Posts tagged ‘Chicago’

April 5th, 2012

Real Wedding: Halley and Josh, Chicago, Illinois

Halley and Josh’s wedding can’t be summed up with just one word.  They have so many classic elements, but at the same time added a lot of quirky, hand made items, and mixed it up with some special family traditions as well.  I love the bright pops of coral throughout the event, their wedding invites which tell the story of their relationship (such a personal touch), and I’m of course a sucker for any event that includes pets, especially a giant Great Dane.  A big thank you to Halley for sharing all the details from the day, and to Heather Parker for submitting her lovely images.

Real Chicago Wedding

Who, What, Where ~ Ceremony/Reception: Gallery 1028.  Photography: Heather Parker Photography.  Event Design: Alice’s Garden.  Flowers: Blue Hydrangea Floral Design, and Dilly Lilly.  Caterer: Calihan Catering.  Cake: Sweet Mandy B’s.  Dress: Ivy and Aster.  Bridesmaids Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids.  Men’s Attire: Calvin Klein.  Etsy purchases: Garden4Arts cake topper, The Paper Stache, Maupromos stickers for candy buffet, Under Her Charm cufflinks.

Pink and rhinestone wedding shoes.

 

Red bridesmaids dresses.

Pink and red argyle socks.

Love birds stickers and candy bar.

Love birds cake topper.

More loveliness and details…

From Halley…

Josh and I are high school sweethearts. We met the summer before my freshman year of high school. After high school, we both went to Indiana University. We traveled Europe together, and got a dog … then moved back to Chicago after graduation. We’ve been here since and we absolutely love it!

We knew we wanted a Chicago wedding. Gallery 1028 was a perfect choice. A historic piece of Chicago real estate = a unique venue for a wedding.

I cannot even tell you how long it took us to choose a color scheme for our wedding. I think I changed my mind 70 times. In the end, it took a trip to a flower market in the west loop with our florist (josh’s uncle!). We put together the centerpieces and bouquets right then and there. We stuck with all natural, but exquisite floral colors … bright coral reds and variations of peachy pinks.

My mom and josh’s mom made the desserts at the wedding (besides the cake). My mom made pizzeles (traditional italian cookies) and josh’s mom made arugala (traditional Jewish cookies). My mom also made a special Lithuanian alcohol that has been in her family for years for a special toast josh and I made.

We also did the hora and josh broke the glass at the ceremony. Both of these Jewish traditions were very important to him and his family.   For my favorite moments of the day the first would have to be the reveal when josh and I had a quite moment together to say, hi, I love you, you look great.  Second would be after the ceremony where we had some more time to talk just the two of us.  We spent this time reminding each other how excited we are, and how much we love each other.


January 13th, 2012

Real Weddings: Kate and Dan, Chicago, Illinois

As a flower nerd the first thing that caught my eye about this wedding was of course the amazing coral peonies, and the fresh palette of colors.  However as I delved deeper into Kate and Dan’s day what I really loved was all the little details they put into their day, and then the genuine and sweet images captured for them by Steven Koo.  So full of light, love, and laughter!  And the A New Leaf event space?  Amazing, so filled with warmth, while being modern and chic all at the same time.  A big thank you to Kate for sharing all the details of the day, and to Steve Koo for his lovely images.

Who, What, Where ~ Ceremony/Reception Venue and Flowers: A New Leaf.  Photography: Steve Koo Photography.  Caterer: Bonsoiree Restaurant and Catering.  Dress: Vera Wang.  Cake: Amy Beck Cake Design.  Invitations: Crane Paper Company.  Cake Toppers: Goose Grease.

From the bride…

Dan and I have been together for three years.  We met in Lake Tahoe, California while I was on a vacation, and Dan was on a business trip. At the time I lived in upstate New York, and Dan lived in Chicago.   We met the first night we were in California, and then were inseparable for the next week.  Six months later I moved to Chicago, and a year and a half after that we were engaged.  The proposal was very low key – we went out to a nice dinner, and then when we got home Dan pulled a beautiful ring out of his pocket, and asked me if I wanted to marry him.

We wanted an event space with an urban modern feeling to it.  In terms of choosing colors, we did not want to chose any specific colors, but instead we let the florist pick out whatever colorful fun flowers were in season at the time of the wedding.  I wore a pearl necklace with sapphire clasp that was borrowed from my mother who was gifted it by her father.

My favorite memory is sitting in the car on the way to the ceremony, and being so incredibly nervous about the big day, but knowing that once I saw Dan all of my nervous wedding jitters would disappear, and I would just be so excited to be starting my life with him.

December 7th, 2011

Featured Vendor: Five Grain Events

Although I’ve never met Joan, I feel like we’ve met because she’s one of the only Featured Vendors whose interview I did over the phone (which was her fabulous idea).  She’s warm, and super sweet, and a part of an amazing community of indie wedding vendors in Chicago.  From looking at her website (newly re-designed by the way), and through her portfolio of pictures it’s easy to see that she puts 100% of herself into each wedding, making sure every detail is right, so that her couples can have a perfect day.  Here’s more about Joan and her business Five Grain Events.

