I love all things social media when it comes to planning a Chicago wedding or destination wedding and so I wanted to let you know where you can find and follow me!
Spring Wedding Bouquets with Peonies and Sweet Pea
I know that we all felt spring a little closer yesterday with the warm up of the temperature. This made me think of spring weddings! I love these bridesmaids bouquets from a spring wedding. The flower color complements the bridesmaids light green dresses so well. The florals are a mix of sweat pea and light pink peonies which are so readily available in the spring months for bouquets!
Pumpkins and your Fall Chicago Wedding
It is Halloween week! That exciting time when we get to give out candy to little kids in our neighborhood (we get like 400 trick or treaters) and also carve pumpkins. Pumpkin is a "hot" topic right now. I see just about everywhere ads for pumpkin lattes. At restaurants I see pumpkin soups on the menu and at the grocery store I see lots of mini pumpkins for your mantle or table.
Vera Wang Arrives at David's Bridal
Great News for those in wedding dress shopping mode! Vera Wang has arrived at David's Bridal allowing more brides the luxury of wearing a dress designed by a couture designer. With five locations in the Chicago area, the White Line by Vera Wang has dresses ranging in price from $600 to $1400 and are featured in white, ivory, blush and chamgagne. In June, your bridesmaids will also be able to select Vera Wang dresses when she releases a line just for bridesmaids.
A Look Back at 2011 Chicago Weddings
2011 was a wonderful year! We thank the wonderful couples who welcomed us into their lives as we helped them plan their weddings. Thank you to all those brides and grooms who selected Engaging Events by Ali as their wedding planner. Here is just a tiny little peek into our amazing 2011 year! And thank you to all the amazing photographers who provide the beautiful moments from the wedding days for our clients.
How to Get Wrinkles Out of a Wedding Dress
There is an amazing service in Chicago by Davis Imperial Cleaners which every bride should look into! They will perfectly press and steam your dress and deliver it on the day of the wedding so you don't have to worry about wrinkles in your dress! Or, it is a great idea to also talk to the location you purchased your dress about if they can do this for you as well and deliver your dress directly to your house, hotel or location you are getting ready. That way none of your bridesmaids will have the burden of worrying about steaming or ironing your dress.
Wedding at Hotel Palomar
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.
Summer in Chicago
Fascinators and The Royal Wedding
I am fascinated by the anticipation leading up to The Royal Wedding. I am also fascinated by Fascinators. What is a fascinator you ask? Ah, a wonderful headpiece (often times taking the place of the traditional hat) which you see at weddings in the United Kingdom and all over the world. We are one week away from The Royal Wedding. The countdown has begun! Next week we will all get to experience the Royal Wedding from the United States while in the comfort of your own homes starting at 5am Chicago time. But rest assured that many a guest of The Royal Wedding and person in the UK and United States, in fact all over the world, will be donning a fascinator in celebration of Kate and William's wedding.
Chicago Wedding at InterContinental Chicago on Every Last Detail Blog
We were so excited when Lauren Groves, the mastermind and Editor behind Every Last Detail Blog wanted to feature Shellane and Tom's wedding from October of last year which took place on a gorgeous day at Our Lady of Mt Carmel with the reception following at InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile.
Brides of a Certain Age Article in Chicago Sun Times
I love talking to the press and love when they call upon me for my expertise! Tammy Chase who writes for the Chicago Sun Times called me about three weeks ago to talk about my experience with brides who are a little older than the average bride which is reported to be 26. Turns out we had just helped Tim and Amy plan their fabulous wedding and they are both over 40. You can read the great article online but also read my tips for older brides who are getting married online.
Ask Ali: When Should I Purchase My Wedding Shoes?
Ali, When should I be selecting and purchasing my wedding shoes? Can you give me any tips? (From Ashley)
That is a great question. It is a good idea to have selected your wedding shoes prior to your first fitting of your wedding dress which will typically happen two to three months before your wedding. Start looking for your wedding shoes about four to six months in advance of your wedding.
Fall Themed Chicago Wedding
Taking Time To Stop, Breathe and Think
This week has been a hard week for me. I have seen people I love and care deeply about have losses in their family. Today I am reminded to stop and breathe and take time to live every day to the fullest. Life, and often in wedding planning, we can get so wrapped up in the little details. Those details are so important to creating the beauty of the day, but also, please take a little time to step away from the details every now and then and look at the overall picture of the day you are creating together as a couple. The wedding is about sharing your love with your family and friends and celebrating together. And your love and friends and family are what brings joy and happiness to life.
What is the correct order of a receiving line?
As a wedding planner in Chicago, I get asked many questions by my clients. This was one I received last week that I waned to share with all the readers on my blog. "What is the correct order of a receiving line?" Receiving lines are a great way for you and your new spouse, your parents and your new parents to greet and welcome their guests following the ceremony or during the cocktail hour.
Chicago Style Hot Dogs for Your Chicago Wedding
I am a Chicago girl, born and raised. I graduated from DePaul University right here in Lincoln Park. Nothing tastes better to me than a Chicago-Style Hot Dog to me. And why not embrace your hometown and where your wedding is being celebrated than having Chicago-Style Hot Dogs at your Chicago wedding? Pass them at cocktail hour or maybe you have a station of them later in the evening or passed in the cardboard boxes later on the dance floor. Feel that the whole dogs are too big? Do a mini version passed by the servers around 11:30pm when people need a quick snack to keep them going on the dance floor. Or, what about having a traditional cart come in to offer it to guests as they depart? Carts of Chicago can offer this service to you at your wedding.
New Trends In Engagement Rings
Wish Upon a Wedding Blissful Wishes Ball
Blissful Wishes from I Do Films on Vimeo.
I am "tickled turquoise about the Wish Upon a Wedding Blissful Wishes Ball that took place in Chicago on Monday, November 1st at the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel. The Chicago Board of Wish Upon a Wedding is pleased to announced we raised $35,000! What an amazing night of wedding and soecial events industry people getting together to have fun, celebrate the end of wedding season and raise money and awareness for a great cause.
The Engaging Events Chicago Wedding Planning Team
This past Saturday was our last events of the Engaging Events 2010 Chicago Wedding Season. We had three weddings on Saturday and tons of moving parts and the Engaging Events Team did an amazing job. It has been a long and busy wedding season but also filled with fun, laughter and every now and then a tear or two. Today I want to thank the amazing women that work with me to help make our clients wedding dreams come true.
My Trip to see The Martha Stewart Show
I was at Bridal Market in New York earlier this week. If you don't know what Bridal Market is, it is the time of year that the Bridal designers show their new collections. (Blog to follow next week of some of the shows I attended). I also got to attend some pretty fabulous parties (Yes, so much to share, will blog those pictures next week as well). Oh, yes you need to keep coming back to the blog!