From the whimsical blooms to the gorgeous green Weddington Way gowns, this next Midwestern affair is styled to perfection! Not only did this darling duo make their own invitation suite, they proved to be the ultimate DIY team. From spray-painted frames to pint glasse favors, they worked together to craft one enchanting affair. With Toast and Jam carrying the party into the night, Dabble Me This shares it all here!
From Dabble Me This… From the enchanting florals to the kelly green bridesmaid dresses Emily and John’s wedding was styled to perfection! The personality of these two lovebirds truly shined and I love how all the details were styled by the bride herself. Decorating the reception venue Revolution Brewing with DIY paper goods from Paper Source and complimenting the florals from Ipomea Floral with a hints of gold throughout. Everything blended together perfectly. I simply cannot get over how lovely this downtown Chicago wedding turned out and I was honored to capture it all. Below I’ve included write-ups from the bride Emily and groom John. Sharing the story of how they met and planned their wedding day.
From the handsome Groom… Emily and I met while we were both living in Madison, WI. She was working her first job out of college while I was finishing up school. It turned out her roommate was dating one of my roommates, and we met when a group of us went out one night. Soon after we went on our first date, and before we knew it we had moved to Chicago.
Emily and I were planning a vacation in New Hampshire in August, 2013, and I hid the engagement ring in my duffle bag on the way there. After a day of sailing and visiting with the Cunningham family, Emily and I checked into the inn where we were staying. Slipping the ring into my pocket, I told her I wanted to go out and look at the stars because we couldn’t see stars like that in Chicago. So we went outside, into the pitch black night, and tried our hardest not to trip on anything while walking around. After a few minutes of moving slowly and bumping into each other, we stopped and I admitted that the stars were just a rouse to get us outside. Then she turned to face me as I pulled out the ring and got onto one knee and said, “I really just wanted to ask…Emily Rose Noonan, will you marry me?” At which point she paused, said, “Yes!” And then proceeded to poke me in the face and ask, “is this real life?” Since it was, she put the ring on and we went inside and ordered a bottle of champagne.
From the beautiful Bride… When we first started planning the wedding, deciding on a ceremony venue was the easy part. John and I were both raised Catholic, so it was important to us and our families that we get married in a Catholic church. At the time we actually weren’t living in Chicago, but already had our sights set on moving to Bucktown. It’s not hard to see why we fell in love with St. Hedwig’s, a beautiful 125 year old church. A couple weeks after we reached out to the church, we ended up moving in a few blocks away. It was really neat for both of us to get married in a church that we belonged to and walked by nearly every day.
Being on a budget, we chose to trim some costs by making our own invitations and other paper goods. During this process, I discovered and fell in love with Paper Source and Rifle Paper Co. Creating our own invitations also allowed us to pick out the individual pieces and design things exactly how we wanted them. My husband was an incredible help with all the DIY stuff. He spray-painted all of the frames for the table numbers and somehow mastered stamping all the invitations when I couldn’t. John also came up with the idea for designing pint glasses as a wedding favor. It’s really exciting to see the pint glasses at our friends and family’s houses when we visit!
The best decisions we made were selecting the right vendors. All of our vendors were very responsive and easy to work with. We also didn’t have to micromanage or spell out the details of every flower or photograph that we wanted. When you are working with vendors that you trust to do a good job, you can just let them run with things and it’s less stressful for everyone.
In the end, we had 110 people at the wedding, which was the perfect size. We felt like we were able to spend quality time with all of our guests. Before the wedding, we had heard from others that you don’t get to eat, drink or have a moment to yourself at your own wedding. Having a smaller wedding allowed us to do all of this and really soak up everything. This doesn’t mean that it still doesn’t go by too fast!
Photography: Dabble Me This | Florist: Ipomea Floral | Wedding Dress: Enzoani | Cake: Luscious Layers Bakery | Ceremony Venue: Saint Hedwig Catholic Church | Reception Venue: Revolution Brewing | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Weddington Way | Makeup Artist: Goran Coban Salon | Hair Stylist: Goran Coban Salon | DJ: Toast and Jam | Suits: Men's Wearhouse | Hotel: The Aspen Institute At Wye River | Paper Goods: Paper Source | Veil: Anna Campbell | Wedding Shoes and Earrings: Kate Spade