Authentic Victorian Era Style Wedding

Terah and Ross celebrated their emerald green and gold wedding at Unity Lutheran Church and the Fortnightly Club in Chicago.  The bride is a historian and created an authentic Victorian era theme wedding....down to making her own dress!  It was modeled off of a 19th century Civil War era design. The groomsmen's suits were also period inspired with old fashioned ascotts instead of modern ties.  The bride's mother Linda also helped a great deal by elaborately designing the reception table centerpieces. Each table had a different traditional scholastic subject theme and was decorated using a varieity of antiques and vintage pieces such as inkwells, maps, globes, books, and old photographs. Overall, the style of the wedding reflected both Terah and Ross's professional careers in academia.  Terah and Linda also made the invitations and programs, and many other details. All in all it was truly an exceptional D.I.Y. wedding, We will always look back on this as all-time favorite for us, not only for the amazing details, but primarily because Terah and Ross were such wonderful and kind couple, an absolute pleasure to get to know, and we were so honored to be included on their memorable day.

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Magic Wedding Moment : Nervous Ring Bearer

The little ones that carry rings and flower baskets at weddings are usually pretty aware big importance of the wedding day, and kids always create spontaneous and unique magic moments.  To help them feel more comfortable and confident, it is nice to have a parent come a little early with them to the ceremony so they can "practice" their job before walking down the aisle in front of all those people!  Sometimes this does not work at all when kids are extremely terrified, but frequently kids fare better with just getting an opportunity to feel more familiar in uncharted territory.  Even a brief run up and down the aisle can be a big help to settle their nervousness. This little guy took his job as ring bearer pretty seriously and is shown here eagerly awaiting his cue to present the all important wedding rings. So adorable!

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Creative Wedding Portrait : Wedding Party Jump

The wedding party "jump" is a classic fun portrait to do, especially with a larger wedding party lined up and jumping in perfect timing.  We worked with the monochromatic details to give this portrait a bit more creative flair for this wedding party jump portrait. It worked out nicely with the orange barn, golden sunest sky, and burnt orange bridesmaid dresses at Jenny and Patrick's wedding in Glen Ellyn over the weekend.

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Summer 2013 Wedding Trend : Parasols and Umbrellas

 Parasols are popping up in cute styles of paper, prints and, of course, traditional lace at summer 2013 weddings.

Parasols and statement umbrellas always play a part in weddings every year, but new versions of paper parasols in this seasons hot coral and green colors, as well as cute printed statement umbrellas and parasols are trending this summer.

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Polish Wedding Sweets

Chicago has a rich multicultural melting pot, and one great culture to find wonderful wedding inspiration is from the Polish.  If you are Polish, or if you've ever been to a Polish wedding, probably one of the big things you remember (or look forward to) is the very looooong table of decadent desserts at the reception.  You don't have to be Polish to appreciate the abundant sweet table, which typically is a very important part of Polish wedding receptions.  Some favorite traditional Polish desserts include:

-- pączki, which are kind of like doughnuts (but better! ... in fact, if you can't get your hands on the latest craze ... "cronuts" .... these old-school Polish pastries are pretty darn close in taste and texture)

-- fruit gelatin covered sernik (Polish for cheesecake)

-- delightful fruit jelly filled kolaczki cookies

With such a large Polish population, Chicago is fortunate to have dozens of wonderful Polish bakeries throughout the city and suburbs, so it is not hard at all to include these popular traditional treats at your wedding. These delicious sweets pictured below were made by Central Continental Bakery in Mt. Prospect, IL.

Photos: Wedding Creativo Photography

Premium Custom Wedding Albums Set : Flourish Embossed Black Leather

Michelle and Steve's wedding combined modern and classic elegance, and the wedding album set we designed for them represented their style.  They selected a beautiful embossed leather cover for all three of their albums premium flush mount albums.  At Wedding Creativo Photography, we offer couples AND their parents premium quality album options.  The album may have all matching covers, such as this set, or different unique covers may be selected for parents albums as well.  See more of our custom designed professional wedding albums at weddingcreativo.com in our Albums portfolio gallery.

Are your wedding photos still hiding on your computer or DVDs? If you are interested in our professional wedding albums services, please email us for more information.  It is okay if we did not photograph your wedding.  We also accept "outside" orders if you own high-resolution files, and your photographer granted you reproduction rights or copyright release with your files, which is fairly common, especially if your photographer did not offer any album or printing services. Email Sarah at Wedding Creativo with any questions, we are happy to help.

Perfect Perfumes for Weddings

Whether you collect perfumes, or are searching for a special scent just for your wedding day, here are a few tips for your fragrance selection and post-wedding storage. 

Wedding Creativo's top 10 favorite perfumes for brides:

All of these wedding fragrances are equally wonderful, and listed alphabetically.  The right choice is the one that best represents your personal style and scent preference.

