An absolute favorite client of mine was recently married on a wintry, festive holiday evening.
Meg and Josh got married at the most charming Lutheran Church in Chicago, St. James, situated on a tree-lined residential street in cutie Lincoln Park.
After the ceremony, guests were transported through the holiday-dressed city to the iconic Drake Hotel for a wonderful night of dinner and dancing with nearly 400 of the bride and grooms closest friends!
The Gold Coast Room literally twinkled from top to bottom with hundreds of flickering candles of all different forms. Tall gold candelabras were enhanced with winter greens, rustic pine cones and snowy white blooms.
The ladies wore beautiful graphite dresses, kept {just a bit} warmer with the help of beautiful pashminas. Even Santa couldn’t stay away!
Meg and Josh found true love in one another. There is no doubt that their life will be brimming with love and happiness.
Thanks so much to the wonderful editors of Brides Chicago for selecting my very own wedding to feature on the glossy pages of their publication! The Spring/Summer issue is on stands now. Here are just a few of the details highlighted by the Brides Chicago feature…
Our wedding took place on the grounds of the charming and beautiful country club where my family has been members for years, Hinsdale Golf Club. The ceremony was initially intended to be set in the gorgeous manicured gardens, however, in an unsurprisingly Chicago turn of events…weather forced us inside for the ceremony and cocktail hour. A second chuppah was created out of the fabric backdrop behind the band in a mere 20 minutes as guests were arriving.
My girls wore adorable party dresses from JCrew and carried bold magenta peonies {number one favs of my mother and I!}, accented with charming dusty miller and camellia. Our custom letterpress invitations were produced by the lovely Jenna from Clementine ink + paper.
My mother in law and I surprised my husband {and our guests} with a serenade by the Cubs Dixieland Band for the duration of the cocktail hour.
Dinner and dancing took place in an elegant {and massive!} white tent set in the middle of the golf course – guests arrived via chauffeured golf cart and open air trolley.
Petite cabaret tables were positioned on the lawn outside of the tent where we had croquet and cigars available for guests, once the weather cooperated. These cocktail tables were dressed in yellow linens and surrounded by white chiavari chairs with custom black and white striped cushions.
Back in 2006 {just after we got engaged} I chose a color palette that I had yet to execute for a client…Frenchy black and white accented by sunny yellow {ok ok, so since then the color combo has been a bit overdone…} The tables were set with graphic black and white linens from BBJ and topped with centerpieces set atop ornate lacquered stands and garden urns. Flowers included cattleya orchid blossoms, casablanca lilies, open roses, fragrant peonies and barely-in-season viburnum. We had beautiful yellow silk ribbons detailing each guest napkin that perfectly framed our menu cards.
Partytime Productions provided the tent and gorgeous lighting – pin spots highlighting each centerpiece as well as textured projections shone on the canopy above. The tent ceiling also featured suspended votive candles that twinkled above guests as they danced and a black chandelier noted our family head table.
The sweltering day and unexpected weather did not disappoint. The day was about love. About life. About family and friends. It was absolutely overwhelming to look around the tent knowing that every person in attendance was there to celebrate and support Joel and I.
Forget dreams of a McMansion, luxe cars and expensive jewelry – can I throw a fabulous wedding-themed fete each year? Please…?
Although the dreamy week has come to and end, and most of us are working our ways back to reality, the happy newlyweds are realizing that the lifetime of fun has truly just begun.
The bride and groom hired respected California photographer Jay Reilly to shoot the wedding. Jay was a true pleasure to work with and I found that many of his artful images were so stunning, I had to share.
{image credits} all images by fabulous photog jay reilly
Cristina’s wedding was recently held at The Chicago Cultural Center, one of my absolute favorite venues in Chicago.
Cristina was inspired by natural design, slightly organic in it’s elements and style. She loved the idea of sharing an evening inspired by the sumptuous beauty of Napa Valley with family and friends.
I was immediately inspired by her vision and was thrilled to help pull the visual details of her wedding ceremony and reception together.
The reception took place in Preston Bradley Hall, with the massive east windows overlooking the incredible view of Millennium Park.
Simple champagne colored linens provided a sophisticated neutral backdrop for two centerpiece designs.
Guests were seated at rectangular tables, as opposed to the more expected round tables, allowing for the art of conversation.
The remarkable mosaic detailing is breathtaking. The simple addition of up-lights highlighted the detailed craftsmanship.
