Although this Bride had envisioned a garden wedding with overflowing greenery, her winter nuptials in the Windy City meant it was going to be cold. Very cold. With a little creative planning and the help of Avant Gardenia, she pulled off a classic indoor affair that still felt garden-inspired, with the Bridesmaids in floral Plum Pretty Sugar getting-ready robes and then flowing blush Jenny Yoo dresses, the light and organic bouquets, and the table runners made from ample greenery interspersed with romantic candlelight at the reception. After perusing the gallery by Tim Tab Studios, we declare this Chicago wedding as pretty as any English garden we’ve ever seen.
From the Bride… Chris and I got engaged in Chicago in April. We were so excited to start wedding planning, but we didn’t get very far before we realized the timing was going to be tricky. We knew we didn’t have time to rush into a wedding that summer, but we didn’t want to wait over a year until it was wedding season (and decent weather) again. After hours and hours of research on destination weddings and exploring different options for locations, we ultimately decided to keep it local and set out to plan a winter wedding in Chicago!
One good thing about planning a February wedding in Chicago is that you know it’s going to be cold, so it takes all the guesswork around weather off the table entirely. I had visions of a garden wedding, and even though that’s virtually impossible in the city in winter, we found The Ivy Room and knew it was the perfect venue for us as soon as we walked in. It’s a fantastic space with a simple elegance and rich wood floors, which was the perfect backdrop for the garden-style floral and greens I had been imagining. And on our wedding day, when surrounded by romantic vintage-inspired candlelight, it was truly a dream.
The courtyard just behind the venue is an oasis in the middle of the city and was the perfect spot for the two of us to escape to be alone for just a few minutes during our reception and reflect upon the amazing day we’d had. (And to take a few pictures before returning to the dance floor!)
We planned our wedding in about 10 months, and there were some stressful moments, but my advice to any Bride is to try to have fun with it. Time just flies when you’re planning a wedding, so find time to pause throughout the process to appreciate your fiancé and all your family and friends surrounding you along the way. Oh, and if at all possible, budget for a day-of wedding planner to help ease the stress of the wedding weekend and the days leading up to it. It’s seriously money well spent!
Photography: Tim Tab Studios | Coordination: It's All Happening Events | Floral Design: Avant Gardenia | Wedding Dress: Matthew Christopher | Invitations: Minted | Church: Holy Name Cathedral | Reception Venue: The Ivy Room at Tree Studios | Bride's Shoes: Stuart Weitzmen | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Makeup: Jeannie Giannone | Hair: Debra Petrielli Freelance Hairstylist | Bride's Fur: Family Heirloom | Bridesmaids' Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar | Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab | Groom's + Groomsmens' Attire: Macy's | Signage: Reenie Rose
