Engaged: Susan + Robert

This sweet little Chicago wedding showcases so much of my lovely city!  From the portraits on Wacker Drive to the reception at Fulton’s on the River, Andrea and Rob chose locations that reflect the best of Chicago, and Jessie from Simply Jessie Photography captured all of the images with her always amazing eye.  Fluffy white flowers and navy blue accents from Fleur complemented the view of the water from Fulton’s, and Greatest Expectations made sure the day ran off without a hitch.  Andrea is stunning in her classic Marisa gown and mantilla veil.  Oh and there is a pup - I love pups in weddings!

What better time to do a little love shoot than Valentine’s Day!  Leanne and Gordon are an absolutely precious couple, and this whimsical and quirky Valentine’s engagement session in snowy Chicago suits them to a T.  Their little table for two featured raspberry tarts, blooms in the palette of kisses, romantic ribbon and adorable cross stitch messages of love.  Thanks to my lovely friends Jessie from Simply Jessie Photography and Kelly from Fleur for sharing!

Beware – ridiculous amounts of gushing are forthcoming. Deserved gushing. Because I’m not sure there are words to describe just how much I love Kelly Marie and her team at Fleur. No matter what the wedding theme, what color palette is chosen, or what the venue may be, Kelly Marie and her team consistently create gorgeous florals for Chicago weddings of all budgets.

A huge thank you to all six teams who entered the Indie Wed Inspired Creations contest!  We are so excited to announce the winner and runner up – every team did an amazing job and all of the couples who attended Indie Wed, as well as all of you readers, actively voted for your favorite teams, and Kelly from Indie Wed and I are so grateful!  So, without further adieu, here we go!

Welcome to day 2 of the Indie Wed Inspired Creations Contest! The incredible team involved in today’s shoot created an amazing and beautiful idea, a “Belles and Gents Bar”. Picture this: one day, wives crash an old-school gentlemen’s club bringing in big beautiful blooms and brightly colored details to freshen up the usual decor of cigars, highball glasses, aged scotches, and decanters. SQN Events stocked the bar with his and hers drinks (homebrews and sweet tea) from Femme du Coupe personalized by Courtney Callahan Paper and treats like chocolate-covered cigars and bourbon-infused brownies from truffle truffle. Fleur never disappoints with their stunning florals and these peony, ranunculus, and cotton arrangements are absolutely some of my favorites! Love this brilliant idea and beautiful photos by the wonderful Simply Jessie Photography!

There’s so much this wedding to fall in love with. Colorful tissue poms for the ceremony, unbelievable florals by the always amazing Fleur, and one of the cutest invitations I’ve seen in a while (self-designed, printed with Letterform), Bahareh and Justin had a colorful garden party wedding with all these stunning details and more! Their love of animals is what brought the two together, so they incorporated animals into their invitations, table numbers, cake, and other reception decor. Oh, and I’m in love with her shoes. Simply Jessie Photography did an incredible job capturing Bahareh and Justin’s big day!

Deciding on Galleria Marchetti in Chicago as their venue was one of the easiest choices for Emily and Tom. It wasn’t as easy, however, for Emily to keep Tom from wanting to hang streamers from the tent. Either way, their colorful wedding looks like it was a blast! The florals by Fleur are stunning (love the limes!) and Emily’s necklace makes me want to dig through my mom’s jewelry and find a brooch to steal just so I can have it made into my own necklace by Elva Fields. The couple is very lucky to have some extremely helpful friends. Emily’s sorority sister, Amanda Hein, took great photos of the day, the one of the bridesmaids shoes is my fav!

For a city lover, this is the perfect engagement session. Danielle’s pink dress pops against the backdrop of Lincoln Park in Chicago, and JT’s fedora is the perfect funky accessory. Photography is by Maloman Photographers.

