Every once in awhile, we ~ the editors at Style Me Pretty ~ get up on our grandstand to applaud the fantastic cinematographers in our Little Black Book. And this month ~ the MONTH of November ~ that’s just what we’re going to do!! Each day at 3:00p (CST), we’re going to publish a short film ~ a trailer, a highlight, a same-day-edit. We implore you to take 5 minutes out of your hectic schedules to sit back and relax and experience the feelings of love and friendship and excitement of your fellow-brides’ glorious wedding days!
Some will make you laugh. Some will make you cry. But we guarantee, they will all warm your heart and make you oh-so-excited thinking of your own wedding! Please-please-please let this fabulous group of artisans know how much you appreciate their talents! (i.e., appreciate = comments!)
We are so excited to begin our November Wedding FilmFest with this spectacular Russian wedding from Life Stage Films!
From Life Stage Films … Elana and Eric found us on Google! They fell in love with our films and asked us to fly to Chicago for their wedding. Theirs was the first Russian wedding we had filmed and now, we have firmly established that they are the masters of partying! Everything was PERFECT for their wedding … the city, the weather, the ceremony AND the celebration! Oh, and you should know ~ Eric designed Elana’s rings and the tuxedos! All-in-all their wedding was extravagant and amazing and one to be enjoyed for a very, very long time to come. Enjoy!
Venue/Catering : Elysian Hotel / Entertainment: Marat – MC Extraordinaire / Photos: Alex Goykhman / Florist & Decor: Erin McDonald from Heffernan Morgan Designs / Custom tuxedos and accessories: Eric Kipp Custom Clothiers / Dance instruction: Jessica Owen, Arthur Murray Chicago
From the bride … We had so many favorite and memorable parts of our wedding day!
- When Eric and I saw each other all dolled up for the first time during our big reveal and when we arrived at the Elysian (our wedding venue) in a horse-drawn carriage. Matt and Melissa did such an amazing job capturing these moments!
- Matt’s amazing same-day edit, which we watched through a crack in the door, since we were hiding in the hallway before our official introduction as husband and wife.
- Our first dance, for which I changed into a custom-made Latin ballroom costume. Eric and I worked so hard to learn an amazing, choreographed routine for our first dance and we didn’t want our hard work getting lost under my wedding dress! When the music started, Eric came out on the dance floor alone and I made my entrance a few moments later. Our guests were completely shocked by my costume change and the intricate routine–everyone said we belonged on Dancing With the Stars! Our friends, family members and co-workers are still talking about our first dance!
- We really wanted our family members involved in the wedding as much as possible. The Elysian was so kind as to bring in a baby grand piano so that my mother, who is a concert-level pianist, could play for our guests. To make the moment even more special, our photographer put up a slide show of photos from the wedding day on the flat screen TVs we installed in the space. Everyone was so surprised to see photos that were taken just moments before and truly enjoyed the live piano accompaniment.
- A few months before our wedding, my Russian-speaking grandma took over the Elysian kitchen and taught the 5-star chefs there how to make her signature fish dish. Grandma is still talking about the experience, saying it was one of the best days of her life!
- The food was a big highlight for us and we spent many hours working with the chefs to create a custom menu. We served our guests 12 unique, Russian-inspired courses, plus wedding cake and dessert table. We also flew in 10 lbs of caviar to top off dinner.
We also learned so much during our wedding! A little advice to couples planning their wedding ~
- Lighting adds so much to even the most beautiful space. We used a combination of uplights and intelligent lights during our ceremony and rehearsal, which allowed us to change the color scheme throughout the evening. With the colors changing constantly, the venue felt new and fresh throughout the evening.
- We had a jam-packed schedule during the reception, including giving grandparents and the entire bridal party time to make a toast. This kept guests interested throughout the evening.
- I highly recommend hiring a same-day coordinator. I didn’t do this and really wish I did!
- Spend extra on a great videographer and photographer. The day goes by so quickly–make sure you capture every special moment with a great team!
- Call every vendor a few days before to confirm when they will arrive. The one vendor I didn’t call was nearly 2 hours late, which drastically cut into our photo time.
- Make sure to remind guests to turn off their cell phones before the ceremony. Also, consider asking for no flash photography.