Lauren and Manny at Pilot Project Brewing

An elegant and fun wedding at an ultramodern brewery

The Beginning

Lauren and Manny’s love story began at Carroll University, where they were both marketing majors and classmates in multiple courses. Lauren always wanted a lowkey, intimate engagement, which is exactly what Manny had planned. When he proposed, it was just the two of them in their home. They shared the exciting news with both of their families on Thanksgiving.

The Look

Lauren found her dream wedding dress at White Dress Bridal Boutique in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood. After trying on 8 dresses, she knew it was “the one” when she tried it on for the second time and was hit with emotion. Her stylist had selected various gowns for her to try, as she wanted to shop with an open mind and see how different styles looked on her. Maria Arteaga Studios did the alterations to ensure Lauren’s dress fit her perfectly. Makeup artist Cassandra at Love Based Beauty and Lexi Lee Hair transformed Lauren into a beautiful bride on her big day.

The Ceremony

Lauren and Manny got married on the rooftop of Pilot Project Brewing Company, a brewery incubator and restaurant in Downtown Milwaukee. “We were able to read our vows to one another right after our first look, and it felt so special to have that private moment before the ceremony,” they shared. “We were able to laugh, cry, and truly enjoy the moment, just us two.” A family friend officiated their short and sweet ceremony.

The Photos

The couple met their photographer at WEDMKE bridal expo. Autumn, the owner of Amarie Photography, captured gorgeous photos of the bride and groom near the iconic Pabst sign and in an area near the venue for their first look and private vows. “From the start of our engagement session, Autumn made us feel so comfortable, as we had never had professional photos taken before,” Lauren said. “On our wedding day, she listened to my ‘wish list’ of items to have captured, and she didn’t miss a thing. She was great at directing our families and bridal parties for photos. She was always great at answering my questions in a timely manner and talking through the timeline of our day a few weeks prior made us stress SO much less. She was also the first vendor to reach out the day before and say she’d see me tomorrow and was so excited. It may seem small, but it definitely had an impact!”

The Décor

The florals at Lauren and Manny’s wedding were stunning and complemented the space well. Melissa from Bank of Flowers in Menomonee Falls impeccably brought the couple’s vision to life. “The centerpieces and all of the florals truly surpassed our expectations,” Lauren shared. The florist incorporated a single yellow rose into Lauren’s bouquet in honor of her late grandma. Bay View Printing Co. created all of the wedding signage to match the color palette.

The Food and Drinks

Noble Catering & Events provided the delicious food at Lauren and Manny’s wedding. The menu included Mexican street corn gnocchi, Caesar salad, braised short ribs, and pesto salmon. The open bar served liquor, wine, and beer from Pilot Project. For dessert, guests indulged in a donut wall from Cranky Al’s, including Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, lemon blueberry, apple fritter, Oreo, vanilla, and glazed. “We had zero donuts left over by the end of the night. People actually started grabbing donuts before dinner was over!”

The Reception

Since the couple took most of their photos before the ceremony, they were able to fully enjoy cocktail hour and chat with their guests before taking more pictures at sunset. The festivities continued at Pilot Project for the reception, where everyone spent the evening laughing, eating, drinking, and dancing to music played by Milwaukee Airwaves. In lieu of a traditional guestbook, friends and family left messages for the newlyweds on an audio guestbook from After the Tone.

The Honeymoon

Lauren and Manny celebrated newly wedded bliss on a minimoon in Phoenix, Arizona. They plan to take a trip in 2025 to Turks and Caicos.

Words of Wisdom from the Bride

My biggest tip is enjoy the process. It is stressful, it is time consuming – but everything comes together perfectly on your day and none of the prior worries matter anymore. I had times in the planning process when I lost the excitement of planning because I felt so overwhelmed by it. But in the end, everything went according to plan (and if something didn’t, we didn’t notice). We wouldn’t have changed a thing, and we’d do anything to go back and relive our day. So try not to get caught up in the small things, try to enjoy the planning, because it does go by fast.

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