. “Our colors were mostly neutrals — champagnes, blushes, and whites with lots of greenery and our bridal party was in navy.” On the eve of the wedding, friends and family gathered for a rehearsal dinner at the Wisconsin Club.

The morning of the big day, Katie had Wide Eyed Bride put her best self forward with hair and makeup styling. Then it was off to St. Monica’s, a place that’s very special to Katie and her family. “My parents were married at St. Monica’s nearly 30 years ago,” she says. “I also attended grade school at St. Monica’s, so the mass was very meaningful”. There was beautiful music, including trumpets, an organist, a pianist, singers, and more.

Photos were snapped all over Milwaukee. The groomsmen stopped in the Third Ward, while the bridesmaids went to the UWM Alumni House. The entire bridal party convened at Lake Park for pictures as a group.

The Discovery World reception kicked off with a happy hour on the patio overlooking the lake. Katie says one of her favorite decorative elements was their Bartique bar, customized with her and TJ’s monogram. “The bars added such a fun, customized vibe to the décor,” she says. “The reception was stunning, and it was amazing to see our vision to come to life.”

Katie recalls, “We were blessed with incredible weather on our wedding day. Not only did it allow for a happy hour on the patio with views of the city and Lake Michigan, but our favorite part of the night was the surprise fireworks!”

Dinner was catered by Bartolotta’s. “Jamie Brouws from Bartolotta’s and Discovery World was the absolute best to work with. She helped to make our day so memorable.” On the menu: “Cheese curds are a must for a Wisconsin wedding. For our wedding cake, we love cheesecake and carrot cake, so we had a five-layer Simma’s cheesecake, carrot cake, and red velvet cake” During the fireworks, there was also Purple Door ice cream cones and ice cream sandwiches.

For beverages, well, Katie works at MillerCoors. “It was important we had a lot of MillerCoors beer products. We also had a custom neon Miller Lite sign made for our wedding to hang over one of the bars. It has our name and wedding date.” At the end of the day, Katie and TJ describe the experience as simply “joyful” — just what a wedding day should be.

[table]
Dance Lessons~Windy City Dance in Chicago
Make-up~Wide Eyed Bride (Bride), Clean Modern Pretty (Moms and Maids)
Hair~Wide Eyed Bride (Bride), Hair by Smash (Maids)
Invitations~Robin’s Paperie
Rehearsal Dinner~Wisconsin Club – City Club
Ceremony~St. Monica Catholic Church
Reception~Discovery World Pavilion
Caterer & Bartending~Bartolotta’s
Dessert~Simma’s Bakery and Purple Door
Custom Signage~Paper Envy
Flowers~Floral Impressions by Esther
Music/Entertainment~Entourage
Transportation~Trolley from Jones
Photographer~M Three Studio Photography
Travel/Honeymoon Service~& Beyond
Videographer~One Fine Day
Gown~Romona Keveza from Dimitra’s Bridal Chicago
Formalwear~Knot Standard
Rings~Gale Diamonds Chicago, TJ’s Ring is his grandfathers
Rentals~Canopies, Majic, Bartique
[/table]

Katie & TJ’s Downtown Milwaukee Wedding at the Discovery World Pavilion