It’s time to break out the bubbly babes! Sure, it’s only Monday, but we’re raising our glass to one of our very own Little Black Book Members—Lauren of LOLA Event Productions—who happens to be our beautiful Bride today. Not only do we get to experience her celebration at Chicago Illuminating Company through the lens of Katie Kett, she’s sharing some of her tips on how to make your own Big Day a success.
From Lauren with LOLA Event Productions… What’s more exciting than when someone gets engaged? When a wedding planner herself gets engaged! I can’t even count the number of times people joked with the question, “so are you hiring a wedding planner?” From the moment I said “yes” to my now husband, Scott, to the morning of our wedding, there was so much excitement and love swirling around our big day.
Planning my own wedding was fairly easy. I knew what we needed and what we didn’t need. I knew we really just wanted a beautiful summer evening to celebrate with family and friends. The one difficult part was knowing how many options were available to us and choosing my vendors. Being a wedding planner in the Chicago market, I regularly work with the city’s best of the best. Having to choose who I wanted for my wedding was incredibly difficult as I didn’t want to let people down who I’ve become friends with in the industry. I wish I could have hired multiple photographers, florists, caterers, etc., but I really loved the “friendors” who were a part of our team and wish we could do it all over again together!
Our wedding ceremony and reception were held in a beautiful space in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood called Chicago Illuminating Company. A summer wedding date meant we definitely wanted an outdoor aspect to take advantage of the warm weather. Chicago Illuminating Company was the perfect fit with it’s gorgeous indoor space (think light, bright, and airy) and an outdoor courtyard that rivals beautiful Italian courtyards with brick pavers, vine covered walls, and café lights strung overhead. I could instantly picture filling the space with all of our closest family and friends for an al fresco dinner under the twinkling lights.
I decided to keep our color palette crisp and summery with white floral, lots of greenery, and neutral linens. I absolutely love planning colorful weddings for clients, but in the end, neutral matched my personality best. Peonies, roses, hydrangeas, and lisianthus were in abundance and beautifully accented the airy courtyard. My favorite element of the décor was our ceremony arch. It was so lush and made me feel so special standing in front of it for our ceremony. It also served as a beautiful backdrop for our sweetheart table and framed us perfectly for photos. I also loved our escort cards. As guests walked inside after the ceremony, they were greeted with glasses of bubbly with their name and table number. There were so many comments on how nice it was to get a drink right away! Speaking of décor, I have to give a special shout out to Scott for allowing me to plan my dream day. He was definitely involved in food and alcohol selections, but let me take the reigns on everything else knowing he had a wedding planner as a fiancée.
As the day went on, I became more comfortable being the center of attention (hard for someone like me who is always behind the scenes!) and I just tried to soak in every single moment from the toasts to the dance floor. I still can’t believe our wedding day has come and gone. We would get married every weekend if we could! We had the time of our lives and are so lucky we have a beautiful photos and a film to re-live it. Now to continue on with all of my clients’ weddings!
Go with your gut when it comes to food selections, design decisions, etc. It’s easy to second guess yourself when you’re inspired by so many other weddings leading up to your own. I found that usually my first idea is the one I went back to when it came time to truly make a final decision. No one will know all of those other ideas were even options!
Enjoy the spotlight! Its one of the few times in life where it’s okay for everything to be about you (and your significant other).
It’s nice to make sure your guests are having a fun time, but it’s more important to make sure you’re having the best time ever! If you’re having fun everyone else will, too!
Get a fun photo booth! It’s a great way to get photos with or of your guests without needing to find your photographer all night.
Photographer: Katie Kett Photography | Videographer: Highway 61 Films | Wedding Planner: LOLA Event Productions | Florist: Exquisite Designs, Inc. | Gown: Anne Barge | Cakes: Flourish Cake Design | Reception Venue: Chicago Illuminating Company | Shoes: Vince Camuto | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid | Catering: LIMELIGHT food illuminated | Hair and Makeup: Gabe Post | DJ: Dustin Harris | Hotel: Ambassador Hotel | Accessories: Simply Luxe | Alterations: The Dress Doctor | Bridal Salon: Vera Wang From Vera Wang | Bridesmaid PJ's: Target | Cannoli: Conte Di Savoia | Donuts: Stan's Donuts | Lighting & Draping: Frost Chicago | Linen: BBJ La Tavola | Mensware: The Black Tux | Paper Goods: Steracle Press | Photobooth: Snapbooth Chicago | Robe: Plum Pretty Sugar | String Trio: Fretless Strings