My handsome man! :)

Our VERY precocious FG.

A shoe shot—we still talk about how much our feet hurt when the night was over…

Our sweet ass ride!

I love these really photojournalistic shots.

Placecard table...

The picture table and guest book area

This is before the flowers had been put on the headtable and before our urns had been put up, so it looks a little plain. But I hope it goes to show that headtables can still avoid being uber cheesey...

Nice shot of the back bar area.

F'ing cake without it's collapsed fourth tier... oh well I ate it anyway.

And now for a few non-pro pics...

Our vendors included: (Back to top)

Ceremony: Villa Terrace Art Museum

Officiant: Fr. Frank Baiocchi

Reception: Milwaukee Athletic Club

Cake: Rolf's of Lincolnwood, IL

Dress: Monique Lhuillier through GiGi of Mequon

BM Dresses: Watters and Watters - we're getting them online from Pearl's Place and saving over $100 a dress!

Florist: Carrie with Petals Floral Design

Earrings: Boston Store- $22!

Additional Decorations (candelabras and charger plates): A to Z Rentall, Madison

DJ: All-Star Music Services

Ceremony Musicians: Rebecca Shaw and her string quartet.

Photographer: Expressive Photography

Invitations: finestationary.com

Programs and menus (DIY): Broadway Paper

Rehearsal Dinner: Paddy's Pub

Rehearsal Dinner Catering: Saz's

Hair: Neroli Salon and Spa

Day-of Wedding Coordination: Danica from Dreams and Designs

Calligrapher: Debi at Blooming Quill

Veil: veilshop.com

Labels for candy bags: myweddinglabels.com

Make-up bags for BM gifts: beau-coup.com

Tuxedos: Men's Warehouse

On to vendor reviews…

Remember ladies, A= Excellent, B= Above Average, C= Average, D= Below Average, and F= Failure. I do not believe in inflating grades! I guess that might lead some to consider me a harsh grader, but I’m only giving what I think is fair. Also please note that these are based solely on my personal experience with the vendor- I’ve heard a range of comments about almost all of them, so I’m not trying to speak about their talents on the whole- just for my big day!!

Milwaukee Athletic Club- Reception Location

A+

The MAC was more than we ever hoped- they not only met but highly exceeded all of our expectations. We had looked at least a dozen reception locations of varying sizes, prices, and styles and had even booked an entirely different venue originally but just weren’t thrilled. However, the minute we met with the MAC staff and saw the ballroom, we knew it was exactly what we were looking for. Although the MAC is a private club, you don’t have to be a member- we were sponsored by a board member and didn’t have to do anything more than fill out a form. From the moment we booked them, they were more than accommodating with helpful suggestions and never treated us as if we were less important than an actual dues-paying member. Every single member of the staff was a joy to work with- from the valets to the bartenders to the servers to the events staff to the babysitters! The food was literally the best I have ever had- I have never heard so many compliments from guests! DH could even cut his filet with his FORK! I was worried because filet mignon and salmon can be tough to cook for such a large amount of people, but every single plate was perfect. And the second DH and I stepped off the elevator and into the cocktail hour, a white-gloved server handed us champagne and offered us food. We had a bit of an emergency with the cake caving in on itself bc of the weight of the flowers on top and a server was observant enough to notice the issue before it became a disaster—the staff then removed the top tier, repositioned the flowers, and kept things under wraps so no one ever knew. Everything was absolutely top notch- I can’t say enough about them. They honestly deserve their A+ in every way!!

Expressive Photography- Emily Johnson, Rich and Andrea Warp

A+

We booked Emily after meeting with Patrick and Tracey and looking at her portfolio. Patrick and Tracey themselves were able to do our e-pics and then we met with Emily closer to the wedding to go over exactly what we wanted done and to take another look at her portfolio. She came with two other associate photographers-- Rich and Andrea—and all three of them were awesome. Patrick and Tracey even stopped by for a few minutes to watch the ceremony while they were on a break from another wedding!! 5 EP photogs in one place! But despite this, they were not invasive in any way and captured everything quietly and unobtrusively. Also, it can be really intimidating and nerve-wracking to have your pictures taken professionally if you’ve never had it done before. Initially I was a bit uncomfortable bc I wasn’t sure what to do with myself, but Emily gave me great direction and told me how and when to smile, where to look, where to put my hands, etc. Within minutes I felt completely at ease. I’m not sure if many people know about the associate photographers, but let me assure you they are fantastically talented.

GiGi of Mequon- wedding dress

A+

Let’s just say I was so excited to get my dress that I actually got a speeding ticket on the way there. I would never in a million years have tried on my dress had Bev not insisted. I coincidentally had my appointment with her (she is the owner of the salon) and her years and years of experience came in handy! She took one look at me, heard what my venues were, and then knew exactly what would work for me. Had it not been for her, I would’ve probably ended up in a pure white, sparkly gown. Not that it wouldn’t have been pretty, but I honestly think my dress was absolutely perfect for me in every way and nothing else would’ve held a candle to it. The alterations were not outrageously expensive and went quickly. Everyone there was awesome to work with, extremely kind, and they never pressured me once. I highly recommend them!!

