wed in the white city

the ride to the reception

2010-10-18T19:35:00.006-05:00

One of my most favorite parts of the day by far was the trolley ride. The anxiety and butterflies of the ceremony were over and it was time to get the party started with our best friends.

We used Chicago Trolley Company and they were great! Our driver was nice, the trolley was clean, and they navigated the city and our photo destinations perfectly. Highly recommend!

Champagne was popped....

Cigars were smoked by the groom + groomsmen...

And a quick cigar taste by the bride too :)

The guests rode directly behind us on a shuttle bus from Windy City Limo. I highly recommend getting a shuttle for guests, especially if the majority are out of town or not from the city. It reduced a lot of concern & worry about making sure guests got from hotel to church and back. While Windy City Limo was very reasonable pricing and they were on-time, I heard later from guests that the air conditioning was broken and it was warm inside. In addition, the driver sent my coordinator inside the church during pictures to tell us to hurry up because otherwise he'd charge us overtime (we still had 45 minutes left on our block). I lukewarmly recommend Windy City Limo because of these two points.

And while our shuttle guests got where they needed to be, I think we had a better time on our ride.

Coming up..our photo session downtown!

ceremony details

2010-09-29T23:07:00.006-05:00

Here are the handmade wreaths that I blogged about here...

My grandma & mom made all of them. They alternated every third pew or so...

These white galvanized buckets {purchased here} of babies breath were supposed to alternate the other pews...however at the last minute the church coordinator decided that the blooms would fall all over the ground if bumped and vetoed them. ugh! So they were a total waste. I'm still bitter about that! The church coordinators assigned to us for St. A's were a total nightmare.

I just purchased grosgrain ribbon in the same material as the wreaths to hang them over the pews.

Our bubbles for the exit. I just bought bubble wands, tied purple ribbon that said "Celebrate" in cursive on them, and then a small monogrammed sticker with the letter 'R.' It ended up being so windy upon our exit, that they didn't make it to any of the pics! Ha.

Our programs were made using this template. My favorite part of them was the saying on the back:

"Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. In the Art of Marriage, the little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say 'I love you' at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon; it should continue through all the years. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have the wings of an angel.

It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding rooms for things of the spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner."

- Paul Newman's letter to his wife on their wedding

ceremony

2010-09-29T22:09:00.011-05:00

The girls headed to the church with the groomsmen in the trolley....

while i rode with my family in my parents' sweet rental minivan (notice my odd sitting position to keep my dress from wrinkling)....

after waiting inside the handicapped stall of the girls restroom so no-one would see me (umm, yeah St. A's has no bride's room so you are forced to be creative!), it was time to head upstairs to the church. i'm not going to lie, my dad and i were both nervous. and when we are nervous, apparently this is how we act...

i got really nostalgic seeing this picture. i will never ever forget the feeling i had waiting behind those doors, i cannot describe it but every bride knows what i am talking about!

someone once told me "when you come down the aisle, look at your groom the whole time." well, that's exactly what i did and about halfway down the aisle, i became really emotional and it was hard to hold back tears.

i really will never forget that walk. it was a long aisle, but i remember it more clearly than most things that day.

not to worry though, we certainly changed our ceremony to a light-hearted tone at an inappropriate time when tim and i both started laughing when i tried to put his ring on his right hand and refused to let him correct me. it got on his left hand, but it took me too long to realize my right from my left. i'll use the excuse of a fried bride brain!

.....and our photographer got that vibrant shot of St. Alphonsus that I had coveted so greatly.

to keep this post shorter than a catholic ceremony, i'll skip to the exit - where you can clearly see the look of happiness on both of our faces. we were so excited! ready for a fantastic night of celebration and a whole lifetime together...

...however not until I show some of our ceremony details and a story... up next!

ceremony flowers

2010-09-06T22:11:00.006-05:00

Now that we were all ready to go, it was time to grab our bouquets. I must admit...when I read Terese's post over at The Road to June 19, 2010, I felt the EXACT same way when our flowers arrived...just a slight pang of "that wasn't exactly my vision..."

However, I also stopped feeling that way especially after I saw the two pictures below. I did end up loving the calla lilies and dusty miller in my bouquet a ton and in the end I was happy with it!

However, I didn't ever fall back in love with the bridesmaid's bouquets even after I saw the pictures. They just were much much darker calla lilies than we discussed and way too pink of roses. I actually looked back at the floral write-up and it said "contemporary textural bouquet hand tied in blues, lavenders and plums" for the bridesmaids. While I didn't hate them, they were still off from what I envisioned.

I did love our mothers, grandmothers & readers orchid flowers though.. ....but the guys orchids with a fern curl. Well, they were a disaster and the fern curls lasted all of about an hour. Here's an action shot of the BM trying to help Tim put his back together before the ceremony. Word of advice: Don't have fern curls. They are way too delicate to last!

And a shot of the flowers in action....

Next up..off to the ceremony!

all photos here by S1 Photography

dress details

2010-08-25T22:57:00.008-05:00

Yay, now I have about 150 of our professional pictures posted online, so I can speed up some of these recaps.
(note: only the pics that say S1 in the corner were taken by our photog, so don't judge any of the non-labeled ones :)

My dress was a Lazaro. I made some minor tweaks to it, like removing a big flower that was on the dropped waist and putting it on a silk ribbon sash around my waist. See below pictures for the final product.

My shoes were by Benjamin Adams London and I had them dyed in a dove grey color and I bought these Mindy Weiss "I Do" jewels online to put on the bottom. No one else really saw it but the girls, but it was my something blue.

My dress fit like a glove. I never once touched or pulled it up the whole night (that is my pet peeve about girls in strapless dresses and why I initially didn't want strapless) - I cannot emphasize enough what a big difference your alterations make. The difference I felt in my dress from my first to last fitting was huge. Make sure you absolutely LOVE the way your dress fits you. Huge recommendation to Matina's in Beachwood, Ohio and Lily there who did my alterations. Thank you!!

My veil was just an elbow length two layer satin trimmed veil. I only wanted to wear my veil for the ceremony and pictures. I had a really cool headpiece for the reception, which you'll get a quick gimpse of below. I got my veil on a whim at Demetrio's for a deal.

I really did have a BLAST in my dress. It was very fun to swing in from the trolley bars....

....and it was a perfect dress to swoosh around the dance floor in. I am SO happy I got a dress that I really had fun in.

P.S. Even though I was in love with my dress, I am 100% selling it sometime soon. It was perfect, but what on earth am I going to do with it now? Any one else do this?

june 19, 2010: the morning of & getting ready

2010-08-04T23:04:00.010-05:00

After a very needed night's sleep, I was up at and at 'em at 630 am with my mother & sister to go to.... Jewel grocery store. Haha! Yes, Jewel. I wanted to get bagels, fruit, cookies, other random snacks and juice for the room to get ready.

(notice that booze is excluded from the grocery list. ah yes, because my mother drove about 15 bottles of prosecco & wine from Ohio, along with all of the rehearsal dinner flowers. She crazy! In a good way of course.)

I wish I had pictures from the grocery store trip. It was so funny. I kept walking thru the store with my sister saying "I'm at the grocery store and getting married in 8 hours" and then laugh like a loon. Anyway, so the spread was in place:

Our hairdressers set up and the bridesmaids settled in.

And my hairdresser was one i've known since the day i was born...that would be my mother. We only lasted in the main room for a few minutes, then my mom needed complete peace & quiet in the bathroom to do my hair and not allow me not to fret about whether or not it would turn out the way we had practiced.

approximately 90 minutes later, we emerged with my hair complete. (i didn't see it, but apparently after my mom was done with my hair, she flopped face first on the bed with relief that it turned out fab. ha!) but a mimosa & some hair service got her right back into shape.

While I got my makeup done...

And finally with our faces done, hair did & it was time to change from our robes (aka bridesmaid gifts) into some Amsale dresses for the ladies and a once in a lifetime white dress for me.

recap: rehearsal dinner

2010-07-26T20:37:00.015-05:00

After navigating through a giant rainstorm to the rehearsal, the clouds parted and it was a gorgeous night for our rehearsal at Topo Gigio.

The upstairs private room at Topo Gigio is fab. I was worried about the fact that our church, hotel & rehearsal dinner location were all somewhat spaced out, but it worked out just perfectly once the rain quit. We chose to do the antipasto table and cocktails to start the night off...with a full dinner and carving table served an hour later. I would highly recommend Topo Gigio. The staff was wonderful, the food was excellent, and the space was perfect for a party of 50. I highly recommend Topo Gigio for a rehearsal (or any private gathering). They were organized and responsive throughout the planning process with my MIL, accomodated our need for a sound system and even let my MIL set up a small slideshow in the corner of the room. As cheesy as some may think slideshows are, I loved ours and it kept our relatives entertained.

My mom's best friend, who owns Eleanor Manor & Garden in Cleveland, did all of our rehearsal dinner florals with my mom. I LOVED them. Tim's mom printed out pictures of the city skyline and named the tables after neighborhoods where family lives in Chicago.

For a modest fee, I also hired my mom's best friend's daughter to take pictures during the rehearsal (I haven't gotten them yet and these are obviously not them). She is is an up and coming photographer and I thought she could use the pictures for her portfolio and I could get some good pictures of our night without hiring a high priced pro. I recommend this if you want to have someone there to document your day. Look for photographers on theknot.com message boards, craigslist, etc. if you don't know anyone personally. Or hire my friend Andi Lantz :)

Tim's dad delivered an awesome speech at the rehearsal...mostly giving Tim a hard time for never bringing a girl home to meet his parents (until he met me) because he didn't "need another mother."

