Let’s start at the very beginning. When we first talked to Michelle & Jordan, Michelle mentioned that she was the first of her friends to get married, and she really didn’t have much of an idea about wedding planning. Judging by how their wedding day turned out, you would have never known that the two of them moved to Colorado about a year ago and planned the whole thing from afar! We were fortunate enough to meet up with them twice before their big day – a rare luxury during what we call the COVID era. The first time we met up with them, it was a balmy 12º last winter! We toured St James with them and it left us filled with complete excitement for their wedding day!

 

St. James is such a unique, elegant, and iconic Milwaukee wedding venue. It truly stuns with its historic architecture and design. We were in awe of the ceremony space bordered by original tiffany stained glass windows and dark hardwood floor. But what also really sets this venue apart is the areas for the bride & groom to get ready. Jordan and his guys prepared in the English-inspired Duke Suite which is nothing but pure class. The same could be said for the groom himself, calm and handsome in his blue suit. Meanwhile, Michelle and her girls got ready in the Duchess Suite with its numerous stylist stations and elegant velvet furniture. Michelle looked gorgeous in her bridal robe surrounded by the closest women in her life. She had her first look with her Dad in this room, and his reaction upon seeing his beautiful daughter in her wedding dress was just SO sweet!

 

After the ceremony, we utilized the beautiful courtyard at St. James for family portraits before heading to Marquette University’s campus. Michelle and Jordan attended Marquette, so it was nostalgic for them to take photographs in front of Saint Joan of Arc chapel on the Marquette grounds. Speaking of Marquette, Jordan’s parents (and many of their wedding guests) are alumni, so it felt only right for all the Marquette alumni to join Jordan & Michelle on the dance floor at the reception for a big group picture! Let me tell you, that dance floor was full! Our last photo stop for the day was Lake Park, another uniquely Milwaukee backdrop, before continuing on to Saint Kate for the reception.

 

Saint Kate is such a unique and iconic Milwaukee venue which boasts plenty of interesting artwork. Michelle & Jordan’s guests admired all the art during the cocktail hour while sipping cocktails and snacking on the delicious hors d’oeuvres (shout out to the ridiculously good veggie egg rolls!). We also love when our couples host special his and hers drinks. In this case Jordan’s choice was a mojito while Michelle chose a sparkling cosmo. During the cocktail hour, Michelle & Jordan held a traditional tea ceremony with Michelle’s family, which provided a more intimate, special moment that we felt privileged to witness and photograph.

 

As we were capturing their reception details, we began reading through their guest list displayed on a beautiful mirror just outside of the doors to enter their reception. When we first began reading the names and cities associated with the names, we thought they had guests traveling in from all over the world! Upon entering their reception, we noticed that the destinations on the guest list were actually the assigned table for each guest! These amazing locales were all of the cities that Michelle and Jordan had traveled to. (It was a REALLY impressive list!) These two adventurous souls have seen some incredible sights, hiked to some high elevations and even completed a marathon together. All of which prove to each other that adventure is a deep part of their relationship and that even when things get tough (like running 26.2 miles) they promise to be in it together. 

 

Michelle and Jordan were just the most (say it with me) iconic bride and groom on their wedding day. They were so full of joy and excitement, but also so relaxed and poised throughout their entire day. These two are also seriously the cutest couple ever! We could not have imagined a more perfect day for them, and we’re excited to watch them grow as husband and wife!