For just under $30,000, this couple held a beautiful wedding with 144 of their friends and family at the South Shore Pavilion. Read on for their full wedding cost breakdown and don’t miss the “note from the couple” at the bottom.
Married In Milwaukee Family Used:
We were excited to see that this couple used two Married In Milwaukee Family Members!! Here are the MIM Family Members involved in this South Shore Pavilion wedding:
- Bartenders: Over The Moon Bartending
- Favors: Sweetly Baked
Quick Facts – South Shore Pavilion Wedding:
- Guests: 144
- Ceremony/Reception: South Shore Pavilion
- Total Costs: $29,556
Wedding Essentials ($6,680):
- Invitations/Stationery: $440
- Photographer: $2,400
- Videographer: $2,295
- Mini-Cake: $15
- Cupcakes: $400
- Flowers: $380 (artificial)
- Day-of-Coordinator: $840
Reception and Ceremony Costs ($14,970):
- Ceremony: $400 (South Shore East Lawn)
- Venue: $3,725
- Drinks and Bartenders: $2,500 (gifted wine/liquor, Bartending by Over The Moon)
- Catering: $6,135
- Officiant: $400
- DJ: $1,810 (included DJ and photo booth)
Attire, Jewelry and Beauty ($3,058):
- Bride’s Dress: $715
- Bride’s Shoes: $25
- Groom’s Attire: $1,010 (custom suit)
- Hair: $360
- Other Beauty: $0 (nails, facial, makeup, etc. done by friend)
- Rings: $948 (not including engagement ring)
Other Costs ($4,848):
- Rentals: $1,408 (tablecloths and chairs)
- Hotel Suite: $149
- Rehearsal Dinner: $550
- Wedding Party Gifts: $500
- Favors: $791 (custom macaroons by Sweetly Baked)
- Other: $1,500 (included: centerpieces/ decor, compostable dinnerware, marriage license, dance classes)
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 Budget:
We knew we wanted to get married at South Shore Terrace, but had no idea where to start or what our budget should be. We were fortunately gifted funds from our parents to support a large part of the wedding, but knew we wanted to keep the costs as low as possible – which is hard to do with any wedding, even when you think you are being cost effective.The Food:
We knew for sure that we wanted to have good, memorable comfort food. Thankfully, we lucked out with some last minute vendor changes and will be forever grateful for our serendipitous encounter with The Suburbon Bourbon / MKE Lunch and their amazing food and staff.The Photography:
Photography and videography were important to us. We wanted to capture and look back on all of our efforts and memories of the day, but we also wanted to utilize our photographer friend (McKenna Marie Photography) who captured our engagement. To have our friend be our guest and our photographer for part of the day, we used a second photographer to accomplish this goal (shout out to Stephanie Marie Photography and Design).The Venue:
South Shore is near and dear to us as we live nearby and spend a lot of time there, so location and all that comes with it was non-negotiable. We really leaned into the South Shore beer garden vibe.South Shore is great because it is DIY-everything. But, with DIY everything, it is important to budget for things that you might not have to at other venues (e.g., tablecloths and other rentals) so we focused more of our budget on these things to ensure the day was complete. We wanted to keep the day elegant but casual, incorporating many things we love, which our guests recognized and appreciated.
The Coordination:
Our day-of coordinator was clutch in pulling the whole thing together! We could not have had the best day without Alexis and would gladly use her over and over if we could! A total must for South Shore or any big event.– The Happy Couple
A BIG thanks to the couple for sharing the Cost Breakdown of their awesome South Shore Pavilion 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 Cost Breakdown articles featuring real Milwaukee wedding cost breakdowns.
