Illinois Weddings

This classic Chicago wedding with hints of vintage is so up my alley, you have no idea. The brooches, the slate grey bridesmaid dresses and don’t even think about overlooking those music sheet confetti cones.  I am in love with them! There’s a reason why I love featuring vintage-inspired weddings – They’re typically the perfect combination of gorgeous and timeless.  And this wedding is the epitome of both those things.  It’s divine! Head over to the gallery for the full wedding and more of those perfect vintage details.

xoxo Chantale from La Belle Bride

{click here for the FULL wedding gallery}

Here’s Loren and Mathieu’s story as told by Loren:

When my husband and I got engaged, we knew right away we would hold the wedding celebration in Chicago. Five years ago, we met in Chicago – aside from it being my hometown, it is a beautiful city with centuries of history, classic architecture and vibrant culture. We both knew the ceremony & reception locations of our wedding would be show off some of Chicago’s richest historical buildings (well-known and not-so well-known). For our ceremony, we chose a 100-year-old church in the upcoming Logan Square neighborhood. The reception was held at The Tower Club, a lunch-club on the 39th Floor of the Chicago Lyric Opera House. My dress, hair and jewelry were inspired by the 1950’s trends (or what you would now call vintage). Since our wedding would have a traditional feel & vintage flair, I kept the color palate of the bridesmaids dresses neutral. The dresses were a perfect shape (complete with pockets) and a cool, slate gray color. The groomsmen wore traditional black tuxedos with white shirts and black vests and ties. The flowers were classic and simple. Since it can and does snow in Chicago during the month of April, I decided not to go with fragile spring/summer flowers like peonies and instead opted for ivory roses and hydrangea. The hydrangea added lots of texture and classic elegance to the floral bouquets. My bouquet was ivory roses and ivory hydrangea – my bridesmaids bouquets were ivory roses and green hydrangea, which matched beautifully with their slate gray dresses.

Most of the wedding decor was DIY.  My mom, sister and I got really crafty!  The confetti cones were made out of vintage music sheets and secured with a black bow.   To cut down on flower costs, which can get very expensive, we decided to add to the existing vintage-feel of the Tower Club and opt for all-candle centerpieces.  The candles were held in vignettes of vintage glass, all purchased from re-sale stores whose proceeds benefit charities across the Chicago area.  For the table numbers, we had a friend take pictures of us holding up the numbers.  We then framed the pictures and propped them against the glass vignettes.  It was a unique way to play-up my love of photography! Our invitations and programs were purchased from Etsy. The design was simple and clean with classic cursive and neutral colors. My ring bearer pillow was also a great Etsy purchase. I found these great signs that say “Mr” & “Mrs”. I ended up purchasing signs that were in French (“Monsieur” & “Madame”) which was so special since my husband is from Montreal. The tangible object that was themed throughout the wedding were the vintage brooches that were on the cake, my bouquet and my maid of honor’s bouquet, and my mom and my mother-in-law wore one as well. I have always loved ornate silver brooches and this was a great way to display the elegance I was looking for. As for photography, we visited some great Chicago landmarks (including Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and the Great Hall at Union Station). This was a lot of stops for the bridal party but the pictures were completely worth it. These will serve as wonderful memories of the beautiful city where we fell in love!

Photography: Cathy Sunu Photography / Flowers: Ashland-Addison Florist / Ceremony Location: St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square / Reception Location: The Tower Club Chicago / Invitations: Whimsical Prints / Shoes: Colorful Creations / Hair: TRIO Salon Chicago / Makeup: Alaina Paul / Cake: Toni Sweets, Hinsdale

I kind of want to marry this next little wedding. It’s so charming, so filled-to-the-brim with personality, I can hardly stand it. From the PING PONG TABLE (yep, I put that in all caps because I am seriously obsessed with this idea…not to mention, I can play a mean game of ping pong) to the sweet, simple flowers and the gorgeous gown the bride is rocking with the best of ’em. All in all, this is an SMP wedding right out of my dreams.

