We have to admit: we haven’t been this excited in a while. We love our new shorties and jumpsuits collection. This styled shoot features the Maria Jumpsuit and Maude Shortie by Sarah Seven. With their unique, squared necklines, both of these styles give us a sexy yet elegant vibe. Maria is a chic jumpsuit with a low back, fitted waist, and wide legs, and Maude is a mid-length dress that glistens with a classy leopard print texture. Jumpsuits and shorties are great options for elopements, rehearsal dinners, post-wedding brunch, exit dresses, or as an alternative option for the cool and modern bride!
Dresses: Maria Jumpsuit and Maude by Sarah Seven at Strike Bridal Bar
Venue: Still Bend/Schwartz Home
Photographer: Melissa Alderton Photography
Floral & Creative Direction: Feisty Flowers
Event Planning: Fresh Coast Events
Makeup Artistry: Jillian Dawson
Hair Stylist: Jaime at Fringe Salon
Invites & Signage: Wit & Co
Dessert: Liv a Little
Drinks: Pour Inc.
Food: Simple Eats
Models: Kish & Shienne
Kelcie + Zak
October 17th, 2020 / Oshkosh, Wisconsin
How did your love story begin?: Zak and I met at work, after my three coworkers went absolutely crazy about the cute blonde boy that just started. My coworkers brought him up almost daily, trying to somehow plan for us to meet. Finally, I decided to just introduce myself and the rest is history. Zak proposed after dating for two and a half years at his family cottage on the pontoon boat in the middle of the lake. He originally planned to propose on a Wednesday, but couldn't wait any longer threw everyone for a loop when he decided to change it last minute to the Saturday. This had his dad running around trying to make everything perfect, which it was! Thankfully the photographer and drone operator were available and captured the whole thing.
Zak was very engaged and helpful in wedding planning which was such a blessing, given that we were planning everything during the pandemic and were thrown for many loops. I am so happy so kept our plans and tackled wedding planning together.
What was your vision for the wedding?: I love to thrift shop and one day when I was roaming around I came upon a vintage gold tray that I absolutely loved. From there, I spent a lot of time finding more trays and planned our vintage romantic theme around it. I knew instantly that I would love to get married at The Howard in Oshkosh because of its gorgeous vintage details and it only took one walk through for us to put a down payment on it and set a date! From there we chose House of Flowers in Oshkosh because we knew they would do a phenomenal job at making our vision before a reality. Thankfully, my sister got married a few months into our wedding planning and had Milwaukee Airwaves as her DJ. We made a deal on the spot with the DJ because he was open on our date and booked them immediately. I don't mean to brag, but they are seriously the best DJ I have ever seen at a wedding, and I have been to a lot of weddings! I really don't remember how I stumbled upon Tribute Film & Photo, but I am forever thankful I did. They're a husband and wife duo that do both videography and photography. Their work was amazing and Zak and I enjoyed them so much!!!
Tell us all about your dress!: Wedding dress shopping for me was tough. I knew I wanted a simple, timeless, and elegant dress, but there seemed to be something off about everything I tried on - whether it be the fabric was very thick or there was odd lines in places that wasn't flattering. Thankfully, my sister heard about Strike Bridal Bar opening up in Milwaukee and we booked an appointment one of the first weekends they were open. I loved the stunning simplicity of the Sarah Seven gowns and nothing compared to it! I didn't say Yes on the first day I went (because I am an over-thinker), but after analyzing the pictures, I knew my dress was the one.
You planned and you planned, but how did the day ACTUALLY go?!: The day was amazing. I really don't know how we pulled it off quite like we did when I look back. Planning during the pandemic had us changing plans up to the very last minute and insanely stressed with family members dropping out hours before the dinner. The morning of our wedding was gloomy and rainy so unfortunately we made the tough decision to move our wedding indoors. Well, we didn't have an arbor for indoors, so of course my dad and Zak's jumped in the car and ran to Menards to pull my vision together. Us girls were running a little behind schedule so I jumped in the car with my sister in law and goddaughter to drive over to The Paine, and on our way my goddaughter Ellison was singing to Mr. Sun for him to come out. That must have done the trick because as soon as we got there, the weather turned around and we had people running all over the place to take all of the decor that was set up inside back outside. And I am forever thankful we made that decision. Fall in Wisconsin is simply beautiful and Tribute captured it perfectly!
What is your best advice for future brides-to-be?: Everyone probably says this, but don't stress! I remember crying just days before our wedding because of all of the people we had dropping out from coming to our wedding, but our day was so amazing and Zak and I were surrounded by so much love and support. I look back on the things that I let stress me out and they meant nothing on our day. Focus on you and your spouse and what really matters, your love for one another.
Gown: Belmont by Sarah Seven from Strike Bridal Bar
Headpiece: Isadora by Brides & Hairpins from Strike Bridal Bar
Veil + Earrings: Isla Veil & Kelcie Earrings by Haute Bride from Strike Bridal Bar
Photographer: Tribute Film & Photo
Florist: House of Flowers
Venue: The Paine Arts and Gardens & The Howard
DJ: Milwaukee Airwaves
Erica + Sean
November 13th, 2020 / Milwaukee, Wisconsin
How did your love story begin?: Sean and I met - crazily enough - while we were both taking our girls on spring break to Hawaii! My daughter and I were swimming in the pool at the resort and we were talking about heading to a Packer’s game in the fall. This guy was swimming with his kids next to us, and asked if we lived in Wisconsin, since we were Packer fans. Turns out he lived in Waukesha and we lived in New Berlin. 2.5 years later, we made it official of being a “Family of Five!”
