This couple comes from a wedding industry background, so they knew what truly mattered to them when they planned their big day. For their wedding at Twelve29 they prioritized attire, photography, open bar, and food.
We think they did a great job and had a beautiful, intimate wedding at Twelve29 in Lannon, WI. Read on for their full wedding cost breakdown and don’t miss the “note from the couple” at the bottom of the article.
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 Twelve29:
- Photos: Ashton Lynette Photography
- Caterer: Tall Guy & a Grill
- Rehearsal Dinner: Centraal Grand Cafe & Tappery
Quick Facts – Twelve29 Wedding:
- Guests: 75
- Ceremony/Reception: Twelve29
- Total Costs: $30,757
Wedding Essentials ($4,637):
- Invitations/Stationery: $40 (save the dates)
- Photographer: $3,100 (Ashton Lynette Photography)
- Desserts/Cake: $510
- Flowers/Décor: $987 (artificial floral/greenery and candles)
Reception and Ceremony Costs ($9,560):
- Reception: $1,500
- Ceremony: $250
- Drinks: $1,725 (open bar excluding liquor)
- Catering: $5,000 (Mediterranean buffet from Tall Guy & a Grill)
- Apps and Late Night Pizza: $435
- DJ: $650 (friend DJed and rented equipment)
Attire, Jewelry and Beauty ($13,310):
- Bride’s Dress: $1,600
- Bride’s After Party Dress: $500
- Bride’s Shoes: $250 (heals and reception sneakers)
- Groom’s Attire: $8,500 (Armani suit – gifted by family)
- Beauty: $660 (hair, tan, and nails – makeup done by bride)
- Rings: $1,800
Other Costs ($3,250):
- Rehearsal Dinner: $2,000 (open bar and plated dinner/dessert for 27 at Centraal Grand Cafe & Tappery)
- Hotel Suite: $250
- Wedding Party Gifts: $1,000
- Wedding Favors: $0 (wrote each guest a hand written note as a place card)
Honeymoon ($900 – Not Included in Total):
- Trip to Kohler Water Spa in Green Bay: $900 (not included in total – cost for room, spa and food/drinks)
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:
Gene and I knew we wanted to do things our way from the beginning. Most important to us was attire, photographer, open bar, and good food. We both come from a wedding industry background so we luckily were on the same page of where we wanted to cut costs.
We knew we didn’t care about fresh floral so I opted for fake greenery bunches from Amazon. We did a small personal cake to cut for pictures and a dessert table for our guests which was a huge hit.
We wrote hand written letters to our guests instead of favors and we are still hearing feedback of how thoughtful it came across. We skipped the wedding party tradition and let family/friends come and go into our getting rooms as they pleased.
There was no color palette for dress code but ironically it photographed so well and guests really appreciated the freedom.
I really wanted to be comfortable dancing so I splurged on the By Watters dress from Anthropologie and it was a 10/10 decision. Same with the sneakers.
Luckily I have my own business as a freelance makeup artist so I did my own makeup and helped others. I would 100% recommend hiring out if you do not feel comfortable doing your own hair and makeup.
A big honeymoon wasn’t in the budget but we will absolutely be taking one later this year.
Highly recommend making all your purchases on a high earning credit card (we did AMEX) and the points alone paid for our Kohler visit.
Pick what’s most important to you and your partner and don’t lose sight of it. Skip the rest
and tune out the noise.– The Happy Couple
A BIG thanks to the couple for sharing the Cost Breakdown of their awesome wedding at Twelve29 and to Ashton Lynette 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.
