Wedding Advice

[wadesworld]

Starting to plan a wedding. Anybody have any cool venue recommendations in the Southeastern Wisconsin area for a potential fall wedding?

Also, any wedding advices? Any cool things that you did or have seen at weddings that made them unique or more enjoyable/memorable for the guests?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Got married 5 years ago. The one thing that everyone still talks about is that we did a gourmet mac n cheese bar (in addition to a buffet).

My general advice is to not overspend on the venue. It's the first major financial decision you have to make and it can facock the rest of your budget.

[Jay Bee]

ZFB had his at the local VFW. Pot luck dinner and the PBR was free until the two half barrels were gone. Everyone had a blast.

[Galway Eagle]

Got married last may. Miller room in Milwaukee. Was absolutely beautiful and took a ton of planning off our plate. We did photos at Atwater, the spot outside what used to be water Buffalo, and on MU's campus. Our DJ was DJ Goose in the Milwaukee area. He was awesome and kept everyone dancing all night, people still tell my wife they've never been to a wedding where the dance floor was that packed all evening.

My only advice is

1. Don't eat a raw egg at 2am the night before, it will make you nauseous.

2. Get a second photographer. One for your photos and one for the actual event photos.

3. Get a good night sleep instead of partying with your buds the night before, I look like a raccoon in my photos.

Best of luck!

[Dr. Blackheart]

Starting to plan a wedding. Anybody have any cool venue recommendations in the Southeastern Wisconsin area for a potential fall wedding?

Also, any wedding advices? Any cool things that you did or have seen at weddings that made them unique or more enjoyable/memorable for the guests?

How many people and where are the guests from? Church or public ceremony? Logistics are the first question.

[real chili 83]

RUN!  RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

Marriage jokes....

Why is the bride smiling at the altar?

What do eggs Benedict and..... ?

Congrats.

[wadesworld]

How many people and where are the guests from? Church or public ceremony? Logistics are the first question.

Somewhere around 225 guests (invited, anyway). Open to either, but probably public ceremony. I personally like the idea of having the ceremony at the same venue as the reception but not a deal breaker. Trying for a later fall wedding, so probably indoors.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Somewhere around 225 guests (invited, anyway). Open to either, but probably public ceremony. I personally like the idea of having the ceremony at the same venue as the reception but not a deal breaker. Trying for a later fall wedding, so probably indoors.

Okay, my experience is as a father.    My daughter's reception was at The Best Place.  I think their limit was just under 200.  She was married at Old St. Mary's which has a long wait list and you take the time they have (thus, that should come first if that's important).  In her case, it was 11 AM and the reception started at 5.  Most of groom's side and their friends from California so a downtown wedding with hotels was a must (and I didn't have to pay a ton for charter busses).

What to do in between?  Party bus for wedding party photos around town, hotel lunch buffet for the old folks, Lakefront Brewery tour for the rest. This gap actually turned from a problem to a great social transition.

4PM cocktail hour at Best Place's courtyard and adjoining hall. 5PM people escorted upstairs to reception area which also contains a big bar, dance floor, DJ area. Later a M&C and dessert/coffee area. They had a baby sitting room there and a locked wedding party room. Afterparty was in basement vault.  All contained which as a parent you worry about with drinking. All walkable or Uberable to hotels.

They work with caterers, photographers (tip: have photos taken of each table so you can remember 25 years later), hotels, parking, etc. Ways we saved money were hotel room packages which included free suites and discount on Sunday brunch. No cost for charter busses.  Sign up for a California Sparkling wine club and ship it to venue. Is a $5000 designer dress worth it?

I know they also set up on the courtyard or inside hall for services if that's your choice. It was a beautiful, unique and historic venue, and it brought back good memories for my MU friends.

[Spotcheck Billy]

A friend's daughter got married at Rustic Manor in Hartland this summer, had the ceremony outdoors and it was a really nice setup there.

[rocket surgeon]

merrill hills just remodeled their facility and is spectacular.  huge window views looking out at hole #18 green(everybody 4 putts #18) and the #1 tee box.  beautifully landscaped, waterfalls, streams running out toward ponds.  new chef who's enthusiastic as hell to make this place a true venue and take the flagship status of brandybrook away. 

have a picture but seems it's too much for scoop to process and attach

[Uncle Rico]

merrill hills just remodeled their facility and is spectacular.  huge window views looking out at hole #18 green(everybody 4 putts #18) and the #1 tee box.  beautifully landscaped, waterfalls, streams running out toward ponds.  new chef who's enthusiastic as hell to make this place a true venue and take the flagship status of brandybrook away. 

have a picture but seems it's too much for scoop to process and attach

Waterfalls on a golf course are an utter waste of money and resources.  Hard pass

[Galway Eagle]

Waterfalls on a golf course are an utter waste of money and resources.  Hard pass

Clearly you haven't enjoyed a challenging mini golf course

[warriorchick]

Is a $5000 designer dress worth it?

