Real Wedding | Becca + Corey 


“The Great Party” reigned king for today’s Real Wedding! Opting to focus on celebration, Becca + Corey picked a boutique hotel called The Iron Horse for their day of I Do’s, nixing a formal sit-down event so their guests could take in the view of the 6th Street Bridge and the city’s “true industrial style”.  I love that! Other things not to miss: the bride’s artful and exquisite mehndi painted hands or Becca’s Jenny Packham Eden dress…complete with a beautiful gray/silver under-dress and silver and gold beading and detailing for the over-dress.  You are so right Becca – you truly are Hollywood ready as the most beautiful and enchanting Silent Screen Star!

Becca + Corey | September 8, 2012 | The Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee, WI

The Ceremony
Our wedding was conceived as a party with a short ceremony to start things off, all located in the hotel’s outdoor patio, The Yard. The ceremony was unofficially officiated by a family friend who I grew up with and who has gotten to know us as a couple. We both read personal vows and Corey’s friend from college played a Norwegian folk tune on the viola.

The Reception
The hotel is a boutique hotel in a converted factory. The outdoor brick patio where we had the ceremony and reception is bordered by a real-life, slow-moving freight train and the 6th Street Bridge in Milwaukee, so it was very true to the industrial style of the city. We had stations of food and a lot of passed hors d’oeuvres with big outdoor sofas and standing tables available. We opted not to do a formal sit-down meal with assigned seats because we wanted it to feel more like a great party than a wedding. About half way through it started to rain and the hotel swiftly relocated us to their downstairs event space. At first we were sad, but the change in venue was kind of fun and the indoor space made it easy for everyone to kick off their shoes.

Becca’s Dress Search
In the beginning, I was very clear that I did not want a wedding dress. Instead, I wanted to be attending the Oscars in an avant garde dress; I wanted to be Cate Blanchett in Givenchy. Hours of online searching for the perfect evening gown, didn’t have to be white, lead me to the Jenny Packham website. I actually fell in love with a yellow ombre evening gown by her, but could only find it in London, which was out of the question. This lead me to other Jenny Packham gowns and eventually I fell in love with the Eden. So I did buy a real wedding dress after all!

How Becca Felt In Her Wedding Dress
Silent Screen Star

Why Becca Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
In part, I am selling it simply to offset the cost. But a second real reason is when I decided I wanted the Eden I looked for a used dress online but could not find one available in my size. It seems like a shame for my dress to sit in my closet for the next 50 years when someone else could use it.

Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham ‘Eden’ | Photography: Evan Hunt Photo
 | Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee, WI | 
Floral Design: Marguerite Gardens, Chicago, IL
 | Cake: No cake, but many, many amazing pies from Honeypie, Milwaukee, WI