Therese and Dan put their personal stamp on their event and incorporated a lot of their personalities! Therese, a schoolteacher used chalkboards as signage. An artistic friend gave them portraits as a wedding gift which were displayed on the entrance table. Since the groom is a musician, they created a “His & Hers” mix for all their guests as a favor.

After exchanging vows in front of friends, family and honorary groomsman “Oskar” – their cute little pooch, guests enjoyed signature lemonades and mojitos on the patio while enjoying something one of the bride and groom’s favorites… ping pong! Leave it to Therese to paint the table yellow so it went with her design theme!

To give the gallery-like space a warm vintage touch, Kelly from Fleur collected vintage milk glass containers to showcase the centerpieces of peony, ranunculus, billy balls and summer accents. Anchoring the look were runners cut from wallpaper strips featuring the brides signature shade of gold. Sprigs of rosemary tucked into the menus and a collection of mercury glass votives finished the look for the long feasting tables.

Guests enjoyed a 4 course sit down meal by Berghoff starting with a beet tower with sweet corn bisque appetizer course. Guests enjoyed sweets supplied by the bride’s aunt for dessert as well as the big surprise: Coldstone ice cream brought in all the fixings for a make it yourself ice cream station. Guests danced the night away to tunes spun by Toast and Jam DJ’s of Chicago and enjoyed their photo booth by Magbooths.

Event Design, Planning & Coordination: LOLA Event Productions / Venue: Prairie Production / Floral: Fleur / Catering: Berghoff /Hair & Makeup: Sonia Roselli / Video: Studio This Is / DJ: Toast & Jam / Photo Booth: Magbooths / DIY: Invitations, menus, chalk board seating chart, CD “his and hers” playlist favors, table numbers & of course the yellow ping pong table!

Next up we have a fabulously chic Chicago wedding captured by Jeffrey and Julia Woods. We first fell in love with the bride and groom right here on the LBB and we could not be more excited to show off their modern spring I-do’s. Designed and coordinated by the very talented Renny Pedersen of Bliss Weddings & Events we’re loving the contemporary styling and flawless fresh details. If this is just the kind of sleek, sophisticated affair you’ve been wanting jump right over here to see the rest of this beautiful bash.

{You can see even more of this stunning wedding right here in the galleries}

From the bride, Corinne…

Our wedding day was amazing!!!  I never saw or heard of any glitches- it was everything I ever wanted- total perfection in my eyes (probably because my wedding planner, Renny, did such a fantastic job!).  We planned the wedding from afar, so we relied heavily on Renny and she far surpassed any expectation or hope that I had.

Chuck and I got married in Chicago- our favorite city.  We stayed at the Elysian.  It is such a romantic hotel, so when I woke up on Saturday to start getting ready, the tone was already set for the day.  We had both our ceremony and reception at our venue, the Chicago Illuminating Company. It is a modern, loft-ish, blank canvas with espresso colored hardwood floors, white walls with high ceilings.  The venue seemed the most “us”- rather than a museum or country club- but still showcased Chicago (the outdoor courtyard is one of Al Capone’s old stomping grounds).  We chose to use all white flowers (peonies, roses, ranunculus, hydrangea, etc) and bring in pops of color- cornflower blue and graphite- with custom fabric draping and table linens.  We had a custom floral monogram at the altar, which I think really set the stage perfectly.  I guess you could say that we had 2 different themes for the wedding- we wanted the ceremony to be traditional and have somewhat of a serious and romantic tone, and the reception to be a PARTY!

Ceremony- My father walked me down the aisle, I am a daddy’s girl and his baby of 5 girls, so it was emotional.  We hired a string trio to play during the ceremony and cocktail hour- they were fantastic.  One unique element we decided to add to the ceremony was to include a love box.  In this box we placed a bottle of wine (from a vineyard in California where we visited on the day Chuck proposed) and all of the cards and letters we had written to each other up until our wedding day.  We locked the box during the ceremony, and it is only to be opened if ever we find ourselves at a point where we are considering giving up.  We would then open the box, drink the wine, and read all of our love letters in hopes that it would remind us of our wedding day, our vows, and renew our love.  Hopefully we will never need to open it!

