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Chicago Featured Wedding: Sweethearts Forever

Many thanks to Chicago photographer Jai Girard for sharing these beautiful photos. They are so Jai … we just love her style.

Chris and I are high school sweethearts who dated for ten years before getting married. On a romantic trip to Las Vegas, Chris popped the question at the Venetian hotel. He took me by surprise when he brought a huge assortment of pastries up to our room, with one special box put aside. Inside? A chocolate torte (my favorite!) with a diamond ring.

As Ohio natives who have lived in Chicago for some time, we wanted our guests to enjoy the glamour and excitement of a Chicago wedding. We began planning an intimate wedding, selecting the Ritz Carlton hotel as an elegant backdrop for the reception. I did not use a wedding planner – who needs one when they’ve been dreaming of their wedding and all the details for this many years?

The ceremony was held at Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue. Afterwards, guests gathered in the Terrace of the Ritz Carlton for cocktails and the Dining Room for dinner. I wanted the wedding to embody modern elegance and romance, with a touch of sparkle. Jessica Griffin from Botanicals was able to meld my ideas into beautiful floral creations, which accented the rooms’ natural sophistication. Her selections far exceeded my expectations. One of the most unique elements of our wedding was the all-vegetarian fare. As a vegetarian couple, it meant a great deal to us to serve vegetarian food. Ours was the first such wedding hosted at the Ritz and they did a fabulous job! The festivities began with house-made deep-dish pizzas to keep with the Chicago theme. Chef created unique and delicious entrees and an ice cream sundae station (along with wedding cake) were served as sweet treats later in the night.

We will be forever indebted to our wonderful photographer, Jai Girard, who not only captured precious moments, but did so with exquisite elegance and beauty. We will treasure the images for years to come. A thank you to our family and friends is also in order – it would not have been the same without them!

Bridal Gown: Kenneth Pool with Swarovski crystal buttons added down the back. I tried on over 100 gowns before I found this one!
Headpiece & Shoes:  the Left Bank
Photographer: Jai Girard
Wedding Ceremony: Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago
Wedding Reception: The Ritz Carlton, Chicago
Florist:  Botanicals
Bridal Party Hair: Ginger Damato
Bridal Party Makeup: Wendy Woodside, Wendy City Faces
Bridesmaids’ Attire: Bella Bridesmaid
Music: Cagen Music, Incognito
Cake: Sarah’s Pastries & Candies

Featured Weddings: A Love So Special – Rachel & Greg

Dallas StrictlyWeddings.com partner Thisbe Grace Photography shared this romantic wedding of Rachel and Greg held at The Mansion. The bride, Rachel, took time to share with us the couple’s “love story” as well as various wedding details.  Dallas wedding planner Paige Chenault was valuable in making the couple’s vision come to life.

It all began back in August 2004 at a local hospital in Detroit, Michigan, where an adorable man asked me, “Are you on my team?” I had no idea at the time how much this man would impact my life. I was a fourth year medical student, and Greg had just started his medical residency. First a friendship ensued, followed by a romance. We were madly in love and one year later began a long distance relationship between Detroit & Cleveland for three years, while we both completed our respective training. Here we are 7 years later, living & working in Dallas, with our 2 cats and dog.

We both wanted an intimate gathering of our closest family and friends. I grew up in Minnesota, and Greg grew up in Michigan, but we decided to have our wedding in our new home of Dallas. We decided to have a welcome party, following the rehearsal dinner on Friday night, in the gorgeous penthouse suite at The Stoneleigh Hotel, which reminded us of a beautiful historical home.

On Saturday, we had our wedding ceremony and reception at The Mansion on Turtle Creek. We visited a few potential sites in the city and ultimately chose this venue because we considered it to be quintessential Dallas. The location was just the right balance of luxury along with an intimate setting. I gave my bridesmaids customized fashion illustrations of them in their beautiful dresses, which were drawn by an amazing and talented artist, Dallas Shaw.

It was so comforting to see Greg before the ceremony and be in the arms of the man I love. As a Minnesota native, I loved the idea of having birch branches for our altar centerpieces during the ceremony. As a pleasant surprise, our fantastic florist went the extra mile and created magical centerpieces of crystals, white orchids, and candles, all interlaced and hanging from the birch branches to create two breathtaking trees around the altar.

