This couple wanted a venue that was in their budget, but still fit with their vison of a modern yet classy wedding. Their search led them to Mercantile Hall in Burlington, WI, which proved to be the ideal choice for them.
For just under $23,000, they held a beautiful wedding with 100 of their friends and family at Mercantile Hall. Note that they did have some services gifted or discounted, such as the officiant, cake and photography.
Read on for their full Mercantile Hall wedding cost breakdown and don’t miss the “note from the couple” at the bottom.
Quick Facts – Mercantile Hall Wedding:
- Guests: 100
- Ceremony/Reception: Mercantile Hall
- Total Costs: $22,930
Wedding Essentials ($5,500):
- Invitations/Stationery: $500
- Photographer: $2,500 (discounted as wedding gift)
- Cake: $0 (gift from sister)
- Flowers: $1,500
- Day of Planner: $1,000
Reception and Ceremony Costs ($12,000):
- Venue Cost: $4,000
- Drinks: $2,500
- Catering: $4,500
- Officiant: $0 (gifted)
- DJ: $1,000 (ceremony and reception music)
Attire, Jewelry and Beauty ($1,630):
- Bride’s Dress: $400
- Dress Alterations: $300
- Bride’s Accessories: $300 (shoes, jewelry, wrap, etc)
- Groom’s Attire: $200
- Beauty: $350
- Rings: $80
Other Costs ($3,800):
- Rentals: $550
- AirBnB: $1,000
- Dance Lessons: $350
- Rehearsal Dinner: $1,000 (Eagle Park Brewing)
- Wedding Party Gifts: $500
- Favors: $400
Honeymoon ($5,000 – Not Included in Total):
- Trip to Puerto Rico: $5,000 (not included in total budget)
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 Vison:
Our wedding was everything we dreamed of and more. It was a beautiful modern, yet sophisticated and classy wedding. Our ceremony was traditional, and our reception was not quite as traditional. We wanted to stick to a budget while still being classy for our best friends and family and also creating memories that were captured beautifully by our photographer for years to come.The Venue:
We chose Mercantile Hall because it was a great balance of beauty and affordability, and really was the perfect space for us. The patio is beautiful and we loved the special add add-ons such as their cute little camper bar and a lovely smores experience at the end of the evening.The Photography:
While we were trying our best not to lean on our very talented family members as vendors, we couldn’t not choose my (bride) sister Rachel Nicole Photography. It was so, so special to plan out the day with her and have her by our side the entire time. Our photos are beyond what we could imagine.The Coordination:
By far the best choice we made for our wedding was hiring Erika Bauer (Event Gal) to be our day of coordinator. This was an expense I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend, but after being convinced I didn’t want to host my own wedding, I bit the bullet and hired Erika. Erika was amazing throughout the entire planning process – but especially before the wedding. She attended vendor meetings with us, advised us on so many things, helped us so well throughout the day and even offered up rentals and table linens for us free of charge for our wedding. We would recommend her to anyone who is looking for a wedding planner or coordinator.The Florist, Food + Musicians:
These three vendors really helped to beautify our day – the musicians brought beautiful classy upscale dinner style music to our reception and really helped to elevate the day.Another amazing vendor to mention was our wonderful florist. She spent so much time making sure my ever-changed vision for florals was being accommodated and I couldn’t have been happier with the end product. Annette at Love and Light Florist really blew us away.
Finally, the food vendor we chose, Celebration on Wells, was wonderful. The food was high quality, delicious and so beautiful (especially the horderves). They were so accommodating and attentive and really brought our vision to life.
Staying on Budget:
I feel like we did a great job staying on budget while still having our dream classy and elegant, one-of-a-kind wedding. Here are a few ways we stayed on budget:
- Chose to spend $$ on what was important to us – we skipped the videographer, found a more affordable music option, and Photobooth.
- We have the best friends and family – our officiant was a gift, cake was a gift, and photography was heavily discounted as a gift to us.
- We found ways to reduce costs – we purchased the wedding dress on eBay, many of our decorations were purchased second-hand, our florist was new in the market, so cost considerably less, and our rings were purchased from Etsy and will be replaced for our first wedding anniversary.
- We kept our guest list small – focused only on our friends and family that we both know and love for our special day.
– The Happy Couple
A BIG thanks to the couple for sharing the Cost Breakdown of their awesome Mercantile Hall wedding and to Rachel Nicole Photography for the amazing photos!
If you’re currently working on your wedding budget, make sure to read through our previous Cost Breakdown articles featuring real Milwaukee wedding cost breakdowns.
