Creative Wedding Portrait : Summer Splendor

Alicia and Nate share a very laid back moment, splendor in the grass, on their summer wedding day in Chicago.

Wedding Creativo Photography

A Traditional Spanish Wedding at St. Mary of the Angels

Theresa and Guillermo live in Spain where the groom is a wine maker at a beautiful vineyard.  They celebrated their passion for the finer things in life, as well a their cultural heritage, at their summer wedding with family in Chicago. 

The ceremony was held at St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church in Chicago, and incorporated many Spanish wedding traditions, including the groom's presentation of 13 gold coins or "arras", and the "padrinos" or godparents joining the couple together with a large rosary in a figure 8 loop to symbolize their union.

A Mariachi band entertained the guests at the Hilton Chicago reception.  The wedding cake had strings tied to charms baked into the layers, which the girls and women pulled out to see who got the lucky charm before the bride and groom cut the cake.  Lastly, for the guests' gifts, the groom selected a special vintage of wine for everyone to take home a bottle that commemorated their lovely wedding day.

Inspired Finds:

   

Becky and Fuad's Lakeside Wedding

Becky and Fuad have many shared interests including music, travel and yoga (we featured their yoga engagement session a while ago), so it is no wonder they found marital bliss together.

They combined American and Indian traditions for their eclectic wedding weekend along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan.  The evening before the wedding the families gathered for a dinner that incorporated some Indian traditions, such as delicate henna paining of the hands and feet.

On the wedding day the bride had her parents help with hair and makeup. The bridesmaids dresses were vibrant orange and with accented with bouquets of purple and green by Bloomies.  Matching jewelry worn by the bride and bridesmaids was made by the bride!  In their beige summer suits, the groomsmen escorted family members while friends played a guitar and kalimba duet for a world music flavored processional.  The pavilion-covered beach ceremony provided views of the bride's favorite St. Joseph lighthouse and a majestic metal sculpture.

Coordinator Jessica Smith organized a lovely reception held at Veranda at the Witcomb.  An amazing summer sunset gave the semi-outdoor venue a golden glow and the perfect ambiance for dinner by CK Catering.  Becky is an amazing singer and Fuad a wonderful musician, and they treated their guests to a beautiful performance of classic ballads.  Fuad also took over the turntables a couple times from friend DJ Warp, keeping everyone on the dance floor with a mix of international grooves and old-school funk and soul (I remember being really happy when one of my favorites "Flashlight" came over the speakers!).   Later in the evening other talented friends from the Chicago performance group, Pyrotechniq, performed a fire dance.   All in all it was a celebration that reflected many of the bride and groom's shared passions.

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Inspired Finds:

Kalimba                                    Henna Painting Kit                  Jewel T-Strap Sandal

 

Dennis and Lisa's wedding at the Wit Hotel

A romance was sparked for Lisa and Dennis when they first met at the Chicago Board of Trade.  Who knew soybeans, cattle and wheat could be an impetus for such a great match?  The bride and groom thought of a unique way to represent their start by having their reception table cards named after common futures traded in the stock exchange, such as gold, soybeans, and oil.  But that was just one of many spectacular details at this downtown Chicago summer wedding.

Bridal preparations took place at the couple's home, which was buzzing with excitement from the company of bridal party and loved ones, and also their adorable pets, a Sphinx cat and English Bulldog.  The four-footers even got in on some fun portraits we took with L & D on their rooftop deck. 

Lisa found her perfect gown at Priscilla of Boston, a breathtaking Melissa Sweet design of silk organza with a diagonally draped bodice and delicate fabric rose petals cascading down to the hemline.  Her veil was a favorite of ours this year, a shoulder-length custom-made design by Ms. Couture.   Badgley Mischka satin heels perfectly matched the dress with a fabric flower detail on the vamp.  The baubles were brilliant diamonds with flower-shaped earings, a trio of bangles, and a magnificent three-stone, pear-shape, platinum diamond engagement ring from Windy City Diamonds.

An illustration of the landmark Board of Trade building and a custom monogram was incorporated into their stationary, programs and menus by Clementine Ink + Paper.   We also stopped by the BOT for bridal party pictures before heading to theWit Hotel for their ceremony and reception.