Reception- The goal of the reception was for everyone to have a blast!  We had an awesome DJ that got everyone on the dance floor.  Chuck and I met in Orlando where we had several of our first dates Samba Room over mojitos (my favorite drink), so we had included made-to-order mojitos with the open bar.  The food was shockingly great, and the cake- OMG!  We chose to do a small tier for us to cut and then individual mini cakes for everyone to enjoy.  I only wish I had more cake than the small bite that Chuck fed me!

We ended the reception with a sparkler sendoff- perfect way to cap off the day!

Photographer: Jeffrey and Julia Woods / Venue:  Chicago Illuminating Company / Wedding Planner: Renny Pederson, Bliss Weddings & Events

A few weeks ago, Abby featured one of Joe Cogliandro’s destination weddings in Puerto Vallarta that had some seriously stunning imagery.  With all of his shoots, Joe literally has this uncanny command of the surroundings! Case in point … this Chicago engagement shoot!

Although Joe and Marco are based in Houston and Miami, they do a LOT of destination work. Take a look at their blog and website and you’ll see some of the most astonishing scenarios!

This particular couple ~ Sonal and Mehul ~ wanted Chicago to be the theme and backdrop for their e*shoot because it played such a huge role in their relationship. Joe says that they focused on being sure you could actually “feel” Chicago in a lot of their shots!

These next three are simply incredible …

The vibrancy and emotion in all of the images will blow me away!

Joe also recently shared a very intimate wedding from the islands of Turks and Caicos ~ just the bride & groom, 3 guests and Joe’s team!

a bit of the story from Joe …

Xochy and Todd decided to have a small intimate wedding in Grace Bay in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a few weeks before their larger State Side wedding. With 3 guests, themselves, and our team, we had a a wonderful shoot that allowed us to get some amazing stuff all over the Island. More of a Destination Session for us than covering an event, it provided Xochy and Todd an opportunity to relax and enjoy the beautiful island.

u n b e l i e v a b l e ! ?!

I could probably go on and on and on all day about how amazing Joe’s photography is …

… but there simply aren’t enough adjectives …

J. Cogliandro Photography is based in Houston and Miami but travel extensively throughout the year. If you love their style as much as we do, definitely take a look at more of their work over on the website and blog!

Here are a few of our favorite Houston-area photo shoots! Doesn’t matter what they do … it’s all pretty spectacular!

Tara and Jordan

Lacy and Joel

Giving Back ~ Spectrum of Hope

Houston Baby Photography

We love it when we are allowed to have a peek into the extracurricular activities of our LBB photographers. Be it family shoots or travels or the latest and greatest from their professional awards.  Today, we have something totally out of the ordinary. Julia & Jeffrey Woods are sharing a few of the images from a book on floral design to be published later on this year written from Heaven on Earth Floral and Design.

Jeff and Julia are behind some of our all time favorite weddings on SMP like this amazing Chicago wedding, this awesome poolside e-session and this totally whimsical but ridiculously elegant affair. So it wasn’t terribly surprising that they snapped SUCH gorgeous photographs for this shoot, but we have to say…their vintage photography paired with the insanely gorgeous flowers. It’s almost too much to bear!

Make sure to check out Jeffrey and Julia’s blog when you are need of some serious eye candy!

Do you know how ~ when you’re at a movie and it’s really spellbinding … and toward the end you become totally mesmerized ~ waiting.  And then there’s a crescendo that builds higher and higher until the final moment. You are full of emotion and drained of emotion. You just sit there. The entire theatre is quiet. No one moves. Everyone is wrapped up in their own thoughts while the impact of the ending soaks in.

That’s what Michelle and Michael’s Black Label film from Jeffrey and Julia Woods is like. Together with Andy Jackson at Portal Films, they are creating masterpieces. Seriously.

