Natalie & Jake, 09.06.08

(Uhmm, has it really been a month since my last post?! Bad blogger!)


Today I want to showcase the stunning wedding of Natalie and Jake. Some of you may recognize Natalie as my fellow Weddingbee blogger, Mrs. Peacock! I was absolutely ecstatic when she asked me to coordinate her wedding, because I knew how much thought and effort she put into all the details. I had no doubt that everything would be picture perfect, and I have two full DVDs of amazing photos from Dean Thorsen to prove it!



They are a good looking couple, no? Natalie was breathtaking in her Vera Wang, and I loved that Jake kept it classic with the bow-tie! Not every guy can pull that off.



Gorgeous in every way. I adore her organic bouquet... unfortunately it went missing by the end of the night. We wonder if someone walked off with it (who would DO that??)



There are no words for this picture.



The day was overcast, but the weather held! Check out the perfect Chicago skyline...

Natalie has undeniably great taste and style... She let all her bridesmaids pick out a Simple Silhouettes dress in Aubergine in the silhouette of their choice. They ended up with three different styles, and I especially love the one with the ruffled collar!

Now let's talk about some of the details, which I had so much fun setting up!

The Great Hall of Cafe Brauer. We filled the place with candles!

Natalie and her mom collected tons of milk glass vessels, which their florist filled with beautiful, loose arrangements.



Natalie made these "cootie catchers" which were actually her menus. (Didn't everyone make these in grade school? I certainly did!) Clever!



One of my very favorite elements - the escort card arrangement. Natalie's dad made the wooden boxes, and they even grew their own moss! Garden stakes were used to hold the escort cards in place.

Moss letters hung on the back of their chairs.

Photobooth, which came with a guy to man the station.

The Kolo scrapbook album for the photobooth pictures.

The candy buffet was a big hit!

Guests digging in. I tried to encourage everyone to take as much as they could possibly take. There was so. much. candy!! (I especially enjoyed the Swedish Fish =)

And finally, this picture just makes me swoon! There is something so glamorous and romantic about it... If I were Natalie and Jake, I would totally blow this up, and display it in a place of honor!

Thanks Natalie and Jake, for letting me part of your most wonderful day!!

Photographer: Thorsen Photography
Videography: Rusty Dog Films

Florist: Petal Play Design

Caterer: Calihan Catering

Band: Colby Beserra

Photobooth: Photobooth Express

Rebecca & Brian 05.10.08

What can I say about my very first "official" clients, and how much I appreciate them trusting me to help them plan their fabulous, downtown affair. Becca and Brian are truly a gracious and considerate couple, and such a joy to work with for 6+ months. Becca especially, is so cute, and I love that she always sends card for every possible occassion. (I even got a card for the "birth" of Sweetchic Events =)

I've been just itching to share their images, and finally, I can!

The University Club... members only! (unless you have a sponsor, which they did)


I'm no super-crafter by any means, but I was proud of these little suckers =)


I *heart* ranunculous.

The entourage.


Yes, there was a stuffed bear in the billiards room...









This picture is so dreamy... *le sigh!*








Their flowers were truly swoon-worthy, by Vale of Enna.


Cathedral Hall... is this like Hogwarts, or what?


Becca had a REALLY long aisle in which to make her grand entrance.


In a word, stunning.





Navigating the bustle... so cute!


Portraits in Millenium Park. Don't be fooled, it was chilly in May!


The famous Chicago Cloud Gate, aka "The Bean."


Then we transitioned to a traditional Chinese tea ceremony.





Meanwhile, fast and furious, we turned Cathedral Hall for the reception. The lighting made such an impact, especially when it got dark!









Becca really wanted a delicate, floral lace pattern on the cake, but the baker wasn't sure if he could replicate the look she wanted. Luckily I found some fondant molds online and had them rush-shipped to the venue, 2 days before the wedding!





I. Love. Gobos. Note the tall water-filled vases lining the front of the head-table... recycled aisle decor from the ceremony. The colorful things floating at the top are mokara orchid blossoms topped with a floating candle.


They had a choreographed first dance. And when it was over...


We got an extra special performance from the Bridal Party, lip-synching to "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch." Becca plotted and schemed with them, so it was a complete surprise for Brian!


Later, THE BEST wedding slideshow ever. Except it wasn't a slideshow. One of their groomsmen is an animator for Pixar. Need I say more? Well, I will anyways... animated video with a professional voice-over, AND a hysterical script. It. Was. Awesome!!





The party was going strong at 12:30am, and the dance floor still packed. I nearly had to (politely) push guests out the door, as the venue needed the room cleared to set up for Mother's Day brunch the next morning. Clearly, it was a memorable night for all!

What made their wedding truly special were all the "unique" elements... from the Tea Ceremony, to the surprise performance, to the best wedding non-slideshow ever. Thanks Becca & Brian!


Venue: University Club of Chicago
Photography: SecondPrint Productions
Florals: Vale of Enna
DJ: Sound Entertainment
Lighting: Frost Lighting

Weekend DIY for Adrienne & Tedd

These days, my opportunities for some DIY-fun are few and far between. So I gladly volunteered to take over some projects for my clients, Adrienne and Tedd. Before I get into my goodies, let me just show you their fantabulous invitation suite, designed by Phyllis of Sweet Paper Studio, and painstakingly Gocco'ed by Adrienne. (What's a Gocco? See here) I absolutely LOVE the peacock feather theme and the jewel-tones (you can be sure we're gonna have some fun with lighting!!)



Actually, I must give credit where credit is due - the map was designed by Tedd's twin brother Todd!



Note their subtle monogram, "at", tucked into the peacock feather... genius!



I helped Gocco these feathers... my first ever Gocco experience.

And now for my Sunday accomplishments! These guestbook boards were made by following Mrs. Cupcake's awesome step-by-step instructions, thanks Cupcake! They were easy-peasy, albeit time-consuming (simply ironing the ivory fabric took almost an hour!). I incorporated the color scheme with my ribbon choices. Unfortunately I couldn't find the perfect emerald green, so I had to make do with the pale green. Luckily it still "goes", and I managed to find coordinating thumb tacks to keep the ribbon in place.


There will be Hawaii and Chicago postcards for guests to sign/write messages on and tuck into the message boards. Why Hawaii? Because Adrienne is from Hawaii, lucky girl!



Since they will have about 140 guests, I decided to make two boards in order to accomodate all of the 4" x 6" postcards. I am really excited by the two easels I found to hold them up. :) I also wrapped some Sharpies in coordinating ribbon (not shown)... Yes, I think I was having a bit too much fun today!


My trip to Target netted me most of the items needed for their bathroom baskets. Does anyone else love the travel size section as much as I do?!


For the gents, a slightly smaller basket with a first-aid kit, Alleve, Tums, cough drops, Q-tips, Shout wipes, lint roller, Scope, dental floss, and contact solution.



The ladies have everything mentioned above along with some uhm, feminine products, hair ties, hair spray, clear nail polish, nail files, safety pins, and maybe a few other items I can't remember. Both baskets will also have mints.



TADA! And I replaced the generic IKEA bow with matching blue and purple ribbon =)

Stay tuned... Next weekend I tackle their Out-of-Town baskets!