This Chicago wedding by Artisan Events, Inc. had me doing double takes. I could have sworn I was looking at an elegant, European royal wedding ceremony. The bride is timeless in her Melissa Sweet gown and Gilded Shadows veil and the traditional ceremony is exquisite. Only when we step out and see the skyscraper-lined view from their reception at theWit Hotel are we transported back to the present for a gorgeous, organically modern celebration! See it all in the full gallery!
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From the Bride… Kevin and I met in Brussels, Belgium, and immediately fell in love. After six years of dating and a private and personal engagement, we began the wedding process. It was very important to me to have a cohesive wedding motif that was representative of our backgrounds and our relationship, without being overkill or kitschy. Kevin is from Belgium, the birthplace of the Art Nouveau movement of the early 20th century, which was inspired by the blending of nature and man. I, on the other hand, am a native Chicagoan with a love of sophistication and modern art. After some thought, we decided that our motto for the wedding would be “Modern Art Nouveau” in order to reflect Kevin’s nationality, but still keeping our wedding young, fun, unique, and personal. With this theme in mind and an overall goal for our guests to just have fun at our wedding, we kept many details under wraps until the big day.
Our ceremony took place at our local parish, St. Michael’s in Old Town, and was presided by my childhood priest, who just so happens to be a fluent French speaker. This enabled us to have a completely bilingual mass because Kevin and many of our guests are French-speaking. We even said our vows in French! We hand-selected the musicians and songs, which included my processional into the mass to our favorite song, “The Wind” by Cat Stevens. After the ceremony, guests were transported by coach bus to theWit Hotel — a swanky, cool boutique hotel in the Loop. We chose theWit to showcase our fun-loving personalities and the city of Chicago, which our guests viewed from the top of the roof on the 27th floor. We had over 30 Belgians in town for the wedding, so it really showed off Chicago’s beauty and also provided our Chicago-based guests another view of our great city. After cocktails, guests descended into the dimly-lit ballroom, which showcased floral centerpieces designed by Richard Remiard Event Design and lighting by Chicago Lighting Design. Richard Remiard Event Design hand-picked modern, lucite tables, which were topped with not only guests’ place cards, but gorgeous green and white flowers and water features of varying heights. Our table centerpieces were another representation of our theme: three variations of the centerpieces were very green and romantic but still organic and natural, and each centerpieces had a very modern, clean edge to tie. The evening was filled with little details, including a custom invitation suite from Be U Brides, personalized DIY menus, table numbers, etc., and even a replica of the famous Mannekin Pis fountain in Belgium as a surprise to Kevin!
Keeping our wedding motif in mind, my attire consisted of a Melissa Sweet for Priscilla of Boston gown, Kate Spade “Charm” pumps, little white gloves that my mom gave me the day of the wedding, and last but definitely not least, a custom veil created by Kristen for Gilded Shadows that was ordered and purchased through Etsy. My gown was a traditional lace dress, but was modernized with an organaza top layer and illusion straps. It was complemented with a matching, organza sash and silver, antique beading. The chapel-length veil completed the look in that it was an early 20th century “Juliet Cap” with matching silver beaded fascinators, a style which was common during the Art Nouveau period in Europe. I think I really captured our Modern Art Nouveau idea by having a vintage-style dress and veil with modern flair to it.
Wedding Photography + Cinematography: Artisan Events, Inc. / Ceremony: St. Michael in Old Town Parish in Chicago, Illinois / Reception: theWit Hotel in Chicago, Illinois / Floral + Event Design: Richard Remiard Event Design / Wedding Invitations: Be U Brides / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet for Priscilla of Boston (Now Closed) / Bride’s Veil: Gilded Shadows / Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade “Charm”