Chicago Weddings Blog

Beware of Candles in the center aisle

2012-05-07T20:07:00.002-05:00

Ok, so this is a bit of a rant but there seems to be a new trend to have candles and flowers on the floor on either side of the center aisle. Based on what I’ve observed recently, even though it looks very pretty—it’s not a good idea.

At several weddings I’ve seen guests trip over and break the candle holders. This past weekend the mother of the bride sat down on her chair on the aisle and her dress fell onto the candle. I was able to pull the dress away before it caught fire. Then the flower girl, after walking down the aisle, went to sit down and her dress just floated over the top of the candle as she went to sit down. Fortunately the dress did not catch on fire.

I’ve seen glass vases filled with water and a candle floating on top accidently kicked and broken and the water completely soaked the aisle cloth. It had to be removed before the wedding.

At another wedding there were candles lining a staircase and as one of the groomsmen walked down the stairs, he kicked the candle with his foot, sending it flying into the air.

At a black tie wedding a couple of years ago there were pedestals with tall vases filled with flower lining the center aisle. One of the ushers bumped in to the pedestal and the vase, full of water fell on to the lap of a guest. She was soaking wet.

So, please, please if you are concerned about safety and preventing something serious, consider the risks of candles and vases on the floor on the center aisle.

What will the Officant really say

2012-05-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

Almost every bride and groom I meet with tells me a horror story about attending a wedding where an Officiant/Minister/Rabbi/Priest started making off-the-wall comments that were embarrassing to everyone present. Recently a couple told me that after looking at another local Officiant’s website they ruled him out because based on how he describe himself, they were scared he would turn their ceremony into an opportunity for him to perform.

My conclusion is that all couples have fears about what their Officiant is really going to say during their wedding. That is perfectly understandable because they have opportunities to taste the food their caterer will prepare, hear the music played by their DJ or musicians, see photos taken by their photographer and see how their hair stylist will do the bride’s hair for her wedding. How will they know exactly what I will say during their wedding?

I am not alone in doing this, but the way I address this fear is by asking every couple to select from my planning booklet exactly what they want said in their wedding. At times they have very specific things they want said, for instance that the wedding is taking place where they met or in one instance a couple who loved animals changed a line in a prayer that said, “may they always welcome friends and strangers into their home,” to “may they always welcome friends and strange animals into their home.”

Based on what they select from my planning booklet I provide them with a draft of the ceremony that we review and edit until I get it just the way they want it. I offer advice or suggestions based on my experience but in the end the ceremony is completely personalized and uniquely theirs. Then at their ceremony, I stick with the script.

My hope is that this process helps calm the fears of the bride and groom so that they can, as much as possible, relax and fully enjoy and engage in their ceremony.

Bride's Choice Award for 2012

2012-01-17T19:45:00.002-06:00

I have been awarded the WeddingWire Bride's Choice Award for 2012. This means we are in the top 5% of Wedding Pros nationwide! The WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards™ recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined solely by the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds.

Charmagne and Ross Sutherlin

2011-10-22T13:12:00.002-05:00

Charmagne and Ross were married on Saturday, July 9, 2011 at the Hard Rock Hotel on Michigan Avenue. Miller and Miller posted photos of the wedding on their website, check them out

Style Me Pretty featured a wedding I conducted at Trees Studio

2011-08-15T20:12:00.004-05:00

I conducted Ariele and Nick wedding at The Ivy Room at Tress Studios on Saturday, May 7. Amanda Hein photos are featured on Style Me Pretty.

Venue for a small Wedding

2010-12-28T12:50:00.003-06:00

Perennial located at 1800 North Lincoln Avenue was the venue for Catherine and Jerry's wedding last night at 6:00. It was a small wedding with less than 30 guests and the room provided by Perennial was perfect and felt very intimate.

Contact their special events and catering department at 1633 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60614, 312.640.0640, email, info@bokagrp.com.

Amy and Dan's Wedding

2010-12-27T14:08:00.001-06:00

Amy and Dan were married at the Hyatt at the MacDonald's campus in Oak Brook. I was invited by there photographer Hilda Burke to become a friend and then I noticed on her blog that she had photos of the wedding and of me.

Thank you Hilda for inviting me to be your friend and also for posting some of your wonderful photos.

Lynne and Garrett's Wedding

2010-10-15T19:36:00.004-05:00

I was listed on on June Bug Weddings as one of the wedding team for Lynne and Garrett's wedding at Wicker Park Lutheran Church on July 18, 2010.

The church is one of a very few churches that allows couple who are not members to be married in their church and also allows Officiant's to conduct weddings there. If you want to be married in a church check them out.

