What could be better than a whole lot of romance with a little bit of rock n’ roll mixed in? My heart did a few (hundred) little backflips when I first spotted this Lake Forest wedding by Fig Media. The chic color combo of black, white and hot pink is elegant, unexpected and oh-so much fun. The fluffy love cloud of baby’s breath surrounding the ceremony alter is straight of a dream and the hot pink centerpieces are out of this world amazing. Click here to see it all!
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From the Bride…Jason and I met almost six years ago when I was working as a live-in nanny for the Walgreen family. We had an instant connection but it was difficult dating with such an unconventional job (my time off was quite limited). After five months of dating and not being able to see each other very often Jason asked me to move to Australia with him for graduate school. As someone who suffers from wanderlust, I jumped at the opportunity although most everyone I knew thought I was a bit crazy. Living abroad together created a strong and intense bond between us and helped shape who we are as a couple.
For our wedding we wanted our international adventures, personality, and style as a couple to be reflected so I made it my mission to do just that while sticking to a tight budget (we paid for the wedding ourselves). The location for our wedding was certainly unique and was a kind and generous offer from my former employer. They offered their backyard and courtyard to us for our ceremony and reception. It was the perfect setting for our vision of a intimate, outdoor wedding. What helped make our wedding so personal and intimate was that almost everyone that contributed was a friend of ours including my make-up artist, hair stylist, Rabbi, and violinist to name just a few. Being around so many familiar faces certainly helped relax me on the big day. DIY ideas from SMP were also a huge contribution! My morning routine for the entire year leading up to the wedding was checking SMP updates. We created our chuppah from a wooden pergola and bunches and bunches of baby’s breath (I saw something quite similar on SMP and had to have it). It was the centerpiece for our ceremony and truly set the mood for the evening. Our service took place at sundown and the Lake Michigan background was spectacular.
Following the ceremony our guests enjoyed signature cocktails, Graham Beck sparking wine (my husband is a wine rep so all the wine was hand-picked with a great deal of passion), and a raw bar. Dinner was served family style with five long tables. My mother-in-law donated her time and expertise and made the tablecloths with my vision in mind. Instead of traditional chair covers I used black tulle and tied big bows on the back of the chairs. It helped create a dramatic look while keeping costs down. The lights wrapped around the trees and tent were done by my father-in-law and created an intimate and magical ambiance. The speeches before dinner tugged at my heart strings. My dearest friend, Jennie flew over from Adelaide, Australia with her five month old baby girl (what a committed friend), my husband’s best friend, my father-in-law, Brooke, the now young adult who I used to take care of as her nanny, and my mother made us both laugh and cry at the same time! I felt so loved and honored by their words. The night concluded with dancing and a hot dog cart at midnight. Who doesn’t enjoy a Chicago style hot dog at the end of a night!
Through the process lots of people give you advice (wanted and unwanted) but what resonated with me the most was to remember what the day is about (you and your husband not the bad weather forecast or not getting the flowers you want). For me it took a village to make our day happen and it was such a beautiful reminder of all the people that love you in your life.
Wedding Photography: Fig Media / Flowers: Cattails Inc. / Ceremony + Reception Location: Private Residence / Invitations: Anjenu + DIY / Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham via Le Salon Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Steve Madden / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Groom’s Attire: Sebastian Grey / Make-up: Lauren Rubenstein / Hair: Aja Wong / Tent: HDO Production / Lighting: Blanford Design / Midnight Food: Hubby’s Dog House / Flowers: DIY