The images that you are seeing here, are integrated and melded seamlessly into a film that will tell you the story behind each photo.

It’s very clever. Very artistic. Totally memorable.

The film is 10 minutes long. It is worth each and every second of your time …

Jeff & Julia Woods and Andy Jackson of Portal Films are wedding artists that travel everywhere … to capture your wedding with painstaking detail and vivid emotion!

Good Morning 2010! Wow … it’s hard to believe we’re in a new decade. And while the technology of wedding documentation has grown by leaps and bounds, we find ourselves appreciating the older artistic styles of the past even more now than we did back then!  We’ve shown you several examples this week of the Super 8 style of cinematographry that has become popular with brides and grooms. Today, we’d like to show you a film produced by Andy Jackson of Portal Films and Jeffrey & Julia Woods Photography. It’s called their Black Label and combines the rich portraiture and journalistic photography of the Woods’ with classic vintage-styled filming from Andy Jackson.

A description of the Black Label product from Jeffrey Woods …

We feel that this new visual ~ our Black Label ~ creates greater documentation of your wedding day. It tells a different story that you just can’t get from still images alone. It allows you to see what goes on behind the scenes of those images and enhances those relationships that mean everything to you as a bride and groom. This combination of still images and Super 8 filming provides a holistic documentation merging the two mediums together to produce something vintage and chic. It goes beyond the ordinary.

This film is about 6 minutes. Please press play and then pause and allow the film to load in the background. Then press play again for a much smoother playback. While the film is loading, take a peek back in time to the original feature on Ashley & Andrew’s wedding. Their classic, elegant wedding in Peoria was the essence of beauty.

You WILL enjoy this Black Label style ~ it’s the best of both worlds!

Stunning, right?

Oh … and Happy New Year to all of you!!!!

Today we’re doing the Style Me Pretty version of the year end countdown. Nothing official, no top 10 lists, no best-of’s, just weddings we loved from around the web. Any style, any blog… SMP staff picked their favorites and we brought them by to tell us what caught their eye about each affair.

From advertising guru (and beautiful bride-to-be), Libby…

When Abby asked us to choose our favorite wedding of the year, I knew exactly which blog I was headed to! A few days prior, I had bookmarked Annie and Josh’s wedding and filed it in my personal wedding folder for, “Wedding Hair Ideas.” Honestly though, how amazing is Annie’s vintage hairstyle by Tigerlilie Salon? And her dress? And her shoes?

Although I don’t know the bride and groom personally, I wish I had been on the guest list for this wedding. According to Cathy and David, the Annie and Josh were a joy to work with and had a very well planned out vision for their day. These ideas included, “Chandeliers, vintage hairstyles, black floor-length gowns, a warmly-lit ballroom in one of the oldest hotels in Chicago.” I think it’s safe to say that this vision was perfectly executed.

I melt over all things vintage and I loved discovering the bride’s special touches in each picture. Annie even used vintage postcards for their guestbook. Sigh…

I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do and if you too have fallen for Annie’s Kenneth Pool gown, it is for sale here.

Be sure to check out Cathy and David’s blog for additional details from their day as well their breathtaking venue, The Palmer House Chicago.

This week, we thought it would be fun for you too see a few of the weddings that made our hearts flutter over the past year… a few that we just can’t get out of our heads. I loved seeing everyone’s picks and the reasons they loved each wedding so much. Eddye fell hard for this Illinois winery wedding from Jeffrey and Julia Woods for it’s emotional, beautiful photos, but also for the sweet-as-can-be family, Anna, Ryan and baby, Madeline.

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From Little Black Book Blog Editor, Eddye…

When Jeffrey and Julia Woods send us a wedding, we know it’s going to be brimming with beauty and emotion! Today is no exception.