There are some days that are simply perfect, and today is one of those days, because at long last, we are debuting Aisle Society to the world, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share the absolutely gorgeous Aisle Society official brand shoot that I styled with Lauren of Every Last Detail and a dream team of Chicago’s best wedding pros at downtown’s most fabulous wedding venue, Chez. Together with the ladies from Estera Events, we set out to create an event that would showcase all of the things that Aisle Society represents: fun, friendship, community, and of course, utterly beautiful wedding inspiration! Dramatic draping from Drape Kings was the centerpiece of the room, swathed along the ceiling and leading to a ceremony altar flanked by simple but show-stopping eucalyptus arrangements from Fleur. In the rest of the details, we bathed the whitewashed space in color! Our gorgeous ladies donned frocks from Bella Bridesmaids and David’s Bridal in shades from blush to dusty blue and flowing Truvelle and Sarah Seven bridal gowns, carrying bouquets of vibrant summer blooms. The modern but elegant tabletop features glimmering sequin linens and rose gold chargers and amazing confetti popper menus from Sarah Drake Design. I’m brimming with excitement for you to watch the video of the day by the insanely talented Nicodem Creative (I dare you not to get goose bumps!) and see every gorgeous image from Alexis June Weddings!

Modern and sophisticated, Melissa and Michael’s Chicago wedding at Hotel Allegro captivated us from the moment we set eyes upon it! The couple worked with Bianca of Estera Events to bring their vision of a chic, contemporary spring wedding to life. Working with a sleek color palette of silver, white, green, and navy, the always-fabulous Fleur created arrangements with an assortment of candles and white peonies, hydrangea, tulips, and garden roses. Every element down to the gorgeous cake from Alliance Bakery featured snowy white blooms! We simply adore Melissa’s classic bridal updo and natural makeup by Sonia Roselli, a perfect complement to her trumpet gown. Each moment is beautifully captured by Kina Wicks Photography!

Katie and Aaron were married on the same weekend that her parents said “I Do” 31 years prior. After a traditional ceremony at St. Joseph’s Church, the wedding party made their way to The Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel, with its dramatic art deco ballroom. They fell in love with the magic of 1920’s inspired floral designs during their planning process, and the fabulous Kelly Marie from Fleur brought the vision to life with clematis blooms, peach cafe au lait dahlias, garden roses, ranunculus and hyrangea. The bridesmaids’ bouquets featured sparkly gold ribbons, which perfectly complemented their floor length navy gowns from Dessy. The couple sprinkled ersonal touches—such as their signature drinks named after their best man and maid of honor and family photo table—throughout the day to honor family and friends, and we love the fun of having bagpipers lead the guests into the ballroom after cocktails! Prepare to fall in love with each image from Sarah Postma Photography!

You know when two wedding photographers are getting married, it’s bound to be spectacular! And such is Sarah and Matt‘s magical affair at Salvage One. The industrial, whimsical locale was perfect for pastel florals from Fleur, romantic candlelight, and vintage decor from BHLDN. We adore their invites, elegant but fun with silhouettes, from Love vs. Design. Sarah said no to traditional bridesmaids and matching dresses, and instead focused on a gorgeous classic gown from J.Crew for herself paired with glittery Kate Spade shoes. Special touches at the event, coordinated by Liven It Up Events, included desserts from Molly’s Cupcakes, mini burgers from The Slide Ride food truck, and custom cloth napkins by Dot & Army. We’re swooning over the amazing images by Pen / Carlson and we know you’ll agree that it’s one of our favorites of 2013!

Lauren and Dallas settled on Chicago for the location of their wedding festivities, the place where they first met at Northwestern University. Together they chose Saint James Chapel for their traditional Catholic ceremony and Racquet Club of Chicago for the site of their reception. To tie in with the peach and gray decor scheme, bridesmaids wore strapless Donna Morgan dresses from Nordstrom, paired with peony bouquets from Fleur. Lauren’s embroidered Lazaro gown from Bridal Couture was a classic choice that sparkled with a beaded headband and jeweled shoes purchased from Etsy. A DIY seating chart, a project Lauren and Dallas completed together, set the scene for an elegant but personalized reception with lush florals, vintage touches like mercury glass, and a dessert by Cake on a shiny silver stand. We’re swooning over every perfect detail in these images from Shane Welch Photography!