 

(photo via Simply Jessie Photography)

Where to find her ~ Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter

Where do you live and work, and what do you like to do for fun?

I live in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.  I moved to the neighborhood in late 2009.  I’m also a singer, and I perform with the Wicker Park Choral Singers, and Chicago Symphony Chorus.

photo via Avery House

When did you first become interested in event planning, and what sparked your interest?

When I was young I’d make travel plans and vacations with my family.  We always went to “boring” locations, and they said if I wanted to go somewhere else I should research a spot and plan it out.  I dabbled in events in college, and after that started working for the Lyric Opera in Chicago in the fundraising department.

When did you decided to start your business Five Grain Events, and why did you decide to start it?

Started the business officially in 2010 after assisting another wedding planner for a few years.  I’ve always loved weddings, but wanted to get my feet wet before I got into the business and get experience.  I really enjoyed the experience, and started doing weddings for friends and referrals.  Within the first 5 months I’d booked enough events to leave my full time job.

What’s your favorite part about working with a couple on their wedding?

The end of the evening when all the items on the to do list are checked off.  Everyone’s having a good time, and then the couples take a moment to come up and say thank you.  Sometimes they might give me more credit than I deserve, but I love knowing they’ve been able to fully enjoy their wedding day.

My other favorite moment is when I send the couple their time line.  It gives them a full picture of how their day will progress, and it makes things seem more real.

What would be your words of advice to a couple planning their wedding, and considering hiring a coordinator?

If you were trying to decide whether or not to hire a coordinator, make sure it’s someone who can really take on that role, and is a professional that knows how to manage all the details that are important to making your day special.   When you have someone who can take all the hard work out of your hands and help it flow naturally, it really makes the day more enjoyable for you and your guests.

Meet with your planner, and make sure you hire someone who you’re totally confident in.  Someone that fits your style, and will give you the type of coordination that you’re looking for.

November 28th, 2011

Newlyweds: Amanda and Nick, Chicago, Illinois

I think the photographer for this newlywed session Jason Kaczorowski offers such a great description I thought I’d let his quote set the scene for Amanda and Nick’s pictures:

Amanda and Nick opted instead of posing for an engagement session prior to their wedding to have a sunrise shoot captured shortly following their honeymoon. The early morning post wedding portraits were photographed along Lake Michigan, the Chicago skyline, at Navy Pier and near the Kinzie Street Bridge by a vibrant yellow garage door. They utilized the handmade tissue paper flower arrangements Amanda created for her reception centerpieces and photographed the location where Nick popped the question to Amanda on the doorstep of the couples adjoining apartments where the two lived as neighbors while falling in love.

October 20th, 2011

Real Weddings: Iliana and Steve, Chicago, IL

Today’s wedding is DIY from start to finish.  As Iliana said her and her husband Steve’s family “love to eat and have fun!” so that was definitely the focus of their day.  Rather than sticking to one color palette, they chose a bright mix to go along with the season they got married in, spring.  Iliana created all the decor for the reception herself, including the fun floral arrangements (which I didn’t even notice were silk flowers at first).  To keep costs down she also created her own photo booth on her computer, and had lots of props for party goers to use in their pics. They allowed their guests to get creative with a blank canvas and an art station.  Everyone was encouraged to add to the canvas throughout the night to create a wonderful one of a kind piece for Iliana and Steve to remember their wedding day.  A big thank you to the bride and groom for sharing all the details of their day, and to Justine Bursoni for her lovely images.

Who, What, Where ~ Ceremony/Reception: Chief O’Neills Pub.  Photography: Justine Bursoni.  Flowers and decor created by the bride.  Cake: friend of the bride.  Cake topper: ReadyGo.

From the Bride…

I know exactly where to begin. I met Steve at the high school he taught at. I needed to complete some observation hours for my teaching certification.  The funny thing is, his last name (Rzodkiewicz) made me think he might be an old man. He came out into the hallway to talk to me about his classroom, wearing his Chicago Cubs jersey, and I instantly knew there was a connection.

He meets my twin daughters and it is made very clear that this guy is a keeper. We date, go to concerts, make a band together, and decide that we are totally in love. “Let’s get married…” Steve says to me at a stoplight in Lincoln Square. We bought a six-pack and celebrated at Opart Thai Restaurant.

Now came time to planning the wedding. We were looking to buy a home first, so our budget was super limited. We both agreed that if we were to have a wedding, we need to make it as painless and stress-free as possible.

Thanks to Martha Stewart Weddings, Etsy.com and The Knot, I was able to put together a clear picture of what I wanted the wedding reception to look like, how to make the items and how to save a bunch of money.

My favorite moment of the wedding was our first dance. We only practiced it once, and felt super silly doing it, but we had fun. We danced to the song “I love you”, by Same Cooke. It’s now my ring tone for when my husband calls me.

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