fresh. bold. clever.
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The Fun Keeps Rolling InJune 1st, 2012A delicious trend that is hitting all the major cities are the local food trucks, so why not include one on your special day? Be bold and include it as your main course like the back yard wedding Style Me Pretty featured with the Moes truck. Or just keep it simple with a dessert truck or a late night snack. Some food trucks that are local to here in Chicago: Southern Mac and Cheese, Flirty Cupcakes, The Big Cheeze, and Gaztro Wagon
An Outdoor Affair – Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum WeddingApril 27th, 2012Goldbarg and Drew truly had the most beautiful day for their wedding at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. The sun shining off the pond was the perfect backdrop for their wedding ceremony, which took place outside in the Ravine. Immediately following the ceremony, guests were greeted with a Rhubarb – Prosecco specialty cocktail and nibbled on tasty hors d’oeuvres prepared by Blue Plate Catering. Guests were treated to a delicious Persian inspired menu (to reflect the bride’s background) while dining alfresco on the terrace. The terrace looked stunning with dining tables adorned in ivory and raspberry shades and simple, yet elegant floral arrangements designed by Eva’s Flowers. The cake cutting was no ordinary cake cutting ceremony! It is a tradition in Golbarg’s family to do the Persian Cake Dance. The purpose of the cake dance is for the couple to retrieve the cake knife by offering money to the dancers who posess the cake knife. The bride and groom continue to offer money to try and get the cake knife. A little back and forth, and a few dance moves later, Goldbarg and Drew retrieved the cake knife and cut into their beautifully designed cake by Take the Cake. The rest of the evening was spent dancing to the beats of DJ Sultan from PMI Productions. After a few hours of dancing, the guests refueled with late night snacks including mini hot dogs, sliders and gyros. The evening was truly magical and J. Brown Photography did an amazing job capturing all of the special moments throughout the event.
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Caterer: Blue Plate Catering Wedding Cake: Take the Cake Florist: Eva’s Flowers Photographer: Allison Williams from J. Brown Photography Videographer: Edward Fox DJ: PMI Productions Modern LoveApril 11th, 2012Planning Katy and Alex’s October wedding was a wonderful experience. I just loved working with Katy (and her fabulous Mom, Mary Lou), she is so full of life, always smiling and laughing and she was casual about the details. She was very trusting and flexible and it was a fun time! I didn’t actually get to meet Alex until the very end of the planning process because he was a bit of a slave to his residency schedule. He was a real trooper though and gave his opinion when he could. He really trusted Katy and she was always thinking about things that he would and wouldn’t like. When I finally met Alex, it was honestly one of those great moments, I just knew they were a perfect match.
Katy and Alex got married at the historic Holy Name Cathedral on State Street in Chicago on October 1, 2011. The Church was only a few blocks from their condo so they felt right at home in the neighborhood. The sky was so blue and the sun shined down upon them on such a special day.
The amazing, wonderful and talented Olivia of Olivia Leigh Photographie went with the bridal party all over Chicago and took some fantastic photos. Everyone had such a great time celebrating the newlyweds!
Even though the sun was shining, it was a chilly, brisk, Chicago day! Thank goodness the bridesmaids had these adorable wraps to keep them warm!!
Dan Murphy from Pastis Designs created all the gorgeous bouquets and floral arrangements. Katy’s vision was simple, elegant and clean to match the event space. She chose a yellow, white and gray color palette and it looked very fresh! They held the reception at Terzo Piano at The Modern Wing of Chicago’s Art Institute. They took some pictures in and around the museum before cocktail hour began.
One of Katy’s bridesmaids owns a graphic design company, Atheneum Creative, based out of Houston, Texas. These little tags are the place cards which all have different symbols to match up with her table numbers. All the ”numbers” where places that were special to the couple. The guests had a blast walking around from table to table reading all the stories about why each place was a memorable location for the couple. The grey board that the place cards were pinned on was a huge map of Chicago. Once all the pins were removed, you could see it more clearly and it was really cool!
Bon Appetit Catering provided all the food and beverage for the wedding. Some of the hors d’oeuvres highlights included: mini white cheddar grilled cheese with fig jam, chilled mussels on the half shell with yellow curry and mushrooms stuffed with sundried tomatoes and asiago cheese. For the full seated dinner guests dined on wild mushroom soup and a roasted squash salad for the first course and bacon wrapped pork tenderloin for the entree. Everything was fantastic!
Tipsy Cake designed both the wedding cake and the grooms cake. The flavors Katy and Alex chose were out of this world: The top layer was white cake with pina colada American butter cream, the second layer was white cake with passion fruit filling and American butter cream and the bottom layer was almond cake with caramel and American butter cream. The groom loves chocolate cake so Katy surprised him with chocolate devils food cake with a chocolate toffee crunch filling, he loved it!