The elevated centerpieces were woven with silvery blue fresh olive branch, laden with the seasonal, ripe fruits. The base of the custom-made trees hosted a landscape of knobby roots and grapevine along with fern foliage, dahlias and roses.
Rustic mason jar votive candles dangled from branches adding a gorgeous glow around the room.
Renny hired Frost Lighting to pin-spot each centerpiece, letting the gorgeous designs really stand out when guests entered the room.
The lower centerpieces were designed in custom richly stained wooden rectangular boxes. David Gould (Botanicals head designer and my personal hero!) was the hands-on master that took all of the gorgeous elements that I proposed and created a rolling landscape composed of wood stumps, fresh grapes, hydrangea, dahlias, roses, purple fountain grass and gorgeous gorgeous folaiges including fern plants, woolly lambs ear and dusty miller to name a few. Rich burgundy pillar candles were nestled into the design and flickered just below eye-level.
The wedding was stunning, the couple looked like they were floating on air and Bliss Weddings and Events pulled off another seamless and dreamy affair – thanks for including us!
{photo credits} event images taken by erica barraca
An absolute favorite client of mine recently had her gorgeous wedding reception at the Peninsula Chicago.
Her late June wedding was a beautiful day that brides daydream about their entire lives.
The charming ceremony was held earlier in the afternoon at St. Clements, situated on a tree-lined street in the heart of Lincoln Park.
Upon arrival at The Peninsula, guests descended the grand staircase and passed through floor to ceiling curtains we added to create a more private, intimate setting for the cocktail hour. The curtains add much drama to the setting, while also framing the beautiful place card display perfectly. Cocktails were held in the foyer outside of the ballroom and on the stunning terrace overlooking the hustling and bustling Gold Coast summer activities.
The cream lamour curtains were held open and cinched with hand-tied bundles of summery flowers including hydrangea, roses and spray roses.
The seating assignments were arranged in a tidy spoke fashion, visually anchored by a collection of beautiful glass vases and compotes hosting varied gatherings of event flowers in muted hues. Varied forms of candlelight looked lovely as the sun began to set later in the evening.
Flowers and elements included open roses, hydrangea, peonies, viburnum, succulents and fresh mosses.
The curtains were closed just before guests were invited to dinner in the Grand Ballroom, to add to the romantic, candlelit feeling. As the sun set later in the evening, the curtains were re-opened revealing stunning city views and night lights.
We did a collection of elevated centerpieces and lower tabletop centerpieces. The lush and tailored garden arrangements were elegant, sophisticated and romantic – fit for Carolyn Rhome herself.
Coordinating flowers were accented by unique foliages including graceful maidenhair fern fronds, velvety broadleaf geranium foliage and muted dusty miller.
The elevated centerpieces will designed atop elegant glass vases – well above guests sightlines. To detail the tabletop, a collection of three vintage glass budvases hosted varied floral gatherings, while a trio of warm amber hurricanes added a twinkle around the room.
The low centerpieces were designed in footed glass compote bowls and hosted equally beautiful gardney arrangements.
The bridesmaids carried adorable bouquets designed with a fluffy base of green hydrangea. Butter yellow, antique pink and warm apricot roses were nestled into the hydrangea for a tailored, rounded bouquet.
Each setting was detailed with a glass beaded charger plate, topped with a folded napkin enhanced with a silk ribbon and a menu card scribed in the perfect shade of matching sage green.
I wish Kate and Mike (and their Hollywood-worthy-good-looks!) a lifetime of happiness! Perhaps they’ll renew their vows next year with an equally smashing celebration!
The current issue of CS Brides came out earlier this month. We industry folk adore the magazine for all of it’s features – from bridal fashions to haute cuisine to remarkable design, the stylish editors of this glossy mag know more than most about what is fresh and new in Chicago Weddings.
Our wedding announcement was featured in this season’s issue, just in time to celebrate our one year anniversary! Can we do it all again?!
A recent client of mine had her beautiful wedding ceremony and reception at the Chicago History Museum. The ceremony took place outside on the 90+ degree day, squeezed in between spurts of cooling drizzle and rumbles of thunder.
The simple and elegant ceremony was positioned on the terrace of CHM, a custom wrought iron arch created the frame for the bride and groom, laden with apricot and sage green colored flowers and foliages to visually pop against the verdant green backdrop.
A custom runner was pre-laid and secured, while the aisle was noted by simple graphic pomanders composed of green button pomps, suspended by chocolate double-faced silk ribbon loops.
