Kara Underwood Gordon, LBB member and owner of Magnificent Milestones has shared some photos from her own September wedding and we know you’re going to love it!
Kara and Michael went to great lengths to combine their individual personalities and their common Irish heritage into one gorgeous event. They were married at The Ivy Room, a wonderful spot in downtown Chicago for an indoor OR outdoor wedding. As you peruse the photos, keep in mind that Kara designed all the invitations and other paper pieces used throughout the day!
How clever is this program? Here’s a little info from Kara …
We all got ready for the wedding at The James Hotel. Beauty On Call did everyone’s hair and makeup. It was so fun … Champagne was flowing! My bouquet was made of lady slipper, yellow and green cymbidium orchids. The boutonnieres also were made of lady slippers. Michael’s last name is Gordon and he was able to find the Gordon tartan plaid for his bowtie!
Our wedding reception was fairly formal, but I didn’t want it to be stuffy. So instead of using the navy and yellow (our wedding colors) and a bunch of fluff for the cocktail hour, we used only white, yellow & green, had comfy vignettes, tubs of beer and bag games welcoming the guests. The Irish horsd’œuvres consisted of corn beef sandwiches served atop of a mini Guinness, salmon lollipops, Sheppard’s pie, fish and chips and more. It went over well!
Kara’s beautiful gown was custom-designed by VWIDON in Chicago. Jewelry was designed by Amy Draper and hair flower is by Erin Lindsay Janish. Both the hair flower and jewelry are available at Smitten Boutique ~ where Magnificent Milestones calls home. Bridesmaids Dresses are by Priscilla of Boston.
Now ~ on to the spectacular reception!
from Kara …
The reception was filled with high & low centerpieces of yellow, white and green. The curtains, the mirrored bar and mirrored DJ table, damask navy linens, ghost chairs, pinspot & textured wash lighting and the chandelier fixture was added to the space to give it some additional character.
Invitations, table cards, menu … all paper pieces designed by Kara and printed by Real Card Studio.
Their gorgeous cake was from Take The Cake and stunning floral designs by Kehoe Designs.
Covers from the lost magazine The Chicagoan were used for Kara and Michael’s guest book. Another really clever idea.
Kara and Michael also had some pretty great Late Night Snacks … More than anything, I have a huge sweet tooth … so instead of burgers and fries for the late night indulgence (as many couples are doing), we opted for “brownie burgers!” The brainchild of our fabulous caterers Entertaining Company, in Chicago, the brownie burgers were a tremendous hit!
Assembly of a Brownie Burger …
Use pancakes for the “bun”. The brownie is the patty. Condiments for the burger include Pomegranate Jelly (no ketchup on these babies) and White Chocolate (subs for Mayo). But what’s a burger without fries? Shortbread cookies are the obvious stand-in for fries. Very, very modern twist on an age-old favorite!
Congratulations to Kara and Michael on a fabulous Chicago wedding ~ so many well-thought out details! Just gorgeous!! Thanks SO much for sharing!