Today’s Chicago wedding is gorgeous, colorful, and the perfect blend of chic and fun! I love all the meaningful handmade details they incorporated to really make their wedding ‘theirs’. I’m personally enchanted with the fab centerpieces and the hand-written menus! What is your favorite detail?
The gorgeous bride Andrea shares:
When Dennis and I got engaged, we both agreed that we did not want a cookie-cutter wedding. No banquet halls, typical perfect round bouquets of roses or the chicken dance at the reception. We wanted to throw a wedding that would have people talking for years as well as represent our old-school personalities and love for each other. We chose the sophisticated setting of the Newberry Library, a full functioning library and a Chicago landmark, right in the heart of the eclectic Rush Street neighborhood.
One special part of our wedding was honoring those who passed before us, which I used lace from my aunt’s wedding dress wrapped around my bouquet as well as having my seamstress sew in two pieces of fabric that belonged to my grandparents. It made the day so special to know they were “walking” down the aisle with me to my future. To make the ceremony and reception more vintage yet modern, my florist (Ashland Addison Florists) and I decided to glam up the ceremony with shades of white, dusty millers and soft pinks, to reflect the beautiful white/gray marble, then dramatically change the ambiance with rich jewel-tone flowers to coincide with the cherry wood-lined reception hall, all accented with twinkly floating candles. It took my breath away when we took a sneak peek of the hall!
Keeping with our classy look, we tried to merge vintage and urban chic styles by putting modern spins on tradition, such as using a library book for our ring bearer pillow, wearing ruby red platform shoes under my ivory lace dress, serving our signature drink called “southern slush” from a slushy machine (in honor of our engagement in Savannah, GA) as well as bringing in elements of a vineyard with cork and wine bottle accents. It was important for me to incorporate DIY parts to the wedding, such as making the drink stirrers with small flags and hand-written menu boards at each dinner table, among many other projects. I wanted it to feel personal and real.
Eating and dancing to the rhythms of Motown classics, my favorite part of the evening was sitting with my new husband at our sweetheart table, take a second to take a mental picture of the night, knowing we will never experience this again. Another favorite moment of the day was our “first look” out on the balcony of our penthouse, looking out on the beautiful Chicago skyline on a clear blue day. After I saw him, my nerves melted away and the rest of the night was smooth sailing! Everything from our day fit into place, and we could not have been happier with the party we conceived and brought to life!
Photography | markit photography | Venue | The Newberry Library | Planner | The Smitten Bride | Florist | Ashland Addison Florist | Cake | Molly’s Cupcakes | Caterer | Hel’s Kitchen Catering | DJ | Beep Media