The ketubah signing took place first, which is the signing of the marriage contract that is an integral part of Jewish weddings, and it is tradition to have the document made artistically.  Well, Lisa and Dennis' ketubah by artist Danny Azoulay was like nothing we've ever seen before with amazing lace-work all around the sides. The ceremony followed in the ballroom under an elegant white lace chuppah.

Cocktails were held at Roof on theWit, which you might have guessed is the hotel's cool roof-top bar.  During that time the ballroom was transformed into an all-white reception, with white orchid and rose centerpieces to match the bride's bouquet, with floral and decor design by Heffernan-Morgan.   The event was coordinated by Engaging Events by Ali, who made sure every last detail was perfectly in place, from the white feathers draped from the ceiling to the spotlight on the wonderfully detailed cake by Take the Cake.

The couple celebrated their families' heritages, with shots of vodka for the bride's Russian side, and from the groom's family guests were given Chinese luck charms as favors.   The guests packed the dance floor with Peter Hennes Orchestra on the bandstand.  And, we have to say that our own Pazzi Photo Booth was a big hit with everyone revealing their goofy side for fun pictures with our crazy booth props.

You can also see the highlights video made by the wonderful folks at I Do Flims.

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We are also exited that Dennis and Lisa's wedding was featured in the December 2010 issue of Chicago Social Brides.

Becca and Jeff's Wedding at Cantigny Gardens

The 250 acres of well manicured flora at Cantigny Park served as the backdrop for Becca and Jeff's outdoor summer wedding, with reception dinner inside the park's Le Jardin banquet hall that overlooks the gardens. 

The bride wore an Amsale gown that she discovered at Belle Vie Bridal.  At her side, the groom wore a beige Tommy Hilfiger suit as they exchanged Tiffany wedding rings.

The bridesmaids wore vibrant fuchsia designs by Bill Levkoff, while the entire bridal party was accentuated with vibrantly hued bouquets and boutonnieres with shocks of orange, fuchsia and violet.  Winfield Flower Shoppe also embellished the dining room with matching floral centerpieces and reception decor.

Cantingy provided the cake and catering, while Amanda Burdick of La'Di Events kept the day running smoothly, and Dena Masely from Toast and Jam DJs packed the dance floor.   Music was also shared by the bride and groom with Sappy, Sweet and Happy mix cds, which they made for guest gifts.

Becca and Jeff are teachers in "real life," and on their wedding day gave everyone a lesson in happiness and the natural beauty of true love.

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Wedding Creativo Featured Photo: 09.14.2010

Wendy and Neil got married on THE hottest, most stormy day of the summer....outside!  Luckily the big rains waited until everyone was under their covered reception, but they really did not let the hot and sticky weather slow them down or dampen their spirits.   They danced and laughed though the evening, and after the rains passed, they were rewarded with probably one of the best sunsets this summer...with a rainbow to boot.   We'll post more pictures from their wedding and all of our summer weddings soon.

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SNEAK PEEK: Congratulations Becca and Jeff!

Becca and Jeff had a beautiful outdoor wedding over the weekend at Cantigny Park, a 500-acre park in Wheaton.  It was orignally developed as an experimental family farm in the early 1930s by Colonel Robert R. McCormick (it remains part of the McCormic Foundation) before becoming a world-class botanical garden park in the late 1960s.  It was indeed a wonderful place and a perfect day for an outdoor wedding for this happy couple.

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Sneak Peek: Kelly and Chris

Congratulations to Kelly and Chris! Here is a sneak peek from their wedding Saturday.

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Wedding Creativo Daily Photo: 05.13.2010

For the 13th, we feature a picture from a lucky day we had during Candice and Bob's wedding a few years ago.  After their traditional Philippine Catholic ceremony, we stopped at the lake for some bridal party pictures before heading off to their reception at Chicago Marriott Schaumburg.  A big summer storm was approaching, so it was very hot and humid.  We thanked our lucky stars when this popsicle vendor strolled up.  The whole wedding party swarmed him and dug in their pockets to find enough change for sweet relief.  He was kind enough to give the bride and groom a couple frozen treats "on the house."  Thanks popsicle guy....wherever you are! We also finished with the bridal party portraits and got everyone on the shuttle bus right before the downpour of rain came, so we turned out to be double lucky on this day.

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