The couples pooches were the stars of the ceremony, standing in as ring-pups. I made adorable floral pillows that were secured on foliage garlands and tied around the pooches’ necks.
The reception took place inside, safe from any weather issues. A world of sage green, apricot and chocolate greeted guests. Copious amounts of polished wood containers and artful manzanita branches were detailed with sage green hydrangea, cutie chocolate brown cosmos and a few varieties of open apricot colored roses and spray roses.
The bride and groom were gorgeous and seemed as if they were floating on air as their careful planning paid off in the form of their dream affair.
{photo credits: bride and groom recessing + pooch picture by elegant videos by kris; remaining photos compliments of erica barraca}
Some may recognize this board…I created it earlier this winter for my oldest and dearest friend, Caroline.
After over a year of long distance planning from San Francisco, Caroline and Gene became husband and wife this past weekend.
While the newlyweds are off on their honeymoon get-away…I’d love to share a few images of their stunning decor.
Caroline and Gene both appreciate design – Caroline is a landscape architect and her husband, Gene, is an architect. Caroline adores texture, depth and movement and appreciates interesting foliages accented with fluffy and bold blooms. We went with a color palette of 75% varied green tones, highlights of saturated melon hues and cool periwinkle tones.
The wedding ceremony and reception took place at the iconic University Club, a charming haven for relaxation, sophistication and socialization. Caroline’s family has been members for years – so the intimate Michigan Room became the setting for the love-filled nuptials and celebration.
The bride carried a gorgeous, textural clutch-style bouquet designed with white and dusty grey hues. Elements included peonies {in varied stages of development}, lisianthus {with their cutie undeveloped buds}, sweet pea {in honour of a nickname her mama used to call her}, fragrant lilac, grey brunia berries, velvety lambs ear and dusty miller foliages. The bridesmaids carried striking coral/melon peonies accented with unexpected grey dusty miller and plum colored cotinus foliages. {see image below}
Because the ceremony and reception took place in the same room, the catering staff and my Botanicals staff had to ‘turn’ the room. We wanted a different feeling for the ceremony and reception, so we decided to keep the ceremony simple and romantic. We closed the heavy drapes along the east and south walls and created an aisle framed by a pathway of flickering candlelight. A pair of rich wooden columns hosted graphic white lacquered vases topped with verdant fern plants to simply flank the couple. Finally, we always ribbon off the last row of chairs to encourage guests to be seated down the sides. The ribbon is untied before the processional for added drama. {see images below}
Guests exited the Michigan Room after the special and unique ceremony and made their way past the place card table to the Presidents Bar for wine and cocktails.
The place card table hosted a collection of varied vases and apothecary jars – each hosting different elements…some showcasing bold arrangements, other elements contained within the walls of the jars like terrariums. Richly colored plums and grapes were used for a beautiful visual and textural contrast against the varied green and melon tones. Finally, we provided four shallow white lacquered boxes hosting a tailored bed of fresh mosses upon which guests’ seating assignments were displayed. {see images below}
When guests’ re-entered the Michigan Room, we unveiled a stunning urban backdrop of Millennium Park by opening the Clubs’ existing curtains. Guest tables were dressed in crisp white pintuck linens, pre-set with the Clubs’ crested charger plates {a wonderful benefit of a private club!} and accented with crisp apple green bengaline napkins.
We created two centerpiece designs: A single white urn hosting a full, lush and crazy textural collection of varied foliages including meandering jasmine vine, feathery maidenhair fern fronds, oregon ferns, broadleaf geranium foliage, grey dusty miller and plum colored cotinus {I’m a total foliage snob and was obsessed with the selections!} Gently punctuating the rich foliage base were coral/melon peonies, fluffy viburnum, melon godetia {super cost effective bloom!}, green spider mums, lotus pods, succulents, seed pods and periwinkle scabiosa. Rich plums and tumbling grapes finished the sizable arrangements.
The alternating guest tables featured a collection of pieces placed in the middle of the tables. A mid-sized white urn hosted a petite version of the other centerpieces. Extending the design further, our cutie miniature white urns hosted varied floral/foliage pairings.
It was important to Caroline and Gene that they got to share their dinner with the bridal party – but also wanted to make sure there was room for dates/spouses. We lined 3, 8′ long rectangular tables end to end to create a grand setting. Guests were seated all around to add to the intimate feeling.
