The Big Fake Wedding, Chicago: Inspired By Morocco

On a warm August night, a handful of vendors came together for a gorgeous vow renewal on the rooftop of Lacuna Lofts under a gorgeous floral arch.

The invitations and paper good were inspired by traditional Moroccan patterns and colors as well as the lush colors of the florals. I loved getting to pull in warm tones to a lighter palette with the contrast of a deep wine color as the RSVP envelope. To add a hint of glamor and a little more elegance, the calligraphy is done in a metallic gold with the invitation foiled in a warm gold.

The theme continued on the beautiful table scapes with arched menus in the same sand color pulled from the invite palette with mimicked arched acrylic placards, bringing in a pop of green to this already stunning table.

CAKES & CATERING:

• Blackout Baking Company | @blackoutbakingco
  LM Catering & Events
  Sweet Home Cakery | @sweethomecakery

• CEREMONY MUSICIANS:

• Midtown Strings | @midtownstrings

• FAVORS & GIFTS:

• Birdy Grey | @birdygrey

• FLORAL, DESIGN, & DAY OF COORDINATOR, TABLES 1 & 2:

• Morr Events | @morrevents

• FLORALS & DESIGN- CEREMONY BACKDROP, TABLES 4 & 5:

• Vintage Floral Designs | @vintagefloraldesigns

• FLORALS & DESIGN- TABLE 3 & BOUQUETS:

• Posh Petals | @poshpetalsgr

• GROOM & HIS MEN:

• No Cold Feet Co | @nocoldfeetco
  SuitShop | @suitshopofficial

• HAIR, MAKEUP & BEAUTY:

• Rare Bird Brides | @rarebirdbrides

• HOTEL:

• Staypineapple Hospitality | @staypineapple

• LIGHTING, ENTERTAINMENT & PHOTO BOOTH:

• FEMPRESS Fit | @fempressfit
  Hitched Wedding Bands | @tryhitched
  Lavish Exposure Photobooth | @lavish_exposure

• OFFICIANTS:

• American Marriage Ministries | @americanmarriageministries

• PAPER GOODS & CALLIGRAPHY:

• Lina LuLu Paperie | @linalulupaperie

• REGISTRY:

• Macy's | @macys

• SIGNAGE:

• Leah Marie Letters | @leahmarieletters

• VENUES:

• LM Catering & Events

• VIRTUAL VENDOR:

• Lively House & Home | @livelyhouseandhome

• WEDDING DJ:

• The DJ Firm | @thedjfirm

• WEDDING DRESSES:

• Grace + Ivory | @grace_and_ivory_

• WEDDING FILMS:

• FourFour Pictures | @fourfourpictures

• WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS:

• Sandra Armenteros | @armenteros.weddings

Wedding Inspiration: Neutral, Boho Style

This mix of neutrals used for this vibey city wedding is the ideal mix of urban and nature. I chose to use only hand-drawn eucalyptus branches in both the invite and the complimentary wax seal matching the vibe of the organic color palette. By adding a more traditional calligraphy style, this invite became a beautiful mix of traditional and organic.

I loved seeing the mix of natural and more urban elements with the pops of colors in the decor and florals. The perfect inspiration for a city, boho wedding.

Venue: @ovationchicago⁣
Dress: @bhldn⁣
Earrings: @bhldn⁣
Prop & Event Hire: @poshstudiorentals⁣
Florist: @cityscentschicago⁣
Hair Stylist: @emilyraebridalhair⁣
Makeup Artist: @alyssadianamakeup⁣
Invitation Suite: @linalulupaperie⁣
Cake: @thesweetreservebakery⁣
Models: @emfoertsch, @poukenik

Wedding Inspiration: Romantic Blues

Another gorgeous shoot from the minds of Kristie and Kim at K and K Celebrates wedding planning! This beautiful mix of Grandmillennial and boho vibes has just a touch of romanticism that pulls is all together. I loved using the beautiful floral tablecloth as the main inspiration for the stationery. The toile inspired illustrations carried over from the invite onto the placecards at the table with a touch of pink in the calligraphy.

Planning + Styling: @kandkcelebrates
Photography: @ashlynhenry__
Stationery: @linalulupaperie
Floral: @michaelamantarian
Rentals: @hallsrental
Venue: @chezweddingvenue
Linens: @bbjlinen
Cake: @tonipatisseriecafe

Wise Wedding: Menus

Menus, should you have them or not? When it comes to weddings, the esthic and design of your reception is the largest portion of time people will focus on, and rightfully so! Though I will always say the ceremony is THE most important aspect of the wedding, your reception is where your personality and the design of the day really gets to shine. The small details add up to big impact and that includes menus!

These informational pieces do not have to be boring! Consider them to pull double duty and use them to include:

• Guests place cards

• Thank you note from you as the couple

• A place to request a card and hand it in to the DJ

Additionally these do not have to stay a simple rectangle. Consider other elements in your day such as arches or making the menu fit in the charger of your guests place setting. These details are so fun and won’t go unnoticed by your guests!