Greg and I are from the Great Lakes and both share a love and appreciation for Lake Superior. We decided to purchase stones from Lake Superior, which we then shaped and polished for weeks in a rock tumbler. As each of our guests entered the ceremony, they were given a small stone to hold throughout the ceremony and give well wishes and special blessings. Upon exiting the ceremony, each guest placed his or her stone in a vase that we now keep on our fireplace mantle.

We hired a live-event artist to capture the scene of our first dance. The painting is absolutely gorgeous and is displayed above our fireplace as well. The reception tables either had cascading floral centerpieces or glass tops with flickering candlelight. The ambiance was absolutely romantic! Our custom white dance floor, a must for me, really made the center of the room.

Because of our love for Sprinkles red velvet cupcakes, by far the most delicious dessert imaginable, we decided to have the cupcakes designed to look like a tiered wedding cake, situated on a floating cake base. We ended the night with a huge confetti celebration to our song “Don’t Stop Believin”.  A very special thank you to our absolutely wonderful wedding planner, Paige Chenault, who worked countless hours in bringing all our ideas and loves to life. We will forever be thankful to all our family and friends, for travelling the distance to celebrate our wedding with us.

Bridal Gown: Romona Keveza – The Bridal Salon at Stanley Korshak
Bridal Shoes: Jimmy Choo – Stanley Korshak
Bridal Party Makeup & Hair: Absolute Radiance
Bridesmaids’ Attire: Bella Bridesmaid
Wedding Planner: Paige Chenault – Paige Chenault Events
Wedding & Reception Venue: Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
Rehearsal Dinner & Welcome Party Venue: The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa
Florist: The Wildflower
Photography: Thisbe Grace Photography
Videography: Hakim Sons Films
Music: Beyond & Serenata Strings
Lighting: Beyond
Cake: Sprinkles Cupcakes
Invitations: Stamped Paper Company – Jill Efrussy
Décor/Rentals: BBJ Linens, POSH, & The Wildflower
Live-Event Artist: Posta Bella – Jaime Pickerell

Featured Wedding: Junk Gypsy Plans a Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton Wedding Reception as only Best Friends Can

The pressure is definitely on when you’re the one who takes on the task of creating the ambiance and “experience” that would be Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton‘s wedding reception. Now imagine the pressure when you’re a close friend of Miranda’s; best friends in fact; known her since her humble beginnings to her incredible success. It’s a story that the owners of Junk Gypsy Co. will tell for years to come.

StrictlyWeddings.com is so honored to feature this wedding reception hosted by the very funny and charming ladies of Junk Gypsy Co. These ladies know how to throw a party!

To understand the creative spirit that inspired the details of Miranda & Blake’s wedding reception is to try to understand the passion that drives these women. There’s no taming their free spirit. The Junk Gypsy Co. started with a little bit of faith and a whole lot of heart and soul. The girls traveled like gypsies collecting roadside treasures and tattered grandeur, meeting kindred spirits and storybook characters along the way – Miranda was one of those storybook characters.

We’ve borrowed a few of their words and descriptions from the Junk Gypsy blog. The theme? Glam Deer Camp! If only we could have heard the laughter as they uncovered all the details and “finds” with Miranda & Blake. Photos by Robert Evans. (Please keep in mind these images are not yours to use as you wish anywhere on the web or in publication, they are copyrighted and protected. They are here for your viewing pleasure only.)

A rock star Elvis silver velvet tufted sofa, 2 drops of jupiter metallic silver chairs, and fleamarket ottomans

Below left, Miranda’s bouquet!

for some of the chairs Junk Gypsy created a custom design just for the occasion and had it crafted into chair slipbacks….inspired by MiRANDA & BLaKE and some of the things they love…

a trophy buck, hunting, guns, and randy travis’s song, forever & ever amen … with baroque details, ornate scrolls, and prairie-colored roses. the design was printed on canvas and sewn to fit the chairs. they tied floppy hot pink satin sashes on each chair for a pop of hollywood honkytonk.

for other chairs, they wrapped ripped pieces of canvas around the backs and then tied them off with vintage belt buckles and die cast cap guns.

Junk Gypsy founders and sisters Jolie and Amie

Such wonderful touches like the ones above. Planning every little detail to tell the story and share the magic of the couple’s love.

The wedding cakes were specially made by Jay Qualls, owner of Maples Wedding Cakes from Nashville.

