WEDDING SERVICES - VENUE - PHOTOGRAPHY - ELOPEMENTS - ALBUMS
Vicky and David love books, and apparently so does the gray cat that hangs out at the vintage and used bookstore where we had their engagement session.
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These are some framing ideas we had that were inspired by the rustic wood bookshelves and ladders that were in the shop.
The landmark Chicago Cultural Center is where Lauren and Jonah held their summer evening wedding and reception. It was a cocktail style affair with diverse international cuisine, ice-cream sandwich treats, and formal ballroom dancing, with the bride's brother even giving guests impromptu dance lessions!
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Sometimes we take for granted how lucky we are to have a public lakeshore in Chicago. It is no wonder why it is such a popular location for portraits, but we were extra lucky to run into these guys "taking the plunge" into Lake Michigan, which was a nice visual metaphor for Wendy and Neil's engagement portrait session.
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Confused about the differences between matted, flush mount and digital albums? We see a lot of questions out there about the different binding styles primarily used by wedding photographers, so we provided some discriptions on our albums and display site Creativo Couture.
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:
While we predicted seeing a lot of pinks in 2011 wedding trends, we were pleasantly surprised to see actress Reese Witherspoon choose a pink wedding dress by designer Monique Lhuiller for her wedding on March 26. Known for elegant lacey gowns, Lhuillier has rivaled Vera Wang as a designer-of-choice among celebrity brides including Alicia Silverstone, Britney Spears, Pink, Jewel, Carrie Underwood and many others. And, this isn't the first time Lhuillier has raised eyebrows with pink and pastel hues:
Here are some of Wedding Creativo's brides pink inspirations at Chicago weddings:
Many couples already have their domestic essentials, but still need the support of family and friends after the wedding. Here are several suggestions for alternative registries and gift ideas for modern newlyweds that don't need another toaster or crock pot.
Cultural / Entertainment:
Chicago Art Institute of Chicago Gift Membership
Steppenwolf Theater Gift Certificate
Chicago Theater / Broadway in Chicago Gift Certificate
Food and Drink:
Chicago's own Foodie Registry
Honeymoon:
Charitable Giving:
Green / Environmental / Sustainable / Free Trade Registries:
The Other Green -- Cash:
Real Estate:
Wellness / Health / Sports:
Home Improvement / Gadgets:
Sharper Image Gift Certificate
Books:
--> See more pictures from this Michigan barn wedding in the Featured Weddings on our photography website.
When Chad and Kate first contacted us they were living in South Korea. We could hardly imagine how in the world this Indiana guy and Virginia gal ever found us, much less that we would be fortunate enough to join them for their destination wedding at a flower farm in northern Michigan.
They are both amazingly talented and creative people, Kate in visual arts and Chad with music, and they brought so much of who they are into their wedding plans. Field of Flowers Farm in Lake Leelanau was chosen as the venue not only for its beauty and unique appeal, but also because it was located next to the town of Leland where Kate's family spent many summer vacations. It is indeed a beautiful part of the state with several small lakes dotted along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan. The whole county seems to be dedicated to the recreational enjoyments of vintage Americana: drinking lemonade on the porch, boating late into summer's twilight nights, and playing old-fashioned backyard games of croquet and bean bags...all while being surrounded by cherry farms and wine vineyards.
Since they were planning their wedding literally from the other side of the world, the bride and groom were lucky to have such great family and friends to help out. Chad designed their wedding blog, and along with the help of Kate's mother, made the invitations. Bridesmaid Casey did a fantastic job with hair and makeup. The groom's talented friends, David, Megan, Partrick and Emily performed the ceremony music, and Chad and his friends also performed a barbershop quartet birthday serenade during the reception.
The fashions were summer vintage styles befitting the relaxed outdoor farm wedding ambiance. The bride wore an adorable vintage short dress that she spotted at Bygones Vintage Store and had reconstructed by Charla Bjostad at Pleiadz Bridal Design in Richmond, Virginia. For the bridal party, it was a J Crew affair, with the ladies in light gray knee-length dresses and the guys in cool seersucker suits and blue Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers. Oh, and our favorite accessory was the bride's heart-shaped sunglasses.
For professional planning help, they called on Kris Rundblad and team at Merry Makers, with the delicious dinner by Grandview Catering, handmade vintage-style cakes by Robin Smith's One of a Kind Edible Art, and barn decor and flowers by the venue owner Christina Pfeufer. Clay Macauley officiated the ceremony and Sound Productions DJ rocked the dance floor.
It was a wonderful wedding and we would highly encourage Chicago area couples to consider regional destination weddings at the farms, wine vineyards and cozy lakeshore small towns around our Midwest region.
Chicago couple Jennifer and James are amazing people with adventurous souls. We were incredibly fortunate to join them for their destination wedding in Peru, and are excited about the double volume wedding albums we recently made with them to commemorate their spectacular celebration. 
Here are highlights from Jennifer and James Peru wedding weekend:
Elizabeth Taylor passed away today, and in tribute to her as an iconic Hollywood legend, I thought it would be a fitting to remember her signature simmering style. After all, there are few who can match her experience with wearing wedding dresses, and she always had a lot to offer when it came to diverse sensual styles. Taylor's first husband was Conrad Hilton Jr., and I'm pretty convinced Liz defined what it meant to be "hot" way before Hilton's great-neice Paris started using it as her favorite adjective.
