Elizabeth and Andrew were a blast to work with!  Their wedding day was full of fun and excitement as you can see by all of the photos.  The day started with Andrew seeing his bride for the first time at Burnham Harbor.  They continued photo hopping from one awesome location to the next including the Lily Pond in Lincoln Park, Jack’s Wine Bar and Sweet Mandy B’s.

Elizabeth and her parents arrived in style at the ceremony at St. Josaphat’s in a vintage white Rolls Royce.  Elizabeth and Andrew said their vows in front of 220 of their closest friends and family.  After the ceremony, the guests headed to River East Art Center for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres caterered by Paramount.  Guests were surprised with a grand entrance of the bridal party as they cruised up in a boat and docked behind River East Art Center.  Revel Decor transformed the space into a rustic and chic space using elements such as burlap, mason jars, wood stumps and mercury glass combined with beautiful, soft florals.  Toast & Jam spinned the couple’s favorite tunes and kept the dance floor packed all night.  It was a fun night had by all – thanks to Jeremy Lawson for capturing those extra special moments of their special day!

Wedding Vendors

Ceremony Venue: St. Josaphat

Reception Venue: River East Art Center

Caterer: Paramount Events

Floral: Revel Decor

DJ: Toast & Jam

Photographer: Jeremy Lawson Photography

Wedding Cake: Bittersweet

Transportation: Chicago Trolley Co. & Classic Wedding Car

It was a beautiful spring day when Allie and Chris tied the knot.  The day began with the bride and groom exchanging their vows in front of 250 of their closest friends and family at the Union Church of Hinsdale.  As the ceremony ended, a bagpiper escorted the bridal party and wedding guests out of the church.

The party continued as guests arrived at River East Art Center for an evening of dinner and dancing.  The guests were greeted with delicious hors d’oeuvres including Bacon Wrapped Dates & Gazpacho Shooters catered by Blue Plate.  The venue was beautifully decorated with lush arrangements in purple and green botanicals designed by Revel Decor.  The guests were treated to a dinner of Grilled Beef and Herbed Chicken Breast and finished on a sweet note with wedding cake by Amy Beck Cake Designs.

The guests spent the rest of the evening dancing to the music of Maggie Speaks.  It was a beautiful night filled with love and laughter and Happily Ever After!  Thanks to Leathem Photography for capturing all of the special moments from Allie and Chris’s big day.

 Wedding Vendors

Ceremony Venue: Union Church of Hinsdale

Reception Venue: River East Art Center

Caterer: Blue Plate

Floral: Revel Decor

Lighting: Sound Investment

Band: Maggie Speaks

Photographer: Leathem Photography

Wedding Cake: Amy Beck Cake Design

It was an AMAZING experience working with Cindy & Ernie on their wedding!  After Cindy & Ernie won Season 19 of “The Amazing Race”, it was only appropriate to incorporate a vintage travel theme into their wedding.  They wanted to ensure they had a very cohesive theme while incorporating special touches to reflect both of their backgrounds individually and as a couple.

The day began with Cindy & Ernie’s ‘First Look’ at the JW Marriott – Ernie was in awe of his beautiful bride!  The Rookery Building was the perfect backdrop for their wedding ceremony.  They said their “I Do’s” in front of 250 of their closest friends and family while Cindy’s brother officiated the ceremony.  After a delicious cocktail reception at the Rookery, the guests were transported to the Chicago Cultural Center to continue the fun for an evening of dinner and dancing.

We all put on our creative hats to ensure the travel theme was weaved throughout the entire evening…a vintage departure board for the seating chart, stacked vintage suitcases as the gift box,  old fashioned telegrams as menu cards, vintage mailbox and postcards as their guest book, gate numbers as table numbers, etc. It was a magical evening and we were so honored to be a part of Cindy & Ernie’s special day!

Thanks to Modern Image Studios for sharing the photos from this AMAZING event!

Wedding Vendors

Ceremony Venue: The Rookery

Reception Venue: Chicago Cultural Center

Caterer: Jewell Events

Floral: Anna Held Florist

Draping: Art of Imagination

Photographer: Modern Image Studios

Videographer: Mike Hendzel

DJ: Spinnin Discs

Wedding Cakes: Bleeding Heart Bakery & Reuters Bakery

Transportation: Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co.

Hair & Makeup: Salon Blue

From the first moment I met Amber, I knew we were going to have a blast planning her wedding.  We totally hit if off and spent an entire year giggling our way though all her plans!  She was so much fun and it felt like I was planning one of my friend’s weddings.  I’m sad she lives in Houston!  She and her mom made quite the team, they had a lot of great ideas!!  When I met her amazing soon to be hubby, Drew, I just couldn’t believe how perfect they were for each other. 

Amber and Drew got married in September 2012 at River East Art Center.  They spent a lot of time putting in the extra effort for some personal touches.  The groom personally shopped around for about a year selecting records of love songs to use as the place cards and party favors (how romantic!!).  They even had a record player set up so guests could listen to their record at the wedding.  Amber had every single element match with fun print goods.  All the place cards, menu cards, signs for the hors d’oeuvres and sweets table, drink stirrers matched and they were so cute!!

They had an amazing day from start to finish!  It was just a really fun day and all her bridesmaids couldn’t have been a nicer group!  They were just so sweet and happy to be there to support Amber and Drew.  I was really honored to have met so many great people. 