Below an authentic tipi perfect for a true-blue Oklahoma boy with rugs, mushy pillows, and a crystal chandelier…

The VIP trailer for the reception. Junk Gypsy added a hodge-podge of fleamarket rugs, cowhides, retro metal chairs, and tons of candles. And inside, the coolest gypsy-vibe-room ever. “At one point we were standing in the doorway with Dierks Bentley and his wife Cassidy…and inside the airstream sat Reba and her husband-Narvel Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson (another Texas girl), Lady Antebellum, and Kellie Pickler … surreal.”

Neal McCoy entertains the crowd at the reception.

New York’s The Pierre Perfect Setting for this Featured Wedding

StrictlyWeddings.com New York City partner, Gruber Photographers, shared this beautiful wedding with us that was held at The Pierre. The bride and groom, Chloe and Alex, met in early 2003 at Dim Sum Go-Go in Chinatown, and thus began dating six years later, ending the longest flirtation on record! Good friends through many days, it was clear marriage was their next destination. The proposal came when on a trip to Beijing. Alex cornered Chloe in remote China atop the Great Wall. Out of breath with nowhere to go, she readily agreed. Later he made up for it with champagne cocktails in the hotel in Beijing.

The wedding ceremony was held at New York’s landmark The Pierre Hotel in the Cotillion room where the famous tango scene in the movie ‘Scent of a Woman’ was filmed. The reception was also at The Pierre.

Wedding Vendors
Place: The Pierre Hotel
Photographer : Gruber Photographers
Videographer : Robert Allen
Flower & Design : David Beam
Hair : Hiro at Eva Scrivo
Make up : Eunjung Kim
Rings: Tiffany
Tuxedo: Tom Ford
Ceremony Dress: Vera Wang
Reception Dress: Valentino
Wedding Shoes: Fendi
Bridesmaid dress: Priscilla Boston
Bride’s Cake for wedding: Sylvia Weinstock
Groom’s cake for rehearsal dinner: Colette’s cakes

Featured Wedding: Just say WOW! This wedding’s glamour was definitely in the details

We love Austin photographer, and StrictlyWeddings.com partner, Jennifer Lindberg’s incredible work. Our latest Feature Wedding showcases not just her photography, but the outstanding job by all the other wedding vendors to create this stunning wedding.

The following wedding details from Blair and Andrew’s wedding were shared with us by Wedding Coordinator CLINK…

The ceremony was held in the Pavilion of Barton Creek Resort and we brought in draping and chandeliers to create an elegant and breathtaking ambiance. A cross backdrop was adorned with roses in shades of ivories, peach and pale yellow and was complimented by two modern arrangements that completed the look perfectly.

The remarkable cocktail hour included an ice sculpture that served double duty as a jaw-dropping centerpiece and raw bar display. The pianist played throughout cocktail hour so there was never a lull in phenomenal entertainment.

The ballroom doors opened and WOW!!!!!!! The ballroom was transformed into a couture playland of modern floral, linens and lighting. From the cake table that had four linens layered to make it just right – to the chair ties on the head table that were tied in a rosette style to compliment Blair’s dress. IT. WAS. TREMENDOUS. Purple smoke bengaline linens adorned all the guest tables and was the perfection combination of modern and elegant. The head table had a dark lavender satin as the base, platinum crush for the middle layer and purple smoke bengaline on top. Centerpieces were all different shapes and sizes of purple and coral floral housed in mercury glass containers.

After enjoying a delicious dinner, guests danced the night away! The band was awesome and was more than willing to let Blair, Andrew and other members of the wedding party up on stage to get the crowd going.

Blair’s to-die-for gown served as inspiration for the custom designed wedding cake. Melissa Sweet herself couldn’t have designed those sugar flowers better!!! And the delicate wisps of feathers blew ever so gently all night. As an added personal touch a crystal bee was placed on the cake. Everyone calls Blair “B” so it was a great feature.

 Andrew’s Louisiana heritage inspired our late night snack – beignets!!! Complete with bags flown in from Café Du Monde in New Orleans – YUM! Guests were beside themselves with all of the fun surprises they had in store. And then the final surprise of the night, the horn section led the entire wedding out to “When the Saints Go Marching In.” FUN! Blair made a quick change into a beaded Marchesa dress and then she and Andrew were COVERED in a blanket of fluterfetti as they made their way to an antique convertible Bentley.