Ryan and Anna met in shop class during high school, the rest was destiny …

from Anna …

We met in high school, during shop class! I was the senior girl who wanted to learn something different (or take an easy class…) and Ryan was a junior taking a class with the rest of his buddies. Being the only girl in the class, I got a lot of attention … mainly from Ryan. We dated for a few months, but thought we were better as friends. We remained close friends throughout high school and college, always there for each other, whether with a problem or just for support and encouragement.

I started my own photography studio in the summer of 2004. Ryan was there to support me in my adventure {unforgettable photography by anna}. Our friendship soon blossomed into a serious relationship. On a Monday evening in September 2007, Ryan came home from guitar lessons, woke me up from a nap and asked me to take our dog out. To my great surprise, an engagement ring was attached to the leash! Since my work schedule was booked solid for the following year, we planned for a May 2009 wedding! So many people thought we were crazy for waiting over a year and a half … In December of the same year, we found out we were expecting!!!

On August 4, 2008, I gave birth to our daughter, Madeline. Good thing we planned for a long engagement!!! Crazy how that worked out… Ryan walked Madeline down the aisle the day of our wedding. For us, we know that we not only have a partner for life, but a best friend. I think deep down, even when we were not an “item”, we always saw ourselves together forever!

Vendor Credits: Photography by Jeffrey and Julia Woods / Venue Hidden Lake Winery / Ahner Florist / Weck Events & Weddings / Switzer Film / and Bella Vita Salon.

What a terrific story!

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!

We switched things around a bit today and started with Rachel and Nathan’s fantastically fun wedding celebration at the Peoria Country Club. But now, it’s time to get take a few steps back to earlier in the day … because seriously … their ceremony and portraits are unbelievably gorgeous!

And we have to start by thanking their awesome photographers, Jeffrey and Julia Woods for sharing these photos with us. Their artistic flair is pure and simple genius!

Isn’t Rachel just the epitome of the radiant bride???

Here’s a bit of their story ~ from Rachel …

We have both known each other since childhood … we grew apart and decided to meet up again 6 years ago. We immediately hit it off and dated for 5 years until Nathan proposed on September 13, 2008, which happened to be the wettest day in Chicago’s history! It seems that the rain followed us throughout our entire engagement — a snow storm hit the night of our engagement party and a storm came through during my (outdoor) wedding shower. But on August 22, 2009 when we married, the weather was absolutely perfect. Not a cloud in the sky.

Congratulations Rachel and Nathan from all of us here at Style Me Pretty!

And as always, a huge thank you to the tremendously talented Jeffrey & Julia Woods!!

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To see all 90+ images from Nathan & Rachel’s wedding, simply click on any one of the photos and you’ll be linked to the SMP gallery! (or ~ click right here!)

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Event planner: Save the Date~Peoria,  Floral Design: Moniers Flowers,  Lighting: Scott Fort Lighting Sound & Creations, Cake: Cyd’s Sensationals

Rachel and Nathan’s first date was at their local fair, so when it came time to plan their wedding, they decided to transform the bar at the Country Club of Peoria into a carnival! There was a cotton candy machine, stuffed animals, fish tanks and more! Such a fun theme and their guests had a ball! Elegance re-defined.

from the beautiful bride …

The reception was very elegant and classy — the walls and ceilings were draped in an ivory with a soft pink up-light. The tables were all square and in different sizes with candelabras draped in orchids. Candles were found everywhere for a very romantic and intimate environment. The Stanley Paul Orchestra out of Chicago got us all dancing and the party didn’t end until 3 am. We had been waiting for this day for 6 years and it was absolutely everything we had imagined and more….

You kind of have to see ALL the images to believe how totally spectacular this party was~

You can see more of the celebration in all its splendor (seriously!) and some pretty incredible photography from Jeff and Julia Woods over on their blog!

Next up … Nathan & Rachel’s wedding ceremony and portraits!

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And … for those of you who also love the Super 8mm-styled films that are being made by wedding cinematographers, you need to check out Jeff & Julia’s newest venture ~ their Black Label. They’ve collaborated with another great visual artist, Andy Jackson of Portal Films and merged their art into one stunning film product. You can read about it and see one of their ‘reels’ right here: Black Label.