And finally, we stood up and said a few words to thank everyone for coming. And Tim tried to crack a joke when he said "Nicole just wants me to tell everyone she's sorry for everyone she yelled at during the wedding planning process."

While I laughed at this, I was thinking in my head the only people that really saw my frusturation during planning was my poor mother...and of course, Tim. However, the day before the wedding, I don't know why - but I was suddenly stressed. After being pretty collected for almost the whole year and a half before, I don't know if everything just fell on top of me and I realized it was here or if I was just exhausted.

But the night was almost over & the big day was almost here...

a snippet of our wedding video

2010-07-20T22:58:00.004-05:00

i know i should hold off on this until i blog about the rehearsal and the morning of...
but i just do not have time to blog right now until this month is over at work. That, and i just love our wedding video preview.

i cannot say enough good things about our videographer Shoot the Bride Films. I haven't seen our entire film yet, so I'll hold off on a full review, but I already know it's going to be great! He was one of my best wedding decisions, both for value & quality.

Nicole + Tim // Wedding Film Trailer from Shoot The Bride Films on Vimeo.

recap: the day before at the wit

2010-07-12T23:12:00.010-05:00

awhile ago, i decided i wanted to arrange a cocktail hour for people to go the day before the wedding. since i am from cleveland, i knew we were having a lot of out of town guests that were making a weekend trip out of chicago.

what other place to see the city, but the rooftop of the wit hotel? the rooftop didn't open until 2pm though and our rehearsal was at 6pm. While it was cutting it close, we put a mini invitation for our guests in their out of town boxes and sent an email to our closer friends & family to let them know about the afternoon at the wit. it was just meant to be an informal place close to the W where people could gather, say hello and then the bridal party + family would depart for the rehearsal. I am sooo happy we did this. It gave us a chance to say hello before the blur of a wedding weekend began...

my gorgeous college friends..

the still unmarried couple :)

annnnd....about an hour before we were supposed to leave (and around the time this picture was taken), a crazy rainstorm began. it almost looks like its dark outside but its actually about 4pm!

the next hour or so, to get to the church for the rehearsal, was somewhat amusing. Picture about 25 or so people, mostly shrieking girls dodging rain, trying to hail cabs out of the Wit lobby. However, we did all make it, safely & on time, to the rehearsal.

Tomorrow..the rehearsal + rehearsal dinner!

recap: the Thursday before

2010-07-06T22:05:00.006-05:00

With my new job, I couldn't take off a ton of time before the wedding. So Wednesday was my last day at work before the wedding. My parents arrived in town from Cleveland on Wednesday night to the W (more on that later).

I kept saying to Tim and myself "If it's not done by Wednesday before the wedding, it isn't getting done." And I stuck pretty true to that. There were only a few easy items I took care of after that.

So, on Thursday afternoon, it was off to the Cubs game with my dad, Tim's dad, Tim and my brother. Yep, just me & the boys! My mom and grandma stayed behind...and...tidied up Tim and my condo. (Seriously, that was heaven sent that day. If you could've seen our condo after all those wedding DIYs...yikes!). And I had a lot of beers, a hot dog and lots of sunscreen for no tan lines. And I am sooo happy we did something fun and casual on Thursday. It helped me get out of wedding planning mode and into fun mode.

Family pic with my eyes closed

The groom & I on our last sporting event being single!

The Cubs won......

....and my dad being happy the Cubs won and for the wedding weekend to begin!

married!

2010-06-20T22:21:00.004-05:00

the i dos...

the dress...

mr + mrs (+ miller lights)

all pictures taken by my gorgeous bridesmaid who also owns andilantz photography

Huge thank you to everyone that made it a perfect day for us....especially our parents and siblings, our bridal party.
Also a big shout out to our amazing vendors: Cage & Aquarium, Tina & Tara, Studio AG, and S1 Photography.

Off to sleep before we depart for St. Martin on our honeymoon tomorrow morning. Stop by in a week for more pictures, recaps, and vendor reviews.

signing off

2010-06-17T00:54:00.002-05:00

...for the last time as a miss.

my parents arrived tonight and that means it's officially wedding weekend.
if any of you have put up with my infrequent blogging and are still around, I promise to post lots and lots of recaps because I don't know what else I will do with all of my free time!

after our honeymoon in st. maarten (yes, that's right not going to thailand anymore because of my new job), i am happily looking forward to my life as a mrs.

yes, i really did get this at paper source

2010-06-13T11:38:00.004-05:00

trip to papersource for table tents, circle stickers & ribbon: $55

picking up stylish stick on mustaches for the groomsmen to use for a picture: priceless

I already told Tim he has to wear the Grandpa because it's white. However, my favorite is for sure the Bruiser. We'll make my brother wear that one.

P.S. I don't care if any of you think this is weird or cheesy. I guarantee this will be one of the most ordered pictures off of our wedding proofs.

the one item i'm glad i didn't get off etsy

2010-06-13T11:24:00.004-05:00

we need a unity candle for the ceremony and i searched on etsy because i didn't want a plain one. Well, it still was going to cost me about $45-50 dollars including shipping. For something that takes up about 5 minutes of the entire day, that bugged me.

So, on a trip to Michael's to get some paper and labels, I aimlessly (yes, since i have SOOO much free time these days) browsed the candles aisle and put together my own unity candle set.

Candles: $2.00 for the tapers, $3.50 for the pillar.

Wreath: $5.99

Ribbon: Leftover from programs, would've just pitched it anyway.

Holders: $3.00 for each small one, $6.00 for the large one.

Conclusion: I will never doubt Michael's Craft store again. Thank you for saving me 50%.

please stay this way

2010-06-11T07:12:00.002-05:00

It's too early for me to be overly confident that this will definitely be the weather for the wedding weekend, but I'll take it!

Who's Hungry?

2010-06-08T22:28:00.004-05:00

One of the many DIY tasks I've been up to lately......

Annnnd the complicated part, figuring out how many dishes of each at each table. (oh, don't worry my tables aren't simply being called 1,2,3, etc. No, no - I must make things more complicated and come up with themed table names. More on that later)

Yes, Excel Pivot Table is my friend outside of work too...

final month!

2010-05-19T18:33:00.008-05:00

seriously, i have had no life lately.

because i apparently didn't have enough going on in my life between wedding planning, bachelorette party trip, showers, business trips, and traveling back & forth to cleveland for dress fittings - i decided to take a new position at work. i seriously laugh at myself sometimes, have i totally lost it?!

on a positive note though, my to-do wedding list has significantly shrunk. the ceremony and music has been decided on, the menu has been chosen, the cake tasted, and over half the rsvps are in (i throughly enjoy opening these after work everyday).

lots of my DIY are also in full progress - ceremony wreaths/pew buckets (to be explained later), programs, menus, and placecards.

so, let the final month begin! it would be a lie to say i wasn't slightly nervous. not to marry tim, of course, but just for everything to come together.
and on the nervous note, i totally got tim the below from the website Tie that Binds (also on etsy) and Banana Republic, respectively:

why would i purchase that you might ask? oh, so we can take pictures like this, obviously:

image via theweddingco.com

invitation reveal

2010-05-11T19:49:00.016-05:00

All of the invitations should have arrived to our guests last week. We already have nearly half of our responses in already. So very exciting.

Sooo that means I can finally reveal our invitations. They were made by Dauphine Press and ordered from Magnificent Milestones boutique. Magnificent Milestones was key in helping my vision come together. While CECI new york will always have a swoon-worthy place in my heart, Dauphine Press was much easier on the wallet, still were printed in my ever so coveted letterpress, and I ended up being very happy with them.

The invitation with my must-have bellyband:

The reception card:

The response card:

The full suite!

The envelopes. The script is Compendium font & was printed by me! I was gleefully happy with how they ended up looking. And the stamps, of course, are stupidly overpriced and from Zazzle. But they totally made the look come together.

april showers

2010-04-28T23:04:00.009-05:00

i have no words to describe how wonderful my chicago shower was. even though it was a foggy rainy day, it was a perfect day for high tea on the 15th floor of a skyrise in Chicago.

my future MIL found an onsite high tea service called High Tea with Gerri. I cannot say enough about how floored I was with all the details. From mini sandwiches to petit fours, everything was so cute. I totally recommend her services for anyone looking for a unique party idea. everyone from the little girls to grandmas loved it.

our hosts, Gerri and her daughters & petit fours

i felt so grateful and happy to have so many people who support and love us in the same room. it made me even more excited to get married.

even though i am just ready for the wedding to be here already - i had such a memorable day! only 50 days to go!!

working on my fitness

2010-04-25T22:22:00.005-05:00

so i officially have been MIA this week. lots and lots of wedding tasks and my Chicago shower was this weekend. i am basically eat, sleeping and breathing all-wedding right now. i am trying to crank through a lot of tasks and still be a normal functioning person with a full time job and a dog and a social life. SO I promise to get back into my blogging this week with all my DIY activities I've been up to, my invitations and shower recaps.

