A New Leaf in Chicago is quite the stunner in terms of venues. It is filled with exposed brick, concrete floors, a spectacular garden and on this lovely day, a gorgeous wedding for a couple that wanted to keep an easy breezy vibe mixed with a fun, cocktail atmosphere. In the Bride’s words “more mingling, and less sitting.” We like her attitude. YazyJo Photographers captured the day and filled the gallery with even more fabulosity so be sure to stop by.
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When we started looking for a place to hold our wedding we knew that we wanted the ceremony and reception in the same place and an intimate setting that would accommodate a cocktail style wedding that would promote more mingling and less sitting. We also wanted something simple, modern and romantic. We fell in love with A New Leaf right away, the concrete floors, exposed brick , interesting floor plan and candle lit was the perfect setting for what we imagined. What sealed the deal though was the garden area, which is inset between the buildings. The cobblestone ground, mismatched tables and stacks of terracotta flowerpots were romantic, simple and didn’t look high maintenance or over done. The trees were lit with small white Christmas lights and Japanese round paper lanterns.
It was the perfect setting for our wedding. Additionally, a New Leaf was also our florist. We wanted simple flowers so we chose a single orchid stem in a bud vase as our centerpieces for the tables. The space didn’t need a lot of embellishing and we wanted something simple that would mirror the simple style of the space. My bouquet was red calla lilies with an aqua wrap and the girls carried a mix of red seasonal flowers, also wrapped in an aqua wrap. The men’s boutonnieres were orchids with a fern frond and David wore a calla lily with a fern frond to match my bouquet.
My dress was from David’s Bridal and I chose a simple and elegant design and chose to dye my crinoline aqua to incorporate our red and aqua color scheme. My shoes were Cole Haan peep toe heels in red. My bridesmaids wore black cocktail dresses, each in their own design, also from David’s Bridal. The junior bridesmaids wore red floor length dresses with pick ups along the skirt which matched the flower girl’s dress which was white with an aqua sash and bow. Most of the linens were black with the napkins in red and aqua. We liked the classic look of black linens with just a pop of red and aqua. Initially I did not want a veil until I found the perfect birdcage veil with a feather fascinator on etsy. My stylist designed my hair in a vintage updo to compliment my veil and fascinator. Since I am a knitter, I also needed to make sure that I had a knitted item. My shrug that I wore during the reception was hand knitted by myself using silk yarn (Tilli Tomas) embellished with glass beads.
Photography: YazyJo Photographers / Flowers: A New Leaf Chicago / Shoes: Cole Haan / Invitations: Paper Source / Ceremony and Reception Location: A New Leaf Chicago / Catering: Food for Thought / Cake: Bittersweet Pastry Shop / Dj: Toast and Jam / Veil and Fascinator: Brenda’s Bridal Veils on Etsy / Hair: Sine Qua Non – Jenna / Makeup: Benefit / Men’s suits: Alfani / Officiant: Bruce Otto – Spirited Weddings