Wise Wedding: Ceremony Programs & Paper Goods

We’ve talked about the paper goods to set up and get your guests to your wedding, now what are you to have at your wedding to help provide special touches and communicate to your guests about your day? Let’s start with the ceremony.

Ceremony Programs

Ceremony programs are an informational tool to help guests know what to expect but are optional for you to have. There are two great options for programs if you opt to have them at your ceremony; paper programs or a program board.

Printed programs are great for more involved ceremonies or religious leaning services where the guests will be able to join in traditions such as a song, call and response readings, or communion. Programs also help you honor your bridal party and family involved by listing their names and potentially how you know them. This space too gives you the option to honor family members who are deceased publicly and acknowledge their absence on your big day.

Having a paper program can also allow you to add some special information for your guests such as a thank you note from the couple, the address for the reception if it is not in the same location, and even a new address for the couple if they have just moved in together. Often these style of programs are thought of traditional and are a sweet memento of your day to place in your future wedding photo album or keepsake box.

Photographers: Aaron and Jillian Photography Wedding Stationery: Silver Starfish

Program boards are a beautiful alternative option for more modern or laid back weddings. They still allow you to honor your bridal party and family members who have been by your side by listing their names and help the guests know the order of the ceremony. These are typically placed at the back of the ceremony or church for guests to read as they walk in to find their seats.

Important items to include on your wedding programs:

• Your names and date of the wedding

• Location of the wedding

• Names of the officiant, bridal party members, and each family member you would like to honor. Typically this includes the parents and grandparents of each partner.

• Ceremony schedule. Allow your guests to follow along to understand what is coming up next. Such items include processional, readings, songs, and vows.

Other items you can include in your programs:

• Directions and address to reception.

• Your love story or other fun details about you as a couple

• Your new address as a couple

• A note to unplug during the ceremony

• Include bubbles, rose petals, or confetti when you hand out your program for when you walk back down the aisle as a married couple

Now it’s up to you whether you want to include a program or not. If you do choose to have one, make sure you include the basics like a running order of events and details about your wedding party.

Remember your wedding is a time to celebrate a joyful step in life and honor you as a couple. What you choose to include should do just that—honor your love story, personalities and create keepsakes (such as a wedding program) that you, your partner, and your guests will truly enjoy!

Styled Shoot: Romantic, Pink table at DL LOFT

Here is the beautiful second shoot from the minds of K and K Celebrate! I love the mixture of prints, dusty pinks, and accents of metals that touch the table. The gorgeous florals mix perfectly with the glass accents that accentuate the light flooding throughout the venue. I loved getting to use a mixture of paints, calligraphy, and watercolor for all the paper goods! By using florals and textured paint strokes to create a pattern, the paper goods felt enhanced but not too over done.

The incredible team includes:

Planning: K and K Celebrates
Photography: 606 Photo
Grazing Boxes: Sage and Jam |
Floral: FleurInc
Venue: DL Loft, Chicago
Bubbly Wall: Bubbly Events Chicago

The perfect mix of elegance, romance and a dash of modern!

Simple Additions to your Micro Wedding

The hardest part of planning a wedding in a pandemic is knowing when it is “safe” to celebrate again. With many loved ones now living states apart, gathering at a large wedding is not as simple as it once was.

I have loved seeing the innovation and solution of many couples turning to what is now deemed as a micro-wedding. These small gatherings include their families and inner circle of friends, typically on their intended wedding date, while planning on a gathering and celebrating with other social circles on a future date.

Though it might not be the large gathering you were originally planning, this event can still be beautiful with elegant and special touches that would not have been possible on a larger scale.

Personalized Favors:

Having a smaller gathering allows you to have a more intentional seating placement, as well as allows you to add a special flair with personalized favors! These favors can include engraved mini champaign bottles, holiday ornaments, bottle openers or something you feel like best represents your love story.

Photo from Top Wedding Questions

Adding the Extras

Fill in some of the gaps with extra beautiful signs at both your ceremony and reception. From a Welcome sign to personalized drink signs, splurge to include these beautiful (and often keep sake) items that can be used at your larger party in the future!

Photo by EV Photography Sign by Lina Lulu Paperie

Keep Decor Simple, but Sentimental

With a smaller group attending will mean you have more time to mingle, dance, and add those special touches that will be meaningful to look back at when you look at your photos. Add those special touches through such things as the same flowers that your partner sent you the first month of dating, adding personalized menus at each place setting, swiping out table numbers for important milestones or places in your relationship, or have a cocktail named after your favorite song or your beloved pet you share (mine would be The Italics after my cat). These details, of course, can be added at any wedding of any size, but are great conversation starters as well as focal points for your guests in the smaller setting.