I couldn’t have timed today’s real wedding any better! This Chicago couple’s interfaith ceremony was decked out in the colors of that lovely holiday just right around the corner: cranberry reds and popping pinks! Beautiful, rich florals and hanging crystals defined their boutique wedding and the photos from Jason Kaczorowski capture the day to perfection. I dare you not to like this one!
Can you give us an overview of the event? Our wedding took place on a beautiful evening in December against a backdrop of snow lightly falling in downtown Chicago. The setting was the gorgeous Walnut room at the Hotel Allegro in a fantastically urban setting. The Hotel Allegro is a newly renovated, pet-friendly boutique hotel in the center of the Chicago “Loop” making it the perfect location for out-of-towners and local guests (it’s easily accessible by public transit), particularly those wanting to check out the nearby holiday festivities taking place downtown. It was also perfect because it allowed us to bring our dog Max (who is sadly now deceased) and have him nearby.
Was there a specific theme or style? While there was no specific theme, color choices and the entire visual feel of the wedding was very important. Our wedding colors were chocolate brown, cranberry, and light pink, which worked perfectly given the darker wood walls of the gorgeous ballroom and the time of year.
Tell us how you met. We met in August, 2007 during the weekend of the Lollapalooza music festival. Our two friends, Dan and Jenna, were getting married that October, and both of us were standing up in the wedding, but we hadn’t met until that point. Beth was actually supposed to go on a blind date the night they met, but first stopped in at Miller’s Pub in downtown Chicago after the concerts were over, to meet Dan and Jenna and their friends for a drink. Devon showed up about 30 minutes later and the two got into a conversation that flowed and flowed. Beth kept saying that she had to leave to go on this date, and Devon kept trying to persuade her NOT to go, saying that the two were having a great conversation, so why would she need to leave and go on a date? Eventually, Beth listened; cancelled the blind date, and never ended up meeting the guy at all!
What inspired the theme or style? I really wanted to incorporate an urban “feel” into the wedding – as a Chicago native it was important to not only have the wedding within the city limits, but to allow guests to really understand and experience the city. The ballroom at the Hotel Allegro is located on the second floor, and they have an option to have the curtains lowered or to have the windows exposed. The west side of the room looks directly out on the elevated train tracks (the “El”), but the windows are sound-proofed enough so that you can’t hear the trains. It was a perfect touch to leave the curtains up so guests could see the trains go by and really get a feel for being in the city. It was also lightly snowing outside the night of the wedding, and many of the trees had holiday lights strung up, so it was a beautiful scene to look out onto from inside the warm and toasty – and beautiful – hotel ballroom.
The proposal was very sweet and simple. We’d discussed getting engaged and that having an engagement ring wasn’t essential. When we woke up the morning before Valentine’s Day in 2010, the sun was streaming in through the window and it seemed like a gorgeous day. Before I had time to even rub the sleep out of my eyes, I looked at Devon and saw him smiling at me, and then he asked, “Will you marry me?” I immediately said yes, started crying (typical, I know) and hugged him tight!
What were your playful twists that made the event unique? The first thing that made the wedding unique was the actual date we held it on. Devon wanted a “memorable” date, and we were able to get 12/11/10 – a date that’s difficult to forget! We asked a graphic designer friend to design a logo/monogram for us that incorporated both of our initials (BB &DD) and looked like a butterfly. We used the logo in many of the wedding elements (save-the-dates, favors, invitations, menus, thank you notes, etc.); it was fun to see it reproduced and pop up over and over again.
Describe your wedding in one-two sentences so that someone who didn’t attend could envision it. Inter-faith winter wedding in a gorgeous hotel ballroom overlooking the Chicago elevated train with stunning original nickel chandeliers, well-coordinated color schemes to match the ballroom’s walnut walls, lively live music, delectable edibles and detailed favors, menus, invitations, and décor.
What was the most memorable moment? There were a number of very memorable moments/highlights of the wedding. The three that stand out are: 1) The ceremony. Our rabbi and priest did a fantastic job co-officiating the ceremony and making it very personal. Standing under the chuppah, Devon and I facing each other, hearing the beautiful words of the clergy, was such an emotional experience. 2) Having our dog, Max, nearby in the hotel. At the time of our wedding Max was very sick, so we had a dog-sitter come to look after him, but it was so fantastic having him nearby, and particularly important to Devon. 3) Dancing the horah. Many of our guests had never been to a Jewish wedding, so this traditional dance was a surprise to them, and we heard afterward that they loved it! The authentic Klezmer-style singer and clarinet player added to the mood.
What was the best wedding advice you received Three items: 1) To wear comfortable shoes; 2) To make sure that I ate (after carefully selecting all of the food, there was no way I would miss it); 3) To just relax and have fun knowing all of the details were planned and being executed. I did all three and had a fantastic time!
If there was one thing you could change, what would it be? The only thing I would change is being able to invite more people. We had to cap our guest list with the intention of having no more than 175-185 people. It turns out that only around 165 people were able to attend, so it would have been nice to invite more people that we weren’t able to include originally. I also would have made sure to have included my husband just a bit more in making many of the decisions – looking back, I think I was selfish in some of the decisions. All in all, though, I absolutely loved everything about our wedding weekend and wouldn’t have changed a think about the décor, food, location, etc
What were the honeymoon plans: Since the winter holidays were less than two weeks after the wedding, we knew it would be too much to take a long honeymoon somewhere. So instead, we planned a “mini-moon” to Las Vegas and spent five days there enjoying a warmer climate and just having fun. We’re still planning a longer honeymoon to South America sometime in the near future!
Alterations: Ms. Couture | Bridal Gown: White Chicago | Bridesmaids Dresses: House of Brides | Cake: Rolf’s Patisserie | Day-Of Coordination: Bambi Rogers, BCR Events | Floral Design: Dilly Lily |Groomsmen’s Suits: Men’s Wearhouse | Hair & Makeup: Bridal Beauty Salon |Invitation & Logo Design: Rhonda Ansier, Badass Bride | Lighting: Jeff Borysko, Swank AV | Linen: BBJ Linen | Location/Catering/Accommodations – KT Thompson (coordinator extraordinaire!), Hotel Allegro | Music: Chicago Groove Collective, Stitely Entertainment | Officiants: Rabbi Michael Sommer & Reverend Stephen Redman | Photography: Jason Kaczorowski | Shoes: Left Bank Bridal | Videography – Ted Greenfield
Callie | January 24th, 2012 | See all posts by Callie
