The Best Wisconsin Wedding Vendors
Hayden and I didn’t take a very traditional route when it came to our weddings. Yes, you read that correctly–weddings. Plural. On February 11th, 2023, we had the most magical destination wedding in Costa Rica. If you are considering a destination wedding, I highly recommend it, and you can read our tips and check out the resort we used.
But this blog is about wedding #2. Or rather, our wedding reception that took place in Wisconsin Dells on April 15th, 2023. Our destination ceremony was small, so we chose to also have a stateside reception with dinner and dancing with all of our extended family and friends. We called this our Happily Ever After Party, and oh my goodness, was it a PARTY!! We received ridiculous amounts of positive feedback, and so many people told us it was the best wedding they had ever attended. All of that positive feedback goes back to our incredible wedding vendors. Let’s jump into The Best Wisconsin Wedding Vendors!
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Back to the Beginning
Kesslers
Locations across Wisconsin
Hayden and I have nothing but good things to say about Kesslers. His family has used them for years, and they came highly recommended by both his brother and father. I love that he shopped locally even for such a big, important purchase. Kesslers is very well known for having the largest selection of diamonds and mountings in the Midwest, but I think their customer service sets them above the rest. Hayden used a diamond from his grandmother for my engagement ring, and Kesslers spent the time with him to find the perfect band to place it in. (Shoutout to Susan from the Madison location!) My ring is absolutely stunning, and I love that the design is centered around a diamond from his beloved late grandmother.
When we went back together to pick out our wedding bands, I saw why Hayden spoke so highly of his experience. We got to work with Susan again, and she helped us find exactly what we were each looking for while helping us stay significantly under budget. Kesslers truly makes the ring picking an enjoyable experience, and I am so thankful for those memories.
A Moment for the Dresses
Vera’s House of Bridals
7857 Big Sky Dr, Madison, WI 53719
Wedding dress shopping was not something I was looking forward to. I don’t enjoy regular clothing shopping, so the fact that I needed to pick out two different wedding dresses felt so daunting to me. That being said, I totally recommend Vera’s House of Bridals for any Wisconsin bride! They have you make an online account ahead of time, and it was nice that I could look through and “like” some dresses so that my stylist could get a sense of my style before I even arrived. Their store is stunning and makes you feel like you’re part of a fairytale, and the selection is unmatched. Vera’s really does have dresses for every budget, and they were able to help me stay under budget even though I needed two dresses! I was so thankful to have worked with them. If you want to read my full dress experience, keep reading, or click here to jump to the next section.
I won’t lie: I was instantly overwhelmed when I walked into Vera’s. I brought a few of my favorite ladies with me, and they were all so excited and started pulling dresses right away. I didn’t quite share their same excitement, and I wasn’t necessarily vibing with the dresses they were picking out. Thankfully, my incredible stylist, Jennifer, took over the situation. She used my feedback from the dresses my girl gang had picked and was able to use her expertise to pull more dresses herself that felt a lot more like what I was looking for. And then, just when we were getting ready to give up for the day, my mother-in-law and Jennifer came back with the dress of my beach wedding dreams! It was perfect that day at Vera’s, and it remained the beautiful dress of my dreams a full year later when I got to marry my best friend.
One dress down, one to go! I now needed a dress for our Happily Ever After Party. I went back for another appointment with just one friend and used that online lookbook to my advantage more beforehand to be more prepared this time. I noted two dresses from their lookbook that were the style I was looking for. I tried them both on and liked them both, but they were lacking the “wow” factor I was seeking. Then, Jennifer came back with an absolute glitter bomb of a dress. I never would’ve picked it for myself, but when I put it on…I got that “wow” factor and so much more!
That appointment had been more of a secret, but I still had to come back with my ladies. So we went back for appointment number three, and the ladies at Vera’s continued to treat us like absolute royalty. (Another shout out to Jennifer who dealt with us for all three appointments!) I told all of my girls to pick out one dress, the one they thought would be “the one,” and I would try them all on before trying on my pick. We were there on a Wednesday night and basically had the place to ourselves, which made it so fun! I tried on all of their picks before coming out in my glitter bomb… When I tell you their faces were priceless, I mean it! It was truly a moment I will never forget. I had found my party dress!
Fun Fact: My stylist Jennifer is the granddaughter of Vera! I thought that was so dang cool.
Pro Tip: Pack some champagne and disposable flutes for your appointment. My sister did this for us (and my sister-in-laws sent even more champagne too!) and it really made the experience feel luxurious. Plus, you have to toast to saying yes to the dress!
Local Businesses We Loved Using
The Missing Pastry
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
Huge shout out to The Missing Pastry for making the cookies of my dreams! Her cookies are absolutely stunning AND they taste amazing! I love our TWC logo, and it was so cool to see it on such tasty treats. They were an absolute hit with our guests. I’ve been a customer for years, but this was my first custom order, and it will not be my last!
Faris Popcorn
770 W Scott St, Fond du Lac, WI 54937
Faris Popcorn to the rescue!!! These little popcorn party favors were such a hit! We got Kettle Corn, Mac n Cheese, and Jalapeño Cheddar flavors, and all three were so good! I had really wanted a popcorn party favor. I think it’s so fun when party favors are consumable–who doesn’t love snacks?! Our original vendor backed out less than two weeks before the wedding, and I was so frustrated and disappointed. Even with such short notice, Fairs Popcorn was willing to step up, and they blew me away with their flavor selection and prices. I definitely recommend checking out their shop in Fond du Lac, placing an order online, or reaching out for a bulk order!