This Bride is a pure vision – of loveliness, grace and timelessness. With her stunning Badgley Mischka gown, chic Chicago setting and her dashing groom, her dream day soiree will easily be just as beautiful one hundred years from now. And thanks to Cristina G Photography all the priceless moments were captured in a way that will easily stand the test of time, and you can see them all right here.
From Cristina G. Photography… Can I just start by telling you how much I love Liz? She is a joy to be around and more than I could ever ask in a client and a bride. The day of her wedding it was cold… really, really cold. Red, runny nose cold… You wouldn’t know that by looking at the pictures. And that’s because Liz knew that these pictures were forever and of all the things she was feeling that day, the cold was the last thing on her mind. Joy and love is what you see. Sunshine and a million amazing pictures! Thank you, Liz for trusting me 110% and just having fun in front of the camera! You will wonder why I am not mentioning Steve. It’s because he was wearing a suit. Kidding. I love them both! We were all a team and it truly shows.
From the Bride… Steve and I met while we were both working in Cleveland– we were law clerks for the same judge. After a few months, we realized that we liked each other and we decided to try dating despite our work situation. The rest is history.
Because my family is from Cincinnati and Steve’s is from Cleveland, we decided to split the difference and have the wedding in Chicago, where we currently live. We picked the first Saturday in 2013 that fell on the 13th, which turned out to be in April, because 13 is my favorite number. Our theme was “spring time in Chicago.” Giving our guests the feeling that they were in the middle of the city was really important to us, so as soon as we stepped inside the Tip Top Tap Ballroom at the Allerton Hotel, which has nearly 360 degree views of downtown Chicago, we knew it was the perfect venue for us. Our colors were gray/silver (my favorite color), green (for spring), and black and white (to coordinate with the color scheme at the Tip Top Tap). We fell in love with Starshaped Press’s City of Big Ornaments collection, and put together save the dates and an invitation suite with a whimsical skyline of Chicago in green against a light gray, textured background. Jennifer Farrell of Starshaped Press graciously allowed us to use the skyline image as our “logo,” and we put it on our ceremony programs, menus, and even on our photobooth strips. Our flowers were primarily bright green and white, reflecting the spring time theme.
Our cake was based on a photo we found online, and it was beautifully interpreted in our color scheme by Laura Perea of Bombon. It was pretty delicious, too! My dress was actually the first one I ever tried on. I loved that it combined elements that normally would be found in different wedding dresses (lace, beading, organza, and ruffles). Our officiant was Judge Helene White, for whom I had worked in Detroit.
Our guests were on the dance floor until the lights went on at around 1:00 a.m., which we consider to be the sign of a successful party. We were beyond thrilled with all of our vendors, and our day could not have gone any better.
Wedding Photography: Cristina G Photography | Wedding Venue: The Allerton Hotel | Wedding Coordination: Soirée Weddings & Events | Floral Design: Stemline Creative | Invitations: Jen Farrell of Starshaped Press | Cake: Bombon | Hair + Make Up: Enrique Enriquez | Wedding Dress: Badgley Mischka via Ultimate Bride | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew | Ceremony Music: Dolce Strings | DJ: Non-Stop Entertainment
Badgley Mischka and J.Crew are members of our Look Book. For more information on how members are chosen, click here.
