We are all family folks here at SMP, so when we get to see two beautiful sisters tie the knot – we immediately crank out the oohs and awwws. We saw the first sweetheart of a sister say yes in this stylish soiree, and now it’s time for us to swoon over sister #2. These girls sure know how to do Chicago chic in their own lovely way! Anticipation Events and Michael Rastall Photography were constants in both of these gorgeous girls’ big days, ensuring this family had two gorgeous weddings under their party-throwing belts! See it all here!
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From Elizabeth of Anticipation Events… Katie & Jeff were married at the Hard Rock Hotel on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. They’ve been together since high school so their friends and family were ready to party! Their wedding date was 9.10.11, which was a fantastic date to get married and even more special for these two because it is Katie’s parents’ wedding anniversary too! I am particularly tied to this crew as I had the pleasure of helping Katie’s sister Elizabeth with her wedding to Mike last year. It was so fun to see the whole family again.
Katie really wanted to highlight the ornate architecture of the Hard Rock and incorporate a little of our own vintage “Rock & Roll” theme. One of the major style elements Katie wanted to do was transform the Hard Rock’s conference room into a beautiful space to get married. Massive numbers of candles, floral masterpieces by Forget Me Knodt Designs and ribbon and paper flowers adorned the aisle. Katie and Jeff were married right in front of an enormous floral backdrop I created that went from the ceiling to the floor. It included paper, satin and grosgrain ribbons along with dozens of strands of flowers made from tissue paper, deconstructed faux flowers and coffee filters. I hit the jackpot one day at my local thrift store and scored a bunch of old 45’s. I built a structure out of PVC to hang the place cards from and each couple received a hand-painted record with their name and table number on it. We used light pink, ivory, silver and gold and strung them from black ribbon via clothespins. Some vintage sheet music punched into heart shapes made excellent confetti for Katie & Jeff’s guests to throw at them on their way back down the aisle. Katie found a spectacular pink suitcase we used as a card box along with some signage I made from more 45’s and ribbon for the cards, cake and the new Mr. & Mrs. I scoured thrift shops to find enough vintage silver platters to create their table numbers. I painted each one with chalkboard paint and voila! Janessa created two different centerpieces for the dinner tables, and Katie ordered personalized Jones soda bottles for each guest. Personalized Jones soda is pretty awesome, but not as awesome as personalized Jones soda when it’s also your new last name! Katie looked ridiculously amazing in her dress and their crowd partied all night long. Michael Rastall was there to catch it all on camera and as always, his work is mind-blowing.
Photography: Michael Rastall Photography / Planning + Styling: Anticipation Events / Venue: Hard Rock Hotel Chicago / Florals: Forget Me Knodt / DJ: Alexander of Cage & Aquarium Productions / Cake: Swedish Bakery / Ceremony Musicians: Panache Entertainment / Photobooth: Chicagoland Photobooth / Cake Topper: Tilly Biedron / Groom’s Custom Fingerprint Wedding Band: Fabuluster / Invitations: Invited Ink / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Bride’s Shoes: Vera Wang Lavender / Bride’s Jewelry: Nadri / Bride’s Dress: Tara Keely (Fall 2010) via Wedding Belles