Real Wedding: Melissa & Alan

Originally from Green Bay, WI and Cleveland, OH, Melissa and Al chose a Milwaukee wedding because that is now their home. Many of Melissa’s family and friends had never been to Milwaukee and the couple really wanted to show them what a wonderful city it is. So how do you get that many people to Milwaukee for a wedding?? Melissa’s Mom and Stepdad rented a 56-passenger bus that drove most of Melissa’s family and friends from Ohio to Wisconsin – with a stop in Indiana to pick up a few other family members. Talk about a road trip!

The couple got married at Fox Point Lutheran Church. Melissa purchased her bridal gown from Eva’s Bridal and had her makeup and hair done at DiCarlo Salon. Transportation the day of the wedding, are you ready for this, is from Cheesehead Limousine! Gotta love Wisconsin.

Melissa and Al had a Milwaukee/Wisconsin theme. Melissa’s Mom made gift bags for all the hotel guests that included Wisconsin-made products. The bags included Klement’s snacks, Gardettos’ chips, MillerCoors and Leinenkugels’ beer, Nestle candy bars, Penzey’s spices and Harley-Davidson keychains. At the wedding, they served one of my favorites and always a classic, Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet, as their signature drink. They also offered a white sangria for those concerned out-of-towners. The bus took a group of 50 for a private tour at MillerCoors the day of the wedding. Finally, they made picture table numbers that included several of Milwaukee’s landmarks.

You can definitely tell with this wedding that if you hire the right people it makes for an easy and fun time! This couple had a stress-free wedding thanks to all of their amazing vendors. And the best part is you don’t have to spend a fortune. All the vendors were reasonably priced. Melissa said the flowers, which were created by Esther of Impressions, were her favorite. Their DJ was Double Platinum. They were great, full of energy and kept the guests dancing all night long.

Having all of their family and friends under one roof celebrating made the day special. They had current colleagues, former colleagues, neighbors, family and friends from all over the nation to help with this celebration! All of Melissa’s bridesmaids are spread out: Huntington Beach, Houston, Akron, San Diego, Detroit and Milwaukee. And let’s not forget the most important friend of all!!!!!!!! TAMMY WYNETTE!! Okay, well not the REAL Tammy Wynette, but a doll figurine that somehow always ends up wherever these ladies go. You just never know what you’ll see at a wedding, and I LOVE IT!

Melissa and Al didn’t pick a style going into the wedding. They developed a style with the help of their florist, Esther. She is a true artist, asking the right questions to determine the couple’s personalities and style then incorporating that into their centerpieces, bouquets and decorations. She also created the amazing seating card table! Wait until you see the picture of this!! Breathtaking!

The newly married couple couldn’t live without Mike Valetine from 1451 Renaissance Place. Let’s face it there are a lot of venues you can use for your special day, but you always have to go with the venue that you immediately fell in love with. That is just what happened to Melissa and Al – they shopped around for reception venues, but they fell in love with 1451 Renaissance Place. I question, and so does Melissa, ‘does Melissa really love the venue or is it because she loves Mike and Scott so much.” LOL. It has been determined it was BOTH! Both the staff and the venue are exceptional, and you’ll see that in the wedding photos. Melissa and Al rented chair covers from Sitting Pretty to add that special touch to the venue’s look.

Melissa has worked with Ideal Impressions at a charity event before so she knew that they would get more than someone who can point and shoot a camera. Because let’s face it if that’s what you want just have Uncle Ted take pictures at your wedding. The entire staff genuinely cares about the people they photograph and that is SO very important on your special day or any event for that matter. In fact, to prove my point, when the photographers drove to Milwaukee for engagement pictures, they ended up FIXING Melissa’s bridesmaid’s car instead of taking pictures! Her car battery died so they bought a new one and replaced it. Needless to say, they rescheduled the engagement session! Now THAT’S a photographer!! You will LOVE Ideal Impressions modern twist on traditional photos. They make photography FUN! I give the wedding party A LOT of credit for climbing the rocks at Klode Park in Whitefish Bay to create an amazing photo, which by the way, is now hanging in an 8×10 frame in Melissa and Al’s home.

The wedding cake from Eat Cake was white, elegant, and tiered. A traditional wedding cake, and one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. In addition to the cake, they served shots of Bailey’s in chocolate shot glasses – thanks to Chef Jacks catering!

The food presentation, taste and service were outstanding by Chef Jack’s.  I loved that they put the spinach salad in martini glasses.  It looked really classy.   Listen to the main entry.  Asparagus Blend, a Double Baked Potato and a Filet Mingnon with Mushroom Cap & Shrimp and a Breast of Chicken En’croute, YUM!  They received so many positive recommendations about Chef Jack’s catering and they lived up to our expectations.  Then the bride and groom had served 14 large pizzas from Ian’s around 10pm. Everyone needs their energy to keep dancing and partying!

This wedding was so full of energy, laughter and smiles. Honestly this wedding went on without a hitch. Melissa and Al made it all look so easy and proves once again if you hire the right wedding vendors your wedding will go smoothly. Congratulations Melissa and Al!!

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Photography:~Ideal Impressions
Video:~Ideal Impressions
Florist:~Impressions by Esther
DJ & Uplighting:~ Double Platinum
Reception venue:~1451 Renaissance Place
Caterer:~Chef Jack’s
Chair Covers:~Sitting Pretty
Make Up& Hair:~DiCarlo Salon
Cake:~Eat Cake!
Transportation:~ Cheesehead Limousine
Dress:~Eva’s Bridal
Church:~Fox Point Lutheran Church