Janay + Nevin

July 17, 2021 / Milwaukee, Wisconsin

How did your love story begin? I met Nevin while attending a party hosted by a mutual friend prior to a night of dancing. Little did I know that the dances we shared on this night were only the first few of a lifetime. As we continued to see each other at dance events throughout Milwaukee, we got to know each other and our friendship grew. We also began to spend time together outside dancing by sharing meals, attending art shows, browsing local markets, and going on countless walks along the lakefront. We began to realize that we shared a passion not only for dance but also for culture, travel, food, and more. We started to get lost in conversations, sharing stories, our dreams, and our feelings for one another. Eventually, our friendship blossomed into a loving relationship.

As our relationship continued to grow, little did I know that Nevin was making plans for the next step in our story. He had asked for my father's permission to propose during one of our trips to visit my family. On July 17, 2020, he suggested we get takeout from one of my favorite Milwaukee restaurants, Three Brothers. Instead of eating at home, Nevin recommended we have a picnic at the lakefront. After finishing our food on the beach, Nevin asked me if I would like to dance and I agreed. While turning me during our dance, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I of course said yes!

We ventured into the next step of our story taking time exploring various wedding venues around Wisconsin. We fell in love with the historic charm of The Hyde at St. James 1868 in downtown Milwaukee and chose to be married there on the anniversary of our engagement. As planning moved forward, we took time to review and discuss choices together. I used various online services and spreadsheets to help track our progress and guide our progress.

What was your vision for your wedding?: Our vision for the wedding was that of a classic romance with elegant touches. We chose maroon and blush tones for the bridesmaids and soft gray suits for the groomsmen. We accented the decor with touches of gold, plenty of candles, and beautiful garden-inspired florals. We accented the flowers with fragrant hops to pay homage to our love of Milwaukee's craft breweries.

It was this vision that guided us in making selections of vendors. Often, I would collect information on many vendors before narrowing them down to the top few choices that I would then share with Nevin. Together, we would examine reviews of the vendors, photos of their previous work, and pricing information before making a final decision. We included sentimental touches throughout the wedding to aid in making it uniquely our own, including a memorial seat in honor of Nevin's mother and peonies in my bridal bouquet to recognize my home state of Indiana.

As both of us enjoy cooking, food was one element that was especially important to us. We selected a menu that was served family-style, encouraging each table of guests to interact as they enjoyed. We choose dishes that included Italian, Asian, and Latin influences to demonstrate our own love of exploring the world. Our cake was not only beautiful, but wonderfully delicious featuring almond cake layered with chocolate butter cream and raspberries. The top tier that we took home was too irresistible to freeze and instead gotten eaten over the next week. We agreed to order an anniversary cake from the bakery the next year instead.

Tell us all about your wedding dress!: I had been a fan of Strike since its opening in 2019. I regularly admired the beautiful dresses and accessories featured on their social media accounts. I would reply to their model call-outs in hopes of experiencing such masterpieces in person. So, when I became engaged, there was no doubt in my mind that Strike was where I would find a dress all my own. However, with so many beautiful options to choose from, I was nervous about finding the dress in the allotted appointment time. When I called the store, Abby offered her reassurance and support by booking me as the last appointment of the day to offer any necessary wiggle room.

Once the appointment was set, I began researching each designer carried by Strike to help me pinpoint what I loved. The romance provided in Alena Leena's designs captured my heart. During my appointment, I tried on several gowns to help me determine what felt most like me and would allow me to dance the night away, not only beautifully but comfortably. My party and I settled on Miltonia, which offered beautiful botanical lace, an illusion neckline, and gorgeous scooped back. I chose to pair the dress with a simple cathedral veil for the ceremony. And in the end, that extra wiggle room for my appointment wasn't even needed!

You planned and you planned, but how did the day ACTUALLY go?!: On the day of the wedding, Nevin and I celebrated our love story surrounded by family and friends. There was plenty of laughter, happy tears, and of course dances. As a gift to our guests, we even hosted a short dance lesson so that everyone could share our passion and hit the dance floor with confidence! The day was full of beautiful memories and was a wonderful start for our forever together.

What is your best advice for future brides-to-be?: My advice to future brides is to take your time. All of the planning can easily become overwhelming but it is important to remember that this special day is truly about sharing your love and joy. Therefore, remember to embrace that short period of time where you love calling each other "fiance" before the big "I Do".

When dress shopping, I recommend trusting how you feel. Be honest with your consultant about your thoughts on each dress, even if they might not be the same thoughts as your party. The staff at Strike are always happy to go above and beyond to discuss the different dress and customization options with you. They are also truly on your team and will make you feel like the gorgeous bride you deserve to be!

