The Society (AKA the Milwaukee County Historical Society) is one of our favorite historic venues in town – so we were super excited to feature this cost breakdown of a wedding at The Society! Note that The Society is managed by one of our favorite vendors in town – Two Birds Event Group.
For just under $47k, this couple hosted 145 guests at The Society for their awesome Christmas wedding. Read on to learn more about their wedding vendors and what their cost was. And don’t miss the “note from the couple” at the bottom to learn more about their cost breakdown and vendor choice.
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 The Society:
- Venue: The Society
- Caterer: Chef Jack’s
- DJ: RC Productions
- Photo Booth: RC Productions
Quick Facts – The Society Wedding:
- Guests: 145
- Ceremony/Reception: The Society
- Total Costs: $46,890
Wedding Essentials ($9,117):
- Invitations/Stationery: $611
- Photographer: $1,400
- Videographer: $1,500
- Cake: $1,066
- Wedding Planner: $2,600
- Flowers: $1,940 (8 centerpieces, 7 tables loose greenery, 3 bridesmaid bouquets, 1 bridal bouquet, 8 boutonniere, 6 corsages, 2 large pedestal arrangements, head table garland, vase rentals, set up and delivery)
Reception and Ceremony Costs ($25,486):
- Reception: $5,050 (reception at The Society)
- Ceremony: $0 (included in reception cost)
- Drinks: $6,220 (six hour hosted call bar)
- Catering: $9,722 (hand passed apps and 3 entrée buffet by Chef Jack’s)
- DJ/Uplighting/Photo Booth: $2,161 (by RC Productions)
- Keyboard/Vocalist: $900 (pre-ceremony, ceremony and cocktail hour)
- Tables/Chairs: $1,433
Attire, Jewelry and Beauty ($6,589):
- Bride’s Dress: $2,200
- Dress Alterations: $1,100
- Bride’s Shoes: $30
- Groom’s Attire: $233
- Beauty: $1,362 (3 bridesmaids hair and makeup, nails, lashes and haircuts)
- Rings: $1,664
Other Costs ($5,698):
- Rehearsal Dinner: $800 (taco buffet and waffles at Oak Barrel Public House)
- Hotel Suite: $400
- Wedding Party Gifts: $700 (hotel stays)
- Wedding Favors: $130 (ornaments)
- Signs: $615
- Décor: $700 (vases, votives, candles)
- Ballroom Dance Lessons: $700 (ten 1 hour lessons)
- Gratuities: $1,540
- Marriage License: $113
Honeymoon ($1,800 – Not Included in Total):
- Cruise: $1,800 (4 night cruise from LA to Mexico, includes flights)
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 Food and Cake:
We were so glad we booked Chef Jack’s Catering. The hand-passed hors d’oeuvres were delicious and they really worked with us on all the dietary restrictions our guests had. The guests were all raving about the food. And our Aggie’s cake was so perfect. It looked just like a Pinterest photo and tasted delicious to boot. We loved all the flavor options and loved the design we created. We wanted the cake to be a decoration centerpiece and Aggie’s delivered.The Dress:
I (Maria) am still so obsessed with my dress from Amelishan Bridal. I told my stylist, Courtney, I wanted glitter and to feel like a princess and this fit the bill! Having a dress MADE of glitter was perfection. Influence Apparel in Brookfield were able to alter it to fit my Disney Princess dreams.The Coordinator:
Booking Veronica Rose Planning may have been the best vendor decision we made. Veronica was worth her weight in gold. She has over a decade of experience and she and her team were instrumental in pulling off this day.Veronica was our month-of coordinator and we rented all our linens from her as well as hiring her and her team for all set up and tear down. This was so important because we got married in a museum and could not set anything up until a couple hours before the ceremony. Having such an experienced and professional team is critical to pull that off in a matter of hours.
The First Dance:
Eric and I met ballroom dancing at Marquette University under the instruction of Michelle Guthrie who owns Ten Dance Mama. Going back to Michelle for private ballroom dance lessons was so important to us and was such a full circle moment. She makes ballroom so fun and approachable no matter your experience levelThe Music:
Having my childhood friend perform on keys and vocals was so special to me. Katherine Elise is so talented and it was a privilege to have her share her gifts for the ceremony and cocktail hour.For the DJ and dancing, RC Productions were the total package. Ricardo was so good at reading the room and making the perfect vibe on the dance floor. The photo booth was so fun and really high quality photos. We were so glad to have a photo guest book to look back on right away while the professional photos were still being edited.
The Photographer:
Rachel Lauren was such a great photographer who captured the emotions and so many special moments throughout the day. I love the gallery we received.– The Happy Couple
A BIG thanks to the couple for sharing the Cost Breakdown of their awesome wedding at The Society and to Rachel Lauren 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.