Danica with Dreams and Designs- Day-of Coordinator

A+

Danica is fantastic! She is so incredibly reasonably priced (WAY below what I saw others priced at) and she knew nearly all of my vendors! If there were any problems, I didn’t hear about them! She kept me as cool and calm as possible, helped with my dress, cued walking and music, had hors ‘d oeuvres waiting for us at the reception, decorated our room, etc. She has the best personality and had no problems working with the other venue coordinators (you sometimes hear about egos getting in the way and power struggles, but not with Danica!) and she kept me informed of everything I needed to know about and kept me in the dark about the things I didn’t need to hear. She was perfect- HIGHLY recommended!!

String Quartet – page me for info

A+

Wow! All I can say! These guys were phenomenal, plus much cheaper than other performers I had looked at. Someone suggested to check the local university’s graduate school for talented performers, and being a grad student myself I knew they would appreciate the business and the experience it would give them. My contact at the UWM grad school was incredibly professional and they sounded like 100% seasoned veterans of performance. I HIGHLY recommend this route to brides, not just to save money but because I feel that these performers are often times the ones who truly appreciate being a part of your day. The head of the quartet does many weddings a year and got me in contact with our soloist as well (another grad student who literally had people crying by the time she was finished with Ave Maria!)

Villa Terrace Art Museum- Ceremony

A

Originally, I never thought I would be able to give the VT this high of a grade. Throughout planning, they were a pain in the butt to work with, which was particularly annoying to me because I know the only thing that keeps them afloat financially are weddings. If you book there, do not be surprised if you end up with a migraine due to Judith and her unhelpfulness. However, Patricia coordinated our rehearsal and ceremony and she was phenomenal! She got things done quickly but pleasantly, was always willing to listen to my ideas, and tried to accommodate me. Luckily, Judith wasn’t even there for the ceremony! The stunning beauty of the place combined with the professionalism of Patricia made me reconsider my grade completely!

Men’s Wearhouse (Glendale location near Bayshore Mall)- tuxedos

A

Amazing, I know! A tuxedo place that gets an A! But absolutely nothing went wrong and they had great customer service. I give them extra points considering that the men ordered, measured, picked up, and dropped off tuxes in Florida, Chicago, Las Vegas, Madison, Brookfield, Glendale, and Milwaukee! Yet everything was correct and in good condition. The only thing we would’ve liked to see was sample jackets available to try on. DH really wanted to try tails but couldn’t find a jacket to see how they looked and so didn’t get them. Regardless, he was still the handsomest man in the world and Men’s Wearhouse worked perfectly.

Neroli Salon and Spa- Hair

A

I really ended up liking my hair, which I didn’t think would happen because I was not 100% thrilled with my previous hair trials there. I would highly recommend Dez- she seems to get what you are going for and will work with you until it’s right. All my BMs looked gorgeous, and I know most of them really loved their stylists. We did run later than they had promised (30 minutes), but I had expected that and had built in time for that type of overage in our schedule so it wasn’t a huge deal.

Paddy’s Pub- Rehearsal Dinner

A

Paddy’s is nothing like a traditional “pub" when it comes to hosting an event. If you’ve never been there, step away from your computer immediately and go this second. The owners, Paddy and Woody, are the nicest, most accommodating people ever. The rental fee is next to nothing and just goes toward paying the additional staff needed for your event. They let you bring in any caterer you want (you can even cater yourself if you want) and you can figure out the bar however you want (open bar, cash bar, just beer, buy a barrel, etc). We had Saz’s cater with typical cook-out food and it was fantastic! I just wish I had more pics to show how beautiful the place is on a summer evening!! The only reason I wouldn’t give an A+ is because by the end of the evening, Paddy’s get busy and people who weren’t with our group were slowly trickling into our reserved area and the back bar. Because we had free beer and wine, this was problematic- but eventually the bartender gave everyone in our party stickers to differentiate us for the staff.

Father Frank Baiocchi- Officiant

A

Fr. Frank is so easy to work with- he lets you do pretty much whatever you want to do. Because both DH and I have very Catholic families, they really wanted us to get married in a church. However, it was just not important to us, and in fact getting married outdoors was a much higher priority. Having Fr. Frank as our officiant helped satiate some of our families’ religious requirements because he is a former priest who left the church to be married himself. That said, Fr. Frank allows the ceremony to be as religious as you want- so if you would rather it be more spiritual than dogmatic, go for it! That’s why we loved him so much! The only reason I give him an A and not A+ is because he lives out in Hartford, and driving out there for our 4 pre-wedding meetings was a PITA to say the least.