Katy LOVES to dance, and she is quite good at it, a real natural. Alex doesn’t love to dance but he was by her side all night long and they had a blast! The expert DJs from Cage and Aquarium kept the dancing floor packed all night.
I had the best time getting to know Katy, Alex and their wonderful families. Clementine wishes the a lifetime of happiness!
For the Boys – Custom Kicks!March 27th, 2012Want your groom and his groomsmen to be comfortable but still stylish on the wedding day? Ditch the dress shoes and let them rock custom kicks! Converse allows you to customize their shoes – you can pick the sneaker style, colors & pattern to make each pair unique. You can match the sneakers to your wedding colors or personalize each shoe to each groomsmen’s personality with their favorite colors. It even allows you to “Tag” the sneaker with a personal ID, so you can personalize each shoe with their nickname. These make great groomsmen gifts and add a little fun to the wedding day (plus they make for great photos!). Check out the Converse website and get started on your custom kicks! There are over 30 different sneaker styles ranging from $67 – $90/pair.  www.aricandcasey.com  www.katherinophoto.blogspot.com  www.loveandlavender.com  www.eleigh.com  www.theknot.com And don’t forget about the ladies – kick off those heels after the ceremony and put on a pair of customized “Bride” sneakers!  www.yourbestwedding.blogspot.com
Personalized ParasolsMarch 8th, 2012Spring is just around the corner…flowers will be blooming, birds will be singing and the sun will be shining! The weather will be beautiful on your wedding day, but you are wondering how to keep your guests and bridal party from squinting in the sun during your outdoor ceremony. Why not shade them with cute personalized parasols??!!! Parasols are a great way to add some fun and flair to your event. They can be used for decor, favors or simply for a really cute photograph! They come in a variety of colors to complement your wedding. There are various ways to customize the parasols to make them unique to your event. Personalize them with cute phases such as ”Just Married”, “Thank You”, “Love”, “Mr. & Mrs.”, “I Do” and “Amore”. We love the idea of painting the names or initials of each bridesmaid on their own parasol (as seen in these photos). Not only will your bridesmaids look stylish, but the parasol will keep them cool and their makeup fresh! These particular parasols were handpainted and designed by Laura Dro Designs: http://lauradrodesigns.blogspot.com/
Summer, History….and Airplanes!December 29th, 2011Katherine and Jonathan got married at The Chicago History Museum on August 20, 2011. Their wedding day was picture perfect. Every moment and every detail was just as sweet as they are. I just loved working with them and getting to know them over the course of the year. The fabulous Brett and Kiri of Pen/Carlson provided all these fantastic pictures! The Chicago Air and Water show was just wrapping up while the bridal party was out taking pictures. If you look closely, you can see that half of the bridal party is looking at the jets flying right over their heads! The bridal party was a great group of people, everyone was having fun and sharing loving memories of the couple all day. I just love the bridesmaids dresses! Not only is the color so rich and beautiful, but the shape of the dresses were classic yet trendy and flirty all at the same time.
They decided to have their ceremony inside the Chicago Room where it was nice, quiet and intimate since the Air and Water show was earlier in the day there was a lot of foot traffic outside. It was a very special and beautiful ceremony.
After the ceremony guests were invited outside to enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the patio. The weather was perfect so guests were very comfortable sipping their summer cocktails. Blue Plate Catering provided a wonderful variety of appetizers including baby lamb chops, goat cheese tartlets, tuna tartar and panini lollipops.
After cocktails the guests were wowed when they re-entered the museum to find this stunning place card table. Hello Darling provided all the floral and decor their wedding. Katherine was so beyond thrilled with the look of the reception, it was exactly what she always dreamed. Natalie from Hello Darling really listened to what Katherine wanted and the outcome was a little modern, a little vintage and a lot of romantic charm. Once all the guests were seated for dinner, Dustin from Toast and Jam invited the newly weds to join their party! They kept the momentum going as Jonathan whisked Katherine directly into their first dance.
Shortly after they danced they cut into their wedding cake. Katherine’s one wish for dessert was to have a small chocolate cake from her favorite Evanston bakery, Tag’s Bakery and Pastry Shop. She also ended up surprising Jonathan with a custom groom’s cake of his favorite team’s stadium. Bleeding Heart Bakery did an outstanding job. He was really surprised and couldn’t believe Katherine was able to sneak this little detail past him since he was involved with every vendor meeting the entire planning process.
Hello Darling and Blue Plate Catering made the Chicago Room of the Chicago History Museum sparkle with such amazing color and texture. Every detail from the flowers, to the crystal candles and vintage cut glass vases to the linens and glassware all went together perfectly, the room really looked spectacular and the bold colors fit the couple’s fun personality as well.