That being said, I was also not a good girl this winter in keeping up with a normal gym routine and I wanted something to kickstart me to get back into that. so one of my bridesmaids and I started taking beach body bootcamp (ha, yes that is really the name) thought UNICUS fitness. it's 3 day a week, 45 minutes per session, for 4 weeks - $150. And I totally love it. It goes by super fast, I definitely can tell I got a good workout by how sore I am the next day.

The most hilarious part of the bootcamp though is the location. It seriously is this top secret location - the first time we went to it, i thought it was a joke. It is on the top floor of 233 N Michigan, so literally you go into an office building, tell the security guard you are going to the gym, take the elevator to the 30th floor, go up two flights of stairs and VOILA! this giant windowless gym where they hold workout classes to kick your butt.

They also hold a bootcamp called Wedding Boot Camp through UNICUS. That was a bit too cliche for me, so I'm sticking with the Beach Bod one. And on that note, I couldn't resist adding this picture from some e-cards to this blog post........

Definitely made me laugh, even though I am not on a diet at all. I still have to eat what I want and just kick up the gym routine. I am not a nice person if I cannot eat what I want.

last fling before the ring

2010-04-16T09:03:00.008-05:00

we are finalizing the plans for the bachelorette party this week! i am so, so happy to be getting away from a long weekend in florida with my friends.

we are actually going on the weekend I was originally getting married on (see story here). we got a fab deal for a suite in fort lauderdale at the hilton beach resort.

i am so grateful to my friends and sister for helping plan and coming to a destination bachelorette! i really need it right now, starting to feel the wedding overload stress. i cannot wait to lounge in the sun, drink by the pool & beach and laugh lots !!

a wonderful whirlwind

2010-04-11T23:40:00.003-05:00

..... is what my weekend was.

our couples shower in cleveland was absolutely perfect, loaded with lots of darling details by my mother (seriously the hostess with the mostess). More pictures and stories coming soon, but here's a small glimpse...

accessory sneak peek

2010-04-07T20:53:00.003-05:00

a little peek of the frothy loveliness that Alice Hart Couture custom created to jazz up my dress.....

the ultimate newlywed job

2010-03-31T19:00:00.005-05:00

The Irish Times is hiring a couple to travel on their dime for six months and a salary of 20,000 pounds to research honeymoon destinations and venues around the world and report back.

To apply, you just need to create an 80 second video telling them why you are the best couple for the job and why Ireland is a great wedding destination. To apply, click here.

I think this is so awesome, despite living in Europe for 7 months back in 2003, I don't know much about Ireland - sounds like a really cool gig though!

shower invitations

2010-03-23T19:04:00.008-05:00

Apparently, being obsessed with paper products runs in our family. Check out the cute invites my mom put together for our couples shower in Cleveland.

She enclosed a picture of us (yes, that's really me - 3 1/2 years ago!) in the invitation. I thought that was cute, especially since a lot of my parents' friends haven't seen me in awhile or even met Tim. She got the invites from Wiley Valentine via Minted.com and the gold ribbon/backing from Archivers.

I know technically, the bride's parents are not supposed to host a shower. I did some etiquette googling searching about this and the general answer I found is that it is becoming more common, especially in the instance where the wedding is out of town and the bride (or groom's) parents want to host something in their respective hometown. And besides, this is more of a cocktails and dinner party at 7pm. So phooey on you, Emily Post.

3 months to go & wedding nightmares

2010-03-19T08:54:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it! Time is flying so fast..... oh, and my wedding nightmares have started too. I've read so many posts about brides having nightmares about their wedding day. I thought 'that's crazy! i'll never be so obsessed with the wedding that i'll dream about it!' well... i'd still like to say i'm not obsessed with the wedding, but apparently it has invaded my subconscious thoughts. One dream was that we got married at the preschool i went to (!?!) and my dress hadn't come in, so i wore a graduation cap and gown and was so upset. The other dream was that i arrived at the reception very late, like dinner had already been served and everything, and the centerpieces were pipe cleaners stuck in buckets of dirt and i kept thinking "I paid how much for that????" and i couldn't stop staring at the centerpieces the whole time, but yet i had a good time. So I guess that one wasn't a nightmare if I had a good time, but kind of disturbing.

I have been crazy doing research this week trying to wrap up our final vendor selections. I picked out a videographer, narrowed hair & makeup down to two, and am finalizing honeymoon (destination may have changed...more to come on that later).

And..finally...my dress and invitations have arrived! Cannot wait to get started on my fittings and assembling the invitations.

spring weather

2010-03-14T20:01:00.006-05:00

the weather was really nice in chicago this week, with the exception of yesterday - 40, rainy & foggy for our st. patricks day bar hopping. (i am NOT irish, but i am marrying into a very irish family, so that counts).

so, some spring weather calls for some floral details that i have been saving for inspiration. i am worried i am on purple overload a bit, but our centerpieces will have a lot more gray and white in them.

Image credit: The Bride's Cafe, What Junebug Loves, Style Me Pretty

merchandise it up

2010-03-08T19:01:00.006-06:00

So far, i have my veil and my not-white shoes, but I am still searching for some other add-ons to my dress.

Alice Hart Couture is working on one item for me (to be revealed after the wedding:). Check out some of her lurvely work -

For jewelry, I stumbled across a website called Max & Chloe that has a really great selection for amazing price points. Everything below is between $16-48 each and so cute!

to-do list

2010-03-08T18:51:00.004-06:00

oops, i disappeared for awhile. sorry about that, definitely a tendency of mine. we have knocked a ton of things off our list the past month. basically these are the main things I need to get done in the next 100 days:

address + mail invitations
ceremony readings, songs
programs
tasting
print menus
print placecards + table signs
day of timeline
dress alterations (my dress should be in ANY DAY now)
dress accessories
groomsmen suits
bridal party gifts
book hair & makeup
honeymoon flights
rings
out of town bags
rehearsal dinner attire
decide on videographer (i still can't decide if we need one..)

Obviously some of those items are going to take some time, but I am feeling pretty good about where we are at right now with the to-do list.

I am hoping to cross a lot of these off in March. With two showers for us in April, my bachelorette party in May, Tim's bachelor party in June - we are going to be very busy! We're getting so close!!

we'd prefer you'd get in this after you've had a few drinks...

2010-02-23T12:09:00.005-06:00

a lot of internet hunting went into finding a vintage looking photo booth that didn't cost almost as much as our photographer -
enter Magnolia Photo Booth! Vintage looking and some of the best pricing I found. and the people that run it are super cool.

we are going to do the photo strips as our wedding favor. leave one strip for us in a guest book with a message and take home the other.
i'm already excited for some of the more amusing pictures i am expecting from my college friends :)

4 months to go!

2010-02-19T09:50:00.002-06:00

Check out this Chicago magazine article about the priest who is marrying us:
He Stayed..She Left: Chicago Magazine
I must say, one of my biggest worries about being married in the church was feeling a connection with the priest who would be performing our ceremony. I really wanted him to know and understand who we were - as well as us know and understand him. Reading this article actually made me feel less intimidated, relieved and really excited to get to know him and have him marry us.

save the dates: part II

2010-02-17T20:50:00.009-06:00

The envelopes!
It wasn't in my budget to get the Save the Dates done in calligraphy. But don't they look like they were!?

I found a cute calligraphy font via Fonts for Peas and downloaded it. Then, printed out all 110+ envelopes one by one. It consumed several evenings, but I loved how they turned out and will definitely be doing this for my wedding invitation envelopes since it went so well*. And the stamps were a nice surprise gift from my mom using our monograms designed by Belletristics.

And the return address labels designed by Laura Hooper - they matched the Save the Dates with the wind icon. (sorry for the poor resolution photo)

*It went so well because Tim, the amazing engineer he is, showed me a very technically advanced way to feed my clunky old printer so it could print these thick envelopes without leaving ink streaks. That was his contribution to the Save the Dates (and a very important one nonetheless :) we are an excellent team)

brides, bubbles & bliss

2010-02-09T14:30:00.008-06:00

tomorrow night, i am off to The Tasting Room for the Brides, Bubbles & Bliss event.

while i have selected most of my vendors, I will be going with one of my friends who just got engaged (lots of weddings in my group of friends in 2010!) to check out shoes/jewelry/makeup, have some wine, get some swag and oogle over Giselle's work. Those of you that don't know Giselle (her and her mom run the Dress Doctor in Chicago) - she does some insane wedding dresses.

If I had an unlimited budget, I'd perhaps reconsider my current dress for one of hers... this is my favorite.

images by Carasco Photography (who will also be at the event tonight :)

Hope to see some of you there - if you do see me please come up and say hi..... I would love to meet some readers!

save the dates are out!

2010-02-07T22:33:00.005-06:00

Finally, i can reveal on the blog!

here are the lovely save the dates created by laura hooper calligraphy! i have gotten lots of compliments on her work and i just love them.

front:

back:

bring on the men

2010-01-21T17:13:00.001-06:00

now that the bridesmaid dresses are ordered, it's time to think about the men. as i said before, i always pictured them in a suit. but i had to think of a way to dress it up. and then i found this picture... and it's exactly what i was thinking ~

picture from theknot.com

i will probably put each of the boys in a different purple tie - paisley, striped, etc. Now the hunt is on to find a place to put this look together.

P.S. Haven't I been really good with posts this week? I'm trying to get back on track and organized with all my planning. It will all be over soon ;)

someone needs to get married here!

