The Planning Process

Wedding Date:
August 16, 2025

Style and Theme:
“My vision was for the wedding to be unique and vibrant, but also feel elegant for a late-summer wedding. I wanted to keep the evening classic and timeless (with black/white/gold), but bring in pops of color to make the reception space feel dreamy and inviting (especially since the Pritzlaff has so much Cream City brick). The floral arrangements mixed roses and delicate blooms in peach, pink and yellow with soft greenery adding natural texture. Roses also tied into our invitations and signage, creating a cohesive look throughout the whole wedding experience.

I used social media and local wedding guides (like Premier Bride!) to get inspiration on how to achieve my goal of having an elegant and colorful wedding.”

Full Service Wedding Planner:
Amy Kinsman with Perfect Day Event Planning

What Was the Favorite Design Element?
“The bright florals and the rose design on my invitations and signage.”

The Look

Bridal Gown: Jenny Yoo from Miss Ruby Bridal
Bridesmaids Dresses: BHLDN
Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse
Rings: Craig Husar Fine Diamonds

How Many Dresses Did You Try On?
“Probably 20 dresses! I was between 2 dresses actually, and finally chose mine based on how good I felt in it. It was both beautiful and comfortable, with pockets!”

The Ceremony

Ceremony Location: Old Saint Mary Catholic Church
Photographer: Betcher Photo
Videographer: Salem Media Productions
Florist: Reflections of You

Ceremony Decor:
“Old Saint Mary’s Church is a historic and beautiful church, so we didn’t need much decor. We had a few floral displays and signage by the entrance to the church and leveraged those at the reception.”

Ceremony Details & Favorite Moments:
“It was very important to us and both of our families that we got married in the Catholic Church, so Old Saint Mary’s was a wonderful choice. It was quite the process to prepare to get married in the church and our ceremony was fairly traditional, but it felt right given our upbringing; plus, it helped us start out our marriage in the best way possible. I was debating whether we needed a string quartet for our ceremony and I’m glad we did; it made the ceremony feel so elegant and magical and it really added to the ambiance. My favorite part was seeing Neil down at the end of the aisle and everything just felt so right!’

We also did a special prayer at the ceremony for my grandparents (who recently celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary), which was a special moment for my family.”

The Reception

Reception Venue: Pritzlaff Events
Caterer: Chef Jack’s Catering
Dessert: Simma’s Bakery
Rental Items: Windy City Linen

What Made You Choose Your Venue?
“We wanted a great reception space near the Third Ward, given our history of spending time there, and we wanted a space that made it easy for guests to get from the church to the reception venue. We toured several spots but ultimately chose the Pritzlaff because of how spacious yet intimate/historic their reception rooms felt. We also truly loved the fact that they offered rooftop photos, which gave us some really special memories of our big day.”

Reception Decor:
“Knowing how big the 333 Pritzlaff room is, we separated out the cocktail hour and reception space with beautiful lighting, drapery and plenty of seating to give each part of the evening its own space. We had the band set-up in the back that allowed for a big dance floor that was close to the bar, so people could always be near the action (which kept the party going all night long). At the reception, we alternated between some tables having larger centerpieces, and other tables being centered on candles and small bud vases to make each setting feel special. The greenery trellis above the head table added soft dimension, and the florals paired beautifully with the golden tableware. We also upgraded to more premium linens and a fun design on the head table linens, which really elevated the space.

My mom was a huge part of my wedding planning journey and her eye for design made the reception space a true masterpiece!”

Reception Details & Favorite Moments:
“Our cocktail hour featured several choices of appetizers and we had specialty his/hers drinks; mine was the Taylor-ita (strawberry basil margarita) and Neil’s was the “Neil’s Oel Fashioned” (peach flavored old fashioned that connected to his last name, Oelrich).

We chose Chef Jack’s because of their amazing chicken + beef entree combo and that they offered a soft pretzel bar as a late night snack (which were both huge hits). My parents also brought wine in from one of their favorite wineries, which made the dinner service more meaningful. As we currently live in Wauwatosa and love Simma’s, it was so great to have them make our wedding cake and serve their famous cheesecake to our guests. They also seamlessly incorporated our colors/flowers into the cake design, which was truly unique.

All of the speeches were AMAZING and Neil and I’s first dance went off without a hitch; we didn’t take dance lessons but practiced a few dance moves in the days before our wedding (which I’ll always think of when I hear our wedding song!). We also hadn’t been to a ton of weddings with a band, but we are so glad we made that choice; Platinum was amazing and it was so fun to spend the night dancing with live music!”

Looking Back

Three Words That Described the Day:
“Elegant, Unique and Timeless”

What Moments Stick With You the Most?
“We chose the Pritzlaff as our venue because it offered rooftop photos with a backdrop of the iconic Milwaukee skyline (especially the Hoan Bridge, which is one of our favorite parts of the city). It felt like such a magical experience for the two of us to be up there with such an impressive view and it was a chance for us to sneak away from the party and get a private moment for ourselves. Despite the weather, we got some great shots and even captured a lightning bolt in the video footage!”

Advice or Tips for Other Couples Planning Their Wedding?
“My biggest piece of advice to brides in the planning stages are: To truly embrace it and delegate tasks to key people when it gets stressful (as it’s a lot to balance wedding planning, work, family/friend obligations!). Social media is also a huge help, but it can feel overwhelming with all the choices and beautiful options out there, so stay true to your original vision and feel empowered to make the choices that are right for you. It’s also been so wonderful to look back on our wedding day memories from both a video and photo perspective, so I would recommend fitting both into the wedding budget. I’d also definitely recommend doing a hair/makeup/nail trial!”

Extra Moments:
“A few other unique things we did; Neil is the biggest Brewers fan I know, so he made special Brewers-themed bobble heads for all his groomsmen, which was one of the more unique groomsmen gifts I’ve seen. Also, the girls got ready at my childhood home. It felt so special being with my bridesmaids (just like when we were back in high school) and it was nice to relax in a familiar and comfortable spot alongside my family’s beloved golden retrievers (Ruby & George). We also enjoyed working with Saint Kate, it was a nice central hotel location and they were really great to work with.”