Real Wedding: Megan and Dave A stylish downtown Milwaukee wedding at the Hamilton!

Milwaukee-area natives Megan and David got engaged on Thanksgiving — but David had tried popping the question the day before, on Megan’s birthday. “I managed to screw up my own proposal,” Megan says. David had tried to propose with a birthday gift of slippers, pajamas, and a red robe. “He told me to try on the robe, but I didn’t want to because it wasn’t my style at all — red, quilted, floor-length. After trying to get me into it for a few minutes, we went out for my birthday as planned.”

“The next day was Thanksgiving, and David once again tried to get me to put the robe on. Eventually he said ‘Make sure the pockets work!’ in a frustrated tone. I finally caught on — the ring was in the pocket.” The ring was a gorgeous custom design by A-Trio Jewelry that incorporated diamonds from Megan’s late grandmother’s ring. The jewelers also lent Megan the necklace she wore on her wedding day free of charge.

David and Megan planned a New Years Eve wedding with a nerdy twist. “We liked that we could ring in the new year and begin our life together as a fresh start. With all the obvious NYE time references, it was only fitting to incorporate our love of Doctor Who into the wedding. We are big nerds and wanted to celebrate it while keeping it classy for everyone else. It was fun to incorporate little hints of Doctor Who into the NYE time theme for our fellow nerds to pick up on.” Megan and Dave unleashed the Doctor Who love with hand-painted Toms from Megan’s Maid of Honor, Gallifreyan (the Doctor’s language) on the wedding cake, and a Tardis groom’s cake — the cake (by Deb at Eat Cake) was one of their favorite nods to Doctor Who.

Megan and David even wove some nerd-factor into their ceremony. They said both traditional and informal “companion” vows. “Exchanging vows felt like the two of us just talking to each other and truly making promises to each other,” Megan says. “One of my other favorite parts was when our officiant, my cousin, asked the guests to respond “So say we all!” over and over when asked if they agreed to support us in our marriage. Any Battlestar Galactica fans will appreciate that line.”

Both the ceremony and reception were held at The Hamilton with food by Chef Jack’s Catering. “Chef Jack’s was incredibly professional, helped with every little detail, and provided delicious food that was exactly as promised.” To decorate the space, Megan worked with her family friend and florist from Flowers by Faye. “She used our bouquets and flowers from the aisle during the ceremony to create a high/low effect at the head table. It looked straight out of a bridal magazine!”

Megan also tackled some time-themed DIY projects: “I bought clocks at Goodwill and spray painted them silver and sparkly for the gift and cake tables. I also printed blank clocks and filled them in with each hour to serve as our 12 table numbers.” Megan loved how her photographer, Jenn from JBe Photography, captured all of these details. “She did it in such a beautiful way that all of the efforts and money spent are now preserved forever. She also snapped the exact photos of David and I that I was hoping for next to the harp lamps on the Riverwalk, even though it was below zero outside.”

For dancing at the reception, David and Megan hired The Scottish DJ from Accent Events. “Both of us are Scottish and Megan used to live in Scotland. The DJ really kept up the tempo, read the crowd, and played fantastic music all night long. He put up a countdown to midnight on the wall, and one of the highlights of the whole night was when he brought everyone to the dance floor a few minutes before midnight, circled us up, and played Lock Lomond (a traditional Scottish song) that turned into an amazing sing-along.”

Megan’s overall advice for brides-to-be: “Don’t compromise. Have the wedding you want. Not what your friends want, not what your family wants, but that wedding that truly represents you as a couple and the life you lead.”

Pre-Wedding Party~Margarita Cruise on the Edelweiss, dinner at Trocadero, and then drinks at The Hamilton.
Bridal Registry~Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, and Amazon
Bridal Shows~Wonderful World of Weddings at State Fair Park
Invitations~For Now and Forever
Rehearsal Dinner~Red Lion Pub
Ceremony and Reception Location~The Hamilton
Caterer~Chef Jack’s Catering
Cake Designer~Eat Cake
Flowers~Flowers By Faye
Music/Entertainment~Accent Events (The Scottish DJ)
Transportation~Go Riteway Shuttle for guests from the Hotel to the event and back
Photographer~JBe Photography
Dress~David’s Bridal
Formal Wear~Men’s Wearhouse
Rings~A-Trio Jewelry (They also loaned us a necklace)