2010-01-20T09:08:00.006-06:00

i love love love these pictures of one of chicago's newer event venues, Room 1520. Loft spaces always get me!

does anyone know anyone that's had an event or gotten married here? the space looks best suited for cocktail parties or dinners under 150, but i'd love to see pictures of the space decorated.

i know, i know, the last thing i should be doing is looking at venues on the internet when my wedding to-do list is somewhat scary.

blinded by the light

2010-01-19T17:03:00.002-06:00

if you recall, one of my must-haves is amazing lighting.

And included in that? why, illuminated lucite bars of course. Something I didn't even know I wanted until my florist/event designer suggested it.

now, ours will not be nearly as long as this, just one each on opposite ends of the reception room. but this is the best picture i could find on google images.

five months left....

2010-01-18T22:03:00.011-06:00

five months....150 days....to.go. and my wedding planning days will be over!
sometimes, i'm glad we had a long engagement. other times, i wonder if it was a good idea to take this long to plan. i definitely know that lately i've been saying to people "i'm pretty much just ready for it to be here already."

regardless, before it can be here - i have a to-do list i need to cross off! i have moments of panic and moments of feeling prepared.... anyway..
i got some big things done this month,the bridesmaid dresses, the guest shuttle, my day of coordinators, and ordered the save the dates (first proof came today!). Before the month is over, save the dates will get mailed (and diisplayed on the blog!), invitations will be ordered and the bridal party trolley will be booked.

and to begin (and end) this blog on a sweet note, here's some of the cake photos i've been saving. i guess i'm drawn towards a pin dot cake classic style or a very modern style. figures - totally opposite!

above cake pictures from brides.com

the maids

2010-01-13T19:44:00.006-06:00

i finally made a decision about what the girls will wear down the aisle ~ i decided to have the girls wear any Amsale chiffon long dress they chose, in eggplant.

Since Amsale doesn't show each dress in eggplant, I pulled what each girl chose all together. I'm really happy I ended up with each girl in a different dress - creates a bit of a runway show down the aisle :)

welcome!

2010-01-05T23:17:00.007-06:00

how cute are these guest welcome bags? these are great even for non-wedding gifts.

adrienne page via elizabeth anne designs

I probably wouldn't go to all the work of creating the label for the paint can, just use our monograms printed on large sticker-backed labels via VistaPrint or another source. I also found paint cans easily online by searching bulk paint cans. Definitely keeping this in mind for approximately 5 months from now.

right now...

2009-12-29T10:32:00.005-06:00

Laura Hooper of Laura Hooper Calligraphy is designing our Save the Dates! I cannot wait to see them. She is creating a custom Save the Date map of Chicago for us. Hopefully, these will be all sent out by the end of January and I can cross that off my ever-growing to-do list. I cannot procrastinate with the excuse "Oh, the wedding isn't until next year" much longer...

If you aren't familiar with Laura's work, check out her blog and website. So creative!

Here are a couple samples of her save the date maps:

have a wonderful holiday!

2009-12-23T23:48:00.002-06:00

hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year
....so very excited for 2010!

made at tinyprints

the most amazing invitations

2009-12-09T22:56:00.005-06:00

i am obsessed with printed paper products. I could spend hours in a store flipping through invitation designs...and quite frankly, I have... wedding and non-wedding related. if someone asked me "name a store you could spend 24 hours in.." the answer would fully be any store that sells paper and printing products.

while i have my save the dates decided on (more to come on that later), i just cannot, CANNOT give up on the idea that these one insanely expensive invitations I found are not going to magically become a reality. I originally found them on Minted . And I am obsessed with them. They fit my wedding vision perfectly. Note: I said my wedding vision, not ours, as soon as Tim saw the price on these puppies...it was clearly just fitting into my vision, not his.

They are by CECI new york, who i have a giant obsession with right now. And...I.LOVE.THEM. Why is it that the one wedding decision I seem to have made quickly cannot be because they would cost more than our entire honeymoon?

Letterpress! Purple and gray! Bellybands! Ornate detailing that is not floral! Ok, I know - I'm being totally dramatic over paper.

Please leave some comments for me to reassure me that invitations are simply tossed in the trash after being received and no one besides me will cherish or swoon over them as greatly as I am making up in my head.

Or...leave me a comment letting me know where I can get 125 CECI new york invitations at less than the price of a gently used car.

for my ladies

2009-12-03T22:29:00.005-06:00

I am loving this new season's Lela Rose bridesmaid collection. The color palette and fabrics are really pretty.

Most of the dresses shown come in short and long. I am leaning towards a long dress for my girls. I think it's between one of these and an Amsale dress.

Still in the Thanksgiving spirit..

2009-11-30T22:00:00.011-06:00

After a nice week off of work, I returned today to an email that reminded me of why I really do love this time of year.

Wen Photography emailed me about the Giving is Awesome campaign, which is a campaign to give away gifts of photography from photographers across the U.S. during the holiday season. Wen Photography is participating in it and will announce the winner on Chirstmas Eve. How great is that?!

If you know a someone or a couple that you want to give back to during this holiday season, this is a perfect idea! Here are the guidelines:

You cannot nominate yourself
The wedding must be in Illinois in 2010
Email Wen Photography (wen@wenphotos.com) to describe who the couple (or person) is, what they are experiencing and why they deserve it.

Here are a few shots of Wen's work that I particularly like ~

For more info about this campaign, to suggest to other photographers or to find other photographers in your area sponsoring this, go to http://www.givingisawesome.com/.

Thanks, Wen! 'Tis the Season!

Update 12/29: Wen posted a winner! Congrats to Callie & Michael!

i'll take two

2009-11-10T14:02:00.005-06:00

i am in love with this Marchesa gown worn by Kate Hudson in a recent Harpers Bazaar magazine.

image via celebrity bride guide

I know, i know, i already bought my dress. but just because i've already ordered my dessert, doesn't mean i can't still look at the menu :)

honeymooning

2009-11-09T19:13:00.008-06:00

A big love in both Tim and my life is traveling. We definitely plan on making it a big priority in our marriage too. we discussed at length where we wanted to go for our honeymoon...from Hawaii to Europe to Mexico, but we decided on.....da da da....Thailand!

Ko Phi Phi Village Resort

Tim is not a 'sit on the beach for days' person annnd I am. (In fact, when we went open ocean snorkeling in Hawaii a few years ago, I had a panic attack... clearly, I was better on the beach). Thailand will be a perfect mix of beaches and activities for the both of us. There's rainforests, elephant trekking, snorkeling (for Tim), golfing, spas, shopping and eating yummy asian food.

We wanted to go somewhere where neither of us had been. We have both been to Europe & Hawaii...and we thought two weeks in Mexico/the Carribbean would be too long. And, we wanted to do something that would be our own adventure.

We are earning some freebie nights through the Starwood frequent guest program by earning points for every dollar we spend at the W. In addition, we are using a Starwood hotel AmEx, for anyone getting married, at a hotel or not, I highly recommend using a credit card with a points program. We have earned a nice amount of rewards for money we would've spent anyway. Starwood hotels has a great collection of hotels in Thailand. We are thinking we are going to spend time in 3 places while we are there: Khao Lak, Ko Phi Phi (where The Beach was filmed) and Krabi or Phuket.

Whenever wedding planning starts to get on my nerves, I do some honeymoon planning instead. Definitely relaxes me much more than researching photo booths!

engagement pictures part II

2009-11-03T22:15:00.005-06:00

all pictures by S1 Photography
also - someone emailed me to ask, Viola at Bobbi Brown on State Street did my makeup & my green dress is from French Connection

engagement pictures

2009-11-01T23:06:00.013-06:00

all pictures by S1 Photography

today....

2009-10-29T18:11:00.006-05:00

i officially purchased my dress! finally!

here were the two runner-ups after i narrowed it down to my final three:

Enzoani Dakota and Aire Barcelona Denise

My dress actually ended up looking nothing like either of these. Can't wait for it to come in!

still recovering

2009-10-26T20:48:00.017-05:00

i'm still recovering and reveling in the sheer fantasticness of the most kickass engagement party my amazing friends threw us on saturday night. yes, we do things on our own timeframe, so what if we got engaged 11 months ago? :)

my sister flew in from san diego on thursday night, all my bridesmaids came in, with the exception of one who lives over the pond in london and tim's sister who just had a baby (yay! i'm an almost aunt!), many wonderful college friends and honestly, there is just no better feeling than being with your true friends, especially all at once. I just felt so warm and happy the whole night. Tim actually said "you can't stand still, you keep popping around."

here are some peeks from the party at my bridesmaid Andi's apartment. she was a perfect hostess.

there was awesome food, pretty flowers and decor (you can't tell in this picture, but that is a plum purple tablecloth :)

lots of hot ladies also known as my best friends.....

some popping of prosecco (the new, cooler version of champagne)...... P.S. that one arm raise was apparently my signature dance move all night. there are seriously about 10 pictures of me like that later in the night.

some bonding with westside signs and arm-in-arm drinking with the maid of honor and best man....

some bridal party photo ops.....

some gift opening....(and apparently gift dance moves)

some misbehaving boys that signaled it was time to call it a night (or just change the location by moving onto a bar, whichever you prefer)

and one very grateful couple.....

thank you again to all of our friends and family...we love you!