Talk about teasers! This has to be the teaser of all wedding teaser photos!

Candy buffets, step aside. The child in me would kill to have cotton candy at a very posh, ever-so-elegant wedding! Imagine it … sipping champagne while oh-so-delicately pinching the most delicious bites of pure silken spun sugar from the freshly made confection! Mmmm… I’d totally do it! And enjoy every moment of the splurge!

If your curiosity is just too much … you can see Rachel & Nathan’s absolutely stunning wedding on Jeff & Julia Woods’ blog.  OR, you can wait a bit for us … and we will definitely share the whole shebang with you on Thursday, so do come back!!!

All sorts of fun details about today’s wedding… One. Awesome photographer, Olivia Leigh who completely captured the couple’s delightful I-do’s. Two. LBB member, Bella Figura was is on this cheerful event, creating green invites, programs, and menus. And Three. Today’s bride, Megan not only found a lot of inspiration right here on SMP, but is also quite a blogger herself. Her adorable blog Pink to Green, is full of wonderful eco-friendly lifestyle advice and stylish green tips for brides.

From the bride, Megan…

The goal was to have an aesthetic to compliment such a beautiful garden setting; therefore, starting with our eco-friendly invitations, from Bella Figura, the oaktree was the icon of our event. When using paper, we tried to make it double duty or cut back when possible; for example, our escort cards also doubled as our favor and we used a reply postcard which cuts back on an extra envelope. Although small, these little details can add up.

In order to keep things eco-friendly, we had a lot of help collecting vintage mason jars and medicine bottled for our centerpieces. All the baskets used to hold our flip-flops, fans, parasols and even our programs were provided by family and friends so they could feel included in the event but also cut back on purchasing new items. We used recycled fork table card holders and found a great vintage glass terrarium to hold our cards. It was fun collecting meaningful details that were also a reflection of our purpose!

We hoped to create an event that was organically elegant, a reflection of our personal style as much as our respect for the environment and fun for our guests. Our intimate setting definitely helped create an environment that was meaningful and special; we will always remember walking into the field full of friends and family we missed while being abroad and having the sun come pouring from behind the clouds!

I love how well matched this whole wedding seemed to be… all the elements Megan & Matt chose complimented their personalities and style perfectly. From their gorgeous venue, The Morton Arboretum to their fun eco-friendly details, they created an event that was as organic as it was beautiful. Thank you Olivia Leigh for sharing your gorgeous photographs with us. Also congrats to Megan & Matt!

It tickles me to see a sweet, simple wedding that is just bursting with joy. Well, today’s wedding is precisely that… a colorful, charming, woodsy affair full of love and laughter. Sent to us by the incredibly talented Olivia Leigh, this wedding is so, so… well, happy. Plus, we’re pretty smitten with Olivia’s photos, so there’s already a lot to smile about.

From the bride…

When we started planning for our wedding while still living in New Zealand; we were inspired to infuse our event with the flavor of our expatriate home. Relaxed but elegant, fun and earth-friendly were the guiding principles of our planning process. The Morton Arboretum provided a perfect backdrop for a celebration that reflected an eco-friendly ethos because of its incredible contributions to environmental research and education.

In addition to planning an environmentally responsible event, the bride, Megan also managed to incorporate some very personal, well thought-out gestures for her guests and wedding party. As a way to invite her bridesmaids to be a part of the wedding she sent each of them a cute package with an image of the color palette and asked them to find something in those colors that would make them feel special. Love this! Another great idea for you newly engaged brides on the Style Circle.

Look forward to sharing more in just a bit!

I have love, love, loved today’s final wedding! It is a lesson in all things gorgeous with details that just about any bride can easily fall in love with. The photographer behind the day, Olivia Leigh, is all talent and has given us a window into a day that will go down in the books as a complete and total favorite.

