WEDDING SERVICES - VENUE - PHOTOGRAPHY - ELOPEMENTS - ALBUMS
This summer we are seeing hot summer wedding shoes featuring lots of sparkle and bling. With the blazing temperatures we've had this season, it is no wonder that we are also seeing more strappy sandal style heels. Here are some hot summer 2012 wedding shoes from a few of our favorite designers.
We are enjoying the holiday this week and taking a break from blogging, but in celebration of the holiday, we put together this wedding inspiration board for July 4th. Also, as we focus on Chicago-made good on this blog, we would like to take the opportunity to feature W.G.N Flag & Decorating. They have been making flags and decorations of all sorts in Chicago since 1916! We think their 8x12 inch flags shown below would make a great table centerpieces for any patriotic holiday party or wedding. FYI, we recently started a sister blog for our event venue, Creativo Loft, where we regularly feature Chicago-made wedding inspiration at www.smallweddingschicago.com.
We are preparing to feature Megan and Luke's wedding soon, but wanted to share this sweet moment from the morning of their wedding day. The bride Megan obviously came to know her sweetheart Luke very well during their courtship, and surprised him with a beautiful acoustic guitar as her wedding day gift. It was wonderful to witness this great gesture of love to start their married life, and also fun to see the bride receive text messages from Luke's impressed buddies too.
© Wedding Creativo Photography
Wearing blue shoes for your "something blue" is a great idea that has been around for several years, and a cool trend we think will never go out of style. Here are lovely blue shoe designs in light blue hues for summer 2012 weddings.
Father's Day is coming up this Sunday! For a sentimental gift idea, we think framing a sweet candid moment with dad from your wedding day is a gift any father would love.
© Wedding Creativo Photography
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.
© Wedding Creativo Photography
We hope everyone had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend. It was a hot weekend in Chicago, and certainly officially time to break out the summer outfits. Guys, we're talking to you this time. For summer weddings, especially afternoon affairs, we suggest linens, light fabrics and light colors instead of traditional dark and heavy suits. If the wedding your attending is not strictly formal, try these numbers, and add a little flair to your casual-formal style.
Mother's Day is almost here! We suggest framing a special moment between mom and daughter as a lovely gift idea. Candid and emotional moments are a nice complement to any home or office, and can add some variety to wall displays that may have more traditional posed portraits. Mix it up with some spontaneous moments and formal portraits!
Wedding Creativo offers a wide selection of frames with our Creativo Couture services, including custom framing like the samples shown below.
By the way, congratulations to several of the brides shown here who are now new moms!
© Wedding Creativo Photography
Offbeat fun socks for groomsmen have been a pretty popular wedding trend for a few years running.
Here are some ideas for finding the best socks to express your personality:
argyle socks for groomsmen
striped socks for groomsmen
light colors and patterns socks for groomsmen
vibrant colors and patterns socks for groommen
socks for whimsical grooms
socks for quirky grooms
socks for tough guys
There are several niche shops that carry a variety of unique socks:
This is one of our favorite antique shows that we go to see each year. The 2012 Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair is going on this weekend through Sunday, April 22. We strolled through on Friday afternoon, with smartphone camera in-hand, and spotted some lovely things for weddings and antique decor. Here are some of our favorite finds:
While guests are waiting for you to make your big exit after the ceremony you can have musicians performing to the gathering crowd. They can get your family and friends "warmed up" for a serenaded send-off. If your family has specific cultural music, such as mariachi, bagpipes, polka, or other traditional folk music, this might also be a great way to incorporate your family heritage in a unique way.
At nearly every wedding there are essential emergency items that always come in handy. While brides tend to have bridesmaids or someone with a handy kit, unfortunately the guys don't seem to have this organized as often. We could make lists for everyone in the wedding party (and maybe we will), but we though we would make this handy cheat sheet for the guys. In our two decades of experience, we find that all of these items are always useful to have on hand.
1. There never seems to be enough safety pins in the world on the wedding day. Guys, bring a handful.
2. It seems grooms do not get enough sleep (or are maybe up too late celebrating with with the guys) the night before the wedding. This can be trouble for a lot of reasons, but mostly can make a guy grumpy or have headaches on the wedding day. Carry - AND DRINK - a small bottle of water and your favorite head-ache remedy throughout the day to alleviate physical ailments that might put you in a bad mood.
3. Buttons always fall off at the worst times. For lost buttons and other sewing emergencies, pack extra buttons along with a small sewing kit with needles and mini scissors. Just bring the thread colors you need -- some that match the color of your shirt and some that match the color of your suit.
4. This is so unbelievably common -- guys often forget or have some other problem with socks. Bring a few extra pairs for the forgetful ones. Also, if appropriate, bring a change of socks and shoes for the reception. If the women will be throwing off their heels for flip flops before hitting the dance floor after dinner, the guys should be able to wear comfy shoes too. Check with the bride on this to see if it will be cool. If nothing else, pack a pair in the trunk for the ride home.
5. You'll likely be talking to far more people on your wedding day than a usual day. Carrying a small pack of mints in your pocket helps. Chomping on gum is bad, especially for pictures. You'll regret the strange faces chewing gum causes when you look at your pictures later.
6. With all of the heightened emotions, running around, and socializing that takes place on your wedding day, it is easy to run out of energy and get hungry. Couples often don't have time to eat a meal until late in the evening at the reception, so it is a good idea to keep a couple healthy snack bars handy to curb hunger pangs, headaches, bad moods, and foggy brain function. Nuts, energy bars, and fiber-filled apples are best. Less nutritious snacks like chips, candy bars or muffins are not as helpful to stave off hunger for longer periods of time, but if nothing else is around, they will do.
