We love the thought of a beer-loving couple getting married at one of Milwaukee’s most historic breweries. And that’s exactly what this couple did for their wedding at Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery.
For $37,000 that had an awesome wedding at Best Place, with some amazing vendors. And they planned it all from Stevens Point, WI with a little help from Married In Milwaukee 🙂 Read on for their full Cost Breakdown and don’t miss the “note from the bride and groom” at the bottom of the article.
Married In Milwaukee Family Used
This couple used several MIM Family which we always love to see!! Here’s the MIM Family Members involved in this Pabst Best Place wedding:
- Stationery: Bay View Printing Co.
- Photos: Happy Gnome Photography
- Venue: Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery
- Catering: Saz’s Catering
Quick Facts – Pabst Best Place Wedding:
- Guests: 122
- Ceremony/Reception: Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery
- Total Costs: $36,814
Wedding Essentials ($8,592):
- Invitations/Stationery: $2,920
- Cake: $95
- Cupcakes: $244
- Photographer: $3,500
- Flowers: $1,833 (included: 16 centerpieces, 5 bridesmaid bouquets, 1 bride bouquet, 8 boutonnieres, 1 groom boutonnieres, 7 corsages, set up and tear down)
Reception and Ceremony Costs ($16,864):
- Ceremony/Reception: $3,696
- Food: $7,052 (family style dinner and late night menu)
- Drinks: $4,021 (beer, wine and soda for guests; open bar for wedding party and family)
- Officiant: $500
- DJ: $1,595
Attire, Jewelry and Beauty ($7,338):
- Bride’s Dress: $1,500
- Groom’s Attire: $0 (free w/groomsmen rentals)
- Brides’ Shoes: $228
- Hair/Makeup: $230
- Rings: $5,380
Other Costs ($4,020):
- Wedding Favors: $850
- Wedding Party Gifts: $1,150
- Hotel Suite: $590 (2 nights)
- Rehearsal Dinner: $1,430 (38 people, buffet)
A Note From The Couple
We asked the couple to tell us about their planning and budgeting process, and this is what they had to say:
The Venue:
Brad and I toured Best Place a couple years ago and as we took the tour, we both looked at each other, the angels from the heaven sang to us and we knew this is where we are going to get married! We are both beer lovers (it was even a criteria for each of us for our potential mates to match) so we knew we had the venue before Brad even proposed. Best Place set the bar pretty high for us.We live in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and nothing in our area could compare to Best Place so when the time was right, we did a more intimate wedding tour and went from there!
We were planning our wedding almost 3 hours away and Married in Milwaukee landed in my lap. I could have not planned our wedding without it! Everyone we contacted was so nice and willing to go the extra mile for us.
The Photographer:
Brad and I both agreed that the photographer was going to be one of our bigger expenses. The photographs from your wedding is a one-time only event and we had to trust someone that our pictures were going to be perfect for us. After doing A LOT of research on MIM, we found Amy Erickson of Happy Gnome Photography.There literally aren’t enough words for the praise we have for Amy and her art. One of the things that really sold us was that she brings along another photographer. We had the wonderful opportunity to use Dominika to capture our special day. It was nice that Amy could focus on the girls and Dominika used her talents with the boys to catch all those special moments.
The Food:
Our next big expense was going to be food. Saz’s Catering was an excellent choice for us! When I first visited their website, they have everything laid out as far as pricing so you can get a ballpark idea right away of the budget we were going to have.We opted for the family style, which is where they bring the food to your table; it is an all you can eat option without having to get up, that consisted of a salad, short ribs, Parmesan chicken, mashed potatoes, and squash. We did a late night menu (which was awesome) with cheese curds, mozzarella sticks, pork sliders, and French fries. People are still talking about our wedding food!
The Paper Goods:
I initially found invites from a big box store online. They were very basic and plain with little customization. I had thought going through a printer was going to be more expensive. Man, was I wrong!
We met with Ashley at Bay View Printing Co. and everything was fully customized to us and our “classy beer” theme. We knew invitations are the first impression of any wedding and we really wanted to set a fun tone with our wedding and Ashley and her team went above and beyond expectations! We also used Bay View for programs, coasters, trivia for the table, food menus, seating chart, and thank-you cards.
Ways We Saved:
- Table Numbers (we used growlers with different breweries so at the seating chart they were at the “Lakefront Brewery” table)
- Centerpieces (we purchased mason jars and hand painted)
- Used a local printer instead of buying online
- Desserts (only did a small two-tier cake and cupcakes)
- Did not use a wedding planner – only MIM!
- Used the same site for ceremony and reception
- Transportation (we stayed and had room blocks within walking distance for guests and ourselves – plus having the ceremony and reception at same venue helped)
– The Bride and Groom
A BIG thanks to the couple for sharing their awesome Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery wedding and to Happy Gnome Photography for the photos!
If you’re currently working on your wedding budget, make sure to read through our previous articles featuring real Milwaukee wedding cost breakdowns.