MGM - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Paramount Pictures - A Place in the Sun
Underwood + Underwood/CORBIS
Wedding Creativo Photography had so much fun with all of the folks that came out to the wonderful Indie Wed show. Our "buona fortuna" booth theme was inspired by Venice Carnivale and a deck of fifteenth century Italian tarot cards that we have. We passed out our own "buona fortuna" (good luck) fortune cards that were hanging on our fortune tree, and were very inspired to hear about all of the cool plans couples are coming up with for their weddings. Our masked bride wore a beautiful gown by Alice Padrul Bridal Couture.
Philippe and Rebecca have a great location for their wedding this fall at a place that is in the heart of the city, yet surrounded by trees and nature. We enjoyed making their Save the Date card with lovely autumnal elements and a look that also coordinates well with their own wedding website.
Guests often appreciate a special treat waiting for them on reception dinner tables. There are many kinds of favors that can be given to guests, but here are a few sweet ideas to also say "thank you" with your guest gifts.
These chocolate chip cookies have golden thanks across the bottom side layer of chocolate. If you prefer something a little more formal, the message can be in the form of a chocolate greeting card.
A personalized message is always a nice touch, and here are a couple ways to incorporate your thank you message, along with your names and wedding date with fortune cookies, personalized M&Ms or other chocolate candies.
While we always encourage couples to follow their hearts over trends when it comes to making wedding planning decisions, it doesn't hurt to see if some of the popular trends offer something to compliment your own great ideas.
Here is the buzz on five trends we think will be spotted at weddings in 2011.
1. Hot pink hues in honeysuckle, hibiscus, and fuchsia will keep fashions and themes flushed with bold and bright color.
2. Along with the fashion colors, it is likely that actual honeysuckle, hibiscus and peony flowers will also be prevalent in bouquets and decor.
3. Large flowers are making more appearances as single-flower "bouquets." Big blooms such as a stargazer lily
4. Grays have been making a strong appearance in bridesmaid dresses
5. With the entire last century as inspiration, it is no wonder that vintage wedding styles have been so strong over the last few years. With the popularity of the hit TV show Boardwalk Empire
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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Kalimba
Congratulations to Rebecca and Philippe. We had a fun holiday season engagement session and are looking forward to their wedding in October.
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How could anyone turn down a marriage proposal while sharing ice-cream? Well, that's exactly how clever groom Aaron sweet-talked his bride Melissa when he popped the question at Jeni's, one of their favorite ice-cream shops near the groom's family home in Columbus, Ohio. He actually had the shop put a sign in the ice-cream cooler window with a special "flavor" to hopefully catch his sweetheart's attention with a proposal written in the description! The couple used this moment as inspiration for their wedding theme and table cards, which were all named after many famous ice-cream shops that they have visited.
Morning preparations and "first-see" were at the InterContinental hotel on Michigan Ave. The early afternoon wedding was held in the outdoor courtyard at Galleria Marchetti, with reception under the adjoining pavilion. The wedding was administered by Rabbi Bruce Elder as Moeller Music performed the ceremonial score.
The couple's dog was all smiles as he trotted down the isle to start the processional. The bridesmaids dresses by Alfred Sung provided a purple punch of color before Melissa made her grand entrance in a Mauel Mota Pronovias gown. Brittany from Robert Jeffery Salon gave the bride a breezy summer look with a stunning hairpin to pull back the brides lovely locks, and compliment her contemporary laid back summer style.
At the reception the guests were treated to ice-cream sundaes and cupcakes by Lucious Layers, sweet floral arrangements by Mille Fiori, and lively music from Style Matters dj Spencer.
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Inspired Finds:
Angry Ice Cream Cufflinks
Thanks to all of our 2010 newlyweds for a wonderful year filled with magic moments. We still have about half of our weddings from this year yet to feature on the blog, so please stay tuned over the winter to see lots more about our couples and their great weddings.
Wishing everyone all the best for the new year.
- Sarah & Giorgio
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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.
So, what do you do when your wedding day lands on the hottest, most humid, stormy day of the year? You have fun!
Wendy and Neil were as prepared as they could have been for their July wedding, with cute parasols, fans, and, of course, lots of water on hand for their outdoor ceremony at Promontory Point along Chicago's lakeshore. Despite temperatures soaring over 100, and thunderstorms rolling through, the bride and groom (and their guests!) did not let anything dampen their happy celebration.
The bride got ready with her mom and the gals at Hotel Raffaello with Bridal Beauty Chicago doing hair and makeup. Wendy spotted the perfect gown at Here Comes the Bride in Addison, and selected a beautiful Mori Lee design. The bridesmaids wore knee-length blue Dessy dresses and groomsmen wore beige J. Crew summer suits. The wedding rings were perfectly cut by Hearts On Fire, and the bride's floral accented shoes were by Nina.
The reception dinner was inside the Promontory Point Chicago Park District building, with a tent adjacent outside for additional dance floor, bar, and photo booth space. The groom's Italian family heritage provided inspiration for a Tuscany theme, with the couple going with vibrant orange and blue hues for their wedding colors. The tables were accented with red-orange and yellow fresh tomatoes, Italian breadsticks, and candle lanterns. A framed old-world map covered a table for place cards, home-made cookies, and Cake Girls wedding cake. Oh, I can't forget, the Tuscan cinghiale (wild boar) pasta by Wolfgang Puck Catering was some of the best Giorgio and I have ever tasted!
Towards the end of the evening, the groom and his buddies had the ultimate solution to the hottest wedding day of the year....a jump in the lake!
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