Shannon & Adam's Milwaukee wedding

Ask this recent bride about her wedding inspiration and she won’t miss a beat: “Classic old-school romance meets Wuthering Heights…a wedding where people got dressed up, were aglow in candlelight and danced the night away.” And, with the help of several “fantastic” Milwaukee wedding pros, she pulled it off.

At Shannon and Adam’s 6 p.m. ceremony, pillar candles and rose petals lined the aisle and lush, textured blooms filled the bouquets, lending plenty of ambiance and setting the tone. All evening, hundreds of tea lights glittered throughout the mirrored and gilded rooms of the Pfister Hotel, which catered the dinner, as well.

“Barcelona is a very special place to us and we loved the tapas there, so that was the main inspiration for the dinner,” explains the bride. Mini cupcakes and a salted-caramel cutting cake topped off the evening’s lavish menu. “Everything had a dusting of sparkle that looked incredible in the candle glow of the room,” she says.

When the dance floor finally cleared after midnight, these Wisconsin natives, who now live in Chicago, couldn’t have felt more grateful. “We both loved having so many of our friends and family surrounding us on such an amazing day. That really meant more than they know,” says Shannon, who can’t help but thank one person in particular: Adam. “He deserves extra praise for trusting me with that vision.”

Location: Milwaukee
Date: November 12, 2011
Photographs: Kat & Dylan Schleicher/Ellagraph Studios

Day-of coordinator: Dorothy Owsley at Blush Wedding & Event Planning; Church: Plymouth Church; Officiant: Kathryn Reid Walker; Ceremony musicians: Milwaukee String Quartet, Juanita Groff; Reception site: The Pfister Hotel; Cocktail hour pianist: Perry Petta at The Pfister Hotel; DJ: Paul Hackbarth at Sound by Design; Gown: Pronovias; Gown alterations: Sophisticated Rose, (414) 332-1486; Bride’s shoes: Nina; Bride’s accessories: Earrings, a friend’s grandmother; embroidered Irish linen handkerchief, bride’s great-grandmother; Bride’s hair: Well Spa & Janice Salon; Bridesmaid dresses: Priscilla of Boston from Bella Bridesmaid; Bridesmaid earrings & brooches: Macy’s; Tuxedos: Joseph Abboud; Engagement ring: Trabert & Hoeffer, (312) 787-1654; Wedding bands: C. D. Peacock; Florist: Emily Neubauer at Belle Fiori; Baker: Debbie Gale at Milwaukee Cupcake Company; Transportation: Carey; Favors: Bottles of petite sirah or sauvignon blanc with personalized labels

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Ellie Martin Cliffe (104 Posts)

By the end of high school, Ellie Martin Cliffe was completely enamored of journalism, so she chose the most logical college major possible: anthropology. Disappointed by the minimal emphasis on writing and editing, she changed tracks and earned a comm degree from Carroll College. Ellie has since tackled many facets of the field including books, magazines and the Web at places like The Knot and Reader's Digest. She now works full time in book publishing, and is thrilled to get her wedding fix with WedInMilwaukee.com. When she isn’t wielding her (red) pen, Ellie can be found in the garden, at any concert that showcases a fiddle, playing pub trivia or in the kitchen. She and her husband live in Riverwest with their hedgehog, Guinness, and grapefruit tree, Sprout.