This couple wanted to show their guests what Milwaukee is all about and felt that there was no better place to do it than Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery. Their wedding looks like it was a ton of fun and we think they did an amazing job for $16,000!
As always, we were excited to hear they used two Married In Milwaukee Family vendors – Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery and Saz’s Catering. Read on to learn all about their wedding, their vendors and their budgeting process.
Quick Facts – Pabst Best Place Wedding:
- Guests: 120
- Ceremony/Reception: Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery
- Total Costs: $16,077
Wedding Essentials ($2,050):
- Invitations: $200
- Desserts: $0 (frozen custard bar – included in food cost below)
- Photographer: $1,100
- Flowers: $750 (included: (bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces)
Reception and Ceremony Costs ($11,377):
- Ceremony/Reception: $2,640
- Food: $6,388
- Drinks: $2,049
- Officiant: $300 (Judge Derek Mosley)
- DJ: $0 (none)
Attire, Jewelry and Beauty ($1,750):
- Dress: $160
- Bride’s Shoes: $125
- Groom’s Attire: $1,000
- Rings: $315
- Hair and Make-up: $150
Other Costs ($900):
- Wedding Favors: $300 (custom pint glasses)
- Hotel Suite: $300
- Rehearsal Dinner: $300 (picnic at Lake Park with fried chicken, beer, sides, park permit)
A Note from the Bride and Groom
We asked the bride and groom to tell us about their planning and budgeting process, and this is what they had to say:
A Collaborative Effort
Our wedding was a really collaborative effort, and we feel so lucky to have so many talented friends and family that came together to help us celebrate.Our loved ones volunteered their time and talents making the logo for our pint glasses, getting the event space decorated before the ceremony, picking up food for the rehearsal picnic, addressing the invitations by hand, assembling the terrarium centerpieces, playing music during the ceremony, doing hair and makeup beforehand, and even cleaning up after the event.
We tried to give everyone a role who wanted one, and also to spread things out so that no one felt overburdened. We asked our siblings to stand in our ceremony with us, and then had a variety of friends and family take on other tasks that a wedding party would normally do (planning bachelor/bachelorette parties, running errands day of, getting ready together, etc).
I think that this approach made everyone feel included, but not too stressed out to enjoy themselves. We also knew that we would have a lot of out of town guests, and we wanted to show them why we love Milwaukee so much, so we planned some activities together throughout the weekend, including a rehearsal picnic at Lake Park that everyone was invited to. We were very lucky that the weather was gorgeous that weekend!
The Venue:
We only looked at one venue, and that was Best Place! We knew we wanted a chance to show our out of town guests what Milwaukee was all about, and Best Place provides so much history and style. Additionally, Kim Dorfner was amazingly sweet and helpful as we moved through the planning process (and having amazing beer at the planning meetings sure doesn’t hurt, either!).The Photographer:
We originally were going to not book a professional photographer, but were convinced by family members that we’d want to have high quality photos to remember the day by. They were definitely right, and we lucked out with McKenna! Not only does she take intimate, relaxed, and beautiful photographs, she is also so nice to have around that most of our guests didn’t even know we had a photographer there. We are SO happy with how these photos turned out she really captured our personalities and the feeling of the event.The Caterer:
Sticking with our Milwaukee theme, we wanted to find a caterer that could do some traditional food buffet style. Saz’s Taste of Old Milwaukee menu was perfect, and our guests are still telling us how good the spaetzle, schnitzel, and wurst were. We also decided to skip the wedding cake and instead do a full frozen custard bar, including malts and sundaes. Given that the wedding was in June, and dinner was pretty heavy, the custard was such a welcome treat and a wonderful way to end the most fun party we’ve ever been to.– The Bride and Groom
A BIG thanks to the bride and groom for sharing their awesome Pabst Best Place wedding and to McKenna Marie Photography for the amazing photos!
If you’re currently working on your wedding budget, make sure to read through our previous articles featuring real Milwaukee wedding cost breakdowns.
