I created this simple framed seating chart to be displayed during their cocktail hour. (If you noticed, the table numbers are written in Spanish as a slight nod to Blanca’s hispanic heritage)

The tall arrangements from the ceremony were repurposed as centerpieces!

I love how the vibrant centerpieces *pop* against the champagne colored linens and pink napkin accents.

We created napkin “bellyband” menus… a little something different from the typical menu tucked into a pocket-fold napkin!

A shot of their lovely sweetheart table, which also shows the row of windows overlooking the Chicago River that line the east side of the ballroom!

You can actually see the beautiful detailing in the chandeliers in this photo below! They look like feathers…

Sean absolutely loves chocolate chip cookies, so of course those had to be their wedding favors!

Blanca and Sean, you were such a pleasure to work with!! I wish you guys all the best!

Venue: Westin River North
Wedding Planner: Sweetchic Events
Photographer: Dayna Schroeder Photography
Florals: Vale of Enna
Stationery: Sweetchic Events
Officiant: Ron Crowley
String Duo: Parkwest Strings
Hair & Makeup: Beauty on Call
Wedding Cake & Cookie Favors: Oak Mill Bakery
Mini Bus: Windy City Limos

{Originally posted on January 19, 2011}

Weddings can be chock full of drama… and sometimes, one of the hardest decisions is who will be in your bridal party? Here are some of the questions I hear most often from my brides and grooms:

Do we have to have a bridal party at all?
Absolutely not! Consider it a favor to yourselves if you opt not to have a bridal party at all. Sometimes the decision can be so difficult with so many people pulling you from different sides that it just makes sense to keep things simple. All you need is each other.

**NEW TIP**: Does it have to be reciprocal?
If your old friend Jane from college asked you to be a bridesmaid in her wedding 5 years ago, but you have since drifted apart, then NO need to ask her to stand for you in return! Life goes on, people move on…

Do we have to have the same number on attendants on each side?
Nope, this shouldn’t be a decision based on numbers. It should be based on the most important people in your lives… the ones you couldn’t imagine not having by your side on your wedding day. If you have more groomsmen, then your bridesmaids are lucky enough to be flanked by two dapper guys, and vice versa!

But my best friend is a guy/girl…
No big deal, they deserve to be by your side anyways! No need to stick to old traditions in this case.

What if I have two best friends?
I find this more common for women, so I’ll address it as such. If they are both equally important in different ways, then it’s perfectly fine (even the right thing to do!) to have two Maids of Honor. Or maybe one of them is married and can have the title of Matron of Honor. Better to have them share the duties than to have one of them slightly soured by not being picked for the role of “best supporting actress.”

But let me emphasize one thing… don’t pick/ask your attendants too early! I’ve heard so often the tale of the newly engaged bride-to-be who immediately asked her seven BFFs, only to regret it six months later when things went awry with one or two of them. Take some time to really consider it and think about who are most important to you and will be there for you in the long term (…and not that new coworker of yours who you’ve just recently been hanging out with more!).

For even more tips, check out Hollie’s tips on the wedding party!

Steve Koo Photography via Bertha & Nick’s Galleria Marchetti wedding

Grace from Vale of Enna did a spectacular job creating the aisle and faux alter. I typically don’t see gladiolas used that often in wedding florals, but I’m really loving how they looked! And FYI, they are also a very economical flower.

Vases of submerged gladiolas in shades of fuchsia, purple and orange, topped with a floating candles lined the long aisle. At the alter, lush arrangements of tall gladiolas, willow branches and hanging candles atop clear acrylic pillars flanked the Unity Candle table.

A close up of the low and tall arrangements.

The simple tea-length wedding programs I created for the ceremony.

Blanca looked radiant on the arms of her father and her brother.

TIP: A 5-foot wide cloth aisle runner makes a huge difference in creating an elegant look, especially when the ceremony is in a brightly carpeted area.

A nice shot of the Astor Ballroom with it’s beautiful, unique chandeliers in the Westin River North. You can’t see it from this photo, but along the right hand side there is a wide bank of windows overlooking the Chicago River!

The new Mr. & Mrs.!