7. You'll likely see the girls going around with tote-bags, but grooms may feel more comfortable with a travel kit or mini luggage bag. Fill it with travel-size deodorant, tooth-brush, floss, mouth wash, comb, razors, and any of your other favorite toiletries. Along with your other wedding day essentials, you'll be sure to survive the typical kinds of emergencies that grooms face.
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.
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.
While many couples may be well versed in classical and opera music, we know there are plenty of folks who might be familiar with the melodies, but might not know the titles. For a quick reference, we present a few favorite classical and opera songs for wedding ceremonies.
PRELUDE (while guests are arriving)
and PROCESSIONAL (bridal party and bride entrance)
"Air on a G String" - Bach
"Canon in D" - Pachelbel
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" - Bach
"Clair de Lune" - Debussy
"The Prince of Denmark's March" - Jeremiah Clarke
MID-CEREMONY (prayers, after readings, musical interlude, etc.)
"Panis Angelicus" (Bread of Angels) - traditional Gregorian Chant
"Ave Maria" - Bach version
"Ave Maria" - Schubert version
"Arabesque" - Debussy
"O Mio Babbino Caro" - Puccini
RECESSIONAL (the bridal party exit)
"Ode to Joy" - Beethoven
"Spring" from Four Seasons - Vivaldi
"Watermusic / Wasermusik" alla hornpipe - Händel
"Wedding March" from Midsummer Night's Dream - Mendelssohn
Inspired by Pantone's Spring 2012 color report, we assembled this color wheel with ideas for 2012 spring weddings. Here are the details (clockwise, starting from upper left):
PALE LILAC:
dress – ModCloth Here and Wow Dress
sunglasses – Topshop Lilac Chunky Cats Eye Sunglasses
clutch purse – Mar Y Sol Maybelle Crochet Raffia Rose Clutch
CANVASS BEIGE:
little book - Pinhole Press 8-photo Accordion Brag Book
nail polish - Forever 21 Love & Beauty Blush Nail Polish
shoe - Charlotte Russe Blossom Accent Canvas Pump
TANGERINE ORANGE:
clutch - Tiffany & Co. Holly Laurel Clutch
dress - Milly Dress with Cap Sleeve
flower - Calendula
MARGARITA GREEN:
dress - Kay Unger Floral Print Sheath Dress
dinner and cocktail glasses - Nirvana Glassware
GOLDEN YELLOW:
scarf - Forzieri Blooming Roses Printed Silk Square Scarf
shoe - Miz Mooz Yona Wedge Sandal
flower - Clivia
When it comes to envisioning the wedding morning, and all of the elaborate preparations that will go on, we imagine most brides would like their special day to start in a beautiful and relaxing environment. For many that may be their own home, but for others there may be a search involved when it comes to finding the optimal location to get ready.
Trump Hotel
From a photography perspective, we're experts on what makes locations more appealing than others, and we think the best hotel rooms have all or most of the following features:
1. BIG windows. Rooms with grand floor to ceiling windows are optimal, but rooms with many big windows are good too.
2. Good natural light. This inherently comes with big window room, but a room with any windows is better than no windows. Natural light is best for checking your makeup for color and tone accuracy, and most desirable for those fresh face close-up portraits. For the best natural light request a room with north or south facing windows, or optimally a corner suite with windows along two walls.
Dana Hotel
3. White, cream or very lightly warm colored walls. In general light or pastel tones of beige and ambers are best for skin tones. Dark walls in brown, blue or purple are okay, but make rooms very dark. Above all, avoid green painted walls. We love the color light green as much as the next person, especially for wedding colors. However, green walls, especially darker hues, make everyone look sick.
4. Suites or a larger room. If you can swing it, or can get a great deal, try to get the largest room or suite you can afford, especially if you plan on having your bridal party get ready in the same room. No one enjoys getting ready in cramped quarters. Having a comfortable space definitely helps reduce stress.
Sax Hotel
5. Creature comforts. Often hotels are very good at making brides feel like queens for a day by including pampering perks. But even if they do, it is a good idea to bring extra treats if you are planning to have a roomful of ladies getting ready. Champaign, white grape juice, water, fruit, as well as some sweet and salty snacks, or whatever you fancy, is good to have around in order to keep your blood sugar stable and stress levels down.
Sofitel Water Tower
With these criteria in mind, here are some hotels in or near downtown Chicago that offer brides and grooms ultimate spaces for getting ready, and of course also for your wedding night stay. They all have rooms that meet our optimal conditions for lighting and decor for great "getting ready" spaces, and are listed in random order:
Waldorf Astoria Chicago (formally Elysian Chicago)
'Tis the season for engagements, so we thought we would help out by taking a look at some unique rings we've seen recently. Regarding the actual proposal, we really have only one note of advice: don't do it in a super public way (e.g. not center court of NBA basketball game, or any other way where 1000 people are looking at your potential spouse to say "yes.") If you're both ready, there is no bad way to propose, but it should really be a meaningful deeply personal experience, not a public fiasco, err....show. We realize there is this notion where some might think declaring your intentions to the world is a grand gesture, but if you really think about it, your sweetheart only cares that YOU want to get married, and what onlookers think is not important.
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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
