Big City Bride and Fragrant Design did Chicago proud with this classic soiree. The wedding is the kind of beautiful event that will remain stunning and relevant forever, just like the love Allori Photography captured so brilliantly.
From the beautiful bride… Sean and I met in college through mutual friends and started dating in May 2007 while we were at home for summer break. He was a senior at St. Xaiver and I was a junior at Illinois State University. We fell in love that winter and have been together ever since. Sean proposed at Notre Dame University on October 29th, 2011. The Irish were playing the Navy in football and we had a group of friends/family join us to tailgate and attend the game. While we were visiting one of the beautiful monuments “Touch Down Jesus” and taking a photo, he got down on one knee and proposed – most definitely one of the best days of our lives!
Sean and I both come from strong Catholic/Irish backgrounds and both grew up on the Northwest side of Chicago. We were very happy to incorporate the full Catholic mass at a beautiful church in downtown Chicago. The music, readings, and bagpipes at the ceremony were exactly what we wanted for our day. We had amazing family and friends to be in our bridal party and my dad walking me down the isle was especially important to me.
I could not be happier with the weather the day of our wedding, and one of my favorite moments was when my dad and I were standing outside of the church waiting to walk down isle and when the doors opened the sunlight crept right into the church and it was amazing! I was so happy to be walking down the isle and to see Sean’s face light up was one of my favorite moment. We also really loved the exchange of vows and as nervous as we were having everyone looking up at us, it was a moment we will never forget. Walking down the isle with the Shannon Rover leading us out of the church was also memorable and it was a perfect moment to finally be husband and wife!
I absolutely love fashion and everything to do with those “small” details that make such a difference. We were going for a “elegant/chic” wedding design. We wanted a larger wedding and wanted the entire pageantry of the day to show through. We agreed that we did not want the banquet style wedding that we see at most weddings we attend, but wanted something unique but keeping true to the elegance we wanted. The Chicago Cultural Center was the perfect spot!
We always knew we wanted our wedding in downtown Chicago. Sean and I both grew up on the Northwest side of Chicago, but spend a lot of our time downtown in the heart of the city. We were so lucky to be able to stay and have our wedding in such a special spot. We were also lucky enough to photos in some of the best spots to show off the city view on the beautiful day we had – it was perfect! The Cultural Center was absolutely breathtaking and I could not believe all of the compliments we received after our wedding. The entire day was incredible and we could not be happier with how everything worked out!
Photography: Allori Photography | Videography: Chris Hershman Photography | Wedding Planner: Big City Bride | Floral Design: Fragrant Design | Cake: Berghoff Catering | Ceremony Venue: Assumption Church | Reception Venue: Chicago Cultural Center | Catering: Berghoff Catering | DJ: Spinnin Discs | Bridal Party Transportation: Flying Lady Livery | Minicoach: Chicago Minibus Travel | Photobooth: Chicagoland Photobooth