This is one of my favorite pictures, this pretty much sums up the feel of the entire night! Love, laughter and good times. It was an amazing night.
Chicago Botanic Garden WeddingNovember 22nd, 2011Jiyoun Bae and Keunsuk Lee got married at the Chicago Botanic Garden on Sunday, June 5, 2011. It was such a beautiful day and we were so happy we could be a part of their special day. The grounds at the Chicago Botanic Garden seem endless and they’re the perfect backdrop for pre-wedding photographs. Not to mention, it’s an extradordinary experience for all the guests, especially those who have never been to the gardens before. The talented Steve Koo captured all these amazing photos and we’re so thankful he shared them with us!
Jiyoun and Keunsuk had their ceremony and reception in McGinley Pavilion overlooking the water. Their ceremony was so romantic and sweet, they started with a sand ceremony. They had live ceremony music performed by musician Jeff Chan. The Bride carried an absolutely stunning bouquet created by Flowers Flowers.
The reception was a lot of fun and the pavilion looked great! The Bride really got into the DIY projects. She made the table numbers and ceremony programs among other personal touches. I just love this “Just Married” sign that they hung at the entrance to the pavilion. Culinary Landscapes, the exclusive caterer at The Chicago Botanic Garden, provided some delicious hors d’oeuvres including tortilla cups filled with smoked chicken and topped with mango salsa and avocado cream as well as pork tenderloin with blueberry balsamic and brie. The presentations were just mouth watering as the taste! During dinner the guests dined on sweet garlic glazed fresh chicken breasts with mushroom filled brioche charlotte and roasted fingerling potatoes and fresh asparagus. The Bride changed out of her gorgeous wedding gown and into this fun party dress for the reception. She even wore a pair of fabulous royal blue shoes! Their wedding cake, provided by Rolf’s Patisserie, matched the overall decor perfectly. I love how Jiyoun kept all the little details in the classic black and white pattern.
The Bride and Groom clearly had a blast at their wedding! All the guests had a wonderful time dancing the night away thanks to DJ Brent Rolland from Fig Media.
It truly was such a lovely event and we just love working at the Chicago Botanic Garden. A Family AffairNovember 9th, 2011Megan and Bobby are from the Chicagoland area (Naperville and Fox River Grove) but they are currently living in Philadelphia. They wanted a wedding planner to help them plan their wedding from long distance. They hired me before meeting me and when we finally met in person I met not only the bride and groom but also their parents and siblings! I spent the entire day taking them from venue to venue hoping to find the perfect spot. Not only did we find THE spot, but I feel in love with them and their families. I had such a great time planning with this crew. Their parents were so happy and joyous for their children, and as a group we would all discuss what was best for the big day. It was really wonderful how they attended every single meeting as a group, they made a great team and I’m so happy I could be a part of it.
They were able to incorporate so many wonderful special touches to represent and honor their family members. Megan and Bobby had their August 27th ceremony at the bride’s family church in Naperville. It was a beautiful and traditional ceremony with one very special twist; the father of the bride sang a solo during the ceremony! Another special touch, the bride tucked a red flower into her gorgeous purple calla lily bouquet to represent her grandmother who had recent passed.
After the ceremony the bridal party had a great time taking pictures in downtown Naperville. The bridesmaids all chose different dresses and they looked so great with the flowers provided by the very talented Jenna from Avant Gardenia.
They held their reception at The Patrick Haley Mansion in Joliet. The mansion is so stunning, these pictures do not do it justice. The guests were able to walk through the mansion during cocktail hour. Megan and Bobby brought about 20 picture frames filled with family photos that we placed all over the house. It was such a great way to make the mansion feel like it belonged to them. The dinner and dancing portion of the evening was held in a stunning atrium. It was dressed with chandeliers, crystal and custom gold chargers on every dining table.
Megan and Bobby treated their guests to a five star plated dinner of apricot chicken. The menu and the service was exceptional, the guests were truly treated like royalty. During the meal the father of the bride and groom each gave special toasts. They also welcomed the maid of honor and the best man to toast the bride and groom, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room!
Not only did they serve wedding cake but they also had a huge sweets table with everything you could ever want and more. After all the formal and traditional moments throughout the day they danced the night away (thanks to DJ Chicago) and let me tell you….it was THE party of the year! Everyone had so much fun and it was amazing to watch Megan, Bobby and their entire families celebrate! I’m thrilled I was able to get to know such a wonderful couple and to help them plan the wedding of their dreams. Thank you to George Street Photo and Video for providing these wonderful pictures.