Our girls are in the same age range, so we have pictures of them from that first day we met, swimming in the ocean together. By the fifth day of vacation, the girls had exchanged addresses and phone numbers and made us promise they could go on play dates. :) They were 12, 12 and 9 at the time. Now they are 14, 14 and 11 and it’s a lot of craziness! About a year and a half ago, we got a dog so Sean could have another male in the house with him, but he’s still heavily outweighed by all the women in our house!
Covid certainly gave us some challenges with planning, but we wanted a small intimate gathering anyway - so it worked out in the end. It was just our immediate families and best man and maid of honor, so a total of 21 people. We had so much fun, and since our family tends to be a bit goofy, we took wedding pics to reflect our sense of humor.
What was your vision for the wedding?: We went small and intimate with some fun for the teenagers. :) I bought 50 hurricane vases to have it mostly candlelit to encourage the intimate vibe. I also had a photo booth so the kids could get silly. (Which they absolutely did!). Meli, our event coordinator at The Carriage House (formally Movida) was amazing to work with. She helped us throw in elements for the kids as well as keeping it elegant for us.
Tell us all about your dress!: Shopping was so surreal - I took a good friend with me while Sean stayed back with the three kids and babysat my friends four month old! He’s a trooper, but that’s why I love him. He wanted me to have a fun experience and I really did! Plus, Strike made me feel like a bride and made sure that I felt 110% comfortable in the dress that I picked. I saw someone trying on a very similar dress to mine and when I mentioned I loved that style, my stylist knew exactly what dress I needed to try on. I slipped it on and knew that moment it was the one.
You planned and you planned, but how did the day ACTUALLY go?: It actually went exceptionally well with the exception of our seating chart getting backwards and mismatched. I mean, it’s all family at that point anyway right? Haha. The most difficult part was asking everyone to get Covid tested the week of the wedding. We didn’t want to put anyone in danger, so we helped coordinate testing which was more stressful than I think anyone thought it would be. Good news, everyone was able to attend after the brides dad tested positive BUT ended his quarantine the week before the wedding. (And we have confirmed, no Covid was spread!)
What is your best advice for future brides-to-be?: In the end, it’s a day meant for you and your spouse. It will be one big blur. Make sure you have a couple things that are really important to you but let most of it GO! Nothings worth the stress, it’s just about you and your honey in the end. Try to just enjoy it no matter what!
Gown: Belmont by Sarah Seven from Strike Bridal Bar
Veil: Cadence by Haute Bride from Strike Bridal Bar
Sash: Taylor by Laura Jayne from Strike Bridal Bar
Photographer: Meredith Rae Photography (a friend of the bride)
Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Carriage House (formerly Movida)
Dessert: Classy Girl Cupcakes
Hair: JP Makeup Services
Makeup: Sweet Ginger Hair Salon
Bridal Portraits + Prosecco and Viola Gowns
We are loving the way these brides rock our Prosecco and Viola gowns side by side. Both super chic and classy, Prosecco by Sarah Seven gives us this classic, clean cut vibe with her off the shoulder neckline and tiered flare skirt. Viola by Alena Leena shows us a bit more romance with her high neck, floral lace bodice and unique cut out train. These two gowns really showcase what our #StrikingBrides love: our vast selection of dresses, all beautiful in their own ways!
Photographer + Florals: Generations Wedding Flowers & Photography
Planning + Design: Midwestern Bride
Gowns: Prosecco by Sarah Seven + Viola by Alena Leena from Strike Bridal Bar
Rentals: Chance Productions
Invitations: Pine and Ink
Rings: Soha Diamond Company
Cake: The Looking Glass Bakery
Bridal Portraits + Belmont and Dicentra Gowns
Ok so let’s talk community over competition! This is a phrase thrown around often these days and one we really take really seriously. We love supporting other small local businesses and working to promote one another. & of course, we adore working with other extremely talented Wisconsin wedding vendors and believe some absolute magic happens when we work together. Some of our all time favorite images come from creative collaborations like this one.
For this styled shoot, we teamed up with several friendors to create some stunning bridal portraits. Milwaukee Flower Company’s owner, Sally, had a vision for this shoot and really ran with it. Her elaborate flower wall was absolutely breathtaking and felt so lucky to have our gowns photographed in front of it. Make sure you check out all the talented vendors involved and enjoy!
Photographers: Autumn Silva Photography + Stephanie Sanchez
Gowns: Dicentra by Alena Leena + Belmont by Sarah Seven from Strike Bridal Bar
Hair: Atelier Barbershop and Salon
Makeup: Makeup by Jacquee
Floral: Milwaukee Flower Co.
Jewelry: Paloma Wilder
Nails: LeJé Nail Salon
Brides: Mel + Rachel