Design Idea Boards

2009-10-21T17:16:00.010-05:00

I am in the middle of going through all my florist proposals, eliminating ones, and marking the others up with comments and changes. I've actually really enjoyed this part of the planning process. It really starts to make it feel like my vision is coming together.

I met with four different vendors, two of which were event design firms and two who were just florists. There are pros and cons to each..but when it came down to things, flowers are just one element of event design. Lighting, some furniture, and layout are also big deals for me - so I narrowed my vendors down to the two event design firms. Now, it's all a matter of who comes back with the best final pricing!

One of the event design firms put together these idea boards for me. I just love that he wanted to make sure we were on the same page after our discussion by assembling these.

not sure how crazy i am about those mirror balls, but cool nonetheless

For those brides looking for florists still, I met with Blumen and Dilly Lily. While, I decided not to use them, they still were great people and very talented. The people I met with were Jessica at Blumen and Lezlie at Dilly Lily. Very sweet girls and I'm sure they be great for anyone still looking for a mid-priced florist.

you don't have to be rich to be my girl

2009-10-08T08:24:00.007-05:00

Can you guess the brand name of this clothing?

Twelve by Twelve label for Forever 21. Who knew?!?

Granted, I wouldn't wear some of the crazy accessories in these pictures like the laced gloves or crazy Kentucky Derby hat.

But, I have to admit, I am a random shopper of Forever 21. It usually is an excruciating ordeal to go in there and sift through things - I have to say...more people ask me "Where did you get that?" about things I've bought there than things I've bought at J.Crew, Nordstrom, Banana.

Proof you don't have to spend a million to have cute stuff! Save your money for a nice vacation or the downpayment on your dream house :)

the night before party

2009-10-07T06:32:00.007-05:00

We booked our rehearsal dinner location yesterday at Topo Gigio!
Even though I am still wistful about the shuttered PJ Clarke's Treetop Room - the Topo Gigio room is really cool and it is a perfect size for rehearsal dinner of 50.

The only con is that it is in Old Town, which is a good 8-10 minute ride from our church and parking is kind of crowded in that area. But I'm still really excited about it. The food there is really yummy Italian. If you haven't eaten there before, I definitely recommend!

For other brides looking for rehearsal dinner spots, here is my list of places I scoped out:
Carnivale - great bright party rooms (they have 4 of them!)
Volo Restaurant & Wine Bar- quaint little cottage and courtyard behind the restaurant. and one time i saw bill murray here - so that makes it cooler
Harry Caray's in Wrigleyville - by far the best priced packages I've seen in the city, but my mom didn't like the sports bar feel and there is a Cubs game that day, would've been way too crazy
Palette Bistro - charming, but the owner was kind of hesistant about giving us the whole restaurant (which we would need since there is no party room and it is small)
Adobo Grill - near Topo Gigio, I actually hosted a shower here years ago - they have cute party rooms

P.S. My wedding twin, Terese over at The Road to June 19, 2010, actually suggested Topo Gigio. thanks!!

last round of dress shopping

2009-10-04T07:46:00.010-05:00

A few weekends ago, my mom was in town and we hit up some bridal stores to try on dresses with one of my bridesmaids (who took all these pics :). I can post these because they are not "the one." Also, excuse how blah I look in these pictures - I have been fighting a cold for weeks.

1.) San Patrick (I think?): I was never seriously considering buying this one, but I like the silhouette of it.

2.) Lazaro, style #3910: So my mother LOVED this one on me when I first tried it on in Cleveland months ago. Then, when I put it on again, she said "Is that really the same dress as the first time?" So we eliminated it for sure from the running. I did love the one-shouldered flowers though. I do still think the veil is really cool. Not sure who makes it, but I'm sure it's still at the store.

It was really great though that Bella Bianca in Oakbrook lets you take pictures of yourself in the dresses. Because really...that is one of the strangest rules ever.

back from across the pond!

2009-10-04T07:16:00.007-05:00

so i have been MIA lately because I just got back from a week in London! I got to go for work and luckily, one of my best friends (and bridesmaids!) also happens to live there. It was so great to catch up with her, eat some great food (whoever said London had terrible food lied), and see the city....oh, and do some work too :)

brick lane on a sunday afternoon (where I'd be every Sunday if I lived there :)

The weather was perfect ~ high 60s and sunny all week! We had a great time strolling through Notting Hill, going to some insanely good Italian restaurants (Osteria Basilico & Luna Rossa), Brick Lane, Spitalfield's outdoor market, and shopping on the fashionable Oxford Street....P.S. Must go to Primark if you are in London, amazing!! and of course, I did briefly see Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby, and London Bridge (which is ugly - and Tower Bridge is much cooler). It can definitely see how people compare it to NYC, but it is sooo much cleaner and the vibe is more laid back. I think the pure amount of alcohol they consume there probably helps that!

I highly, highly recommend London if you get a chance to go. I totally fell in love with it. It just really stinks that the exchange rate is still about $1:$1.60. Thankfully work took care of most of my meals and hotel!

Alas - now I am back! It is good to be home with Tim & the doggy. And I have made some wedding updates - rehearsal dinner, florist proposals are in, and I think I made a dress decision... :)

P.S. I sold the Oscar de la Renta dress!!

dress you up (in the suit of my choosing)

2009-08-31T20:07:00.008-05:00

even though i have not yet selected my own dress, the bridesmaid dresses...i am pretty sure already what i am going to put tim + his groomsmen in...and the answer is not a tux.
once i spotted andy cohen on the real housewives of new jersey reunion (dont judge! i love trashy reality tv) in this suit, i liked it immediately:

i may not go as light gray as that, maybe a shade or two darker and swap the tie out for something with more of a pop. And, of course, dress it up a bit with the boutonniere and a pocket napkin (is that what they are called?). These pictures, even though the suit is khaki color, also made me pretty sure that i want the guys in suits.

anyone have good suggestions on where they had their groomsmen buy a nice suit? i was thinking jos a. bank because their prices were pretty reasonable, but i have no idea about the quality and would love to hear some advice.

the dress that isn't going to be...

2009-08-20T13:48:00.010-05:00

so, i admit...it is difficult for me to write this post, because i feel like i made a mistake in making this purchase. some of you that follow frequently may remember a post back in June about buying a wedding dress.

I did..... and now I don't think it's the one for me.

The story: I went to a sample sale at Ultimate Bride with a friend who is also engaged. It was her first time trying on dresses and my second time. The saleslady was kind of a sourpuss. I was trying to be happy and carefree and focus on the dresses. Then, I saw this Oscar de la Renta dress on a stand in the window that I assumed wasn't part of the sale. It was. I asked to try it on, they put a veil on me and then suddenly i was telling the sourpuss that i'll buy it. WHAT!? i think i got caught up in the label, the good price, and envisioning being a bride, instead of falling in love with the dress. Sigh. Regardless, it is a very pretty, unique dress. It is just isn't me. So here it is...

...and it is for sale. So if anyone wants a deeply discounted Oscar de la Renta dress, email me. I have it for sale on several websites. A few inquiries, but no buyers yet.
At this point, I'm just accepting it as an expensive mistake. It's not supposed to be my dress and once Tim saw it, he agreed that it just isn't me (I've shown him now, there's no going back!).

On a side note, ironically enough, my mother went through the exact same thing when she was buying her wedding dress. She bought a dress she thought she liked, then changed her mind, and bought another. Perhaps being a two-dress bride is inherited.

been a bit busy..

2009-08-17T21:33:00.008-05:00

sorry for the impromptu hiatus. i seem to have one of those every two months. first, we inherited a new doggy from one of my friends that moved into a new place and couldn't keep him. say hello to buster the beabull (beagle + bulldog):

then, i got sick with something that's going around the office, some sort of combination of bronchitis and flu for two straight weeks.

then, i had a mini-breakdown when i realized we have TEN MONTHS (& two days) to go. my goal is to get the following things done by end of September:

Book florist
Buy wedding dress*
Book day of coordinator
Choose bridesmaid dresses
Book rehearsal dinner location
Get Save the Dates

*story to come on this soon. i am a two-dress bride....meaning I did indeed buy a dress back in June....that I no longer like. So I will be purchasing another with hopes of selling my first. Sigh.

need a new rehearsal dinner spot!

2009-07-31T11:12:00.004-05:00

ugh! so apparently a victim of the foreclosure market, P.J. Clarke's in Lincoln Park, has closed indefinitely. I was obsessed with the upstairs room, the Treetop Room, for our rehearsal dinner. The location was good, price was right, the room was darling and the perfect size, there was a private bar, and a pool table and some TVs in a side area for mingling afterwards. Sadly, I will have to fall in love with somewhere else because our rehearsal dinner will not be here....

I'm looking for somewhere in Lakeview, Lincoln Park, or the Loop (would prefer Lakeview or Lincoln Park though) that's not pretentious, $50ish or less a head, and enough space for 50 people in a private/semi-private room and in a place that isn't ridiculously loud. I would really love a space that is a bar/restaurant for people to hang out afterward as well.

