A Little Midwest Charm at This Northwest Wedding

Christine Diaz
May 25, 2017
Categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

When this Chicago couple returned to the Bride’s Seattle hometown for their wedding, they knew they wanted to incorporate both of these special cities into their classic celebration. During late night dancing at the reception, guests were offered Chicago style hot dogs and Dick’s cheeseburgers, a Seattle staple. The rest of the wedding looks as delicious as we’re sure those treats tasted! So get scrolling, because there’s so much goodness to be had in this gallery by O’Malley Photographers and the beautiful wedding film by First and Foremost Productions.

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From the Bride… Josh and I knew the second that we got engaged that we wanted to get married in my hometown of Seattle. Having lived in Chicago for 10+ years, it was a reason as good as any to get all of our Midwest friends and family to the Northwest. After attending our fair share of warm weathered, barn weddings, we craved something more classic and cozy. We landed on November and knowing that yielded more days of rain than not, indoors was an obvious choice. We were greeted with a warm welcome by Plymouth Church and felt right at home with the insanely talented team at the Fairmont Olympic. Because the majority of our guests would be traveling in for the festivities, we wanted everything to be super easy and walkable.

Natasha, with The Invisible Hostess, was instrumental in putting together what we deemed the A-Team. McKenzie Powell was one of the first people we reached out to (after I came across her work on Instagram) and helped us evolve our vision to be both complementary to the classic ballroom and fresh and fun at the same time (I literally gasped. There’s a photo for proof). We knew our memories were in the best of hands with the O’Malleys as well as First and Foremost Productions. Most importantly though was the band, and we knew our guests would all need new shoes after the dance party the Michael Benson Band was going to deliver.

The color palette we settled on was black, gold, ivory, lots of greenery, and at the last minute, we introduced some ballet pink (a nod to my background) and merlots. Even though we wanted a more classic event, we still wanted it to feel fresh and new, so the combinations of tables and high/low centerpieces all surrounded by a warm, candlelit glow really helped elevate the room and made it visually interesting.

It was really important to us to acknowledge, incorporate, and celebrate our friends and family throughout our day. My dad and brother made gorgeous walnut welcome boxes for all of our guests that were stocked with family favorites like Garrett’s Popcorn and chocolate chip cookies. My mom gave me my great grandmother’s fur stole (that I used to wear while playing dress up!) to wear over my dress. My grandparents (who have been married for 65 years) loaned us their cake topper for good luck. My dad and brother drove me to the church in our family’s 1942 Chevy Suburban – they so kindly removed one of the rows of seats so my dress wouldn’t get wrinkly (thanks, Mom).

We surprised all of our guests with a Sister Act II-like performance of “Joyful, Joyful” just after we were announced man and wife! My sister and I watched that movie so many times as kids that we broke the VHS. Just after our guests sang us through our first dance, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” the Maids of Honor “released the hound” – our beloved dog, Walter, who was hiding out under the head table.

After the most delicious dinner, a confetti cannon signaled the polka party to begin. In one of the most epic dance parties I’ve been a part of, Dick’s cheeseburgers sustained the late night crew in classic Seattle fashion. We also toasted the Chicago Cubs WINNING THE WORLD SERIES (mere days before) with late night Chicago style hot dogs that the Fairmont perfected, with a little direction from Josh. It was the perfect combination of our two worlds, Chicago and Seattle, coming together.

As guests ushered up to bed or, let’s be real, the hotel bar, they took along a Top Pot Donut, which is where Josh told me we were going when he detoured for the proposal instead. In true Seattle fashion, it rained the entire day, which really brought it full circle for us. There were so many little quips and details baked into the larger story, we are surely forgetting to share something in the above. Our love story isn’t particularly unique, but it is oh so special. The whole day just felt sweet, warm, and the perfect celebration not only of our union, but also all the people that got us here!