So fun to be a part of the Martha Stewart Spring Wedding To Do's article today! Read all the tips here on Martha Stewart Weddings!
I had so much fun writing about my business for The Estate Blog and being asked to contribute as one of their preferred creative partners. I got to answer some fun questions for them about me, my business and my love of the City of Chicago! Here are some excerpts below of that article. You can read the full article on The Estate Blog.
Get out the heart sweater and chill the champagne, it is Valentine's Weekend!! A chilly weekend is predicted in Chicago and here are my top picks for having a wonderful Valentine's weekend with your loved one!
In September, I was honored to be asked to speak by Sarah and Andrea from Cherry Berry Events at Camp Wedding at the Camp Wandewega, located in Wisconsin. This was their inaugural wedding retreat and I was looking forward to meeting some new friends in the wedding industry. I attend a couple of event conferences a year and I was intrigued by the concept of Camp Wedding, with wedding professionals being in a camp environment.
Want to learn about the event industry from one of the best wedding planners in Chicago? Ali Phillips of Engaging Events is looking for a great intern for the winter season. Intern should be available one business day a week and available on some weekends. Please send resume, 2 references and cover letter to info@engagingeventsbyali.com.
In September, I was honored to be asked to speak by Sarah and Andrea from Cherry Berry Events at Camp Wedding at the Camp Wandewega, located in Wisconsin. This was their inaugural wedding retreat and I was looking forward to meeting some new friends in the wedding industry. I attend a couple of event conferences a year and I was intrigued by the concept of Camp Wedding, with wedding professionals being in a camp environment.
I am SO excited to announce that I will be speaking at Camp Wed in Elkhorn Wisconsin at Camp Wandawega from September 14th-16th! Sarah Sarbackerand Andrea VandeBerg from Cherry Berry Events are producing this fun event which is just about to sell out. The first time Sarah and Andrea visited Camp Wandawega to prepare for a wedding they coordinated at the Camp, they knew they wanted to spend some time there outside of work. After planning a retreat for the two of them to plot their future plans and get inspired they dreamed of getting like minded small business owners together to share inspiration, learn, relax, collaborate, and re-energize...Camp Wedding was born.
I bet you are like me today and looking out the window at all the snow and the 14 degrees on the mercury in Chicago and dreaming of clear blue waters, sandy beaches and beautiful sunsets. Perhaps you are thinking about your honeymoon now? Most couples plan their honeymoon about six to eight month in advance. Enter the incredible Susan Moynihan, the owner and lead honeymoon planner at The Honeymoonist.
Brrrrr, it is cold out there in Chicago today but not to worry, spring is around the corner and will be here in 72 days. Today I am happy to share this dreamy engagement picture session by YazyJo of our clients Chinnu and Ed who tied the knot last year. ( I can't wait to share their wedding pictures with you soon). So grab a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy these gorgeous summer engagement session pictures at Chicago Botanic Gardens and know that warm weather is right around the corner. You can also find great engagement photo tips on our blog!
This Sunday, the Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine is hosting their Wedding Party event in Chicago and Editor, Darcy Miller, will be here to speak. I have seen Darcy speak many times at the Engage Conference and it is not to be missed. The event will be hosted at the gorgeous Radisson Blu Aqua in Chicago from 10am-3pm. You will be able to meet the finest vendors and see the top bridal fashions, visit the destination and honeymoon lounge and enjoy speakers to help you plan the perfect wedding and honeymoon.
It is May, and along with May flowers, May brings the running of the Kentucky Derby. What an exciting time of the year to don a big hat and head to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. With the derby brings the thoughts of Mint Juleps to mind and what better place to find THE best mint julep recipe but on the Kentucky Derby Website.
We LOVED Morgan and Mike's wedding last fall at the Holy Name Cathedral and River East Art Center. Elizabeth Anne Designs featured it on their wedding blog last week and we wanted to share on our own website too. Morgan and Mike's favorite season is Fall and they embraced that in their wedding day details. Who does not love a fall wedding in Chicago? Enjoy!
