I may be a bit biased, but Chicago’s skyline is absolute perfection. And it’s on full display in Sarah and Greg’s gorgeous May wedding at the Millennium Knickerbocker, planned by Lola Event Productions. Almost all of the couple’s guests traveled to Chicago for the wedding, so they wanted to plan an elegant urban wedding showing off the best the city had to offer! The Michigan Avenue hotel’s ornate Crystal Ballroom was home to both the elegant ceremony and the reception, which featured an array of classic floral arrangements by Exquisite Designs atop glitzy gold linens. Pretty pink napkins folded into bows dressed the hotel’s traditional art deco inspired china. We adore the traditional vibe of the long, stunning head table for the wedding party, which was awash in a sea of candles in front of dramatic ivory draping. Ending the evening? A delectable buffet of traditional Chicago treats, including deep dish pizza, mini hot dogs, and Italian beef sandwiches. This quintessential Chicago wedding is one of our favorites, and we love each beautiful image from Emilia Jane Photography!
From the bride: Greg and I went to colleges in different states and are not from the Chicago area. Therefore, almost everyone invited to our wedding traveled long distances to be a part of the special day. We wanted an urban, evening wedding that would be a night to remember! The wedding was held at the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel in the Crystal Ballroom. The evening begin with a personal ceremony where Greg and I committed to building a life together that would be far better than either of us could do alone. Guests then were escorted to cocktail hour on the Mezzanine Level and later returned to a transformed ballroom for dinner and dancing. The wedding was a true celebration with a champagne parade, dinner, cake, and a late night menu. For favors, guests took home mimosa kits so they could keep the party going (or recover the next morning)!
We wanted the wedding weekend to be a fun experience for our family and friends. The weekend started with a bridesmaids luncheon at our apartment followed by our rehearsal dinner at the Goose Island Brewery. As guests checked into the hotel they were given Chicago welcome bags containing Garrett’s Chicago Mix popcorn, bottled water, Wrigley’s gum, custom door hangs, and maps of the downtown area with suggestions for shopping and dining. The night before the wedding close sorority sisters of the bride returned to the bridal suite with her to have champagne and toast upcoming festivities. They then gave her their wedding gift- a pair of blue topaz David Yurman earrings. A wonderful something blue to remember the weekend and their amazing friendship. During this time the groom and many friends and family members went to a local rooftop to enjoy the evening. They returned to the hotel late in the night and ordered Chicago style deep dish pizza to the lobby. Luckily we were planning an evening wedding the next day so everyone had time to rest up!
On the big day the girls got ready in the bridal suite with custom polka dot robes, personalized totes, and earrings the bride designed to match their dresses. The groom, groomsmen, and ushers spent the morning before the wedding brunching together on the Tavern on Rush. The groomsmen were all given custom Ray Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses with their nicknames on the inside of the bows. This was an important nod to Gus Guzinski, the grandfather of the bride. He passed away this year and was very close to the couple. Gus always wore his Wayfarers so having the groom and groomsmen donning the same style sunglasses in the wedding pictures was very touching to the family. Gus was truly there in spirit!
Greg returned to the hotel to get ready with all the groomsmen and delivered a dozen long stem roses to the bride on his way in. Once the festivities of the wedding were underway there was plenty of champagne- from a champagne parade to start the evening to mimosa kits on the way out! We also created a custom Chicago-themed late night menu with deep dish pizza, mini hotdogs, and hot Italian beef sandwiches. Our bakery also created a Chicago themed cake to bring out later in the evening that featured the Chicago skyline, Chicago flag, different lines on the El, and the bean. The morning after the wedding we offered a brunch at the hotel as a way to say a final thank you to our guests before they traveled home.
Everything was perfect and we are very grateful for our family members, friends, and vendors who helped us create a magical evening.
Photography – Emilia Jane Photography | Venue – Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel | Floral – Exquisite Designs | Wedding Planning – Lola Event Productions | Stationery – Courtney Callahan Paper | Videography – Rush Video Prodcutions | Bakery – Alliance Bakery | DJ – MaryMonica Music | Hair and Makeup – Sonia Roselli | Bridesmaids Dresses – Demetrios | Gown and Veil – Vera Wang | Bride’s Shoes – Jimmy Choo | Suit – Formally Modern