Wedding Date on Jun 7, 2014

From The Bride: Eddie and I met through mutual friends, but didn't start dating until several years later. However, after our first date we both knew there was something special between us. I would definitely say we both felt the spark! What I remember most about when we were falling in love was that we laughed a lot. He could always make me smile, laugh and feel good about anything and his hugs were the best (still true to this day). It was like we were meant to be together just because are hugs were like perfectly fitted puzzle pieces. About four years into our relationship is when Eddie proposed. We were already living together and both had expressed our want to eventually get married, but he surprised me with the proposal on a trip to France. We were in France because my close girlfriend was getting married in the Provence region, so we decided to make a long trip out of it. Some of my friends thought Eddie was going to propose on the trip, but I definitely didn’t think there would be an opportunity for him to propose. The first part of the trip was his birthday, the second part my friend’s wedding and the third we would be with another friend in the south of France. In my mind I didn’t even think he would propose on his birthday, but his birthday arrived and on that day we headed to the Eiffel tower and later wandered around the St. Germain area. We had a fantastic lunch and then after more sightseeing we went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner and the rest of the evening. Dinner was amazing of course, and for dessert Eddie wanted to walk around near the Eiffel tower to look for a cafe. We walked through the Jardins du Trocadero across from the Eiffel tower and as we made our way up through the gardens Eddie said there was one thing I hadn’t gotten him for his birthday. And I thought he was talking about a massage. Seriously! I usually get him a gift certificate for his birthday, and I hadn’t that year. But instead he got down on one knee and proposed. A few moments later the Eiffel tower lite up in lights. It was a really wonderful moment. We ended the night with a tarte tartin and champagne. It was a perfect end to a perfect day. I did most of the wedding planning with some input from Eddie but he trusted I would make sure our day was beautiful and fun. We had our ceremony and reception at The Rookery in Chicago, IL. I knew I wanted something different for our venue, but we didn't fall in love with anything right away. We also had a budget to think about which is challenging when looking at venues in Chicago. When I saw photos of a previous wedding at the Rookery I knew it was our wedding venue. It was indoors with high glass ceilings, a huge staircase and amazing gold details throughout the space. I would describe it as old school glamour or maybe art deco chic. Also Frank Lloyd Wright redesigned the lobby in 1905 which made it even more appealing. Eddie at the time needed a little convincing because if you go in during the day it’s a public building with lots of businesses. It can be hard to visualize how elegant and chic the space can be. I told him to trust me. He did and was very happy about the choice we made. I was very pleased with all of my vendors. They all did an amazing job and I enjoyed working with everyone. I’m not sure if my wedding had a theme but maybe I would say it was Chicago glamour. I wanted our bridal party, and guests to have the best night ever. I wanted soft colors for the flowers so the gold detail in the building could really shine. My bridesmaids have been my friends for a long time, since childhood, and they all have very different styles. I wanted cohesiveness with their look, but I still wanted them to show their own style. This is why I chose four different colors. I wanted each of them to shine in their own way. I chose their color and they chose their own style. Eddie picked out his own tux and chose what his groomsmen wore. We had a photo booth, fun late night snacks like Chicago hot dogs and Sweet Mandy B’s cupcakes, and everyone went home with Garrets popcorn. The wedding planning was relatively easy. Things came together and the vision I had when I first started planning is what came to fruition on the actual big day. There were some hiccups along the way but all in all the planning was fun, and it truly was an amazing day we will never forget.