Venue/Catering/Cakes – Barton Creek Resort
Chairs and Linens – Marquee Rachel Church
Linens – BBJ Linen
Cocktail hour linens – Cloth Connection 
Draping – Strong Events
Lighting – ILIOS
Makeup Artist – Kandy Glass
Hair Stylist – Sasha Lemay
Ceremony Music – Arundel Ensemble
Soloist – Steve Morris
Pianist – Mac Bynum
DJ Penguin Entertainment – Josh Wilkinson
Reception Music – Professor D Scott White
Florist – The Flower Studio
Ice Sculpture – Amazing Ice
Photographer – Jennifer Lindberg Weddings
Videographer – Crescent Video
Wedding Coordinator – CLINK

Featured Wedding: Erika & Jeremy, a chance meeting

It’s amazing how many of our featured wedding couples find each other through a chance meeting. It just goes to show you never know when you’re going to meet the one.

For Erika and Jeremy is was a chance meeting between Jeremy and Erika’s cousin Lauren one spring in Central Park. Her cousin invited Jeremy to a party the following weekend to specifically met her cousin, Erika. So, boy meets girl, boy sees dimples and the rest, they say, is history.

Erika’s proposal came on May 15 after a nice Friday night dinner. Erika walked into their apartment where she was welcomed with dozens of white roses, rose petals, candles, music, cupcakes and of course, a marriage proposal.

Food was an important item in Erika’s planning. They wanted “lots” of food for cocktail hour, so there were many stations filled with sushi, peking duck, pasta, and more. For the reception, they served a beautiful salad, choice of either sea bass or steak.

The particulars:

• Wedding Dress by Vera Wang, Madison Avenue Salon – it was the first she tried on.
• Wedding Shoes from Manolo Blahnik
• Wedding Reception & Ceremony was at the amazing Pierre
• Bridemaids Dresses were navy blue Badgley Mischka from the Wedding Library.
• Something borrowed, something blue… something blue was a blue garder bought for Erika by one of her closest friends, and borrowed was the wedding band she was married in. It was her grandma’s ring that she was married to her grandpa over 65 years ago!
• Wedding Cake by the great Sylvia Weinstock
• Wedding Photographer, Andy Marcus of Fred Marcus Photography
• Floral Designer SBK Associates

Featured Wedding: Austin was their Paris

This precious couple started dating in high school and saw their romance bloom through the Eyes of Texas and for those outside of Texas, that would be The University of Texas in Austin, Texas.

Although, both Dallasites, they chose the Austin area for their wedding, Austin was their city of love. The one who explains it best though, is the bride…

“Will and I met and started liking each other in high school. We met riding the bus together to Friday night football games! I was instantly smitten by his charm and personality. Will went away to UT Austin and I attended the year later. Last June 18th, after close to 8 years of our relationship going from young high school sweethearts to growing into a serious relationship, Will proposed outside on the patio at The Mansion on Turtle Creek!

“I’ve always wanted to get married somewhere other than Dallas so that guests could have a full weekend getaway experience. After looking at weddings from the Caribbean to California to Miami, it seemed to make perfect sense for us to do it in Austin — a city we both loved to get away to and where we really fell in love. We spent a lot of time at the Four Seasons in Austin with our families when they would visit in college and loved the views and amazing hospitality. We really wanted a place that could accommodate a beautiful ceremony site AND the reception so guests wouldn’t have to navigate a new city.

“The overall theme for out wedding was chic, soft and romantic but with a fresh look. I wanted the wedding to be timeless. I was drawn to neutral palettes – cream, ivory, white, champagne, yet I still have a side of me that loves, loves, loves bright colors so we incorporated little intense splashes of color throughout the wedding. The fuchsia floral on top of the greige velvet tete-e-tetes and the pink peonies in some of the table arrangements.

“The Four Seasons was amazing at accommodating all my requests: passed champagne and berry infused water as guests arrived at the outdoor ceremony (to cool everyone off and champagne to let them know we were excited to have a good time!); personalized hand fans as our programs to cool guests off (our photo on one side and ceremony info on the other); passed cold towels for the guests as they enter the cocktail hour after the ceremony; personalized neon sunglasses handed out towards the end of the night with “Billy and BB Smalls May 14, 2011” (Smalls is Will’s nickname) on the side for everyone to use as dancing props, and a flip book station!

