Bridget and Erik were married in September at Pritzlaff and they really transformed the space with a 1920’s feel. They chose each and every element of their day precisely to reflect their personal styles and they did not miss a single detail! Bridget was an extremely organized and detail-oriented bride (which I love!) and she has given some great advice to couples who are currently planning their wedding. I can’t wait for you to read all she has to say and check out how amazing their day turned out. Make sure you check out their adorable dogs at the very end! :)

Videography by Films Nouveau

From The Bride:

How did you two meet and fall in love?

Erik and I connected for the first time when we both swiped right on Tinder. Erik had asked me to meet for drinks but with busy schedules, timing never quite aligned. A couple months later, Erik reached out to me again on the app. Since we hadn’t talked in so long, I did not initially reply but a week or so after receiving his message that changed. I was waiting for the elevator in my apartment lobby after a run with a friend, when lo and behold, Erik and his mother came walking down the front stairs. I immediately recognized Erik from the app and later that night decided to return Erik's message. Coincidentally, Erik had moved into my apartment building earlier that week. While Erik would never have been deemed as “my type”, there was something about him that challenged me like no one had ever impacted me before. He makes me a better person and I do the same for him – I think that is the root of our love story.

How would you describe the style of your wedding?

Modern, Edgy, Eclectic and uniquely us. We wanted every detail to reflect who we are as individuals and as a couple.

Milwaukee Wedding Bridal Party Studio 29 Photography

What was the most fun detail of your wedding to plan?

We came up with a unique idea to tie together Erik’s love of photography, our love of Milwaukee and the polaroid concept from our selfie station. Instead of having traditional name cards, we found glass frame coasters that looked like polaroid photos and instead of traditional table numbers, each table would have a photo of an iconic Milwaukee location. The names were printed vinyl stickers created by a local small business, Bev and Bart, and Erik’s photos made the coasters a unique take home favor for our guests. We had so much fun picking our photos and putting together our coasters with a few of our friends who were willing to help us out.

Creative Place Cards Studio 29 Photography.jpg

What was the most difficult detail of your wedding to agree upon?

We had a really hard time finalizing our wedding invitations because my parents are very traditional. We wanted our invitations to be unique to fit the rest of our wedding vibe while also bringing in some traditional elements to keep my parents happy. After nine iterations with the amazing Ashley of Bayview Printing, we had our winner! We loved our letterpress invitations from Bayview Printing and our guests still talk about how wonderful they turned out.

Gatsby Wedding Invitations Studio 29 Photography

What did you find the most challenging about planning your wedding?

Deciding on a venue and the decision-making process in general was a lot more challenging than I expected. Every decision feels like such a big deal when you are wedding planning and then the day flies by so it helps to try and keep that in perspective.

To help decide on a venue, Erik and I created a list of must-haves, nice-to-haves and drawbacks based on our experience as guests at so many of our friends’ weddings. These helped us “score” the venues and narrow it down to our two favorites.

What advice do you have for couples just starting to plan their wedding?

Before you start getting into all the little details, sit down with your partner and find some inspiration pictures and words to help write your wedding mission statement! Think of it as something that should describe the vibe you would like to have on your wedding day and let that guide the first few big decisions such as date, venue, catering, dress and photography. You might not initially think that your “vibe” would be a factor in the kind of photographer or florist you want to choose but many vendors have unique styles and your wedding vibe can match better with certain vendors.

Don’t forget to take a few days off before the wedding to handle any last minute details, decompress and calm your nerves. I took Wednesday-Friday off and I used the Thursday before my wedding for a spa day (you can budget this up front too!) I treated myself to a manicure, pedicure and facial and left feeling so content and mentally prepared to enjoy my day. I felt like a bride!

Milwaukee Wedding Bride Studio 29 Photography

Is there anything you wish you would’ve known going into the planning process?

Budget, budget, plan. Do the work up front to create a very realistic budget right away and keep the spreadsheet organized with expected costs, actual costs and the differences. If you stick to a planned budget from the beginning, you are less likely to spend money on things you probably didn’t really need and understand how many people can be on your guest list. Number of people is really the biggest cost driver since food and alcohol will likely make up the biggest parts of your budget.

Would you recommend a wedding planner to other couples?

I am a compulsively over-organized person and enjoy the research and organization of wedding planning that might drive others crazy. If research and organization are not your thing, I highly recommend a full wedding planner! Having guidance throughout the process to keep you on track and execute your vision will make the process so much more enjoyable for you! We used Weddings With A Twist for Wedding Management and would highly recommend a service like this as well if you are on your own for the planning process. Their help meant I could relax and focus on enjoying my day rather than worrying about all the details I had planned coming together the way I hoped. Krista had it under control!

Bridget and Erik have the sweetest pups, so I had to share this one! :)