To be continued…

Venue: Westin River North
Wedding Planner: Sweetchic Events
Photographer: Dayna Schroeder Photography
Florals: Vale of Enna
Stationery: Sweetchic Events
Officiant: Ron Crowley
String Duo: Parkwest Strings
Hair & Makeup: Beauty on Call
Wedding Cake & Cookie Favors: Oak Mill Bakery
Mini Bus: Windy City Limos

All the beautiful photos are by Dayna Schroeder Photography.

Blanca was the epitome of grace and elegance.

Just as they were about to head to Lincoln Park for some bridal party photos, it started to rain and so they re-routed to Union Station. A good thing because the resulting pictures are beautiful!

Probably my favorite Union Station photo, ever!

Grace from Vale of Enna created Blanca’s lush bouquet in shades of purple, magenta, peach and pink, and featured dahlias, calla lilies, ranunculous and stock.

Blanca and her bridesmaids were all gorgeous and definitely turned some heads that day…

To be continued…

Venue: Westin River North
Wedding Planner: Sweetchic Events
Photographer: Dayna Schroeder Photography
Florals: Vale of Enna
Stationery: Sweetchic Events
Hair & Makeup: Beauty on Call
Wedding Cake & Cookie Favors: Oak Mill Bakery
Mini Bus: Windy City Limos

__________________________________________________________________________

Ahhh, the classic conundrum (chicken or the egg?). Do you select your wedding date first and then your venue? Or do you pick the venue and then the date based on the venue’s availability? Here are some tips on how to go about this tricky process:

When the DATE comes first - If you are absolutely set on a certain wedding date, whether because you love the way it sounds (7/7/07 or 10/10/10 for example), or because it has special meaning to you and your fiancé (anniversary of first date/your parents’ wedding date or whatnot), then YAY, that is half the battle. You can call around to all the various venues and check their availability on your chosen date.

If you don’t have a specific date in mind, more so a general season or preferred month, then the VENUE comes first. Then take the following considerations:

1. What is your budget? Typically you should allocate about 50% of your total budget to reception costs, which include the venue rental fee, food & beverage, rentals (equipment and linens), staffing and gratuity, to name a few. If you prefer a blank-slate type venue which includes nothing but the space, then you should definitely keep in mind that you have to rent every. single. little. item for your wedding (down to the salt shakers and serving spoons), and this could potentially increase costs.

2. How many guests? Ask both sets of parents to provide their guest list, while you and your fiancé also compile your guest list to come up with a tentative number. If you want to be fair, you can allocate a certain number to both families. Don’t bother looking at venues that can’t accommodate your numbers, otherwise you may fall in love with something that just won’t work (similar to not trying on dresses that are way out of your budget!)

3. What is your style? Do you lean towards vintage and romantic styles? Then maybe that ultra-modern loft space may not be your best bet. Or on the flip side, if your style is sleek and clean, then maybe the Ritz Carlton is not a good fit! See my old post about choosing your wedding day look and vision.

Research and visit the various venues that have availability around your preferred time of year. When you find THE reception site, then decide which of their available dates will work best for you.

What did YOU pick first… the venue or the date?

Here is just a small sampling of our 2011 couples (the pictures that I was able to get!!). Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU again to all of our Sweetchic couples who allowed us to be a part of their most special day!

We kicked off the year with Joanne & Marc’s New Years Day wedding at the Hotel Allegro; Hazelton Photography.

Crystal & Rafael: Kitchen Chicago, Jon Lauriat

Angela & Phil’s romantic rainy day wedding at the Eaglewood Resort; Erica Rose Photography

Laurie & Austin: The Rookery Building, Brian Kinyon Photography

Kristine & Eric: Hotel Monaco, Mr. Stacey Photography

Neha & Alex: Chicago Cultural Center, Adam Novak Photography

Emily & Sean: Chicago History Museum, Dennis Lee Photography

Elaine & Clarence: Cafe Brauer, Todd James Photography

Donna & Chris: Zhou B. Art Center, Resolved Photography

Faye & Arthur: Garfield Park Conservatory, Peter Coombs Photography

Jen & Aaron: Trump Chicago, Riverbend Studio

Blanca & Sean: Westin River North, Dayna Shroeder Photography

Jenny & Sayan: Private Dining Rooms of Spiaggia, Steve Koo Photography

We are looking forward to our 2012 weddings!