I have some emails out to Landmark & theWit (probably too expensive), but would love to hear some suggestions!!

engagement session

2009-07-16T10:15:00.003-05:00

we had our engagement pictures taken last night at lurie gardens (one of my fav spots in the city) and our amazing photographer, Oscar at S1 Photography, sent me over a preview this morning. Oscar is amazing!
I love it! i'll post the rest in a few weeks once they are ready.

our monograms

2009-07-09T21:04:00.006-05:00

Just wanted to share some monograms I had created for us by the etsy seller Bellestristics. I looove them! Not sure which ones I am going to use yet, perhaps a few considering I bought 7! But I figure I will put them some on programs, menus, napkins, etc.
Sarah from Belletristics can custom create monograms or you can choose a few from her pre-designed collection and she can put them in your wedding colors. She was great and really quick turn-around too. And the files are in digital format so I can use them as needed. I love 'em ~ i keep opening the file and looking at them because they are so cute. And she used my exact colors from my prior post on my color palette. I really like how they came together.

She also does menus, invitations, table numbers, etc. I know I've been on an etsy soapbox lately, but it is so great! Such a fab wedding resource.

etsy love: andilantz photography

2009-07-06T21:16:00.006-05:00

While I am not completely un-biased on this etsy vendor, I have to shamelessly plug her. One of my bridesmaids just started her own etsy shop with her photography work.
She can sell her prints matted and framed - and they are so cool. The chandelier one below is my personal favorite (and quite popular amongst our group of friends!)

She lives in Chicago and also does other photography, so if you are interested in having pictures for your engagement, wedding, or anything really - just contact her via etsy. She is shooting her first wedding later this year, so I will definitely be posting some more of her work.

bridesmaid cards

2009-07-01T23:07:00.006-05:00

i had really wanted to hand deliver a little something for each of the girls to ask them to be my bridesmaid. however, it became apparent that there was no way i was going to see all of them, including my sister in san diego, a few in Indiana and even one in London :) in a reasonable timeframe.

So I hand delivered a few and mailed a few. Iwanted to make them personal, so I got some Kate Spade stationary from All She Wrote, downloaded a free font, and printed out a message for each of the girls....

Then I printed a few black and white wallet pictures from Snapfish of me and each bridesmaid and affixed them onto the cards.

And ta-da, bridesmaid invitation!

I also gave each of the girls in Chicago a little something to thank them for accepting my invite. For example, I got one Sweet Mandy B cupcakes with a note that said "Thank you for being such a 'sweet' friend." Another one I got a bottle of wine from 2001 with a note that said "2001 was a great year because it was the year I met you" & a Seda France candle with "Thank you for being a 'light in my life' " message.

(Don't worry, out-of-towners, I have something for them when I finally get to see them!)

Tim, on the other hand, hasn't asked all his groomsmen yet - he asked me if this was an acceptable thing to do via text message.

wedding date do-over

2009-06-23T10:39:00.006-05:00

Well - it's official. We have changed our wedding date to get some incentives at the W (yay for saving money!). Honestly, I hope that's the worst we have to go through in terms of wedding planning hiccups. (probably not, but one can hope, right??)

So now, we're getting married:

June 19, 2010

Same places, same times, just a month later!

our first "ummm, what?" wedding moment

2009-06-17T09:29:00.003-05:00

So I waltz into work this morning at 830 and immediately my phone starts ringing. i answer it to find our wedding coordinator at the W on the other end. after some hellos, the first thing out of her mouth is "Ok, so your wedding date is still yours...but..."

Apparently, some high profile client thought they had May 15, 2010 on hold for a bar mitzvah. But, as I have put our deposit down (nearly two months ago!), we actually have the date. Normally, the W would just have said "Sorry, too bad." but since this lady has some connections, they dialed me up to see if I would be flexible and get some incentives in return. Ahem save some money!?? of course....you know I love a good deal! and let's be honest, it wasn't even a question for tim if the words "saving money" are involved.

Luckily, I have only booked our church and photographer. The church gave me a few other dates and so did our photographer. Now, it's just doing some other matching.

In conclusion, we may have a date change today.....if the price is right =)
i'll be honest though...i'd did love our date. it had such a nice ring (5-15-10!)

our stunning church

2009-06-10T21:35:00.004-05:00

How amazing is this shot of St. Alphonsus? So vibrant!

image via Wedding Creativo

swoon

2009-06-09T14:58:00.002-05:00

i just love everything about this. the style with the big necklace, the light chiffon, the small purple bouquet. anyone know where i could find a dress similar to this?!
image from theknot, photo by erik ekroth

press play

2009-06-02T23:06:00.017-05:00

we are making our dj decisions this week. i had initially been deadset on toast & jam, but i am having a meeting with cage & aquarium just to compare. if anyone has any feedback, would love to hear.

i have been jotting notes in my blackberry the past few months everytime i hear a song that i like. i've noticed the best place to pick up ideas for music to play during cocktail and dinner are swanky hotel lobbys (e.g. Sofitel or Potter's at Palmer House) and at your favorite downtown bars (e.g. Hub51!) for the dancing. And a great place to listen to these potential songs (for free!) is imeem.com.

anyway, thought i'd share a sampler of my reception playlist.

Cocktail Hour

Just Breathe - Telepopmusik

The Fear - Lily Allen

L.E.S. Artistes - Santigold

Maps - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Our Intro Song: America's Suitehearts (chorus) - Fall Out Boy

Dinner

In the Waiting Line - Zero 7

Love of My Life - Carlos Santana feat. Dave Matthews

Catalyst - Anna Nalick

After Tonight - Justin Nozuka

I Will Follow You into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie

Dancing!

Homecoming - Kanye West & Chris Martin

Mercy - Duffy

Electric Feel - MGMT

And I leave you with our first dance song....we knew before we were ever engaged that this would be our song! i'm so in love with it.

Ever The Same by (Rob Thomas)

a colorful post

2009-05-31T23:01:00.014-05:00

I am trying to put together what colors i want - and along the way, i keep saving images that i like. the other day, i came across two Color Palette Generators where you can upload images you like and it will pull out the color names in your images.

I took several inspiration boards I liked, popped them in and tried to see if there were consistent colors I came up with.

DeGraeve Color Palette Generator

images from Snippet & Ink

Color Hunter

The W is lots of purples & greys, so I think that's why I'm so stuck on a rainy day scheme with just a pop of a vibrant color. Here are my picks based off the results above:

Plum, Sky Blue, Platinum

Dusty Purple, Poppy, Vintage

Hmmm.... thoughts?

flashing lights

2009-05-26T23:08:00.015-05:00

our next vendor selection is our photographer. we definitely want some city background engagement pictures as well. I always thought we'd go with Life On Prints, but I didn't act fast enough when they told me they were available back in March and someone took our date.
but luckily, there are tons of amazing studios in chicago and we have two meetings set up so far ~

one with Avery House Creative (who i've mentioned before).....

& Imaginative Studios.....

Would love to hear thoughts or other recommendations for photographers from other white city brides!

On another note......i had an unfortunate incident while in florida and hit my ring on the edge of the counter in my hotel and it made the crown part of the ring slightly tilted. i took it to a jeweler near my parents' house in cleveland to have it fixed and one of the tiny pave diamonds popped off while they were leveling it. so now they are going through each of the tiny diamonds one by one to make sure they are properly secure. so i will be ringless until june 4th =(

just wondering if anyone out there has melees or pave on their ring -- do you get it checked a few times a year to make sure they are all still tightly in there? if so, where do you go in chicago? some of the jewelers row shops gave me a shady vibe.

time to relax!

2009-05-23T15:10:00.008-05:00

Now that my insane 2 1/2 straight weeks of work travel is done, we are away at my parents in Cleveland for a nice long summer holiday weekend!
I spent today at my mom's spa getting an Aveda Green Science Perfecting Plant Peel (just sounds yummy, doesn't it?).......

annnd i am OBSESSED with it. it makes your skin feel clean and firm and is like a chemical peel, but all natural plant based ingredients so you don't get the blotchy redness right afterward. When i got one a few months ago, a ton of people commented. You can only get one at an Aveda spa, you can't it buy to use at home because you could hurt your skin if it's not done correctly or too often. But, I would highly recommend any brides-to-be to try it out for a skin brightener and refresher (well in advance of the wedding, of course, to make sure your skin reacts correctly to it!).

things i am loving

2009-05-10T15:31:00.006-05:00

so i dont have much time to blog this month - SUPER busy with work. In fact, I'm in Florida for work for the next two weeks. (Thankfully, Tim will be flying down for the weekend for some fun in the sun)

but in the meantime, check out some of my inspiration this week.

Keg Design's gorgeous invitations (The girl has some serious talent!)
With This Ring's simple centerpiece ideas....
An Atlanta Bride's aisle decor...
The Everyday Bride's creative cocktail recipes (yum!)
....and my fav this week, Etsy Wedding's plum and poppy merchandise board

p.s. happy mother's day ~ especially to my mom and grandmas!

celebrity wedding dresses

2009-05-04T22:51:00.006-05:00

So wedding season 2009 has officially started with the onslaught of celebrity weddings the past few weeks.

(from left t to right: Brooklyn Decker via People magazine, Heidi Montag via JustJared , Danica McKellar via Celebrity Bride Guide)

My mom particularly liked Heidi's dress (from the Monique Lhullier Spring 2009) collection, but I would take Brooklyn Decker's Vera Wang (+ body!). Heidi's was pretty and frothy, but the whole look was a bit Madonna circa The Immaculate Collection for me with the big cuff and long pearls. I liked Danica McKellar's dress, but the bottom looked unfinished to me. (Still love Winnie though!).

save the date inspiration

2009-04-28T15:56:00.004-05:00

i stumbled upon Avery House Creative while doing some photographer research and found these Save the Dates they created. So cool! I'm so inspired I just may well ~~steal this idea~~ do something similar =)

I really like how they made the picture look vintage. Very old city classy.

