Inspired by a 1960s cocktail hour, Dan and Liz wanted a glamorous day in an outdoor location. They chose Abloom Farm in Saukville, WI. The theme actually blended seamlessly with the space, resulting in a day reminiscent of Hugh Hefner’s suave style and Quentin Tarantino’s cinematic flair. The day was both elegant and relaxed, exactly what they wanted.
Looking at movies like Dial M for Murder for ideas, Liz wanted to merge this classic style with the natural beauty of their venue. She explains. “Our colours were inspired by candlelight shining through a glass of red wine and we really admired the fashion and style of the classic cocktail hour from the 50s and 60s. Music was top priority, I put a lot of thought into the playlist. A low key element was Afternoon Delight, it was our exit song, along with part of our DIY decor. I thoroughly enjoyed sneaking that in because we all know what that song is about!”
Their day was also filled with personal touches, from walking down the aisle with their dogs to a friend leading the ceremony. At the reception, the homemade banners were a real focus (and such a fun DIY!) and they created giant heads of their dogs for people to take photos with. An audio guest book that provided endless entertainment and they had Homer and Marge from The Simpsons as their cake topper. The flowers were also all DIY (bought from Trader Joes) and the bride and her mum cut and sanded 70 wine bottles and made them into candles holders for the tables.
Wedding planning wasn’t without its difficult moments though, particularly when dealing with outside opinions. Liz continued, “The hardest part was feeling the need to appease others. At the time, Dan didn’t see the harm of giving in to his relatives demands but I feel for him because now he regrets it and feels the impact of that. I went a long with it to keep the peace. It did give me some anxiety leading up to the wedding. It made me want to avoid those relatives altogether. I do wish we stood our ground more. You appease others to avoid any potential resentment but by doing that you’re enabling their behaviour and encouraging arrogance. Like funerals, weddings too can show others’ true colours. But I don’t regret our day, even including the few things I’d do differently. We still had the best time!”