Thank you so very much to Olivia and to the adorable bride and groom for sharing this wedding with us! It was a treat, to say the least! The bride is the designer behind a fabulous jewelry line, coming up next, so it’s no wonder that every little detail was lovely.

Now I’m hungry!

Love, love, love everything about this wedding that Olivia Leigh sent us. Filled with DIY touches that seem incredibly professional and a sweet and a completely charming style…it’s a love, love, love kind of wedding!

Does it get any better than this? Here are a few of the vendors that helped to make this day so special…

Sweets table items (except cake): Vanille / Cake: Take the Cake / Bouquets: Hello Darling / Catering and table florals and design: Fox + Obel / Most small details and printed pieces including programs, name cards, save the dates, wood table stands, birds’ “outfits” etc. were by Julie, her sister and father and others / Bridesmaid jewelry was by Poesi / Photographs by Olivia Leigh Photographie / Venue: St. Clement Chicago / Reception Venue: Cheney Mansion

Coming up, the AMAZING dessert spread that the couple had…with DIY details that will make you swoon!

Okay…now on to the details that I have been bragging about all day. When I got this wedding, Olivia (the photographer) described the day as a Nature Inspired, High-End DIY wedding. And I couldn’t have said it better myself. There is an organic elegance to the affair that seems to be infused into every element…from the moss covered balls that the flower girls are holding, to the wooden boxes that hold the perfect centerpieces. Everything is pure elegance with a nature inspired undertone. And it’s spectacular.

photography by Olivia Leigh

From the beautiful bride…

We were surrounded by creative people to help us prepare for the most important project of our lives- with my sister, a graphic designer, creating an entire wedding paper suite, to our artist parents crafting centerpieces and designer friends helping with countless other details.  Being from two creative families from opposite sides of the world, it was a fun challenge to bring together elements of Matt’s Irish-Catholic background with the Korean culture from Julie’s upbringing.  The ceremony was held in a stunning cathedral in Chicago, while the evening festivities took place at an intimate garden and historic house in the architecturally significant village of Oak Park.

photography by Olivia Leigh

It was in this garden setting that the traditional Korean ceremony of Paebaek took place.  It was a beautiful and colorful ceremony where, as newlyweds, we were able to pay our first respects to our parents and families.  The evening progressed with dancing in Cheney Mansion’s ballroom, which was the backdrop for much laughter and celebration, and ended with a magical sparkler getaway.

We are featuring traditionally elegant weddings on SMP today and this one is just that…and so much more. Photographed by Olivia Leigh, this affair is easy to obsess over, with perfectly lovely details that could translate into just about any style. But before we get to that, I had to share these shockingly beautiful photographs of the Chicago church where the couple was married…

Holy Cow. Amazing. Coming up, all of the perfect details!!

There is so much to say about this wedding, I’m not even sure where to begin. So I’ll just start by saying that it’s gorgeous. From the magnificent Chicago church, to the perfect bride, the gorgeous maids, the flowers that will make you swoon, the organic but totally elegant reception style…every detail is perfection.

But really, what totally floored me when I opened up this email, was the photographs. Olivia Leigh is the genius behind the lens of some of my favorite weddings. Her style is forever elegant, timeless, crisp and visually stunning. I love Olivia, to say the least, and this wedding is a perfect example of her crazy skills.

Before we get into the details, I wanted to share some of these spectacular images that she captured of the bride…

From Olivia…

Earlier this summer I photographed a truly stunning wedding for one of my favourite couples of the year, Julie and Matt. Julie is a jewelry designer and Matt is an architect, and their design backgrounds were reflected perfectly in an elegant, but relaxed Chicago affair with inspiring details! They were married in a beautiful church in Lincoln Park, followed by a gorgeous garden reception in Oak Park, a town just west of the city. All in all it had a fabulous “east coast” sort of vibe, with a beautiful dinner on a lawn at sunset followed by dancing upstairs in an old mansion designed by a colleague of Frank Lloyd Wright.

We have SO much more to come from this picture perfect wedding that I KNOW will inspire you to no end.