A long shallow and narrow box {measuring 12′ long!} was positioned in the center. Varied glass cylinder vases were either used to display the bridal party flowers or were swirled internally with artful fern fronds and topped with floating candles. The exaggerated box housed a little landscaped world of foliages and flowers used throughout the event.
Caroline and Gene shared their special day with just over 100 guests. The day was tailored to fit the the two of them – from start to finish. A day filled with love and emotion, style and beauty. A day to inspire them for the rest of their lives.
{Special thanks to: my wonderful Botanicals team – who pulled everything together while I was busy0 getting my hair and make-up done, to Lisa Zimbler Events for her day-of assistance, to the University Club for providing the wonderful setting for the day.}
The wedding took place at The Ivy Room, at Medinah Tree Studios – in the heart of the bustling city.
Our clients adored the venue and wanted to honour it by incorporating lush, naturally inspired designs with loads of varied verdant foliages – including much ivy, of course! – and detailed with crisp white flowers.
The bridesmaids carried petite bouquets of open creamy spray roses and seasonal viburnum.
The {hoped for} outdoor ceremony had to be moved inside due to weather. We created a stunning chuppah to frame the ceremony, laden with woven foliages and vines and detailed with hundreds of white roses, hydrangea and casablanca lilies.
A custom frame in-set with moss was suspended from the back of the chuppah and later used to display the couples’ custom Katuba.
Beautiful richly stained wooden boxes hosted a textural hedge of ferns, adding a natural background to the indoor setting.
Luckily, the weather cooperated enough to allow guests to enjoy the beautiful courtyard oasis for cocktails. Crisp pintuck linens were detailed with miniature vintage rusted urns and petite arrangements of spray roses and ivy.
Because the ceremony ended up taking place in the same room as the dinner, the wonderful Calihan Catering staff, Marina and her army of helpers and my amazing Botanicals team transformed the room into a warm candlelit setting for dinner and dancing, all while guests sipped champagne and mingled during cocktails.
Chandeliers were suspended from varied hang-points in the room and completely enhanced with fresh foliages and flowers, adding to the natural, formal and intimate feel the clients originally dreamed of.
Floor to ceiling curtains were brought in to frame each window, detailed with fresh ivy tie-backs and whimsical pomanders.
Dennis from Frost Lighting added beautiful ambient lighting in amber-tones along with textured projections shone around the perimeter of the room to soften the lines of the space.
Some centerpieces were designed in richly stained wooden boxes, while others were displayed in footed rusted urns. Flowers included roses, hydrangea, lilies, lacy queen anne’s lace and succulent plants were presented against a bed of textural foliages including dusty miller, ferns and ivy.
A ring of ivy adored each white hemsitch {love} napkin, and graceful fern fronds were submerged in water and topped with floating candles to add to the romantic glow of the room.
Rachel and Gray were an absolute stunning couple with a wedding to match.
Today I am thrilled to feature one of my favorite local paper design studios: Clementine Ink + Paper {formerly known as Flourish Invitations}.
The founder and designer of this adorable and versatile studio, Jenna Plonka, works directly with all clients to create lovely paper creations, worthy of any special occasion.
Jenna worked with me to create my custom-designed wedding invitations {a design that she now turned into a studio line, available to all and featured on her website{see image below}. I was absolutely obsessed with my charming letterpress invitations! She and I worked to create the perfect visual and graphic balance that gave guests a bit of a sneak peak into our wedding day style.
From there, Jenna tackled all printables for my wedding – designing looks that were cohesive yet unique from one another. Jenna respected my direction in regard to budget, creating budget-savvy options for my consideration. She helped with everything from the programs, to the table cards, menu cards, table numbers and additional random signage. Here are a few images featuring our wedding printables…
{Our charming invitations!}
{Our programs!}
{Our table cards!}
{Our menu cards!}
{Signage for croquet!}
Since the wedding, I have used Clementine for a handful of personal projects {shower invitations, anniversary invitations etc.} and she has continued to excite and impress me. She can also be incredibly valuable by offering thoughtful verbiage and proper etiquette. Also, you may want to take her up on her addressing + mailing service. For a nominal fee – you can sleep at night knowing that your invitations were stuffed, stamped, sealed and mailed off to perfection!
Whether you need help with your save the dates or your baby announcements {or anything in between!} – Jenna Plonka of Clementine Paper + Ink will assure that your printables are beautiful and flawlessly executed with no drama and no fuss.
I’m obsessed.
{photo credits: snapshot of clementineink.com, other images compliments of gerber and scarpelli photography}