Modern + Contemporary Chicago Wedding

Amanda and Mike’s big city Chicago wedding portrays a certain sweetness that is both charming and sophisticated! Following a traditional Catholic ceremony at St. Josaphat Parish, the couple and their friends and family headed to the gorgeous Chicago History Museum for a night of great food and dancing, thanks to Blue Plate catering and tunes from Matt Lewis and The Union. Amanda says she wouldn’t change a thing about the day, and we can see why! From the lovely ice blue bridesmaids dresses from Bella Bridesmaids to her own amazing Tara Keely gown, the attire was simple and elegant. Emilia Jane Photography captured beautiful images—we especially adore the iconic photos with the backdrop of the Chicago skyline! We love the mix of baby’s breath, peach roses, and white peonies in floral designs by Revel Décor, as well as the adorable confection by Amy Beck Cake Design—there’s so much to love, catch it all in the gallery!

When it came time for Nina and Eric to choose a location for their “simple yet elegant” wedding festivities, the New York City-based couple knew they wanted to celebrate in Chicago, where they grew up, met and fell in love. The W Chicago – City Center had just the right amount of ornate architecture and modern design they wanted. Nina and Eric called on Clary Photo to document their day, and we love how the images capture all of the details and romantic moments of the affair. Soft flowers in shades of ivory, pink, and gray—plus a touch of orange—from Fleur anchored the ceremony and reception; the bouquets were a sophisticated accent to the gray bridesmaids dresses from J.Crew. Nina chose a classic Anne Barge gown with a jeweled waist, but as a nod to her Korean heritage, the couple’s mothers were traditional Hanboks during the ceremony. Alliance Bakery continued the sophisticated theme with a four-tier wedding cake topped with more sweet blooms, while Nina and Eric added a punch of fun color with pink and orange serving pieces from Leif.

Anne and Michael blended elements of three cities for their summer wedding. They wed at the River East Art Center in Chicago, where they fell in love. They asked caterer Paramount Events to add Pierce’s Pitt bar-b-que sauce — a favorite from Anne’s hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia — to their pulled pork sliders. And they shared cheese curds from Michael’s old stomping ground of Madison, Wisconsin, with their guests. Just outside the center where the were married, photographer Austin Gros snapped the most beautiful images of the couple with Chicago’s skyline as the background. We also love the classic pink and navy color palette and all the elegant and pretty floral arrangements by Revel Decor!

Tiffany and Jim’s lovely wedding in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is filled with soft details and pretty blue accents. The silk draping near the altar of St. Mary Student Parish matched the bridesmaids dresses from BHLDN and the groomsmen ties with their Jos. A. Bank suits. Forming a lighter palette were the florals by Chelsea Flower Shop, LLC, which paired nicely with the lace touches on invitations and tables at the Michigan League Ballroom reception. We love all of the classic elements Heather Jowett captured, including the timeless cake design by Decadent Delight. And, in a fun twist, Tiffany swapped her gorgeous Maggie Sottero gown for a shorter tulle dress before she and Jim left their reception to begin a new life together.

Love was blowing through the Windy City on Carrie and Mike’s wedding day, and these breathtakingly sweet photos showcase the elegance of it all! The couple wanted guests to have a real taste of the city, and the downtown Chicago Cultural Center was just the right venue for their ceremony and reception. Jesse Deckard of Event Creative made sure Carrie had a classic all-white bouquet to accent her White by Vera Wang gown – Carrie is a drop-dead gorgeous bride and we have to admit to being just a wee bit smitten with her! We love details like the moss reception table numbers wedding planner Lauren Carter of Lola Event Productions found, and the foam fingers that guests used to welcome Carrie and Mike to their reception. Such a fun day captured by Bobbi+Mike!

To celebrate their forever love, it’s only appropriate that Paige and Brent chose a laid-back, beautiful Arizona desert setting, the same state in which Brent was once declared its most eligible bachelor! We are smitten with the timeless elegance of Paige’s intricate lace gown and those soft, romantic blooms by Encore! Creative. Following a small ceremony at Valley Presbyterian Church, guests moved on to a rustic but romantic outdoor reception at El Chorro, complete with a classic tiered cake from Classic Cakes and Confections. These lovely images from Gina Meola Photography show an intimate, perfect evening for a sweet couple!

