Plant No. 4 Milwaukee Wedding for $45K

Wow, we are kinda in love with this wedding at Plant No. 4 in the Third Ward. It’s got the right vendors, style and location to make it simply awesome!

The couple says they wanted an urban venue that showcased the Milwaukee skyline and Plant No. 4 delivered. We also love that they incorporated their love of wine into the wedding. Read on to learn more about this amazing Plant No. 4 wedding – but start with this awesome mini-video produced by Brian Slawson Photography:

Married In Milwaukee Family Used:

We were excited to see that this couple used several Married In Milwaukee Family Members!! Here are the MIM Family Members involved in this wedding at Plant No. 4:

Photos/Video: Brian Slawson Photography
Floral: Belle Fiori
Planner: Blue Fancy Events
Invites: Bay View Printing Co.
Desserts: Holey Moley Donuts
Bartenders: Over the Moon Bartending
Caterer: Saz’s
DJ: Sound By Design
Music: Dream City Strings
Rehearsal Dinner: Camp Bar Third Ward

Quick Facts – Plant No. 4 Wedding:

Guests: 124
Ceremony/Reception: Plant No. 4
Rehearsal: Camp Bar Third Ward
Total Costs: $45,322

Wedding Essentials ($8,957):

Invitations: $675
Stationery: $431 (save the dates, programs, escort cards)
Cake: $125
Donuts: $425
Photographer: $3,271
Flowers: $2,983 (bride’s bouquet, 4 bridesmaid bouquets, 6 corsages, 15 boutonnieres, donut wall swag, welcome sign foliage, 2 dog flower collars, ceremony ladder piece, king’s table elevated floral bridge, single hydrangea’s for centerpieces)
Rentals: $52 (wine barrel, wine crates, rose gold votives)
Wedding Planner: $995 (day of coordination)

Plant No. 4 Wedding — The ceremony at Plant No. 4. Note the awesome ladder piece by Belle Fiori. Photos by Brian Slawson Photography

Reception and Ceremony Costs ($22,036):

Ceremony/Reception: $7,000
Food: $9,904
Drinks: $2,987
DJ and Live Music: $2,145 (this is a combination of DJ cost and cost of a string trio at the ceremony/cocktail hour)

Attire, Jewelry and Beauty ($5,324):

Bride’s Dresses: $2,100 (wedding dress, veil and dance dress)
Dress Alterations: $1,145
Bride’s Shoes: $100
Bride’s Jewelry: $685
Groom’s Attire: $234 (two tux rentals – groom and groomsman)
Hair/Makeup: $485
Rings: $575

Plant No 4 Third Ward Wedding — The Bride’s two dresses cost $2,100 while two tux rentals cost $234. Photos by Brian Slawson Photography

Other Costs ($9,015):

Wedding Party Gifts: $1,208 (groomsmen-watches, bridesmaids: man- robes, ballet flats, hair, custom tote bags, parent gifts, tie bars for ushers, officiant gift )
Hotel Suite: $436
Rehearsal Dinner: $1,400 (Camp Bar Third Ward)
Decor: $952
Vendor Tips: $2,645
Dance Lessons: $2,374

Honeymoon ($6,500 – Not Included in Total):

Honeymoon: $6,500 (trip to Italy)

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 most important aspects of our wedding were the location and food, which alone took up almost half the cost of our total budget. We knew we wanted our wedding with an urban feel and it was important to us to have a view of the Milwaukee skyline. We also really enjoy the historic third ward as it has some of our favorite places to visit.

The Venue:
When we toured Plant No 4 it was just a stripped building of open space and we had no idea what it would turn out to look like. It didn’t even have a name yet. However; the skyline view from the Bianco room on the top floor sold us and we knew at that moment that Plant No 4 would be our venue. We put our trust in Peter and Stephen who are the owners of the Black Swan MKE collection, and they went above and beyond our expectations of creating such a beautiful and unique space.

The Food:
We are huge foodies and having tasty food for our guests was also top on our must haves. We decided to go with Saz’s Catering and offered guests food stations including mashed potato martini glasses, street tacos and of course their famous BBQ. Our guests are still raving about the food and how it was the best food they ever had at a wedding.

We also chose to have a donut wall with donuts from Holey Moley, which was a huge hit with all our guests. Towards the end of the night we surprised our guests with late night food from Streetza food truck.

The Wine Theme:
We chose to incorporate our love for wine as the theme of the wedding and Belle Fiori helped bring our vision to life with a gorgeous elevated floral bridge held up with cylinder vases of wine corks. We also incorporated corks for the guest table, escort cards and boutonnieres. We had a custom wine box engraved with our names and the Milwaukee skyline, which we incorporated in a wine ceremony. Vintique Rental provided us with a French wine barrel that we used for the ceremony, which tied our wine theme together.

A few ways we saved on costs was by DIY centerpieces made with wine bottles and grape vines, and the ability to bring in all our own alcohol. Over the Moon Bartending was fantastic with helping create signature cocktails and recommending the amount of alcohol we would need to purchase. We were able to provide our guests with an open bar all night long of beer, wine and select spirits.

Another surprise for our guests was a choreographed first dance. We took dance lessons for several months at Fred Astaire, which turned out to be a fun way to spend time together and we felt more confident dancing on our wedding day!

The Photographer:
Hiring a photographer that we felt comfortable with was also one of the most important investments. We found Brian Slawson Photography through Married In Milwaukee and from the first meeting felt instantly confident that Brian and his team would be the perfect fit. We love Brian’s creative style and he made us feel so comfortable taking pictures throughout our engagement shoot and wedding day. Brian and his assistant Luke were so professional and easy to work with. We have received so many compliments on how beautiful our photos are.

The Music:
For music we hired Dylan from Sound By Design for the reception and he kept the dance floor filled all night long. We also hired Dream City Strings to play for our ceremony and cocktail hour and our guests loved the string trio.

The Wedding Planner/Coordinator:
Lastly, our day would not have been successful without the help of our Day of Coordinator, Morgan S, from Blue Fancy Events. Working with so many vendors was a lot to keep track of and Morgan and her assistant made the day a breeze and put in so much work to making the day beautiful. Hiring Blue Fancy was one of the best investments we made in ensuring our day went off without a hitch.

– The Bride and Groom