Real Wedding – K&M’s Wedding Board

One of the things I’ve been meaning to make time for is creating Wedding Boards, following each client wedding to illustrate how the initial Inspiration Board vision turned into reality.

K&M’s inspiration started with the dramatic backdrop of the Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall.  They wanted their wedding to compliment the setting with a timeless, formal and elegant feel.  We worked with a color palette of crisp whites and varied bright greens for their late spring wedding.  With touches of metallic gold found in accessories such as their gold-rimmed china, votive candles and chairs – the classically beautiful scene was set.

This collection of the couple’s wedding photos, that I used to put together this Wedding Board, was captured beautifully by the talented Katie Kett Photography team, Katie & Pat.

For more of K&M’s wedding, check out these images.

Vendor Credits:  Venue – Chicago Cultural Center ||  Floral & Decor – HMR Designs  ||  Food & Beverage – Boutique Bites  ||  Photography – Katie Kett Photography  ||  Orchestra – Rendezvous  ||  Film – One Fine Day  ||  Wedding Cake & Cupcakes – Sweet Mandy B’s  ||  Host Hotel – Public Chicago

Happiest 1st…Ever!

Early October, my favorite little man turned One!
Although it was peppered in between a few lovely fall client weddings, I still managed to whip together a little celebration in honor of the perfect creature that changed my life forever.
Carter was turning 1 – and let’s be honest….what are one-year-olds really into?!  Carter isn’t yet into trains, or trucks – could care less about Sesame Street or scooters.
However…he does have One True Love….Our beagle (mix), Illiebelle!And so, an Illie-theme was quickly established!

My amazingly talented artist friend, Liz Dixon, designed the invitations for us.
What ended up being a single, oversized balloon let guests know they were in the right place (alright, so we started with two balloons…..)

Similar to a pair of wreaths on the front doors of my in-laws, two Illie silhouettes (also created by Liz) were the first to welcome friends and family.

The birthday boy posed with momma and daddy in front of the dessert buffet.

The party was called for 1:30pm, so while guests weren’t expecting a full meal, I prepared a food buffet fit for adults and kiddos alike.
For the elders, I had a bruschetta bar with four different flavors – marinated skirt steak, arugula, caramelized onions and gorgonzola – BBQ pulled chicken – tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella – seasonal honeycrisp apple, ricotta, crispy prosciutto, parmigiano reggiano and honey drizzle.  I also made a farro salad and a fall salad.
Bowls of cheerios, yogurt bites and Plum Pouches kept the kiddos satisfied until desserts.

Stickers made on zazzle featured Illiebelle’s silhouette (also created by Liz!) and adorned paper cups for the bevvies.
The kids weren’t the only ones that had fun…champagne cocktails and beer were on hand for the older kids.

Carter’s Corner featured toys galore!

The dessert spread was positioned in front of a collage of paper fans and featured treats from Sweet Mandy B’s, green and blue candies, legendary peanut butter squares made by my mother in law, and of course a cake made for one happy little boy.

Oh!  And the most delish fall pumpkin cupcakes made by Jenn (find the recipe here!)!

Of course Carter needed a wardrobe change before his Smash The Cake experience!  I had his bloomers, suspenders, bow-tie and hat made on etsy.

Little Man demolished what was nearly 1/3rd of the Sweet Mandy B’s cake!  (His sweet tooth comes  from MOMMA!)

Guests took doggie-bag favors home with them…Puppy Chow made by my mother in law and cookies decorated with Illie’s silhouette.

And coordinating stationary let our generous friends and family know how much Carter appreciated their thoughtfulness.

I have always LOVED hosting parties – and to be able to throw one for my SON (ah!) was a pretty amazing experience!

Inspiration Board

A favorite client of mine and I just wrapped up a week of Wedding Planning Bootcamp.  The busy bride took the whole week off for planning meetings and to eat, speak and dream wedding details with me.
This was the inspiration board I created for her wedding look.  We are LOVING the color palette of kelly green, crisp white, rich magenta, navy and metallic gold.  
I will have to wait to share more of the wedding details until after her fall wedding, this year.  But, for now, I truly can’t get enough of this palette and my darling bride with impeccable taste!

