Shorewood Wedding at The Atrium

A fun and casual wedding for an amazing couple

The Beginning

Olivia, a Chicago native, and Jack, who hails from Seattle, met during their first year of law school at the University of Wisconsin. While they didn’t have any of the same classes their first semester, they got to know each other through various social events. Hilariously, they couldn’t seem to remember each other’s names for the first three or so times they met. Eventually, however, they started a relationship—and, of course, called one another by their actual names.

One evening, when Olivia and Jack arrived home from dinner, their apartment was decorated from top to bottom with photos of the couple, candles, and flower petals. Their song, “It’s Not Living If It’s Not with You” by The 1975, was playing. On their balcony, a sign read, “Marry me.” Jack led Olivia to the balcony and proposed. He then surprised his fiancée with an engagement party in their building’s community room. Friends and family from all over the country flew in to celebrate!

The Look

Olivia found her dream wedding dress, a gown designed by Martina Liana, at White Dress Bridal Boutique in Milwaukee. She tried on about 50 dresses before knowing it was the dress she was going to get married in. “It was actually the very last dress I tried!” she said. “Funny enough, I thought I was done looking, but my friend pulled it off the rack at the last second and told me to try it on. It’s hard to explain how I knew it was the one. I just felt so confident and beautiful and like it accentuated all the right features.” Becky Sweet from Jennifer Janssen Makeup Artistry and Bryanna Durand from Lexi Lee Hair made Olivia feel extra beautiful on her wedding day.

The Celebration

Olivia and Jack got married in October 2023 at The Atrium in Shorewood, Wisconsin. Their intimate wedding had a modern, classic, autumnal vibe, featuring a palette of burgundy, terracotta, sage green, and beige. The couple had their first look outside City Hall. Their photographers, the Uttkes, took stunning pictures of the bride and groom on a bridge over the Milwaukee River, then at the federal courthouse and throughout Lake Park. “Considering we are not people who enjoy taking photos, [our photographers] really made the photo experience feel fun and natural.”

During their short and sweet, secular ceremony, the couple read their own vows. Their officiant was a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, for whom Jack briefly served as a law clerk. The party continued at the cocktail hour, which took place in the rooftop garden greenhouse. The reception was an absolute blast. The couple shared their first dance to “All I Need to Hear” by The 1975 and had a private cake cutting while their guests ate dinner. Once the speeches and mother-son and father-daughter dances were done, the dance floor was packed all evening, thanks to DJ Trent Krickenberg from Sound By Design. The very last song that played was “Jump Around,” a tradition to honor their law school alma mater’s legendary athletic program.

The Brooks hired Haley Abbate from Events to a T as their wedding planner. “She came up with the entire design inspiration and really helped us execute everything and ultimately made sure we did not miss anything.”

The Décor

The couple’s biggest splurge was the flowers, designed by Belle Fiori in Milwaukee. “The flowers were, hands down, my favorite design element,” Olivia shared. They made amazing centerpieces and an awesome floral arrangement, which featured individual flowers strung up on the draped pillars throughout the space. The string lights and draping we had installed by Events by Design are a close second.”

The Food and Drinks

Chef Jack’s catered the couple’s wedding dinner with a menu that included a plated chicken and steak duo. Olivia and Jack offered signature drinks for their guests: hers was a French 75, and Jack’s was a Mai Tai. For dessert, guests indulged in cake and mini treats from Greige Patisserie in Milwaukee. The late-night snack was Domino’s Pizza, which provided everyone with enough fuel for dancing.

The Honeymoon

Olivia and Jack plan to celebrate their newly wedded bliss in France and Italy.

Words of Wisdom from the Bride

“Don’t sweat the small stuff! It’s easy to get caught up in and stressed out by the minutia, but on the day I can guarantee you are not going to care if you have custom napkins/cocktail stirrers. As long as you feel confident in the main vendor decisions, it will be great.”

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