Today’s wedding is just stunning—I’m so delighted to finally get to share! We’ve been having some technical difficulties behind the scenes here and I’ve been on the edge of my seat, ready to show you this amazing wedding! Once you see for yourself, you’ll know why we jumped at the chance to feature Jessica & Robert’s gorgeous downtown Chicago wedding: the venues, the dress, the flowers, the bowties and all the amazing heirloom and handcrafted details—there’s beauty in every moment of the day! Jessica’s planning is impeccable—so thoughtful and with such a light and lovely touch! Many thanks, as always, to Lizz Sisson of Orange 2 Photography for sharing with us!
“Robert and I were married on June 26, 2010, in the heart of downtown Chicago. We knew that the city would be the perfect backdrop for the romantic wedding we envisioned. Incidentally, Chicago is a nice halfway point for our families, who are from Michigan (to our east) and Missouri (to our west).”
“After months of searching, I found my dream dress at Weddings 826—a great boutique that sells “off-the-rack” wedding gowns. I knew that I wanted my dress to have a vintage feel, and I immediately loved the bow details on the front and back. The dress was strapless initially, but the talented seamstresses at Weddings 826 created the perfect halter for me. I had a hard time choosing my veil, but I felt instantly at ease at The Left Bank—a Parisian-inspired wedding accessories boutique—where I was able to design my custom birdcage veil.”
“The bridesmaids wore two different colors of J.Crew’s Juliette dress—deep rose and light shell. These beautiful blush tones reflected our color palette and looked perfect for our summer wedding. The girls also carried adorable clutches in two different fabrics that I ordered from Gracey Bags on etsy.com.”
“Our flowers were done by Mark Weber at Kloeckner Preferred Flowers, who was able to turn my strong ideas into an amazing reality! Mark embraced my ideas and color palette and was really able to bring our “French country” vibe alive in the flowers.”
“The girls and I had our hair and make-up done at Charles Ifergan Salon on Oak Street. The salon went out of their way to make us comfortable and even set up a room where we could have breakfast and relax! It was such a great way to spend time with the girls before the ceremony, and on such a warm day, we all appreciated their wonderful airbrushed make-up!”
“Our invitations were made by Sarah Parrott of Parrott Design Studio. She designed and letter-pressed a unique invitation suite for us that matched our aesthetics to a tee. We carried this lovebird/birdcage theme throughout our wedding!”
“Our ceremony took place at The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, which is located on the city’s main entertainment artery, Michigan Avenue. Our reception was just blocks away at the breathtaking Murphy Auditorium. My husband and I have always admired the architecture of these two incredible buildings, and it was exciting to see the reactions on the faces of our family and friends as they marveled at these beautiful venues.”
“Rob purchased his Tommy Hilfiger tuxedo at Macy’s and finished his look with a custom estate shirt from Ralph Lauren and a matching mini-gingham bowtie and pocket square from Carrot and Gibbs. The groomsmen wore Joseph Abboud tuxes with traditional black solid bow ties provided by Formally Modern Tuxedo. For a twist (and added distinction) the groomsmen wore bright orange argyle socks from Brooks Brothers, a color which complemented the dresses of the bridesmaids.”
“We also carried/wore many special mementos on our wedding day. It was very important to me to “carry” both of my grandmothers with me so I wore a ring from my maternal grandmother and a bracelet from my paternal grandmother. My pearl drop earrings were a birthday gift from Rob from Tiffany’s. On the day of the wedding I gave Rob cufflinks made from coins from 1944 and an embroidered handkerchief with our initials and wedding date. I highly recommend utilizing all of the wonderful sellers on etsy.com for your special wedding mementos! From my garter, to our ceramic ring dish, and many other items, etsy was a wonderful resource for our wedding purchases.”
“There were so many special and touching moments throughout the day. Rob and I both agree that one moment that we will never forget occurred at the end of the ceremony when our pastor had us turn around to face our friends and family, and our bagpiper, George Sims, started his procession down the aisle. He then led us out of the church as husband and wife. It was such a dramatic, beautiful and emotion filled moment that we will never forget! If your church or venue offers a bagpiper option, we highly recommend it!”
“After months of searching for the ‘right’ photographer, we were lucky to meet Lizz Sisson from Orange 2 Photography. We felt instantly at ease with Lizz, and we had a blast shooting in some unique and memorable locations, including our engagement shoot in a field in Chinatown and literally in Lake Michigan on our wedding day! We have been amazed at the way that she manages to capture the tiniest details in the most artful ways. We will cherish her photographs of our special day for the rest of our lives!”
“The most important piece of advice I have for future brides is to take time to decide what your sense of style is and stick to it! It’s so easy to get bogged down by reading blogs and seeing all of the wonderful ideas that other brides have had but remember that your wedding should represent you and your fiancé. When we started planning, Rob and I both wanted a wedding that had a vintage vibe with touches of French accents thrown in. I really didn’t have one or two ‘colors’—instead I chose many different blush tones, as well as plenty of ivory and gold. Even though our wedding took place in the heart of Chicago, we wanted our wedding to have a cozy, yet elegant feel. Luckily, our venues both matched our ideas perfectly, and all of the vendors we worked with made sure that this aesthetic shone through.”
Such a beautiful aesthetic! The reception party is coming up and you won’t want to miss all that’s in store—the cake, the to-die-for venue, the perfect end to an unbelievable wedding day. Definitely one of our favorite weddings all time!
