A BREWERY WEDDING RECEPTION // B&B WEDDING SERIES

If you've been following along, you know that we got married in Greece while on a 2 week trip (Q&A here), and then had our reception a few weeks later in Wisconsin.

We chose to have a late-night reception at a local brewery that we love to go to, Wisconsin Brewing Company. Our goal was to throw a PAR-TAY. We wanted people to feel relaxed and have a total blast!

Here's how it all went down:

Venue: 

We looooove beer, and we thought a party at a brewery would rock. Cool industrial vibes, good beer, and plenty of space for everyone. The brewery we chose has a taproom that had the photobooth & DJ in it- with lights down low and music up loud---as well as the actual brewery itself that had sitdown tables, lights on, and snacks out for those who wanted a quieter setting to chat. They allowed us to bring in our own food and decorations- and they took care of tables/chairs/setup. The staff was amazing- we couldn't have been happier!

(Image credit: WI Brewing Co Instagram)

Time:

We had our party be 7pm- Midnight on a Saturday. We wanted people to have plenty of time to get in town, and if they wanted, explore Madison for the day before having to get ready for the reception. Since it was in November, it was pitch black out at 7pm- so the huge windows in the venue to the dancefloor weren't an issue of letting light in!

Food:

We let our guests know the party would just be "sips & snacks", and suggested places to go for dinner beforehand. We offered up cheeses, meats, crackers, veggies, dips, chips, desserts, candy, and more - so those who didn't eat before actually had plenty to snack on! Now, I know some people feel it's TACKY to not serve dinner. That's totally their opinion! We chose to do this because often dinner takes up a good amount of time at a reception- and we wanted people to get RIGHT to dancing! Plus- a lot of wedding food sucks. There. I said it. We've been to some weddings with delicious food- but we've also had our fair share of not great meals that probably cost a fortune. 

Drinks:

Because we were at a brewery- the beer was obviously the highlight! We had kegs of 2 of our favorite beers that were free for guests, and then gave everyone 2 drink tickets to enjoy one of the other 12 beers on tap that were higher alcohol/fancier, or a hard lemonade/rootbeer. We were worried for a while because the brewery didn't have the license to offer wine- and we hoped our guests wouldn't be annoyed..but then we reminded ourselves that everyone is an adult. If they want wine they can drink a bunch beforehand or sneak it in ;-)

(Image Credit: Wisconsin Brewing Co)

Photos:

Because the entire event was dark due to it being November, we didn't hire a photographer. Instead, we found an AWESOME photobooth  (Meir Photography) on Thumbtack (separate post coming soon) which people completely loved. Plus, nowadays everyone has smart phones and took pictures of the party on their own. Since we got professional pictures taken in Greece, we didn't feel we missed out not having reception pictures.

Music:

We also found a DJ on Thumbtack- and they completely rocked. If you're in the Madison area and are looking for a DJ- we can't recommend Infinity Entertainment (ask for Amy!) enough! They were awesome and kept the party going all night long.

Decoration:

The space was so huge, doing much decorating would have been a lost cause! We really liked the industrial look, so all we did was add some photos from our trip, dried leaves, and floral bouquets to our tables, a few large photo posters, and signs with our wedding hashtag (#BestulBrewBash) around the space.

Lodging:

We booked a block of rooms at a hotel about 7 minutes from the venue and paid for a shuttle to take guests to and from the hotel. The shuttle was fairly expensive, but we knew if we were throwing a late night party full of beer we better provide transportation for our guests! We negotiated a slightly lower price on the shuttle assuming we filled the whole block of rooms (which we did!).

Favors:

Like I mentioned earlier, Michael figured since we were at a brewery we should totally do tacky koozies- and that's exactly what we did! I made a design and ordered them in 17 colors from 24HourWristbands for SUPER cheap. Word to the wise: you get what you pay for- some of the colors we got were WAY off from what the website showed. Obviously our guests didn't know/care- but I was a little bummed when the "neon" green/orange/pink came in dull/dark and not at all neon. 

I figured people might think they were lame and not take one- but knew some people would think they were awesome. We were shocked by how excited people got when they saw them! People were fighting over colors and asking to take more than one! To this day I still get snaps from people on Snapchat of them using them at home or at work - which makes me SO HAPPY.

So there it is!
Our (perfect for us) brewery wedding reception! I know everyone has an opinion about what makes a reception great-and that this style of event might not be your jam- but I hoped you at least liked hearing about what we did :)

Our favorite part of the night, of course, was getting to celebrate with our families and friends. It's so rare and amazing to have all your favorite people all in one place.

What was your favorite part about your wedding reception- or a reception you've been to?
Someone please tell me tacky koozies ;-)

xo, lp

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