Real Wedding – Taryn & Kori!

Taryn and Kori are madly in love.  When the bride’s family hired me to plan their wedding, I was so excited to be a part of something so solid and deep.  
The planning started with the bride’s unique color palette:  Saffron, teal, grey and white.  They were hoping to find a venue that would feel right with such a strong color story, a setting that was warm and had character and a slight rustic vibe.
We decided on the Skyline Loft at Bridgeport Art Center and here is how the day unfolded…
  The bride dressed at the Sofitel, a hip mod hotel in the heart of the city.
Their first meeting was planned earlier in the day, allowing the couple to join their bridal party for fun photos around the city, before heading to the venue.
The brides’ delicious bouquet, created by Floral Goddess Cornelia McNamara, was composed of lush specialty blooms including cattlaya orchids, fragrant garden roses, oriental poppies and ranunculus.  Peeks of velvety dusty miller foliage added texture to the naturally controlled bouquet.  I’d call it as close to perfection as possible!

Guests were transported to the 5th floor ballroom by a massive open-air freight elevator, the perfect clue that Taryn and Kori’s wedding would be anything but cookie-cutter!

The touching Jewish ceremony was witnessed by the couples closest friends and family.

During the cocktail hour, guests enjoyed a gallery wall of vintage photographs of the couples relatives on their wedding days.
Waiters passed a signature cocktail, the Izze Clementine Mojito – a nod to the couples’ current home in Colorado.
Postcards, doubling as escort cards, were strung from timber beams and secured with small clothes pins.  Later, guests scribed playful and heartfelt notes to the bride and groom – the postcards were then collected to be mailed to the couple over months following the wedding.

After cocktails, guests were welcomed to an evening of dinner and dancing by the sounds of Ken Arlen Orchestra.  Square and rectangular tables were dressed in deep teal linens, topped by custom grey and white runners.  Some of the tables were highlighted by soaring foliage arrangements on vintage birdbaths.

The tables also featured petite collections of milk glass, subtly metallic vases and trophy urns filled with garden roses, billy balls (the brides’ favorite!), parrot tulips and orchids.

A touching surprise – the young brother of the groom hopped up on stage and played the sax alongside Ken Arlen.
Guests enjoyed a huge table layered with heaps of sweet treats – all homemade by friends and family.

The night ended as the photographer snuck the bride and groom to the roof to snap some photos with the weekend’s unique ‘supermoon’ in the backdrop.  

Kori and Taryn had so much fun celebrating their new beginning throughout the evening – an evening that so perfectly suited them.  Oh, how I miss them so….

[image credits]  all wedding photos by Jai Girard Photography

Real Wedding: Lindsay and Philip

It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to properly post, let alone share some wedding photos.  I have found myself with a few bonus minutes and felt compelled to share some photos from one of the more romantic weddings of my year.
Lindsay’s inspiration was pure romance, a la Romeo and Juliet.  The bride loved lush, gardeny wild flowers and arrangements that were loose with layers of texture and movement.  Jesse Deckard (formerly of Event Creative now of BLISS!) helped us pull it all together with beautiful floral, lighting and fabric treatments.
From inspiration (board) to reality:
The stunning bride dressed in a suite at The Ritz, while the groom spent time at home with some buddies.
This was the private moment where Lindsay and Philip met up for the first time on their wedding day.
The girls wore gauzy barely blush dresses and carried bouquets of garden roses, astilbe, fragrant freesia, dusty miller and lisianthus.
Both the ceremony and reception took place at one of my very favorite venues, The Ivy Room.  The seriously gorgeous weather cooperated for their outdoor ceremony, held in the charming courtyard of the venue.  
Guests moved inside for dinner and dancing where a beautiful restaurant – style meal awaited them, compliments of Entertaining Company.  Soft chiffon curtains were added to frame the beautiful Juliet-style doors.  Taupe linens were paired with rustic farm-chairs.    
Two centerpiece designs adorned the dinner tables.  A single low, lush and gardeny arrangement in worn silver footed bowls graced one half of the tables while brushed silver candelabras and smaller, varied arrangements were displayed on the alternating tables.  Flowers included garden roses, delicate chamomile, privet berries, garden stock, astilbe, lisianthus, andromeda and hydrangea. 
 A single ivory majolica spray rose accented each napkin.
The bride loved daisies and had Sarah’s Pastries create the whimsical confection (this was Sarah’s last weekend of producing wedding cakes, tear).
The couple and their LOVELY families enjoyed every minute of their féte, dancing the night away to a unique playlist from Front of House packed with loads of salsa and latin-inspired tunes.
Unlike the brides’ initial inspiration, this love story has simply one of the happiest of endings.