Beautiful, garden-inspired arrangement by Asrai Garden.

A view of the lovely Bluestone Patio.

They went with simple white linens and royal blue accents.

The dessert spread by Flour Cake & Pastry was beyond delicious!

Who needs a big wedding cake when you can have a petite cutting cake and a HUGE dessert tower?

Congrats again, Faye & Arthur!!

Venue: Garfield Park Conservatory
Photographer: Peter Coombs Photography
Wedding Coordination: Charlene, Sweetchic Events
Caterer: Hel’s Kitchen Catering
Desserts: Flour Cake & Pastry
DJ: Style Matters
Floral: Asrai Garden
Tent: Indestructo
Hair & Makeup: Chicago Avenue Salon

Faye & Arthur had a very laid-back vision for their wedding day. So what better way to get their guests relaxed and in the mood to party? A PRE-cocktail hour was the way to go! As guests arrived, we had 30-ish minutes of open bar and snacks… I wish all weddings could kick off with some cocktails!

They had a famous friend… do you recognize this actress who has been in countless movies/tv shows?

One of my favorite things about their wedding (besides the short dress and PRE-cocktail hour!) was their ceremony-in-the-round. They really wanted their ceremony in the Monet Garden, and so we created a long aisle with just a few seats and then standing room only for guests to encircle them. The ceremony was brief, only 15-20 minutes, so it worked out perfectly!

Arthur and his gents looked dapper in their classic black suit and skinny black tie!

I love the look on Faye’s face… such joy!

Mazel Tov!!

To be Continued…

Venue: Garfield Park Conservatory
Photographer: Peter Coombs Photography
Wedding Coordination: Charlene, Sweetchic Events
Caterer: Hel’s Kitchen Catering
Desserts: Flour Cake & Pastry
DJ: Style Matters
Floral: Asrai Garden
Hair & Makeup: Chicago Avenue Salon

We have a few more 2011 weddings to share with you over the next few weeks… a great way to close out the year and move into the new one… 2012 is going to be an amazing year for Sweetchic Events!!

Faye and Arthur were married at the beautiful Garfield Park Conservatory back in early August. It was a hot day and the skies threatened to rain all the way up until 30 minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to start. But someone must have really wanted them to have the outdoor wedding of their dreams, because the rain never came! Thanks, Peter Coombs for providing these beautiful images for me to share!

I was ecstatic because Faye was a short dress bride!! Her float-y, ballerina-esque dress was by Amsale – who has a whole little-white-dress collection – straight from Kleinfelds.

Twirl! You gotta twirl in this dress!

Faye & Arthur’s First Look at the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Who knew that just a short drive outside Chicago, you could come across this type of scenery… cornfields and barn-ish silos!

Faye looked amazing, rocking the short dress, kelly green Cole Haan pumps and a birdcage veil!

To be Continued…

Venue: Garfield Park Conservatory
Photographer: Peter Coombs Photography
Wedding Coordination: Charlene, Sweetchic Events
Caterer: Hel’s Kitchen Catering
Desserts: Flour Cake & Pastry
DJ: Style Matters
Floral: Asrai Garden
Hair & Makeup: Chicago Avenue Salon

Of course now that my little team has grown – I went from one assistant in 2010, to three assistants in 2011 – I had to have a Sweetchic Holiday Party! Since everyone’s social calendar is so full around the holidays, I decided to host a brunch so as to not compete with any other plans.

Hollie, Jessica and Lindsey each brought their significant others and we had a lovely morning full of good company, yummy food, mimosas and coffee… LOTS of coffee!

Mmmm, I LOVE mimosas!

A team photo… Cheers! (L – R) Lindsey, Hollie, Jessica & Charlene.

We can’t forget the guys… what a good looking bunch! (L – R) Dustin, Peter, Borton & Peter.

One the menu: baked french toast, ham & cheese quiche, and hearty sausages.

Time to eat!

Yum, I love this recipe (thanks, Paula Deen!)…

And homemade chocolate & spice biscotti; it’s SO easy to make! (note: easy on the cayenne!)

Happy Holidays, from Sweetchic Events!