I am so excited to share this wedding with you today. I loved working with Laurel and Dave on their wedding at the Hotel Palomar and adored how Laurel wanted to have so many cute and personal touches on the wedding day. One of my favorite parts of the wedding day was the groom's cake by Tipsy Cake and the wonderful red florals by Alexandra at Exquisite Designs. And with Sarah Alair as the photographer, I knew the pictures would be just amazing as you see below.
Getting married in the Caribbean does not get any better than at a location like the Viceroy Anguila! Just a two and a half hour flight from Miami to St Martin and then a quick boat ride, Viceroy Anguila is one of the most magical places I have seen to host a wedding. Whether you want to get married with the sand between your toes at their two beaches or in front of the gorgeous infinity sunset pool overlooking the ocean, Viceroy Anguilla is a one of the kind spot for your destination wedding.
One of my favorite things as a Chicago wedding planner happened this morning! I opened up the NEW Issue of CS Brides that is on news stands now and I have a lovely July wedding I planned for Lisa and Dennis that is featured in their magazine. Their gorgeous whites and ivory wedding took place at theWit Hotelat State and Lake. Lisa and Dennis celebrated their jewish ceremony followed by a rocking reception with 170 of their family and friends. The party continued after midnight with a rocking after-glow party at theRoof bar, one of Chicago's most popular and trendy bars.
Last week we talked about the gorgeous Martha Stewart weddings at Sandals and Beaches resorts you can now have. Today we are looking at one of their gorgeous themes, Beautiful Beginnings. This is for an intimate celebration for just the two of you and includes a gorgeous magenta dendrobium orchid bridal bouquet, a nice boutonniere for your groom, a lovely reception setting with crisp white linens and a two tier white wedding cake.
Did you know that you can have a Martha Stewart wedding? And, that it can be on the edge of the crystal clear blue waters of the Caribbean? Sandals and Beaches have recently announced Sandals weddings by Martha Stewart. I got to experience it the other day first hand to my delight and let me tell you, I want to now renew my vows and marry my husband again so I can have a Martha Stewart Wedding at a Sandals or Beaches.
Being a wedding consultant in Chicago brings about opportunities to work with so many wonderful wedding couples that are reflecting who they are as part of their wedding by doing ethnic traditions that involve their families, wedding party and guests. Monica and Chris chose to bring both traditions of having a chinese tea ceremony and a traditional Korean Ceremony in their wedding. The Christian ceremony took place at Fourth Presbyterian Church (where I am also a member), followed by the two ethnic ceremonies at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower just before cocktails began.
Last week I showed some gorgeous pictures of Jessica and Ryan's wedding. Today we will look at their wonderful reception at The Palmer House Hilton. The design and decor was so carefully created by Erin McDonald from Heffernan Morgan Designs and Dennis Remer at Frost Lighting. Larry King Orchestra's band and turntablist combo kept people on the dance floor well past 2am! The after party in the Red Lacquer room had gorgeous bring colors and furniture clusters under organza canopies.
We talked about Jessica and Ryan's ceremony on Monday. Today, we look at the gorgeous pictures they did with their wedding party around Chicago. As a Chicago wedding planner I get asked many questions by my brides and grooms. One question I get often is where to take pictures following the ceremony around Chicago. There are so many great Chicago pictures locations and I usually talk with my clients about what their favorite spots in Chicago are to determine where they will go with their wedding party. Whether is is Millennium Park, with the gorgeous gardens, or more urban, under the El Tracks. Often we even have enough time to hit various locations and get both looks. What I loved about what Jessica and Ryan did is that they even took a little time at the Art Institute Gardens to do some pictures on their own and had their wedding party go ahead of them to the reception. One of my favorite pictures of them is the last picture in the gallery, just the two of them!
I love my job as a wedding planner in Chicago and working with clients like Jessica and Ryan make it that much better! Jessica and Ryan were married on July 11th, 2009 at Old St Patrick's church in Chicago. Old St Patrick's church, dedicated on Christmas morning in 1846, was one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It's survival makes it the oldest public building in Chicago. Jessica and Ryan's wedding was featured in Chicago Social Brides magazine and I decided this week to do a couple posts on their lovely wedding. Please enjoy some of their ceremony pictures today!