Note: I put those yellow blocks to protect the couple's personal info. That's the auditor paranoia in me!

Also, check out this wedding at the W City Center photographed by them to see some more peeks of my venue. Love it!

the w city center

2009-04-21T19:01:00.010-05:00

Now we are all settled with our ceremony and venue. This past weekend, we decided on The W City Center! It is kind of funny we ended up with a hotel, because when we both started looking, we said we didn't want a hotel ballroom wedding. But when we walked into The W, it had so many things that we were looking for in other places. Lots of space, awesome lighting, lounge-y feel (and free lounge furniture we can use!), a yummy menu. The other big pro for us is that hotels can stay open later than any museums or libraries, so we can keep the bar rocking or an afterparty if we so decide. While we are sacrificing an outdoor space, Chicago weather can be unpredictable, so we are willing to part with that.

Here are some visuals of our space. We love it, it's very 'us'!

all pictures via The W City Center hotel

finally, a date!

2009-04-08T10:58:00.008-05:00

i don't want to jinx it by posting prematurely since we are still working on some venue decisions, but we have secured our date at the church!

Our wedding will be on ~~May 15, 2010~~ June 19, 2010

For our reception, we are now between two places: The W City Center & the Art Insitute (ironically the two sites HoneyBee Weddings suggested awhile back!) They are holding our date for us until next Friday when our parents are here to help us decide.

It only took us ~~4 months~~ 6 1/2 months (note sarcasm) to figure it out!

See here for the full story of the date change!

church decor

2009-04-06T23:18:00.009-05:00

I spoke to the church today about our potential dates and they are holding a date for us!! It is finally starting to feel like things are coming together. My parents are coming April 17 to sign whichever venue from the top 4 choices (yes, we eliminated 2 more). More to come on that soon.

Anyway, with all this church talk today, I wanted to post some of my church decor ideas. Unfortunately, a lot of churches have many restrictions, so hopefully mine will let me go with some of my ideas.

One of them I found is this DIY fabric wreath from WeddingBee to tie to the every other pew or so. I think I could whip up a dozen or so of these between me and my mom..

I also like the idea of alternating the other pews with big bouquets of french lavender in pew marker cones.

french lavender via Save-on-Crafts, pew marker cones from By Invitation Only

While I know church decorations aren't a must-have, these ideas are hardly cost anything and can be easily assembled way in advance.

P.S. If any of you have seen I Love You, Man (highly recommend!), the ceremony decorations in there are stunning!

several weeks later...i return

2009-03-26T21:19:00.028-05:00

i am back from my 3 week hiatus!

needless to say, it's been a very busy month...... I took a little spring break with some of my fam uncle to visit Grams down in Florida for a week. So nice & relaxing! Annnnnnd...i chopped off all my hair...

i know, not a very good picture -- but the best I have. (from a very fun St. Pattys day party I threw, if I do say so myself!)

While most brides-to-be probably give up major haircuts until after their wedding day, I have kind of always wanted to be a shorter hair bride. I have been saving & cutting pictures of how I think I want to have my hair look. Some ideas...

I would do an abbreviated version of the middle one with the bun part down and curled like Dita. All of the ones I like seem to have a 50s flapper kind of style to it, which kind of goes along with the old city kind of feel I want the wedding to have.

are you in or are you out?

2009-03-09T21:34:00.018-05:00

Venue Hunting..DONE AND DONE. No more looking at venues!
we still have a few weeks to make a final decision, just thought I'd stop in and give an update. when I look at the venues we narrowed it down to, i do feel there is a common theme of swanky lounge with touches of old city...which is exactly how I want guests to feel.
here's what we've kept, cut, and considered...

still in the running:

the w city center

art institute

galleria marchetti

allerton hotel

room 21

palmer house

And for those of you curious on all the places we went on our venue journey, here's a list of others we visited along the way, but ended up deciding that they wouldn't work for us:
Grand Piazza
WestGrand Studios
Ravenswood Billboard Factory
Architectural Artifacts
Hard Rock Hotel
Shedd Aquarium
Newberry Library
Salvatore's
Chicago Illuminating Company
Green Dolphin Street - if you are considering the Galleria Marchetti space, you should stop by here, it has the same kind of feel.
W Hotel Lakeshore
Cafe Brauer

etsy love: hollystalder

2009-03-02T18:51:00.015-06:00

i can't lie, i am so addicted to etsy shops. i found the hollystalder shop via the Twigs & Honey blog.
Here's a glimpse of some of her etsy shop items. Amazing texture and a very couture look to the pieces.

The shrug could work for a ceremony accessory and the short white dress would be awesome for a swanky reception.

first wedding dress try-on!

2009-03-01T13:26:00.002-06:00

i was home this weekend in Cleveland for my dad's birthday and my mom and grandma accompanied me on a visit to The Perfect Bride, a bridal store near my house. They had some brands I really like, including Rosa Clara (which is hard to find still in the states!).
Anyway, I found three that have some major potential. Since my FH reads this site, I can't post them in case I end up choosing one of them, but one was a Vineyard, one was an Aire Barcelona (whose styles are very similar to Rosa Clara), and one was a Watters.

I did keep a very FROTHY dress in my top three - it was also the one my grandma liked the best.
It was so nice to do something other than venue shopping!

a frontrunner for the 'maids...

2009-02-27T17:25:00.007-06:00

I just love this Lela Rose rosette style. The cool thing about this website is you can play with different colors on each dress to see what you like. Priscilla of Boston's website also does this, but the colors look distorted. While I am not fully decided on this style, it is definitely one of my favorites. I am probably not going to have all my bridesmaids in the same dress.....

So either different dress, same color:

Or different color, same dress:

Disclaimer: These dresses above may or may not be my colors. Depends on the VENUE choice. Grrr.

Thoughts? Opinions?

the only wedding detail we are sure of...

2009-02-20T11:03:00.007-06:00

say hello to our church ~ St. Alphonsus in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago

nevermind the minor fact that we don't have a date here yet, as we have not chosen a reception location :)

I just love our church. I still get all fluttery each time I walk through the double doors for mass.

best investment i made this winter

2009-02-19T21:21:00.004-06:00

With the yucky winter weather returning yesterday, i have to give some love to my winter boots. while i am not a big fan of clunky ugg boots, i got the knit Classic Cardy ones for my birthday 4 months ago and i have worn them to death. they look cute with jeans, leggings, whatever.

they are super warm, as comfy as slippers, and very durable. the only con is that they aren't water repellent - so they are better for cold, dry weather. I am obsessed with them. Definitely will be picking up another pair next winter in a new color.

Hey, what's going on with my venue?

2009-02-06T08:00:00.004-06:00

This is probably what many of you that follow my blog on a consistent basis are wondering. (On a side note: thank you! a few days ago, i just hit 1,000 unique visitors since my blog started - very exciting!!)... but, there are several reason I'm not in a rush to pick out a venue ASAP:

reason #1.) We have to wait another 8 weeks to secure the date at the church which is fine because......

reason #2.) We are not planning on getting married until at May 2010 (and even at that, we're pretty flexible)
Hold up - I know what you're thinking "But this is Chicago, you have to book WAY in advance."

reason #3.) I/We absolutely will not feel like we are ready to book until we have seen at least one of each kind of venue (loft, hotel ballroom, non-hotel ballrooms, library, restaurant, etc.) AND entered them on our snazzy cost comparision spreadsheet to ensure we are getting what we want AND for the best value.
Sorry, you can try, but you cannot take the auditor & engineer thorough examination tendencies away from us.

And besides...we're going to be together forever! So, what's a few extra months? So be patient, blog followers, a decision will arrive.
Until then, I will try my hardest to keep you entertained.

Peacock Blue & Green

2009-02-05T23:32:00.009-06:00

clockwise from left: Bouquet, Brides.com; Tie, etsy shop Toybreaker; Dress, BCBG at Nordstrom; Candelabra, Impulse Enterprises; Peacock Hairpiece, etsy shop LaBoheme; Chair, etsy shop HausProud; Wedding dress, Le Spose di Gio; Earrings, Kate Spade; (sorry, I forget where I found the cake & candy)

I absolutely love the idea of centralizing my colors are around a peacock feather, maybe placing them in bouquets and centerpieces sparingly. The shades of blue & green are so striking. Definitely a front runner color theme for me.

What love is...

2009-02-02T23:21:00.009-06:00

"Her beauty never gets old" -Brad Pitt at the SAG awards about Angelina Jolie

image via Huffington Post

No matter what you may think about these two, that quote is just too sweet.

Late Night Treats

2009-02-01T18:19:00.015-06:00

In honor of the day where the highest amount of calories are consumed more than any other day, Super Bowl Sunday.
I love the idea of late night treats for weddings in the last hour of the reception. They will definitely be making an appearance at ours!

Maybe some mini burgers...

with some milkshake shooters...

and for any groggy guests...a little bit of cappuccino &
cheesecake lollipops.

For any of you planning a dessert bar for your big day, find lots of pretty, inexpensive apothecary jars (and lots of other wedding supplies) for candy here!

