We are ending this fabulous week at SMP Illinois with a bright and sparkly beauty of a wedding by JordanQuinn Photography. The bubbly personalities of this couple shine through every single detail of their wedding decor like the adorable mustache and lips invitations and escort cards, balloons, and the bride’s red sequin Toms. Click here to see it all!
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From the Bride… Last June, when Dave and I got engaged, tears and dropping to a knee were conspicuously missing. Instead, the engagement was full of laughter and riddled with little jokes that make us the couple we are. There was no question that the wedding needed to be the same thing — we wanted guests to leave the reception talking about how fun and how “us” the whole wedding was. We did everything possible to leave no part of our personalities out. We checked out ballrooms and hotels and museums, but it wasn’t until we walked into sunlit loft of the Ravenswood Billboard Factory that we’d found the perfect place. It encompassed the vintage but modern, fun but refined, and bold but relaxed feel that we envisioned the wedding being. We chose an early fall palate of crimson red and charcoal gray that was ever-present in the bridesmaids’ dresses, the groomsmen tuxes, the antique balloons that lined the ceremony, my glittery red Toms, Dave’s red Chucks and every single flower. We were lucky enough to have a Dave’s uncle perform the ceremony and the three of us wrote nearly the whole thing from start to finish with our own words. We even made up a unity ceremony so that not just our biological parents but also his stepparents could be equally involved.
The wedding was slowly coming together, but it wasn’t until we stumbled on the ‘Stache and Lips invitations on Minted.com that the whole thing sprung to life. The invitations just sang to us. Dave has been known to rock the occasional mustache and the deco detailing made them elegant enough that even his grandmother couldn’t help but love them too. Suddenly mustaches and lips were sneaking their way onto every piece of paper and even onto the groomsmen’s feet. They became constant reminders to every guest that this wedding was going to be fun. I’m actually shocked that no one came to the wedding with a mustache on their face, but since no one did, we provided some in the form of baked goods and escort cards that they could enjoy all night.
The morning was filled with hair and makeup for the ladies and straight razor shaves for the guys, culminating in a Chinese tea ceremony with all of our relatives from around the country and the world. Clad in Chinese qi paos my best friend (and maid of honor) poured tea while Dave and I knelt to receive blessings from our elders the way that our family had for generations before us. Later that afternoon, after photos around the city were done and the wedding rings has been warmed with the wishes of every guest, Dave and I each walked down the aisle with our dearest friends and our parents. We laughed and cried together during the readings and during our vows, and on the evening of our four year anniversary, we were married. I am not sure if there is one moment that I can definitively call out as my favorite from the whole day, but one that I can’t get out of my head is Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” as the last dance of the night. Dave and I had been on the dance floor all night so this song was no different, but instead of moving from group to group of guests saying good night, the guests spontaneously formed a giant circle around us. People who made friends with one another at dinner were now arm in arm belting out the lyrics and filling the room with more love than we ever thought possible.
Wedding Photography: JordanQuinn Photography / Wedding Venue: Ravenswood Event Center in Chicago, Illinois / Floral Design: Ashland Addison Florist Co. / Day of Coordinator: Laura Susin Koo of Honey Bee Weddings / Wedding Coordination & Venue Contact: Alyssa McKenzie of Ravenswood Event Center / Wedding Invitations: Minted / Wedding Cake: Luscious Layers Bakery / Officiant: The Groom’s Uncle / Wedding Dress: Watters “Mojave” / Bride’s Shoes: TOMS