• Dress: Miltonia by Alena Leena

• Bride’s Hotel: The Dutchess Air Bnb

• Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Hyde at St James 1868

• Caterer: Gracious Events Catering

• Bakery: Classy Girl Cupcakes

• Officiant: Marry Me LLC

• Photographer: Sarah Glick

• Videographer: FX Studio

• Florist: Laurel Flannery of Bloom Lovely

• DJ: Enrique Murguia

• Dance Instructor: Sarah Zucarro of Urbanity Dance Chicago

• Hair Stylist: Beauty & Whiskey

Lauren + Mike

January 30th, 2021 / Hartland, Wisconsin

How did your love story begin?: Mike and I were first introduced by our mutual friend Kelly on an ugly Christmas sweater bar crawl December of 2016. We spoke to each other a couple of times that night, but crawled our separate ways as the night went on. Over the next year, we ran into each other a lot as we ended up hanging out with the same group of friends. Mike was smitten right away, but I took a little more convincing. By late summer, Mike started hinting towards me that he wanted to spend a little more time with just the two of us. It took about four months of asking before I finally agreed to brunch. I was so nervous I ended up spilling coffee all over the table, but it turned out to be a perfect first date. The next few weeks we went on multiple dinner dates, shared our first kiss at the annual Friendsgiving, and ventured to a Packer game. When dropping me off after a Tuesday night filled with tacos, he looked at me and asked me to officially be his girlfriend. We both felt like we were back in high school sitting outside my parents house after curfew with all of the butterflies in our stomachs. I think we both knew though on that first brunch date that this would turn into something special!

About 2 years later, Mike and I decided to plan our first real trip together. We knew we wanted to go somewhere with mountains and nothing too expensive. After great reviews from our friends, we decided on road tripping to Gatlinburg, TN. Neither one of us had seen the Smoky Mountains and wanted someplace we could easily drive to. We rented a little studio cabin just outside of Gatlinburg with amazing views of the mountains. The first night we arrived, we decided to just relax at the cabin and watch the sunset from the balcony. I think we lasted 20 minutes sitting outside before Mike said he was going to retreat inside away from the 90 degree heat and humidity. Yes it was 90 degrees in October! Little did I know he was planning on coming back outside to ask me a pretty important question. I didn't want to be left outside by myself so of course I followed him back inside. I proceeded to curl up with my wine in hand and start a movie. Mike was in the corner rummaging through his bag. He walked over to me, paused the movie, and started his speech. I didn't know what was happening until he started to pull something out of his pocket and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes!

What was your vision for your wedding?: Mike and I started talking about our dream wedding on our 11 hour drive home from our trip to Gatlinburg. So excited about our new engagement we had plenty of time in the car to start bouncing ideas off each other. We both have always loved the winter and snow so we knew we wanted a winter wedding. I always loved the idea of a barn wedding, but I quickly discovered when researching venues that many barns are not equipped for winter weather. After researching over 50 venues online, we ended up touring only two venues. Rustic Manor was our first tour and we immediately fell in love.

Choosing our venders was much easier than we thought it would be. With fewer people getting married in the winter, we didn't have to worry much about the vendors we loved not having availability. Rustic Manor provided an extensive list of recommended vendors to look into which was an excellent starting point for us. The one vendor that was the most important to me was the photographer. Pictures are one of the few things you will have to remember the day for rest of our lives so it was very important that we picked an amazing photographer. I'll admit I had her picked out before Mike and I were even dating. She photographed a wedding of a girl I went to high school with. When I saw her photos, I knew I would be calling her up when it was my turn!

I can not say enough amazing things about all of our vendors we chose! Each one was constantly checking in with us leading up to the wedding and throughout the day making sure we were in complete bliss the entire time!

Tell us all about your dress!: Even before deciding on a winter wedding, I already had an idea of my dream dress in mind. I wanted lace and long sleeves. I quickly discovered that finding a dress with long sleeves might be a little difficult. The first time I went to try on wedding dresses, I went to two other bridal salons and brought my four bridesmaids, my mom and my future mother-in-law with me. Some of my entourage had never met before so I was excited to introduce everyone and find my perfect dress. I was hoping for this perfect day of feeling like a princess, but found myself a little overwhelmed with having my favorite people meet for the first time and wanting them all to experience me saying yes to the dress. I sadly went home that day empty handed, but got a better idea of what I liked and didn't like.

The next week I booked an appointment at Strike Bridal Bar for just my mom and I. Looking through their Instagram posts, I loved how different and unique their designers were with their gowns. They even had a long sleeved lace gown I could not get out of my head! My stylist Emily called me a few days before to get an idea of what I was looking for. I loved that she reached out ahead of time because she already had some ideas for me by the time I showed up for my appointment. This appointment was the complete opposite of my first experience and it blew me away! We went on a Monday so it was just my mom and I shopping in the store. Emily had pulled the gown I had been eyeing on Instagram before I even had a chance to ask for it, Gingko! Of course that was the first dress I put on, but we still tried on a few others. I did end up liking another dress that was the complete opposite of Gingko. Emily was amazing helping me in and out of those two dresses until I made my decision. Gingko was what I had always envisioned myself walking down the aisle in and it was absolutely perfect.