Wedding Weekend

It’s my first wedding back after becoming a momma and I couldn’t be more excited!  And it’s quite clear why:  a gorgeous, fun couple, a truly amazing family and [from what I’m expecting] some of the coolest guests around.  
It’ll be a lovely day, a traditional ceremony at Old St. Pat’s followed by an evening of celebration at The Ritz.  Beautiful stylings of Jesse [formerly of Event Creative…now…of…BLISS!], one of the best bands around, Larry King Orchestra, custom linens, a delicious restaurant-style meal and heaps of surprises and details awaiting throughout the evening.
I love loved the inspiration for M&T’s wedding.  After tossing around a handful of color combinations, we landed on a wintry collection of neutrals including whites, cremes and champagnes paired with the mixed metallic tones silvers, golds and rose golds.  This was the inspiration board I created months ago and I can’t wait to share the results!
I will be SO seriously sad to let these clients go!
Xx!

One Heck of a Finale!

I am SO excited for this weekend!  
This weekend we’re celebrating a drop. dead. gorgeous couple – inside and out – the wedding of Alex and Alan.  Working with the couple has been so wonderful and I can’t wait to share this exciting time with them and see all of the fabulous details come together [attached is the inspiration board I created months ago as we embarked on the design phase of planning]…
This weekend is also a bit of a milestone, as it’s my last wedding before Baby S. joins us in just a handful of weeks!  What will life like being a planner and a mommy?  Ah!  Stay tuned…
Enjoy the weekend!
Xx.

A Lovely Day

Off to a client wedding!  
Today we will be celebrating a gorgeous couple, Elizabeth and James.  They are a match made in heaven and I can’t wait to see the look on his face as she makes her way to him at the altar.  
The wedding will feature varied shades of dusty and muted greens, dark rich navy/eggplant tones [found naturally in berries, succulents and foliages], punchy saffron and surprising pops of a fiery coral.
We’ve got a fantastic line-up of vendors including Amanda Hein Photography, Hello Darling and Larry King Orchestra – for an evening of dancing and dining under the tented pavilion of Galleria Marchetti.
Have a great weekend!

Wedding Weekend – Love Is In Bloom!

This weekend I have another DREAMY client wedding – the bride has become an absolute favorite client…impeccable style, appreciation for detail and charm, a personality bubbling with grace and humor…and all of this with priorities falling perfectly into position and a practical head on her gorgeous shoulders [which can’t be said for all brides]!
This weekend, the traditional ceremony will take place at St. Josaphat with dinner and celebration to follow at the Union League Club.  
The formal ballroom room is often viewed as masculine – and we’ve got just the solution:  Bountiful blooms in Creams, dusty blushes, punchy rhubarb and perfect peaches.  Formal and classic details like crystal, rented china, ornate goblets and beautiful printables will help add the brides undeniable ladylike touch.
This weekend will mark the end of [toooo-many] back-to-back weddings.  While I still have a few more weddings before Baby S makes his debut this fall, I hope to have a little more downtime soon, as I’ve been collection some photos from this years weddings that I hope to share in the near future!
Xx!

East Coast Inspired in the Heart of the City

I am so excited for my clients’ wedding this weekend!  
The bride and groom were initially inspired by their hometowns on the east coast, rustic but refined details and a feeling of relaxed formality.  We’ve got a wonderful day planned with photos in the gardens of the Art Institute, a traditional ceremony at St. James Cathedral and a group walk led by our newlyweds to the celebration at one of my favorite venues, the Ivy Room.  
Here is the inspiration board I created months ago to help guide us through the design process – can’t wait to see it all come together!
[click here for more events at the ivy room]