A Magical DayNovember 2nd, 2011
From the first moment I met Genny and Alex they knew exactly what they wanted for their special day…..an open air dinner on a sunny August day. During all the months and months of planning we, of course, made sure we had a plan B in case Chicago decided to rain on their special day. Amazingly enough, they got a perfect sunny day and everything else just fell into place. Genny and Alex tied the knot at the stunning Old St. Pats, it was a very beautiful ceremony. They held their reception at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. They were able to utilize the entire building. They hosted cocktail hour in the main lobby and outside on the outdoor ravine. Dinner was upstairs on their outdoor terrace and dancing was in their south gallery that has floor to ceiling windows. The Nature Museum is so beautiful and all the butterflies and flowers helped make their special day all the more magical. The reception had a great romantic and whimsical feel, Hello Darling outdid themselves with so many great custom touches.
Between Blue Plate Catering and Hello Darling the dinner tables were stunning. They incorporated really interesting vessels including custom made birch bark and pine boxes, wooden circles with hand painted numbers, mason jars and glass lanterns. I just love this Willow Twist linen provided by BBJ Linen. The dinner portion of the evening was spectacular. They served an amazing menu of beef tenderloin, jumbo shrimp, mixed vegetables and roasted baby potatoes. They started the night with a beautiful and colorful sangria salad with goat cheese, pine nuts, mandarin oranges and fresh peaches. The menu was perfect for summer and the guests really enjoyed the meal. The service staff provided by Blue Plate was top notch, the guests were truly wined and dined.
Beyond a wonderful meal, the atmosphere was like a fairytale thanks to Frost Lighting for hanging cafe lights over all the dinner tables. The Gentlemen of Leisure provided a 5 piece combo for dinner music which helped enhance the atmosphere. Tipsy Cake custom created this beautiful wedding cake for Genny and Alex. They were able to hand pick the flavors of the cake. The chose three delicious flavors: white cake with milk chocolate buttercream, chocolate cake with raspberry jam, cream cheese and chocolate buttercream and white cake with coconut cream. It was fantastic.
The band expanded to an impressive 15 piece dance band and the guests had a blast. Alex and Genny had their first dance under custom fabric treatment and chandeliers provided by Hello Darling and Frost Lighting. It was such an amazing day and I was so proud of this event. Genny and Alex had a vision from the beginning and I’m so happy I was able to help them bring all their ideas to life. I wish them all the best! The talented Kurt Gerber of Gerber and Scarpelli provided all these stunning pictures. Kurt really captured their special day.
Additional vendors that participated in this wonderful event: Magnificent Milestones custom designed their invitations, Windy City Trolley provided the transportation for the wedding day and Red Eye Photo Booth kept the fun going all night with their photo booth.
Lots of PersonalityOctober 18th, 2011Megan and Chris planned to have a fun, laid back event and boy did they succeed! The moment I met the two of them, I knew their big day would be so much fun! They both have really fun personalities and they let loose on thier wedding day! Michael Monar Photography captured all these amazing moments.
Megan and Chris got married on July 23rd, 2011 and I’m sure you don’t remember the weather but it was very HOT that day. What better way to cool off during the photo session than stopping at an ice cream truck! I cannot believe Megan chose a colored popsicle for her treat! Talk about laid back!!
Both the ceremony and reception were held at Gallery 1028. The venue really fit the couples overall style with the rustic yet modern vibe it presents. Megan had the girls wear any gray dress of their choice so the bridesmaids could reflect their own style. I love how Chris is the only guy wearing gray, it really helped him to stand out and the yellow socks are just so much fun!
Studio AG helped bring their style to life with this stunning ceremony decor. I love how illuminating the candles and chandeliers were in the dark event space. It was very romantic and modern.
Some of the fun details provided by Megan and Chris: Custom made slap coozies for the guest’s drinks! Guests had fun slapping them onto their drinks and wrists all night!
Their welcome table really set the tone for the event. This is the first thing guests saw when the entered the venue. The pattern on the welcome sign matched their linens perfectly. The mailbox for their gift cards matched their personality! They also had a guest book with fun papers and patterned/colored tape that guests could mix and match.
They had three different table designs throughout the dinner space, this is a picture of the head table which was a large feasting table. The runners were custom made by the bride herself! Calihan Catering provided really fun dinner stations including amazing dishes of paella, tacos, custom pasta, gazpacho and much more!
After dinner Megan changed into an adorable and sassy party dress! She looked fantastic! They had Record A Hit provide a flip book station which was a huge hit, both at the booth AND on the dance floor. The guests loved it and it was a nice change from the ever popular photo booth. Cage and Aquarium kept the dance floor packed all night thanks to DJ Tyler.
They topped off the night with Chicago style hot dogs provided by Calihan Catering. Another perfect summer treat!
I think it is safe to say that not only did Megan and Chris have the time of their lives, but so did all their guests. They really stayed true to who they are as a couple and it worked out wonderfully. Clementine was so happy to work with such an amazing couple and we wish them the best!
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