Milkshake shooters Nancy Gould Photography; Cappuccinos Sarasota Magazine; Cheesecake lollipops Hostess with the Mostess

need to have vs. want to have vs. nice to have

2009-01-29T22:58:00.005-06:00

Honey Bee Weddings made a comment on my last post that I really need to figure out my constraints...aka my "Must Haves, Want to Haves, & Nice to Haves." As many of you will come to find out through following my blog is that my mind runs a million miles a minute with ideas, AND I am very laid back in that I could be happy with just about anything. This makes for a complicated scenario.
Anyway, I'm working on this list...and I'll post it sometime soon.

P.S. Is it wrong for really amazing lighting techniques to make it on my must have list? This picture gets me all kinds of excited...

image via frost chicago

And in my most favorite color... Purple!

sogno del matrimonio in Italia

2009-01-28T10:43:00.020-06:00

translation: dream of an Italian wedding......

So, I think we are starting to lose it. We have now looked at TEN venues, and while we have seen some nice ones, nothing jumps out at us as THE ONE. -- last night on our way back from a venue, we began half-joking talking about just getting out of town and eloping. I'm sure every bride & groom goes through this one to many times during the planning process.

So the topic of Europe came up...again. The background: When I studied abroad in Milan my junior year of college, my parents came to visit and we took at trip up to Lake Como for a few nights. My parents & I fell in love with the entire area surrounding the lake and stayed at this fab hotel in Como right on the lake. When we were leaving, my mom said in passing, "Someday you should come back and get married right here." (Reminder: I did not even know Tim at this point in my life!) It was just a fleeting thought, but every time we feel overwhelmed, the topic of eloping comes back to life. So..IF it wasn't important to us to have our grandparents present and all our close friends, this would be much more likely. But IF we did..

I'd get married at the Duomo in Como.....

Followed by cocktail hour at Albergo Terminus lobby, the amazing hotel we stayed at....

and a reception on the front lawn...

Just saying...if I really start to lose my mind with all this stuff...a Italian destination wedding isn't adding to the insanity, right?? Sigh.

I could always change my blog name to Wed in the Italy City. =)

merchandise it up with some etsy

2009-01-27T13:04:00.022-06:00

As many of you can see, my blogging routine goes down the drain on the weekends. This weekend, ESPECIALLY, with the parentals introduction as well as the six venues we visited. But, all went very well and I will have a venue update tomorrow. No official decision yet though. One great thing about Chicago is that there is a very wide selection of venues. One not so great thing about Chicago is that it's typically pricier than outside the city. Oh, and that measly 11.25% tax inside city limits...that's a bit annoying too.

Anyway, for those of you that haven't discovered Etsy, you should. (I'm also trying to convince my good friend Gina to start her own Etsy shop - she can refurbish old furniture into the cutest whimsical stuff. HINT, HINT, Gina!!!)
There will be many Etsy items making appearances at our big day as well as around our house. I love finding one of a kind items and supporting small businesses!

From left: Necklace, LaBoda Collection; Ring pillow, ReggieAna; Boutonniere, Twigs & Honey

Getting the best bling for your buck

2009-01-22T14:00:00.003-06:00

Before I write this post, I just wanted to say how thrilled I have been to see all of the people who have found my blog site through other blogs mentioning mine and what not. Even though mine is just bare-bones beginning, I was happy to see all the nice comments from people who stopped by.

I realize many people reading probably already have this area covered, but I wanted to mention this advice as I know Tim spent lots of time and energy researching to make sure he was getting the best deal possible on my stone and setting. A great site that I found and Tim ended up using (and also found my ring designer through!) was called Pricescope. There are two great parts to this website:
1.) Diamond Pricing & Grading: A great open forum for people to ask questions and compare pricing and specs on diamonds and other stones for feedback and comparison. This is perfect for people who want to make sure they are getting the best deal before buying.
2.) Diamond Ring Showcase: Another part of the forum is people shamelessly posting their ring pictures ~ good place for browsers to get ideas on what they want, ask questions about ring styles they like, review specs & designers. To be expected, the price discussion of rings is typically off limits in this forum.

There are lots of posts, so usage of the search bar makes it easiest to find specific topics you are looking for. So, for anyone interested in purchasing ANY sort of diamond jewelry, I would highly recommend spending some time on this site.

The Venue Search...continues

2009-01-20T21:36:00.000-06:00

This Friday morning, both of my parents are flying in from Cleveland for the weekend. I have made appointments at five different places (yikes!) AND Tim's parents are also joining us on the venue world tour. Honestly, I will feel way less anxious once we decide on a venue that suits us (and our little friend Mr Budget!).

ALSO, this will be the first time my parents are meeting Tim's parents. I feel badly about this, but my parents only visit Chicago once every 8-12 months, so an ideal time just never occurred in the 3 years we were dating. Anyway, I am very happy my parents are coming and I really need my mom's opinion on anything before we decide.

We will be seeing a few sites I mentioned in an earlier post: Architectural Artifacts, Salvatore's, Ravenswood Billboard Factory (second time visit!), and a few I haven't mentioned...

Cafe Brauer

Shedd Aquarium

Shedd Aquarium photo credit: Life on Prints (a fab photographer in Chicago)

If anyone has any experience or recommendations with any of Chicago area venues, I'd love to hear!

things i could do without: wedding shows on WE

2009-01-19T11:48:00.000-06:00

I can't stand the wedding shows on WE channel. If you have no idea, what I'm talking about, skip the rest of this post.
Rarely do any of them offer realistic or cute ideas or portray brides to be in a positive light.
Last night, after 20 minutes of channel surfing, I watched an episode of Platinum Weddings where a bride's budget for a wedding was $1.4 million dollars. I cannot think of any reason, at all, of why that cost is justifiable for a ONE DAY EVENT..no matter how much money you have AND especially in this economy. When they finally showed what her reception looked like, I was less than impressed. I've seen much more intimate & charming weddings on a budget 1% of that. In addition, I HATE the commercials for Platinum Weddings with the slogan "If it's perfect, it's platinum" it should actually be "If it's gaudy, ungrateful and impersonal, it's platinum."
The Bridezillas show can also be kicked to the curb. Public service announcement: If a bride is a complete lunatic during wedding planning, she is also probably a complete lunatic in life overall. Therefore, just call this show "Lunatic Women."
And lastly, My Fair Wedding where David Tutera comes in and basically makes fun of everything the bride has picked out (with her REAL LIFE budget) and recreates an entire style, regardless of cost, which may or may not be reflective of the couple.

Honestly, I get way more inspired reading a few blogs on here than I would watching a marathon of WE bridal shows. Barf.

dining room envy

2009-01-15T09:09:00.001-06:00

Someday, when we move and actually HAVE a separate dining room, I would hope it would resemble something like the pictures below....but with a a darker distressed cherry wood table and maybe two more chandeliers in a smaller size.

images via Willow Decor

Also, for those of you looking for very reasonably priced chandeliers, check out this site for all chandeliers under $300: Spectrum Home

happy WEDnesday

2009-01-14T22:48:00.000-06:00

I can't remember exactly where I stumbled across this photographer, but they have some amazing pictures.The photographer (and a few of my fav pictures by them) featured here is called StudioThisIs based out of Valparaiso, Indiana. I get a very magazine photo shoot kind of feel from their style of pictures.

And on the subject of that last photo.....the snow in Chicago here has been non-stop this week and a bitter chill about to set in for a few days. So that means this weekend, I'll be staying inside & doing some winter major closet cleaning in prep for the big spring move-in with the FH...if I want to fit in his closet, less is more!

venue update!

2009-01-12T17:33:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted in nearly a week, but with the fiancé away in Vegas (for work!) this week, I should be able to catch up. I can't believe we've been engaged for over a month already and haven't decided on a THING. We looked at two venues in the last week...Galleria Marchetti & Ravenswood Billboard Factory. This weekend, we're seeing West Grand Studios and, hopefully, the Art Institute.

Next weekend, my parents will be here, so we'll probably be re-visiting the ones we like best and looking at some more.

anyway, drew barrymore's dress at the golden globes last night inspired me for this board! just loved the dress (could've done without that hairdo though -- it looked like a rat's nest by the end of the show!)

clockwise from top left: Shoes from Chinese Laundry, wedding dress from Vineyard, drink from Wedding Obsession, ring by David Yurman, bridesmaid dresses by jcrew, invitations by etsy shop Crescent Moon Paper, table setting from weddings by Martha Stewart, cake from Brides.com

a frothy gown

2009-01-05T20:11:00.000-06:00

while i haven't officially started looking or trying on dresses, but everytime I flip through magazines I seem to be drawn to frothy, layered dresses. so pretty!

from left to right: Christos, Sottero & Midgley, Rosa Clara

a different idea for a bridesmaid dress

2008-12-31T09:49:00.001-06:00

how cute are these long skirts? they could be great for a garden wedding with a fitted dressy silk tank and some jeweled sandals. A bit pricey, but perhaps they'll go on sale at some point.

Silk taffeta bow ball skirt $450.00 & Silk taffeta fluted ball skirt $575.00
both from jcrew

Have a safe and happy New Year~ we are off to a lake cottage in Michigan with three other couples for a long weekend. Happy 2009!!

UPDATE 1/20/09: Apparently BOTH of these skirts are now sold out at J.Crew! So much for hoping for a sale on them!