Video from Leah and Jake's Wedding

2010-08-08T19:51:00.002-05:00

Leah and Jake were married on May 15 at the Rookery. Olivia from Olivia Leigh Photographie and her boyfriend shot this video of the wedding. Olivia, Jake and Leah have all graciously allowed me to post the link the the video here, http://vimeo.com/13238088, please check it out.

Venues that were new to me

2010-08-08T19:27:00.002-05:00

Over the past six months I have conducted weddings at four venues that were new to me. I enjoyed all of them for different reasons and would encourage brides and grooms to check them out. All of these venues have wonderfully representative photos of their space.

Kathy and George were married on Valentine’s Day at the River East Art Center, 435 East Illinois Street, 312.321.1001. It’s really quite a stunning venue and their 130 guests nicely filled the area where the wedding took place.

Anthony and Erika were married in the second floor Tasting Room at Randolph Wine Cellars, 1415 West Randolph 312.942.1313. They had about 120 guests, most of whom stood during the 20 minute ceremony. Nick Luedde, director and he and his staff was helpful and attentive to everyone’s needs.

Sharon and Jeff were married on July 9 at Salvatore's Ristorante 525 W Arlington Place, 773.528.1200. Amra Custic was the event coordinator that evening and she was a delight to work with. The room was lovely and just the right size for the 80 guests in attendance.

Mason and Emily were married on August 7 at Gallery 1028, located at 1028 Hooker Street on Goose Island. It’s a very cool venue which is operated by Calihan Catering, 312.587.3553. The space has vaulted ceilings, exposed brick and skylights as well as well work wood floors. A talented florist or designer would be able to create some very creative designs in the room. Nitin Vyas, from Calihan, was in charge last night and we recognized each other from past weddings at the Chicago Botanic Garden where he has concentrated his efforts. Nitin was extremely helpful.

More Photos from Greg and Maria's Wedding

2010-07-04T15:06:00.001-05:00

Erica Rose, sent me some of her photos from Maria and Greg's wedding in May. Thank you Erica

To contact Erica go to: http://www.erosephoto.com/ or http://www.ericaroseblog.com/

Style Me Pretty - Little Black Book

2010-06-13T19:59:00.003-05:00

Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book is a highly edited collection of wedding service providers – from mom and pop boutiques to A-Listers. Bottom line, these vendors are the best of the best. For more information about the Little Black Book, including a detailed description of how vendors are selected and get listed, see our Little Black Book FAQ

Sandra and Nate's Wedding at Prairie Productions

2010-05-25T19:43:00.000-05:00

Olivia Leigh Photographie provided these wonderful photos for me, thanks Olivia.

Prairie Productions is a very popular venue, the owner told me he has booked over 50 weddings in 2010. As you can see from Olivia's photo above, the room is large with a lot of natural light. The ceremony and reception is usually held in the same room but there is another space and an outdoor patio for cocktails following the ceremony.

I've conducted several weddings at Prairie Productions and the room has looked entirely different each time. It must be fun for the florists to design how to use the space and the results are often striking.

Other vendors included in Sandra and Nate's wedding were:

Park West Strings

Food for Thought Catering

Kloeckner Preferred Flowers

Columbus Park Refectory

2010-05-22T14:08:00.010-05:00

Maria and Greg were married on Friday, May 21 at the Columbus Park Refectory. Located at 5701 W Jackson the Refectory has three porticos that fill with sun during the summer. The grounds, created by the dean of prairie landscape architecture, contain two natural looking waterfalls, stratified stonework ledges and abundant native plant life.

Inside, Spanish-influenced architecture, arched entryways, and ornate terra cotta are quite lovely and the generous-sized Dance Hall has magnificent windows that overlook a lagoon and comes complete with a grand piano.

The photos taken with my IPhone don't do it justice but that's what I have for now.

Don't write off the Chicago Park District sites for your wedding venue, at least check out their website, they have some very nice sites.

Erica Rose of Erica Rose Photography was the photographer. I have not worked with her in the past and it was good to get to know her and I hope she will send me some professional photos later that I can post here.

Jill and Mark's wedding on January 1, 2010

2010-01-24T18:00:00.011-06:00

Jill and Mark were married on January 1, 2010 at Trump International Hotel and Tower. Aristene Aurand, is the wedding specialist at the Tower and weddings there are always very special.

Tara Swift Moser from LOLA Event Production (312.513.6531) was the planner and florist and was great. It is always a pleasure to conduct weddings with the team from LOLA!

Andre LaCour was the photographer and provided these excellent photos to. Andre is the director of photography at Edward Fox Photography and can be reached at 773.794.5149. Thank you Andre.

Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2010

2010-01-19T20:46:00.002-06:00

Spirited Weddings has been chosen to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2010. This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service and professionalism.

The Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through extensive surveys and reviews, which means my past clients have spoken on my behalf and selected me to receive this honor.

I am honored to receive this award again this year!

One of my favorite readings

2009-11-18T07:36:00.001-06:00

Sonnet XVII – Pablo Neruda

I don’t love you as if you were the salt-Rose, Topaz

or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:

I love you as certain dark things are loved,

secretly, between the shadows and the soul

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom and carries

hidden within itself the light of those flowers,

and thanks to your love, darkly in my body

lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you simply, without problems or pride:

I love you in this way because I don’t know any other way of loving

But this, in which there is no you, or I

so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand.

So intimate that when I fell asleep it is your eyes that close

Mindy and Eric - James Hotel

2009-11-15T18:44:00.003-06:00

This was my first wedding at the James Hotel and I was impressed. The staff were really helpful and great to work with and the room was especially attractive. Here was the team, at least the ones I met.

Venue: The James Hotel
Hillary Cavan, services manager and her staff were there to help throughout

Photographer: Pamela Luedeke Photography
Pamela has promised to provide some photos and I will post them later in a new post.

DJ: Toast and Jam
It is always a delight to work with the folk from Toast and Jam, this was no exception.

Planner: Here Comes the Party
This was my first time working with Marcy Alspach and Meghan Martinez, what a great team.

Florist: Dilly Lily
Usually the florist is gone by the time I get to the venue but this time I got to meet a couple of the people and compliment them on their arrangments.

I think Eric and Mindy were very happy with their choice of vendors and they are certainly worth your consideration.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Ballroom

2009-10-18T10:58:00.004-05:00

Allie and Nelson were married yesterday at the Art Institute Ballroom. Their web site says the room has won several architectural awards. The high ceilings, impressive grand staircase and balcony do make it a beautiful venue. The area where the ceremony takes place needs to be reset for the reception so there are some decorating challenges but creative florists have made it work.

In my experience yesterday and in the past, the Ballroom is one of those venues that is very hands off in its approach. In other words there doesn't seem to be anyone their from the Art Institute to provide assistance. I am not saying this is bad but it does mean that couples need either a wedding coordinator or someone like me who will coordinate the ceremony for them. For instance, yesterday the band that was to play for the reception got a late start setting up and were still at work at 6:00 when the wedding was to begin. I asked them to finish after the ceremony and then got the musical prelude started, family members seated and processional started. I think Allie was completely unaware of issues with the band, and I am happy that was the case.

Dave Johnston of Chicalba Bagpiping Service played out on Michigan Avenue as the guest arrived and then he played as Allie and her father walked down the aisle. He also played as Nelson and Allie processed out at the end of the ceremony. You can contact Dave at 630.534.4964 or dave@chicalba.com. If you are looking for a bagpiper for your wedding or event Dave is an excellent choice.

Food for Thought provided the catering and Abby English was the person in charge last night. Abby and her crew did an excellent job.

Green Dolphin Street

2009-10-11T17:27:00.004-05:00

Stephanie and Rob were married yesterday at the Green Dolphin Street located at 2200 North Ashland Avenue. I remember this place when it was a car parts dealer and I've been there recently to hear some jazz but this was my first wedding. Jessica Bergman one of the event planners told me that they have weddings there most every weekend. Be sure to look at the photos on their web site because from the outside Green Dolphin Street may not look like a place to have your wedding. However, the inside is nice, some of the rooms have a lot of natural light and they do have a very beautiful garden in the back. They also have a big parking lot and lots of on street parking, both of which are unusual for a venue in the city.

Jessica was very helpful and easy to work with, you can contact her at 773.395.0066.

Zed 451

2009-10-11T17:00:00.008-05:00

Dora and Diego were married in August on the roof top at Zed 451 located at 739 North Clark Street in Chicago. Heather Parker was the photographer and we exchanged business cards and I asked if I could post some of her photos on this blog. She send them last week. You can see Heather's website and read her blog by clicking here.

Thank you so much Heather for the photo. She actually sent several more but they are all of me and I think one is enough for this blog. Go to her web site and her blog and you will see some great photos of Diego and Dora and Zed 451.

First and Last

2009-10-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

The day began with a 12:30 wedding on the Trump Terrace on the 16th floor of the Trump Tower. It has very dramatic views of the Wrigley Building Clock Tower, Tribune Tower and the riverfront looking east on to Lake Michigan. I noticed that as the guests arrived and walked out on to the terrace many of them took out their cameras and started to take photos of the view, it is pretty amazing. I only had my IPhone so the quality isn't very good but at least you can get an idea of the view east.