I hope you enjoy these photos  as much as I do.  Thank you to Brian Carey from Fig Media for sharing them with us. 

 Photography: Fig Media, Brian Carey

Ceremony and Reception Venue: River East Art Center

Catering: Jewell Events Catering

Floral/Decor: Kehoe Designs

Wedding Cake: Bittersweet

DJ: Fig Media – Brent Rolland

Video: I Do Films

Photo booth: Magnolia Photo Booth Co.

Transportation: Chicago Trolley and Double Decker

Jill and Darren got married during NATO weekend last May, which caused a few roadblocks in our planning. Despite all of the craziness and hype surrounded by the summit, we managed to have the perfect wedding day!

The day began with Jill and the ladies getting ready at the Public Hotel.  Darren was in awe of his blushing bride as they had their First Look on the terrace of the hotel.  Then the bride and groom and bridal party hit the town for some fun photos before heading to Newberry Library for the ceremony and reception.

The lobby of the Newberry Library was transformed to a gorgeous ceremony decorated with lush green and ivory floral designed by Heffernan Morgan.  Following the ceremony, the guests were greeted with cocktails and tasty hors d’oeuvres catered by Jewell Events.  Jill and Darren treated their guests to delicious food stations which showcased all of their favorite foods and was reflective of their backgrounds.  Toast & Jam kept the party going with great music which kept guests dancing all night long.

A big thanks to Modern Images Studios for sharing the beautiful moments captured on Jill & Darren’s wedding day!

Wedding Vendors:

Ceremony/Reception Venue: Newberry Library

Caterer: Jewell Events

Florist: Heffernan Morgan

DJ: Toast & Jam

Photographer: Modern Image Studios

Photo Booth: Modern Image Studios

Wedding Cake: Alliance Bakery

Hair & Makeup: Charles Ifergan Salon

Cher and Nick have been together since high school and they couldn’t be more fun!  Planning was a complete blast, their parents and Cher’s twin sister joined us at almost every meeting, it was a family affair.  Cher’s family spent a lot of time at the Ivanhoe Country Club when Cher was growing up.  It’s a huge part of their lives so it was only fitting to have the wedding there.  The only glitch is that Cher and Nick didn’t really want a traditional country club wedding, so we had a great time adding a lot of fun touches to their wedding so it would fit their style.

They both wanted a super colorful, non-traditional wedding and we had a blast bringing it to life!  I was so pleased with the way it all turned out and most importantly Cher and Nick LOVED every single detail.

Some of the fun details: They had menu cards with Mad Libs on the back, they exited their ceremony to “We Are the Champions” by Queen, they handed out colored sun glasses for all the guests for their outdoor ceremony, they had 12 different napkin patterns so they were all mixed up at every table, they even had an awesome first dance with inflatable instruments and shots of tequila!  Talk about a good time!!

I hope you enjoy all these awesome pictures, thank you to Avery House for sharing.

Ceremony and reception venue: Ivanhoe Country Club

Photographer: Avery House

Floral/Decor: Event Creative

DJ: Style Matters

Photo Booth: Smile Booth

What a pleasure it was to work with Ashley and Jimmy in June 2012.  They had such a lovely wedding day from start to finish.  Their ceremony was held at the stunning St. Alphonsus on Southport & Wellington.  Afterwards they celebrated at the delicious Fultons on the River.   I love how the venue is right on the river downtown Chicago and guests can really enjoy the outdoor environment.  Even once inside the guests can enjoy the view from the windows but I also love the exposed brick and loft style ceiling.  The restaurant is known for their steaks and seafood, a major perk! 

Thank you to our friends at David Wittig Photography for sharing these amazing images with us!  I hope you enjoy taking a peek into Ashley and Jimmy’s wedding day!!

Photographer: David Witting Photography

Catering/Venue: Fultons on the River

Ceremony/Church: St. Alphonsus

Floral/decor: Scarlet Petal

Band: Chris Sarlas Orchestra

Lighting: Spin Productions

Cake: Creative Cakes

Jesse and Ben got married on an amazingly beautiful September day in 2012.  They held the entire event at Gallery 1028 on Chicago’s Goose Island.  They had so many unique touches that made their wedding stand out, it was such a special day.  I hope you enjoy all these fantastic shots taken by the wonderful Jordan Quinn Photography.   These wedding images were also featured in the latest issue of The Knot Chicago, Spring/Summer 2013 which is on the news stands now!!

Photographer: Jordan Quinn

Venue: Gallery 1028

Catering: Calihan Catering

Decor: Studio AG

Floral: Fleur

DJ: Toast and Jam

Hair and Makeup: Nika Vaughan

One of my best friends introduced me to this amazing couple!  It was the most fun wedding and it was even better since I knew a few of the guests!  Jamie and Dan had such a relaxed air about them and it helps create a really great vibe on wedding day!  They said “I Do” at St. Andrews Church in Chicago and held their unique reception at The Ravenswood Event Center on June 9, 2012.  It was such an amazing day from start to finish.  Thanks to the talented team of Carasco Photography we can enjoy these great images of their special day. 

Church: St. Andrews

Reception & Catering: Ravenswood Event Center

Flowers: Petals N Bloom

Photography: Carasco Photography

 Wedding Cake: Tipsy Cake

Trolley: Second City Trolley