Burberry Body - absinthe, peach, freesia, rose, iris, sandalwood, woody cashmerean, creamy vanilla, amber and musk; a modern and crisp scent, currently very popular

Chanel No. 5 - the classic luxury fragrance, launched in 1921, jasmine, rose, iris, amber, patchouli; timeless romance

Chantecaille Vetyver - bergamot, lemon, nutmeg, pepper, musk and sandalwood; an earthy and spicy chic fragrance

Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue - Sicilian citron, bluebell, granny smith apple, lasmine sambac, bamboo, white rose, cedar wood, amber, musk; a tropical floral fragrance

Estee Lauder Beautiful - floral scents of rose, jasmine, and carnation, with fruity notes of fresh citrus, melons, peaches and plums; a fresh summery fragrance, popular since the mid 1980s

Guerlain Shalimar - another classic introduced in 1925, exotic florals and vanilla; seductive evening or autumn scent

Issey Miyake Women - blend of fresh water florals; a clean, soft and feminine fragrance

Oscar de la Renta Live in Love - sweet hyacinth, lily of the valley, orchid, sandalwood, cedar amber; graceful floral and chypre blend

Ralph Lauren Romance - rose, ginger, marigold, violet, oakmoss and musk; refined and flowery

Vera Wang Perfume - mandarin, lotus and iris; exotic and feminine

After the wedding, many women keep their perfume bottles in the bathroom, which is actually not the ideal place for storage.  The steam from the shower and inherent humidity of a typical home bathroom affects both the aroma and color of perfume. It is optimal to keep them in a in a place without direct sunlight and relatively low humidity, such as your bedroom dresser or wardrobe closet.

If you rather show off your pretty bottles, perhaps display them on a tray or in a basket that can easily be moved to a closet shelf on occasion, such as when you are away on vacation or on a long weekend.  This will help to extend the life and vibrancy of your favorite fragrances.

Wedding Idea: white gloves for flower girls

If there is a special young girl (or girls) you are planning to have perform flower girl duties, we think a great way to notch up the cuteness factor is having them wear white gloves.  For girls who are at that age when they like to play dress-up, this might be something they get excited about too.  Make getting dressed for the wedding into a game of make-believe for young kids, and perhaps they will be more likely to be cooperative. 

While adding white gloves will for sure add cuteness, we cannot guarantee it will inspire spontaneous moments in the great way that only kids can do, but they will certainly be dressed the part.  This this little bundle of adorableness sure was, as she dropped all of her flowers at the end of the aisle.  A magic moment indeed.

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Creative Spotlight : Spiaggia Chef Tony Mantuano

Tony Mantuano is an internationally acclaimed executive chef/partner of several restaurants, including Terzo Piano at The Modern Wing of the Art Institute, and Spiaggia, which has the distinction of being Chicago's only four-star Italian restaurant.  

The Kenosha, Wisconsin native was awarded the 2005 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Midwest, and was one of the champions on the Bravo television series, "Top Chef Masters."  Mantuano specializes in Italian cuisine, and was even presented with the keys to the city of San Martino, Italy in recognition for serving authentic Italian cuisine in America. Spiaggia is also a favorite restaurant of President Barak Obama, who celebrated his election win there in 2008.

Spiaggia also has private events, and one of our recent newlyweds Rebecca and Christopher celebrated their wedding reception with a wonderful dinner by Chef Mantuano and Spaggia's impeccable staff. 

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Wedding Details: vintage gloves

Adding a touch of vintage flair to your wedding style can be as easy as finding a great pair of gloves.  The long white gloves worn by bride Victoria added an element of 1940s or 50s glamour.

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Remembering Loved Ones at Your Wedding

Unfortunately, we all have known the loss of loved ones throughout our lives.  The absence of a loved one on your wedding can cause significant heartache, but many of our brides have come up with wonderful ways to symbolize the presence of loved-ones in their hearts and minds on their wedding day.

Keep a grandparent in mind by wearing a picture locket necklace, or carrying an inherited heirloom with your bouquet as you walk down the aisle down the aisle.

Framed portraits on display from your ancestor's wedding day are a lovely way to incorporate their memory on your special day.  Vintage looking frames add a nice touch of nostalgia.  It is interesting for guests and relatives to see the wedding fashions in your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents era, and also see how you resemble them today.

One of the most moving tributes we've seen was a bride keeping her mother close to her heart by wearing her mother's wedding ring on a necklace.

Finally, for loved-ones lost to illness, a contribution to a foundation in lieu of guest favors can be a loving way to pay tribute to a departed close friend or relative who would otherwise be an important part of your wedding day.

Classic Cars for Wedding Transportation

We always encourage couples to express themselves with creative details for their wedding, and sometimes this can even include their mode of transportation.  We're a big fan of classic cars, and in Chicago we're fortunate to have a few cool companies that offer couples unique vintage vehicles to get around on their wedding day.   Several companies that have classic cars in their fleet are on our recommended page, under transportation.

© Wedding Creativo Photography