Bridal Gown – Monique Lhuillier – Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon
Wedding Shoes – Manolo Blahnik
Bridesmaid Dresses – Amsale, Stanley Korshak Bridal Salon
Ceremony & Reception Venue - Four Seasons, Austin, Texas
Rehearsal Dinner – Duchman Family Winery in the Texas Hill Country
Cake – The Cake Plate in Austin
Wedding Planner – Todd Events
Wedding Flowers and Design – Todd Events
Photographer – Scott Hagar

Featured Wedding: The Color Was in the Details

How they met … while living in Chicago, Rusty and Lindsay were introduced by Ben (The Best Man, Lindsay’s co-worker and Rusty’s college roommate). Ben had suggested that Rusty join the co-ed soccer team that Lindsay was organizing. Then Rusty ran Lindsay and her friend down at the 5K Corporate Challenge after he recognized her company name on the back of her t-shirt. He introduced himself as Ben’s friend on the soccer team. Lindsay’s friend insisted she go after him, because “he was cute and VERY tall.” Lindsay agreed.

One of the reasons Lindsay chose gray for the bridesmaid gowns is so that she could incorporate all sorts of bold color into the wedding details without worry.

Wedding Planner: Jordan Payne Events
Wedding Gown: Oscar de la Renta, Warren Barron Bridal
Ceremony: Christ the King, Dallas
Reception: The Belo Mansion
Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo
Lindsay’s necklace: Meridith Griffin, Warren Barron Bridal
Shoes: Ceremony – Vince Camuto heels; Reception – Corral Vintage boots
Photography: Thisbe Grace

The most memorable day & evening – wedding in St. Tropez

As told by the bride… “Olivier and I met at a polo lesson nearby London in April 2007. We both love horse riding so our wedding invitation was a drawing from artist Jean Clerté who featured us riding the same horse and crossing a bull (Olivier’s dad is from Argentina so it was a reference to the gauchos and la Pampa). We got married at the house of my parents which has been in the family for centuries so it is a place with a lot of emotional meaning. I was initially going to go for a modern dress by Oscar de la Renta and as the wedding preparation was taking shape I realized it made more sense to have a princess dress more romantic and whimsical with the country side reception. I love color so we wanted all the flowers and the bouquet to be happy daring and colorful. The church is in the nearby village that my family has known for ever. I had been a bridesmaid in this church when I was 5 years old or so (in France bridesmaids are children and they are called “enfants d’honneur”) so it was quite touching for me to come back as a bride. The car that Olivier drove at the end of the ceremony to take us home is his “second wife”, a charming Alfa Romeo he bought in his early 20s. The cocktail party took place in the “jardin a la française” of the house and the dinner in a marquee and party in a marquee nearby. In the French tradition, the speeches are done on the night of the actual wedding. At 2am as the dance floor was already in full steam we brought in some party hats and it generated lots of enthusiasm. We danced the night away till 5am and we had the most memorable day and evening.”

Photography by Gruber Photographers

Featured Chicago Wedding: Together…from the first moment

When Jasmine planned for the trip to her best friend’s birthday, she didn’t have romance on her mind. Yet, that night she met Danny. Instant connection! The next day when she drove home, she called her friend to gossip about the weekend and Danny grabbed the phone and they ended up talking all night.

They were together over two years before Danny proposed. Danny thought the only appropriate way to propose to an angel was to take her up into the clouds. So he booked a helicopter tour of the Windy City. After the helicopter landed, Danny went around to help Jasmine out, and got onto one knee, pulled out the engagement ring and Jasmine said yes before he even uttered a word.

Jasmine wanted to create a romantic feminine style without being obvious. A cream palette kept everything soft and ethereal. She loved having the bridesmaids in cream with the contrasting purple flowers. The hints of purple added to the romantic feminine look.

The Elysian Hotel was the reception location. The bride fell in love at a glance! Every room was more beautiful than the next. And then she entered the ballroom and saw the chandeliers and the balcony – it was perfect. Jasmine mentioned to the manager that she wanted to get married outdoors in a park and she told her about Washington Square Park two blocks away. Mom and daughter walked over to the park with the fountain and the flowers and just fell in love again!

When asked what they thought was the best part of their wedding, they answered:

“…that moment we clasped hands and had the wreath of orchids around our shoulders, speaking our vows face to face holding back the tears…the best part of our wedding was being in our own world for that moment in time.”

Bride: Jasmine Alvarado-Paxson
Groom: Daniel Paxson
Date of Wedding: 9-18-10
Venue: Washington Square Park
Reception: The Elysian Hotel
Photographer: Lex Alexander
Planner: BCR Events
Floral/Décor Designer: Kehoe Designs
Bridal gown: Anne Barge