Samantha and Benjamin’s Classic Wedding at the Radisson in Green Bay

Samantha and Benjamin met at Western Racquet Fitness and Tennis Club, where Samantha worked the front desk and Benjamin went to workout. The two exchanged friendly hellos for a while, until one day, Benjamin asked Samantha on a date. “At dinner, we ended up losing track of time and stayed until it was time for the restaurant to close. After that, we never looked back!” Benjamin popped the question along a walking path that he and Samantha had discovered while living in Grafton. “There’s a particular spot on the bluffs under a tree where we first said ‘I love you,’” he says. “I took her back to that tree, got down on one knee, and asked the woman of my dreams to marry me. Her eyes lit up and she said ‘YES!’ immediately.”

The happy couple planned an elegant, formal wedding with a church ceremony and a reception at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Green Bay. A black, white, and champagne color scheme kept things classic. The moment that sticks out to Samantha the most from the entire day happened at the ceremony — the moment when she and Benjamin first saw each other. “We didn’t do a first look, so the first time we saw each other was as I began walking down the aisle at church with my dad,” she says. “That’s when everything about the day hit me; it was finally here and we were actually getting married!”

After the “I do’s,” the party moved to the Radisson. “We absolutely loved everything about the Radisson. Michelle was amazing to work with for planning; she’s so organized and gets back to you immediately when you have questions or concerns. One of the best things about the Radisson for a reception is that it’s a hotel, so guests don’t have to worry about driving home. We loved that, and our guests appreciated having a room there, too.”

The reception started in a smaller space, just outside of the main reception hall. “There were cocktails served before dinner, a champagne fountain, and photos on display.” The hall itself was decorated with lots of floral arrangements of varying heights, accentuating the tall ceilings and spacious room. “I loved the gold chargers we chose, too, as it added something a little extra and formal,” Samantha says.

For dinner, the bride and groom chose a family-style meal. “Everyone seemed to love it because it offered a little of everything. For drinks, we chose unlimited beer, wine, and soda all night. Guests were also able to purchase mixed drinks at the bar.” Dessert was a classic wedding cake flavored with amaretto and lemon poppy seed. One of Samantha’s favorite things was the cake table. “We had a beautiful champagne sequin overlay that our cake sat atop, alongside our engraved cake knife and server and custom napkins with our names and wedding date. All of these little details made the reception stunning.”

In addition to these little touches, Samantha says her favorite thing was choosing to have an unplugged wedding. She didn’t want unflattering phone camera photos circulating on social media, or professional photos littered with guests taking pictures on their phones. “I simply wanted a great photographer who would capture all the moments of our day for us to cherish forever,” Samantha says. “We told guests we would share the photo gallery with them, and we did. They were mindful of our request, and many even commented on how much they liked the idea. I love all of our photos and moments that our photographer captured, and our guests have enjoyed looking through the stunning photos as well.”

Vendors:

Dance Lessons~  Absolute Danz-  Appleton

Invitations~ Float Paperie

Rehearsal Dinner~ 1951 Rock Garden

Ceremony Location~ St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Reception Location~ Radisson Hotel and Conference Center Green Bay. Absolutely loved everything about the Radisson. Michelle was amazing to work with for planning. She is so organized and gets back to you immediately when you have questions or concerns. One of the best parts about the Radisson for a reception is that there is a hotel there so guests do not have to worry about driving home. We loved that and guests appreciated having a room there too.

Cake Designer/Dessert~Bake My Day

Flowers~Nature’s Best Floral

Music/Entertainment~ Taylored Weddings.Highly recommend Mitch from Taylored Weddings! He did an amazing job helping us plan, think ahead about every little detail, and best of all he made our reception so much fun. Guests told us it was the most fun wedding they had ever attended, and we have to agree!

Transportation~ Lamers Bus Lines

Photographer~ Shaunae Teske Photography. Shaunae is so talented! Her style is very classic and elegant. I don’t know how to pick a favorite photo from our wedding because I love them all! I could not be more happy with the photos we have to share forever.

Where did you buy your dress~ David’s Bridal

Where did you get your Formalwear/Suit~ Men’s Warehouse

Rings~ Armbruster Jewelers– Cedarburg, WI

Party Rental Company (linens, tents, chairs etc.)~ Ruby Design. They also set up (including our personal items such as photos) and took down our reception space.

WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND ALL OUR VENDORS!! WE DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WHILE PLANNING OR DAY OF THE WEDDING!! THEY TOOK THE STRESS OUT OF THE DAY AND MADE OUR WEDDING DAY PERFECT- Samantha & Benjamin