You planned and you planned, but how did the day ACTUALLY go?!: Our wedding turned out to be everything we had dreamed of! We both were so nervous and didn't sleep much the night before. I don't remember much of walking down the aisle, but once I got to the end and I held onto Mike's hands, I knew everything would be fine. Rustic Manor has the coziest and most romantic loft space for an indoor ceremony and Jane Kelly Floral did an amazing job decorating it. Our reception space was just as gorgeous!

We surprisingly remember a lot of the little things that made us so grateful for our vendors and our friends. We loved that right after the ceremony we walked down the stairs from the loft and our day of coordinator had our favorite drinks waiting for us to cheers our marriage. One of our bridesmaids who got married a little over a year ago, made sure to save us each an appetizer from our cocktail hour just in case we didn't get a chance to eat them. When we sat down for dinner, they were waiting for us at our spots! Our DJ's Nick and Josh were always checking in with us and swooping in at the perfect times to ask us any questions they had or direct us towards the next event of the night.

One of my favorite moments of the night was when Mike reminded me of how we wanted to get pictures with our guests at each table. We stole an idea from our friend's wedding which is to try and get a picture with each table during the length of one song. Mike pulled the DJs and our photographer aside and we quickly came up with a plan. The DJs picked the Mission Impossible theme song and we started to run around to each table. It was an exciting way to start dinner and quite efficient in getting pictures!

What is your best advice for future brides-to-be?: Take a moment after the ceremony for just the two of you! Find a space where no one else is around and really soak in the fact that you are now husband and wife. Right after the ceremony, Mike and I were getting congratulated and hugs right as we got down the stairs and we both just needed a minute to really soak in that we were married. Taking 5 minutes to be alone together was one of my favorite moments of the entire day. To look into each others eyes with no one else around and know this was the happiest day of our lives.

Dress: Ginkgo by Alena Leena at Strike Bridal Bar
Photographer: Tara Draper
Venue: Rustic Manor 1848
Florist: Jane Kelly Floral
Cake: The Cake Lady
Caterer: Tall Guy and a Grill
DJ: Nick and Josh from David Charles Productions
Makeup: Melody Sopa Artistry
Hair: Locks & Lashes Beauty
Bridesmaids Dresses: Revelry
Dress Alterations: Kit Hunzinger at Kit Co
Transportation: MKE Shuttle

St James 1868 + Ginkgo Gown

Our Ginkgo gown by Alena Leena was the perfect choice for this brightly styled shoot. Ginkgo, with her long sleeves, slim a-line skirt, and sparkly, ivory lace, fits right in to the airy floral design and the clean backdrop of St James 1868.

Wedding Dress: Gingko by Alena Leena from Strike Bridal Bar
Hairpiece: Pensamiento by Lia Terni from Strike Bridal Bar
Planner: Andrea Gonzales-Evans & Tiara Gamez at Events to a T
Venue: St James 1868
Photographer: Katie Schubert Photo
Videography: Films By Design
Cookies: Get Baked by Ambur
Cake: Cake Lady Designs
Rentals: Arena Americas
Linens: Windy City Linens
Florist: The Red Petal
Paper Products: Paloma Prints MKE
Makeup: Opal Bloom MKE
Hair: Lexi Lee Hair
Models: Miranda Hunzinger & Nick Hunzinger

River Club + Ivy and Pansy Gowns

We absolutely loved following this shoot from day to night. From the stationary to the balloon arch, the decor was a perfect coral creation with stark whites and deep blacks. These brides both wore romantic, modern, and whimsical Alena Leena gowns. Ivy is a tulle a-line skirt that features floral lace, a structured bodice, and delicate cap sleeves. Pansy is also a-line, but with a modern square neckline, beaded top, and deep illusion cuts on the sides. We could not image a sweeter pair!

Bridal Dresses: Pansy & Ivy by Alena Leena from Strike Bridal Bar
Venue: River Club of Mequon
Vision, Flowers, & Rentals: Ambrosia Events
Stationary: MJ Creative Co
Photographer: Roost Photography
Hair & Makeup: Lovely Beauty Bar
Marquee Letters: Alpha Lit Milwaukee
Models: Sarah & Yvette

The Gage + Armeria Gown

We are getting all the modern bride feels right now with the juxtaposition of this styled shoot. The Gage’s industrial vibe makes a super cool backdrop for one of our most unique and whimsical gowns: Armeria by Alena Leena. This dress is loved for her corset bodice, dramatic off-the-shoulder sleeves, and tiered, pleated tulle skirt. The combination of Armeria’s bright ivory with the rustic, fall colors of the tablescapes and floral design is our total dream.

Dress: Armeria by Alena Leena from Strike Bridal Bar
Venue: The Gage
Dessert: Greige Patisserie
Rentals: Relics Rentals & Cedar & Spice
Florist: Floral Alchemy
Photographer: Devon Rose Photography & Stephanie Koppa Photography
Videography: Films by Design
Paper Products: Hall Creative Co.
Hair & Makeup: Avenue M Salon & Spa
Linens: Windy City Linens
Jewelry: Jaxie Bridal
Models: Ingrid Olson & Jaron Ruplinger