Joanna and Erick were determined to find a serene setting in Chicago for the backdrop of their wedding, and they sure found the perfect oasis with Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. The couple brought casual elegance to this refreshing venue with vintage accents like mason jars and milk glass vases bearing pastel flower bouquets created by Fleur for their outdoor ceremony and reception. To go along with their “loose and natural” theme, the bride and groom encouraged their bridal party to embrace their unique sense of style by assigning a color scheme and allowing their friends to choose their own attire. A variety of pies replaced the traditional wedding cake, and hand-sewn teabags were given as favors to all the guests at the end of the evening. We love with the heartfelt touches incorporated into this wedding and Jaclyn Simpson did a fantastic job capturing the day!

I’m so completely in love with Danielle and John’s Chicago wedding. Personalized details filled the day from their monogrammed accessories, to the all-over use of lavender (a nod to Danielle’s French roots), to the cannon that John’s grandfather fired at the end of the ceremony (a tradition in their family)! They’re a stunning couple with impeccable taste and the absolute cutest and hands-down best idea for a card box ever!! It’s no surprise the bride is an event planner herself. I adore every single detail about their modern elegant wedding and every wonderful photo by Paul Gero!

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!

Elise and Michael’s wedding showcases the stunning city of Chicago almost as well as it illustrates their love for each other! An interfaith ceremony at Old St. Patrick’s Church brought together both families’ traditions, and their Chicago Cultural Center reception—planned and designed by Beth Bernstein of SQN Events—is the epitome of classic sophistication. The stunning Preston Bradley Hall, with its ornate dome and stately marbled walls, was the perfect backdrop for a reception featuring elegant calligraphy details, centerpieces of greenery, candles, and soft white blooms from Flora, and a rocking party set to the tunes of Matt Lewis and The Union. Each and every image from Olivia Leigh Photographie is perfection!

Kristin and Max both wanted a traditional, elegant historical Chicago wedding that would show their guests all the city has to offer. To set the tone for the chic affair, Kristin chose vintage-style details and pastel peach and pink florals mixed with dusty miller from Nancy Krause. The soft flowers paired well with taupe one-shoulder bridesmaids dresses by Bella Bianca, which is where Kristin found her gown as well. We are swooning over the timeless lace confection by Junko Yoshioka! After a ceremony at the intricately detailed St. Vincent de Paul Parish that included communion, Kristin and Max directed guests to the Chicago History Museum for an elegant, sophisticated reception that really shows off the Windy City. Gold, silver, peach, and pale yellow decor is slightly unexpected but still classic, and we adore the incorporation of the colors and greenery on the wedding cake from Konrad’s Bakery! And because we love a bit of whimsy in every wedding, we can’t get over the Ferris wheel escort cards—adorable! These gorgeous images from Hunter Photographic capture the day perfectly!

Emily and Jason’s classic wedding was held on the campus of their alma mater, the College of William & Mary—we love the air of Americana the Virginia setting and abundance of blue hydrangea blooms from Events in Bloom give! The intimate ceremony was held at the campus’s The Wren Chapel. Continuing the historical theme, Emily wore the same penny in her Nine West wedges as her mother did on her wedding day in 1973. Emily’s timeless off-shoulder lace embroidered gown from Bobbie’s Bridal Boutique is stunning, especially when accented with the pearl earrings she borrowed from Jason’s mother. Bright pool blue Bill Levkoff bridesmaids dresses continued the single-color scheme, paired with hydrangea bouquets nearly identical to Emily’s. We love the bold pops of blue at the reception, held at The William & Mary Alumni House, where the flower of the day also adorned the couple’s cake from Wedding Cakes by Charlie. One of our favorite details? The college’s pep band performing outside the alumni house to kick off the post-ceremony party. How fun! We hope you enjoy these lovely images from Michael & Carina 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!