Laura and John—fresh from a flight home to Chicago from Istanbul!—spent a day around the West Loop with Julia Franzosa Photography for their casual but hip engagement photos. Navy and green are crisp and vibrant in their images at The Publican and near Fulton Market; monochromatic outfits on abandoned railroad tracks give off an earthy, laid-back vibe. We especially love the cozy, homey feel of the couple sitting on their front steps. Laura and John look so comfortable in these photos, and we just adore their natural smiles and happy faces!

We love this fresh approach to vintage wedding decor, with design by Chicago Vintage Weddings and images from Justine Bursoni! The woodsy setting is the perfect backdrop for bold-colored florals from Flowers by Stem; the brides peach and cream makeup by Karen Marie Salon is a neutral base for her classic strapless gown with unexpected details like rosettes on the bust and a bow at the base of the skirt. Vintage rentals and gold accents provide a touch of sparkle on the dark wood table set amongst the trees. Besides the lovely bride, our favorite part of this shoot is an amazing dessert table topped with ruffled icing cakes by Luscious Layers Bakery. Delicious! Drool over all of the beautiful details in the gallery!

The effortless sophistication of this styled shoot by Jen Huang Photography leaves us wanting more! Antique floral china, lace linens, and gold touches courtesy of Borrowed Blu combine with softer fashion choices like a light gray suit and bohemian style beaded gown from Nearly Newlywed Bridal Boutique for a chic but casual affair. Garden blooms and wildflower-inspired bouquets by Sarah Winward of Honey of a Thousand Flowers give an elegant accent when mixed with silver platters of fresh vegetables and flickering candles; the watercolor invitation by Dear Jendo ties in seamlessly with the theme. We’re so in love with the bride’s coral lipstick and gorgeous curls tucked back at the base of her neck, styled by 10.11 Makeup. Ahh, vintage details and romantic styling—does it get any better? See all of the beautiful images in the gallery!

Ladies and gents, today we have the privilege of sharing Melissa Hayes’ sparkling new wedding website!  If you haven’t seen Melissa’s work before, you are in for quite a treat today because we can assure you it is positively lovely!  Her new website showcases her amazing photography perfectly with several collections that will make your jaw drop.  From cheery outdoor ceremonies to chic ballroom receptions to cultural weddings filled with color and warmth, Melissa has photographed it all beautifully!

We love the laid-back feel of Angela and Justin’s Chicago engagement session! Gerald Carvalho Photography followed cute couple Angela and Justin to their favorite local haunts and captured them drinking coffee and just having fun together. These two are gorgeous and we adore Justin’s tailored coat and Angela’s fabulous boots! These two look right at home together, whatever they’re doing. Such a beautiful couple!

Chicago’s Salvage One is an absolutely gorgeous event space—its unique, modern, rustic interior was the perfect backdrop for Erin and Mike’s simple but chic soiree! Captured beautifully by Anna Guziak Photography, their winter nuptials featured candle centerpieces from Fleur that complemented Salvage One’s vintage, mismatched wood tables, and a fabulous all-out dessert table from Sweet Table Chicago. We are absolutely in love with Erin’s sophisticated embroidered gown and lush, hand-tied bouquet—see all of this relaxed and sweet day in the gallery!

There’s nothing better on a cold and snowy day than the arms of your sweetie wrapped tightly around you. This warm and fuzzy engagement shoot by Laura Ivanova, Melissa Schollaert, and Molly Michel would make anyone excited for winter love and the stunning winter-inspired anemone, rose, and privet berry bouquet by Asrai Garden would set any chilled heart aflutter! The cool greys and soft pastels in these photos Laura Ivanova by are perfect inspiration for a winter wedding!