Carrie Kroening – Petals Floral Design

B

I know that around here, giving anything less than an A to Carrie is probably considered sacrilegious, heresy, or worse. And I want to emphasize that I love Carrie and think she has a fantastic personality and is very talented. That said, I still don’t think she was “excellent," but rather “above average." Although the centerpieces and other flowers were fantastic, there were a few things that I didn’t love. The BM bouquets were not what I had wanted and I don’t know if I’m to blame for being less than clear, but I’m pretty positive I was as explicit as humanly possible. Also, one of the flowers used was supposed to include parrot tulips, but the only parrot tulips that were used were in my bouquet. The rest we just regular tulips, which I did not want at all. I was also disappointed that DH’s bout wasn’t any bigger than it was. And in the urns, I saw a lot of Queen Anne’s lace and lilies, which I never asked for and which I actually really don’t like. Moreover, I’m not sure who is to blame for the cake-collapsing issue- the florist for making the flowers too heavy or the baker for making the cake too flimsy. I am sort of leaning towards the flowers since we ate some of the top tier of the cake and it was pretty thick and sturdy (especially with the fondant). But either way, someone should have known better (florist or baker). So in all, although I still think Carrie is fantastic and would recommend her, I can’t give her higher than a B. Please don’t excommunicate me.

Bob Fuchs, All-Star Music- DJ

C-

This is a difficult one for me. I had such high expectations of Bob after hearing so many wonderful things about him and after meeting with him. DH and I both thought he would be one of the best vendors of the wedding, but he just didn’t seem into it. All I can say is that he was below average. The first thing that bothered me was that after we were announced, he had us cut the cake right away (I had made it explicitly clear I didn’t want to cut it immediately- whether he was forced to do this by the kitchen staff, I don’t know, but I was disappointed.) Then during the cake cutting, there was no music at all, which made for a sort of awkward silence. After dinner, dancing was supposed to begin at about 8, but I had to force my dad to get Bob to start at 8:45 because everyone was just sitting around listening to the dinner music and getting bored and drunk. Some of our guests were so perturbed they said they were thinking of leaving! Then some of his CDs skipped and there were very few people on the dance floor. Although I know some people are just not dancers and it’s no big deal, DH said that Bob kept telling him he didn’t know what was wrong and that he was trying everything. However, he didn't take requests and when we suggested songs to him ourselves they didn't get played. He seemed upset that our guests weren’t dancers, which made us feet guilty and lame. I felt like Bob should have kept those types of comments to himself, which only made us stress out and worry that people weren’t having a good time bc they weren’t dancing (which wasn’t the case at all). In the end, there were many things that disappointed me and he just didn’t seem to be having an ounce of fun (which is pretty crucial for a DJ to do to set the tone), so I really just feel he was below average.

Rolf’s Patisserie – Cake

D

This one bummed me out. The cake was beautiful and tasty, and I want to emphasize that. But it was not what I had ordered. We had to use Rolf’s as the preferred vendor of the MAC. I was nervous because I had never heard of them and didn’t get much feedback on them, plus they are all the way down in Chicago, which is a long drive for a wedding cake. But I was told they make cakes for Oprah so that made me feel better! Either way, they were difficult to get a hold of on the phone and via email. My mom and I drove down in person for a tasting and were told we could just mail or email pics once we had the design figured out, but we never got any response from those mailings and emails. In general the customer service wasn’t bad when we could get them on the phone, it was just the complete lack of response that was difficult. Then, the cake was supposed to have all-over lacey pattern on it, but it didn’t- it just snaked up the front. The bow was supposed to be gold, but it was honestly a bright orangey color (it’s been photoshopped in the pro-pics). And as I mentioned before, the top tier caved in and I’m not sure who is at fault. The final problem was that it was supposed to be vanilla cake with Bailey’s Irish Crème filling and cream cheese filling. I am nearly positive it was just cream cheese filling, because I didn’t taste even a hint of Bailey’s when eating it (and neither did anyone else I asked). That really disappointed me. In the end, it was still pretty and still yummy, but it was not what I wanted and their customer service was lacking. So, below average.

Planning stuff... (Back to top)

Our e-pics! (Back to top)

They were taken in October in Lake Park here on the Eastside of Milwaukee. I'm SO happy with them (from Patrick and Tracy at Expressive Photography). Here are a few of my faves:

Other wedding-related event pics... (Back to top)

My two favorite bumps on a log!

You speak eloquently and have seemingly read every book ever published. You are a fountain of endless (sometimes useless) knowledge, and never fail to impress at a party.

What people love: You can answer almost any question people ask, and have thus been nicknamed Jeeves.

What people hate: You constantly correct their grammar and insult their paperbacks.

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You're A People's History of the United States! by Howard Zinn

After years of listening to other peoples' lies, you decided you've had enough. Now you're out to tell it like it is, with all the gory details and nothing left out. Instead of respecting leaders, you want to know what the common people have to offer. But this revolution still has a long way to go, and you're not against making a little profit while you wait. Honesty is your best policy.

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What political persuasion are you?