Real Wedding – Meg & Josh!

An absolute favorite client of mine was recently married on a wintry, festive holiday evening.

Meg and Josh got married at the most charming Lutheran Church in Chicago, St. James, situated on a tree-lined residential street in cutie Lincoln Park.

After the ceremony, guests were transported through the holiday-dressed city to the iconic Drake Hotel for a wonderful night of dinner and dancing with nearly 400 of the bride and grooms closest friends!

The Gold Coast Room literally twinkled from top to bottom with hundreds of flickering candles of all different forms.  Tall gold candelabras were enhanced with winter greens, rustic pine cones and snowy white blooms. 

The ladies wore beautiful graphite dresses, kept {just a bit} warmer with the help of beautiful pashminas.  Even Santa couldn’t stay away!

Meg and Josh found true love in one another.  There is no doubt that their life will be brimming with love and happiness.

{credits} all images taken by amazing chicago photographer kris kasperek of iklik photowww.iklikphoto.com.  all floral and decor by botanicals – a branch of hm designs

Press

The current issue of one of Chicago’s hottest wedding magazines, Chicago Social Brides is on stands now.

I was pleased to find that one of my past client weddings was featured. As I have already talked about this wedding in an older post “Client Inspiration – Movie & Era” where I showcased her Inspiration Board; I will spare some (but not all!) details. Here was the full page spread…

The bride is the owner of one of the trendiest boutiques in the city, She Boutique, and had absolutely no free time – but did feel loads of pressure to fulfill a vision of an uber striking wedding – not to mention the hundreds of expectant guests, all awaiting a smashing display of the brides style. With a bit of simple direction (inspiration from the movie De-Lovely, a white, black and silver color palette and a love for all things sparkly…) I created a current, chic design with a nod to timeless style and charm…worthy of the fashionista herself.

Thanks to Cloud 9 Weddings, and The Drake Hotel – and my amazing Botanicals staff who took care of every last detail of the set-up while I happened to be walking down the aisle myself!

Client Inspirations – The Drake III – Color & Tropical Chic

This Drake Hotel wedding had a bold, graphic color palette of Green/White/Black.

Some of the tables featured elevated centerpieces, designed in black lacquered vases hosting a canopy of rich palm fronds – lending her desired ‘Tropical Elegance’ vibe. Additionally, Frank and I sourced the same palm patterns as those in the classic movie Casablanca and had them projected onto the dance floor for added texture and drama in the old, glamorous space.

The wedding was stunning, the bride and groom were thrilled and we pulled off the perfect design for her Kelly Wearstler/Tropical Elegance/40’s Glamour inspiration!

Thanks to my friend and wedding planner Frank Andonoplas for his partnership on this wonderful wedding.

Client Inspirations – The Drake II – Interior Designer

One of this client’s inspirations was her favorite interior designer: Kelly Wearstler.
A few of Wearstlers’ trademark styles spoke to me and my wonderful planner friend Frank Andonoplas: Kelly’s use of eclecticism, old world glamour – showcased in modern manners and graphic designs with bold color combinations. I was able to create a wedding design that incorporated these fantastic looks.
Here are a few more design notes from the seductively stylish event…
~The head table sat 14 people; the bridal party. We used long, rectangular shaped tables lined end-to-end to create a more dramatic contrast to the sea of round tables.
~One of the most impressive pieces of the wedding was the custom designed canopy – created to house the head table and make a statement in the grand room (pictured above).
~Because the room is so ornate, I decided to execute the canopy in a more graphic, geometric style. The canopy was woven with flowy fabrics and featured a pair of black crystal chandeliers, twinkling above guests as they dined – another modern and graphic contrast in the luxe, detailed room.

~The head table (above) featured a custom mirrored tabletop that reflected the abundance of candlelight and highlighted the chandeliers suspended overhead. I always encourage clients to use ‘low’ designs on their head table – all eyes will be on the bride and groom! Guests love to see their reactions to toasts etc. For their long, rectangular table, I created a rolling landscape of varied, eclectic elements stretched down the middle of the table.
~Adding to the eclectic feel, I included elements (strategically chosen, but seemingly random!) like gold lacquered geometric pieces, white porcelain sculptures, graphic black votive cups, varied forms and heights of candlelight and fresh, living succulents and palms tinted gold for an unexpected look.

Client Inspirations -The Drake – Inspirations

Before I meet with a client for the first time, I ask them to bring any inspirations they have for their wedding design…It doesn’t always have to be literal (like a centerpiece they saw in a magazine) – and is often times a bit more abstract…A favorite vintage purse, a piece of artwork. Something that speaks to them (they often don’t know why) or captures the essence of what the bride is looking for on her wedding day.

I’d like to share a few of my client inspirations and show how I translated their thoughts into the form of a wedding design.

A favorite client, got married in the Gold Coast Room at the iconic Drake Hotel.

She came to me with a few inspirations.

–Her favorite Interior Designer: Kelly Wearstler – Goddess of Modern Glamour (The brilliant beauty responsible for chic settings in The Tides in South Beach and The Viceroy in Santa Monica, for example)
–Tropical Elegance
–40’s Glam

How did it all come together?

I was recently interviewed for Brides Chicago about this favorite project…

I will post a few more images of this wedding taken by the wonderful Garbo Productions.