I seriously need to be friends with this lovely Chicago bride and groom, because they. are. awesome. They took a simple slogan, “friends, food and music,” and turned it into one of the most amazing days that I have ever seen. I kid you not, I have literally been blown away by the fabulousness that is this wedding. From a Beatles cover band (I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing I think that is) to a circus marching band (ditto), this was one fun and uber-gorgeous soiree. Nika Vaughan was responsible for the bride’s glamorous look (stunning) and we have Free To Be Photography to thank for every brilliant image. Trust me, you don’t want to miss a single minute. See it all here!
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
From the Bride… Carlos and I began planning our May 2011 wedding from a place of wanting to give the world to each other, and like many others, we had limited resources to do so. In having the initial conversations, we decided that the most important thing for us was to simply have a day where we could be around all of our favorite people and for all of us to have a memorable time together. We wanted our loved ones to see the city as we see it, to share the foods that we enjoy, and more importantly, to feel the comfort around their new extended circle in celebrating this important day with us. But we would be fooling ourselves if I left out that I wanted to have gorgeous makeup, Carlos wanted to be GQ-esque from head to toe, and we both wanted our day to be captured in amazing pictures to cherish in the days to come.
So, how do we balance the more meaningful aspects of a wedding with the relatively “little” things? With perspective, prioritizing, and with remembering that while it is an important milestone – in the end, it is essentially one big awesome theme party (with the theme being our union). In my experience, all that a good party needs is a little bit of planning (maybe a little bit of unpredictability), and a whole lot of friends, food, and music. In my case: our family and close friends were our party crowd, tapas and amazing desserts were our food choice, and a marching circus band procession and our Beatles cover band (My wedding surprise gift to my husband – yay!) were our music. “Friends, food, and music” sounds deceptively simple, but I stand by that.
Wedding Photography: Free To Be Photography / Make-up: Nika Vaughan / Hair: May Mey Seto (Sister of the Bride) / Bouquets: DIY / Boutonnieres: Marcel Florist and Garden / Event Design + Planning: The Bride + Groom / Day of Wedding Coordinator: Allie House of Wedding Now / Reception Music: The Cavern Beat / Wedding March: Environmental Encroachment / Ceremony + Cocktail Music: iPod Playlist / Ceremony Location: Mars Gallery / Reception Location + Catering: Cafe Iberico / Invitations: e.m. papers + Alphagraphics in Chicago (printing) / Bride’s Shoes: Poetic License via Nordstrom Rack / Wedding Dress: J.Crew / Veil: A Joyful Occasion / Jewelry: Nadri via Bloomingdales / Bridesmaid Dresses: Ideeli / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew / Photo Booth: Magnolia Photobooth / Cocktail Catering: Vanille Patisserie / Wedding Cake: Bittersweet Pastry Shop + Cafe / Officiant: Rev. Anne Styx
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How wonderful to see this! It never gets old to see how couples have used my invitations, and this lovely pair did a beautiful job with the bluebell set :-)
If anyone is interested, I have a giveaway going until the end of the month: http://www.empapers.com/august-giveaway
Thanks so much SMP Illinois for giving me a heads up!
Wow the groom's boutonniere is so colorful! The whimsical cake is very fun!
I LOVE the fabric flowers you used to line the aisle. anyone have a tutorial of something similar? I've seen other, but the way these are folded so simply is really pretty
This was such a creative and well planned out budgeted wedding. Congrats to the bride and goom!!! Awesome pictures.
Allie, you did another fantastic job! Looks like there was plenty of fun things to plan and coordinate! Beautiful wedding!
Sauming and Carlos were such a joy to work with. I am so lucky to be able to share in the beauty of such personal days with so many couples. I love knowing that I give the couple peace of mind on their wedding day. Congratulations again to Sauming and Carlos.
If you are in need of help to coordinate your wedding day or know someone who is I would love to hear from you. Check out http://www.weddingnowchicago.com/ for details on our packages!
This couple was SO lovely to work with, and genuinely down to earth. And we're so excited to be featured on Style Me Pretty!! Thanks for all the sweet comments on our photos! <3 Free To Be
This is quite darling! I love that this couple wasn't afraid to use a splashy BLUE in their nuptuals! And his boutonniere? Gorgeous.