With the stunning University Club of Chicago as the setting, you know you are in for a beautiful, classic Chicago wedding! Kelli and Patrick’s unforgettable day intertwined the spirit of the holiday season with the joyfulness of their celebration, and we are in love. The University Club’s Christmas decorations were a perfect backdrop for the elegant midnight blue, silver, and white reception decor from Hello Darling. The couple enlisted the help of to SQN Events bring their vision to reality, and Jennifer Kathryn Photography captured all of the gorgeous images. See the full wedding in the gallery!

You can never go wrong with a combination of black and white, and that’s only further proved in the details of Whitney and Andrew’s wedding. Their classic church ceremony at Bethany United Church of Christ gave way to a chic black-and-white reception at Architectural Artifacts in Chicago. We are nearly stunned into silence by Whitney’s amazing Vera Wang—especially the detailed bodice and the knot ties down the back—and the equally lovely black bridesmaids dresses, all different based on each lady’s selection. The always wonderful Clary Photo took these breathtaking images that we’re sharing with you today, and we love the small details the most. Check out the pearl pin monogram on Whitney’s bouquet by Stemline Creative, the sophisticated stationery suite from Aerialist Press, and the icing monogram on the simple cake from Lovin Oven Cakery LLC. See all the gorgeous images in the gallery!

Annie and Ben’s wedding at Skokie Country Club, just outside of Chicago, is full of heartwarming details—least of which, the fact that this couple wed on the same green Annie’s parents did so many years before! How sweet is that? We love the elegant floral arch under which Annie and Ben exchanged their vows, a creation by Virginia Wolff Inc., who also designed Annie’s beautiful cascading bouquet of lilies and roses. Following their outdoor ceremony, guests dined al fresco, enjoying small bites stations and a dessert bar! Then guests joined Annie and Ben on the dance floor, where they danced the night away to the sounds of High Society, an orchestra! How perfect!

There’s so much cultural tradition in Becca and Nenad’s wedding ceremonies, and we just adore every aspect! An outdoor Jewish ceremony, a traditional ceremony at Serbian Orthodox Diocese of New Gracanica, and a reception at the Chicago History Museum are all spilling over with gorgeous details. These stunning images from Jen Lynne Photography and AE Stelzer Photography captured lush blooms by Scarlet Petal, a rustic but elegant birchwood chuppah, and Becca’s gorgeous tiered-skirt gown. We just can’t get over the intricate paintings inside the church or the soft pastel colors of the bridesmaids dresses and gray suits with those plaid ties. We’re thrilled to share Becca and Nenad’s day with you!

We love Kari and Drew’s fresh wedding color palette! Creamy taupe bridesmaids dresses, cream invitations with gold lettering, and colorful springy bouquets all blend for a timeless look that’s anything but boring. Their ceremony, held at Chicago’s St Michael in Old Town, was traditional and beautiful. The couple held their reception at Cafe Brauer, with lots of warm woods, mercury glass, and pale flowers decorating the space. Kari looks amazing in her fitted gown with mermaid-style skirt, and both she and Drew are beaming in these photos from Pen/Carlson Photography—see them all in the gallery!

Simple and classic were the keywords Liz and John Mark kept in mind as they planned their elegant affair in Jackson, Mississippi. “If you knew me, you’d know that every detail of this wedding reflected my personality,” Liz says. “I love simple elegance!” Looking at these images from A Bryan Photo, we can see elegance in every single aspect of this couple’s wedding, held at First Presbyterian Church with a reception at the Country Club of Jackson. From monochromatic white bouquets carried by the bride and her bridesmaids by Fresh Cut Catering & Floral to the girls’ long, gorgeous navy dresses from The Dessy Group, we’re in love with everything Liz planned! But our favorite detail? Perhaps the couple’s vintage getaway car, decorated with tin cans and ribbon! See all of the classic details in the gallery!

Eleanor and Andrew’s dramatic city wedding—held at a private Chicago club—is filled to the brim with elegant, jewel-toned floral arrangements by Heffernan Morgan Designs. Blue-gray bridesmaids dresses are a bright pop against the moody, romantic lighting by FROST. And we love Eleanor’s empire waist, cap-sleeve gown and that white fur wrap! The sweetest way to end this evening was with a smooth-as-silk confection from Cake Sweet Food Chicago. We hope you enjoy these images from David Wittig Photography!