Salvage One is one of the coolest little spots in Chicago. A melding of hip urban loft meets grandma’s attic filled with vintage gems that all come together for such a lovely marrying spot. Saying I Do under a sea of twinkling chandeliers; there’s nothing quite like it. And with a little help from floral genius Pollen and beautiful images by Shane Welch Photography, this Chicago wedding has shot to the top of our favorites list. See more of the day right here.
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From the Couple… We wanted our day to feel like old-fashioned romance with very distinctive elements that were special to us and our lives together. Because our wedding was at Salvage One, an antique warehouse in Chicago, the space did a lot of the work for us. However, the special touches we added made the day distinctively ours and not just another wedding at Salvage One. To begin, we picked Christina’s favorite singer, Billie Holiday, and walked down the dimly lit aisle to three of her songs. A jazz trio that Jared grew up listening to played as guests arrived and for the cocktail hour. During the ceremony, a special Native American Hopi wedding vase was used as part of a unity ritual. We were gifted the vase early in our engagement when we visited a Hopi reservation for a story Jared did about Native Americans.
Our miniature programs were created on kraft paper, tri-folded and tied with string. We included our silhouettes and our wedding party member’s silhouettes as well. We also used our silhouettes in our wedding invitations and on our escort card table. Escort cards were made with kraft paper, in the shape of antique-looking price tags and attached to old bow ties and scarves – things we both enjoy collecting, and things our guests enjoyed wearing throughout the evening. We also created useful place cards that doubled as favors — boxes wrapped in seam binding with a tiny seckel pear and homemade caramels inside, topped with a note that read, “the perfect pair.”
Pollen, our florist, did incredible work on the table tops. In addition to fruits and vegetables, she allowed us to incorporate antlers we collected from living in Wyoming and cotton we picked up living in New Mexico. Entering the reception with a mariachi band was one of the highlights of the night. The mariachi dance routine we did with our bridal party was a great way to kick off the reception with a bang! Instead of serving cake, we decided to go only with pie. We also decided to serve the pie, and to use the pie service as our receiving line so we had a chance to serve and talk to our guests at the same time. The pies were delicious, and we were able to use old stoves at Salvage One to create a super-cute serving station.
Wedding Photography: Shane Welch Photography / Wedding Venue: Salvage One in Chicago, Illinois / Floral Design: Pollen / Day-Of Coordination: Lucia Bayt / Catering: Food For Thought / DJ: Style Matters / Wedding Dress: Watters