Good morning and a happy Friday to you, SMPers! If you are looking for a lovely affair to keep you swooning through the weekend, then you most certainly came to the right place. Yes, this stunning Chicago soiree is delivering all kinds of swoon-worthy details and then some, including a lovely purple color palette, beautiful blooms by The Wishing Well Florist and a breathtaking reception space. And with Wes Craft of Modern Image Studios on hand to capture all of the pretty, it’s the perfect way to start your day. Click here for more.
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From the Bride… Ever since I was a little girl, I envisioned being married in a castle in Ireland. When I got engaged, a destination wedding in Ireland was completely out of the budget, so for me, the next best thing was getting married in my home town of Chicago. My husband is from small town Ohio but has come to love the city of Chicago as I do. I knew I wanted the feeling of the wedding to be very ethereal, romantic, and vintage with influences of the Medieval and Renaissance eras. We started to visit reception venues and when we walked into Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center we were in awe. I actually had goose bumps as we walked throughout the hall. The architecture is absolutely stunning with marble mosaics, gorgeous light fixtures, and the most breathtaking Tiffany glass dome, the largest in the world! The extra large windows looked out onto the most gorgeous view of Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park. We were sold at that very moment!
We had our ceremony at my church and kept the decor very romantic with hurricane candle holders set on each pew along with bunches of lavender. I wanted to include my Irish heritage in both the ceremony and reception so we had Celtic inspired programs and a bagpiper lead us out of the church. We had guests throw lavender buds at we exited the church which was quite lovely especially with the scent of lavender blowing through the air. Believe it or not, this wedding wasn’t only about me! We chose a Trolley company that had green and yellow trolleys as an ode to my husband’s grandfather. He had owned a John Deere Dealership for quite some time where most the men in the family had worked so we wanted to honor him and the company. For the reception, I knew I wanted to go light on décor and table centerpieces since Preston Bradley Hall is filled with so many intricate details. I didn’t want anything to take away from the natural beauty of the hall. My florist took the lavender from the church and created centerpieces with lavender and hydrangeas.
I grew up Irish dancing with my three sisters so of course we had a special performance for our guests that included our bagpiper and Irish step dancers kicking off the party. I was so happy that I was able to share such a historic building in Chicago with husband’s family and our guests and also share a part of my heritage by having the sounds of the bagpipe waft throughout Preston Bradley Hall as the Irish dancers kicked their legs into the air. Not to mention, dancing with my husband under the Tiffany glass dome was magical!
I am also proud to say that I bought my dress at Brides Against Breast Cancer at their yearly event in Chicago. The dress was made in Italy by Galizia Spose. All proceeds from the dresses bought at the event go to women with Stage 4 Breast Cancer. It was so meaningful to look at myself in that dress on my wedding day and know that it wasn’t just special to me but that it made a positive impact on another woman’s life as well.
Photographer: Wes Craft of Modern Image Studios / Wedding Venue: The Chicago Cultural Center / Caterer: Jewell Events Catering / Florist: The Wishing Well Florist / Wedding Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas / Bride’s Dress: Galizia Spose via Brides Against Breast Cancer / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale via Bella Bridesmaid Chicago / Bride’s Makeup Artist: Marla Del Angel / Bride’s Jewelry: Tejani + Etsy
The bride has BEAUTIFUL eyes!
It's a real honor to finally have my work published on one of my favorite blogs. If anyone wants to find me, I'm no longer with Modern Image Studios but my wife and I have launched our own boutique Wes Craft Weddings.
Modern Image Studios works hard to maintain many award winning photographers for our brides. That is what separates us from the others. If you are looking for outstanding photography and videography Modern Image should be high on your list to check out before you make any decisions. No matter what type of event you are planning from simple to elaborate Modern Image has what you need.
See us on the web at www.modernimagestudios.com or give us a call 800-977-8863.
The Chicago Cultural Center keeps coming up as a great wedding venue. Nice work!
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