Lin of Lin and Associates was the real photographer and I am hoping she will share some of her photos with me so that I can post them here. You can contact Lin at 77.727.9494.

Monika Lotter, who is Director of Catering at Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago told me after the ceremony that this was the first ever wedding on the terrace. As I have mentioned in a previous blog Monika and the staff at the hotel are just wonderful. You can contact Monika at at 312.588.8059 or trumpchicago@trumphotels.com

The day ended with another wedding at the Shedd Aquarium for the last wedding of the year on their new outdoor terrace. I can't find it described on their website but let me add that the views of downtown Chicago are wonderful. Again, my photos don't do it justice but you can at least get an idea.

Tara Moser of LOLA Event Productions was the wedding coordinator, you can reach her at 312.513.6531 or tara@lolaeventproductions.com. LOLA always does excellent work and I think couples who select them are well served with the right mix of attention to all the details and the ability to be flexible when last minute changes happen.

Courtney Lawhn of Chicago Harpist provided the music. We have worked together in several weddings and it's always a delight to see her again. You can reach Courtney at 847.826.5067 or at
courtneylawhn@yahoo.com.

I don't often see or interact with florists but I have come to recognize the work of Keho Designs. There designs are always both beautiful and distinctive. Check them out, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Wedding at Wicker Park Lutheran Church

2009-09-27T17:54:00.003-05:00

David and Janeen were married on Saturday, September 26 at Wicker Park Lutheran Church, located at 1502 N. Hoyne Avenue in Chicago. In my experience it is unusual for a church to let an outside minister conduct a wedding in their church but this church just did just that. In fact I never did meet or talk to anyone from the church. The building was open and prepared when I arrived for the rehearsal and the wedding itself. It's a lovely old church and for couples looking to be married in a church with no apparent strings attached I would highly recommend Wicker Park Lutheran, their telephone number is 773.276.0263.

Music was provided by Thomas Yang, executive director of Chicago Musical Connection, a string quartet that was just wonderful to work with and did a truly outstanding job. There is no email or web page information on his business card but you can reach Thomas at 847.256.6610. I Googled him and there was a long listing of articles about this well known and respected musician.

A great venue, wonderful music and a memorable wedding for Janeen and David

Prairie Production

2009-09-20T18:45:00.005-05:00

This was my second wedding at Prairie Production which seems to have become a very popular venue.There is a good photo of the space on the website and as I walked in I was struck with the fact that it looked entirely different than it did at the last wedding I conducted there.

After the ceremony I met Michael Roberts who owns the space and was also the photographer for the wedding. He hosts private events in there and also uses it as a daylight studio for photos.

EventCreative was the caterer and I suspect, based on their website they were also the florist and did the room decor. It was very impressive.

It's always a pleasure to work with Fig Media, this week Megan Taylor was the Deejay. The room presented some challenges for her but she was right on top of it and did a great job. She was also a huge help to me when the musicians performing the processional and recessional started the recessional before the ceremony was over. Megan responded quickly and saved the day and part of the ceremony.

If you are looking for a venue that's like a blank canvas because you want to do some creative decorating be sure to check out Prairie Production.

Trisha and Stephen chose not to hire a wedding planner or coordinator and not to have a rehearsal so I was happy I could step in and coordinate the ceremony for them. We had worked through ahead of time some tricky seating arrangements for family members as well as all the other pre-ceremony details like the seating order of grandparents and parents, order of the processional and how the groom, groomsmen and brides maids would process it. I think the entire ceremony came together well and Stephen and Trisha were please.

Park Hyatt Weddings

2009-09-15T19:16:00.001-05:00

Lori Stephenson of Lola Event Productions served as the coordinator for Pari and Edward wedding last month at the Park Hyatt, 800 North Michigan Avenue. I always enjoy working with Lori and her clients are always well served.

A week before Eugenia and Myat were also married at the Park Hyatt. Darcey Lohman from Big City Bride was the coordinator. This was my second wedding with Darcey and she was a life saver for me.

Both weddings were in the same room but the set up was entirely different for each one. It is a great credit to the hotel, the planners and florists that they can make the same room look so different.

The contact at the the Park Hyatt was Virginie Bishop, vbishop@hyatt.com and Maria Farrell, maria.farrell@hyatt.com. Virginie was there for the rehearsal and she and the other staff were most helpful on the day of the wedding.

The hotel offers the couple two complimentary nights at any Park Hyatt or Hyatt Resort worldwide when their wedding is at Park Hyatt Chicago. That seems like a very nice perk.