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Wedding Bliss and the Romance of Food

Chicago Wedding Planner Hope Weis shared this exquisite wedding with us this week. This intimate wedding of 70 was treated to an evening of fine dining and fine wines. It was important to bride and groom Lisa Miller & Jim Knight that they create an evening similar to dining at one of their favorite restaurants in Chicago – Spiaggia. Regarded internationally as an influential culinary force, Chef Tony Mantuano’s Spiaggia is the only four-star Italian restaurant in Chicago.

A six course Degustazione Menu was prepared by Chef Montuano with wine pairings by wine expert Cathy Montuano. Beautifully appointed tables & furniture groupings were created by another one of StrictlyWeddings.com Chicago partners, Heffernan Morgan Designs. Guests dined and danced to the Don Cagen Orchestra on the Terrace of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, while overlooking the beautiful city and Millennium  Park.

Couple: Lisa Miller & Jim Knight
Wedding Planner: Hope Weis Consulting
Band: Don Cagen Orchestra
Floral & Event Design: Heffernan Morgan (John Hensel)
Chef/Partner Tony Mantuano, Spiaggia
Wine Expert: Cathy Mantuano
Photography: KingenSmith
Cake: Take the Cake
Save the Dates, Invitations, Menus: Hannah Handmade
Place Cards: Elizabeth Grace
Rolls Royce: Classic Chassis
Dress: Oscar de la Renta
Locations: University of Chicago, Bond Chapel
The Modern Wing of The Art Institute of Chicago

Featured Wedding – Lindsey & Rafael – Romance on the Dance Floor

Lindsey Rankin and Rafael Bombino’s romance began on the dance floor – taking salsa lessons together. Both were raised in the NW suburbs of Chicago, they met through mutual friends. Lindsey works for the family business and Rafael is an attorney.  Says Lindsey, the “wedding day was beautiful – beyond my dream wedding.” A long engagement allowed Lindsey to thoroughly enjoy ever bit of the planning process.

The stunning wedding gown is Ines Di Santo’s “Carlotta.” Lindsey was measured in New York by Ines herself during the NY Bridal Market (what a treat!) and a few months later she and her mother flew to Toronto to Ines’ Bridal Boutique and Design Studio for her first fitting.

The wedding ceremony was held at Holy Name Cathedral and the reception at the beautifully remodeled Grand Ballroom at the Four Seasons. (The “After party” was held in state room at the Four Seasons.)

The darling short dress Lindsey wore to the After Party was very special. “It was my grandmother Majorie Durbin’s wedding gown that she wore in 1950. She had given it to another relative but with Grandma’s help we were able to track it down 3 months before the wedding. I tried it on and it fit like a glove. A close family friend, Jane Heflin, transformed a conservative a-line, long sleeve, scoop neck, lace gown into the “darling short dress” for the after party. My grandmother passed away March 30, 2010 exactly 60 day before my wedding.  My grandma and I were very close.  It meant the world to me to be able to honor my grandma and her memory by wearing her gown on my big day.”

Larry King Orchestra (15 piece plus turntablist) provided the entertainment. Lindsey liked the Orchestra’s very unique sound that integrates a turntablist. By integrating the turntablist they are able to recreate recent hits that the other orchestras could not. The turntablist began the After Party with 5 or 6 salsa and latin grooves as a nod to Rafael’s heritage.

Wedding: May 29, 2010
Ceremony: Holy Name Cathedral
Reception: The Four Seasons, Grand Ballroom
Wedding Shoes: Christian Louboutin.
Cake: Take the Cake
Event Company: Erin McDonald, Heffernan Morgan
Lighting: Frost
Entertainment: Larry King Orchestra
Photographer: Jai Girard Photography

Hot Ideas for Wedding Cakes in 2010

Tall Wedding Cakes
2010 brings with itself the trend of towering wedding cakes. While last year the cakes for wedding usually consisted of maximum one to three layers, this year it has increased to five to seven tiers. If your budget doesn’t allow you a treat of seven layers, you could go for fake layers.

Fondant Over Butter Cream Cakes

Whether you want to go for fondant cakes or butter cream cakes depends on your preference and budget. However, many of 2010 bride and grooms are opting for butter creams, mainly because it is cost effective. In addition, butter cream is preferred by many, because it is tastier. Fondant was mainly used in the cake frostings as it can give the cake a very beautiful look as opposed to butter cream, which tends to melt fast and doesn’t give the desired smoothness to the cake.

“TipsyCake’s fondant, which is imported from Switzerland, has a neutral flavor, as opposed to the sickly-sweet traditional variation,” said Naomi Levine, Chef/Owner of TipsyCake Chicago. “It also provides a superbly smooth finish, which has become quite popular.”

Note: Poured fondant is a cream confection used as a filling or coating for cakes, pastries, and candies or sweets. In its simplest form, it is sugar and water cooked to the soft-ball stage, cooled slightly, and stirred or beaten until it is an opaque mass of creamy consistency. Sometimes lemon is added to the mixture, mainly for taste. Other flavourings are used as well, as are various colourings. The main filling of a Cadbury’s Creme Egg is poured fondant. Source: Wikipedia

Dramatic Color
As seen on the runways, the trend of dramatic colors can be seen in the wedding cakes too. The colors, which were considered a little too theatrical for the cakes until, last year, are now considered in vogue. You will get to see a lot of green, blues, and even orange colored wedding cakes in 2010. However, the customary white and the jewel themed black and white cake will also be in vogue this year.

Sophisticated Monograms
Monograms always give a stylish and a signatory style to the wedding. 2010 brings the trend of monogrammed wedding cakes. It not only gives your wedding a classic look but also ups your own signatory style. Read our post on cake toppers

Match It With Bridesmaid’s Dress
While the last year was all about matching the wedding cake color to the bride’s gown, this year it is all about matching the cake with the bridesmaid and even brides groom dresses.

Fresh Fruit Topped Cakes
This year you may find loads of wedding cakes filled with fresh fruits pieces. Strawberries, black berries, peaches, mangoes and other fruits would be used to embellish the wedding cake.

Fondant Ruffles
Ruffles were all over the runways this year and the trend of cute ruffles could be seen in the wedding cakes too. If you are a 2010 bride and are opting for a ruffled bridal dress, you could go for five or seven tiered cakes adorned with ruffles, laces, and rosettes.

Visit our partners found under Cakes for Chicago – Amy Beck Cake Design, TipsyCake, Take the Cake and Dallas – Frosted Art Bakery, La Duni, Le Gateau Cakery