No.  Not under any circumstance.  Even if the bride has her heart set on a particular dress, you can hire a seamstress to make a knockoff for way less than that, and no one will know the difference.

[Hards Alumni]

merrill hills just remodeled their facility and is spectacular.  huge window views looking out at hole #18 green(everybody 4 putts #18) and the #1 tee box.  beautifully landscaped, waterfalls, streams running out toward ponds.  new chef who's enthusiastic as hell to make this place a true venue and take the flagship status of brandybrook away. 

have a picture but seems it's too much for scoop to process and attach

Too many murderers in Waukesha County.  I wouldn't feel safe.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Mrs. TAMU and I agree that if we got married again, we wouldn't do a videographer. We watched the video once and it was very meh. The pictures were a lot more meaningful. We also had friends who filmed the most important parts that we actually wanted. Would have saved us a lot of money.

[Galway Eagle]

Mrs. TAMU and I agree that if we got married again, we wouldn't do a videographer. We watched the video once and it was very meh. The pictures were a lot more meaningful. We also had friends who filmed the most important parts that we actually wanted. Would have saved us a lot of money.

Really? We actually felt very different, weren't gonna have one initially but decided on it and are super thankful because we hated our photographer

[rocket surgeon]

Too many murderers in Waukesha County.  I wouldn't feel safe.

only at parades and by losers who should've been in jail because the assinine DA's don't prosecute to the fullest extent of the law to keep places like waukesha county safe

[cheebs09]

I would say the 80/20 rule is really accurate. We were at almost exactly 20% declines.

We thought the videographer was worth it.

One other fun thing was we had a painter come and paint basically a live image of the wedding as a gift from one of our parents. I think it was pretty reasonable and makes for a nice thing to hang in our house.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Too many murderers in Waukesha County.  I wouldn't feel safe.

Shouldn't he do the wedding in Mequon?

[JWags85]

One other fun thing was we had a painter come and paint basically a live image of the wedding as a gift from one of our parents. I think it was pretty reasonable and makes for a nice thing to hang in our house.

Ive seen this more and more (usually on social media) but its an incredibly cool and meaningful idea, IMO.

My wife and I got married last summer.  Things were still a bit touch and go with some COVID stuff.  We never planned a big proper wedding for a variety of reasons, and a potential destination wedding got shelved due to disagreements and family scheduling 

We ended up doing a small wedding on the bluffs at What Should Have Been Marquette's Campus Concordia.  It was meaningful, intimate, and really cool.  The pictures turned out unbelievable, which was most important to us.

I think videographers are great/essential for a proper larger wedding with a dance floor.  I think seeing the video of weddings Ive attended makes it come to life as a memory far more than still photos.  But the photos of the wedding party, bride and groom, and ceremony are hugely important obviously.

[Hards Alumni]

only at parades and by losers who should've been in jail because the assinine DA's don't prosecute to the fullest extent of the law to keep places like waukesha county safe

Build a wall and elect better DA's then.

[Hards Alumni]

Ive seen this more and more (usually on social media) but its an incredibly cool and meaningful idea, IMO.

My wife and I got married last summer.  Things were still a bit touch and go with some COVID stuff.  We never planned a big proper wedding for a variety of reasons, and a potential destination wedding got shelved due to disagreements and family scheduling 

We ended up doing a small wedding on the bluffs at What Should Have Been Marquette's Campus Concordia.  It was meaningful, intimate, and really cool.  The pictures turned out unbelievable, which was most important to us.

I think videographers are great/essential for a proper larger wedding with a dance floor.  I think seeing the video of weddings Ive attended makes it come to life as a memory far more than still photos.  But the photos of the wedding party, bride and groom, and ceremony are hugely important obviously.

Eh, I love our photos and our photographer got a ton of awesome action shots.  Large wedding and dance floor... We had someone video the ceremony and I think we've watched it once.

You've only been married a year, so let me know what you get around to watching yours again. 

[MUBurrow]

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride opinion:  the videographer always makes me nervous and I avoid them during the reception.

[The Lens]

Hire the best band (and bring them up from Chicago) and provide the best bar.  Everything after that is filler.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Elope.

Seriously, weddings are a waste of money.  "Oh, it's for a wedding?  That gets our 40% surcharge."  Agree with Lens on the bar and the band/DJ.

Besides, down in Missouri, you'll be swingers within 10 years.