Outdoor Ceremony with Handfasting

My poor blog has been dormant for so long and it has been quietly nagging at me to return. So, voila! Here I am.

I thought I would start back with a video, graciously shared with me by Jaysin of NightOwls Media. I had the joy of creating a short and sweet wedding ceremony for Jaysin and Andrea, two of my favorite people. Ever.

They gathered their families at a pretty lakeside location on a cool fall day. As they exchanged vows, the geese on the lake chimed in with  their approval. (You never know who will show up to an outdoor wedding!)

Andrea and Jaysin's love story was centered around Wilferd A. Peterson's "The Art of Marriage." They also participated in a handfasting ritual, opting to have loved ones help with the tying and untying of the cord. To include their family and friends in the ceremony, the cord itself was made from ribbons and wire contributed by each o their guests.

While some couples want to have a big wedding to celebrate their love, an intimate ceremony with just a few important people can be just as meaningful and special. I'm so happy I had the honor of being a part of this wonderful couple's ceremony!

One of my beautiful couples on Upworthy!

This morning, as I was wasting time online, I came across an article on Upworthy about the new Catalyst Wedding Magazine, and the fact that they feature REAL couple.. 

Scrolling through the photos, I came across Lisa and Maria, who I married in 2013. 

Photo by Oriana Koren

Sonny & Sam's Gorgeous Outdoor Ceremony

Samantha & Sonny were married this past July at the lovely Royal Melbourne Country Club. The ceremony took place outside, under a wedding canopy adorned with a chandelier. It was exquisite! 

Their ceremony was a lovely blend of traditional and contemporary, and included a sand ceremony as well as a tea sharing ritual, in honor of Sonny's Chinese heritage. 


This beautiful wedding was featured on the Angel Eyes Photography blog, which you can see HERE! 

Missy & Sara's "Big Love Party!"

Photographer Rebecca Marie posted a lovely write-up about Sara & Missy's wedding earlier this month at Columbus Park Refectory. I was really looking forward to seeing this post, because I knew the pictures would be amazing. 

I was right! The photos are just breathtaking - especially the First Look shots.

Not only were Missy and Sara both gorgeous brides, their wedding was such an incredible celebration of love and support. They have a wonderful community and dubbed their wedding "The Big Love Party." 

I may be biased, but I just love this picture from the ceremony. That smile on Missy's face is just perfect!

Be sure to check out Rebecca Marie's blog for more photos!

Gorgeous Interfaith Wedding

This spectacular wedding was featured on the BRIDES website. The couple combined elements from their Jewish and Hindu backgrounds in the ceremony, which was officiated by a rabbi and a Hindu priest. A lovely example of how different cultures can be combined to create a beautiful and meaningful ceremony.

The gorgeous photos are by one of my favorite photographers, the awesomely talented Oriana Koren of Okrfoto. Click HERE to see more.

Photo by Okrfoto

Jessica & Sang-Woo's Multicultural Ceremony at Greenhouse Loft

The couple posing at same spot where Sang-Woo proposed.

This is long overdue, but I am finally getting around to sharing some details of Jessica &; Sang-Woo's gorgeous wedding from September of 2012. (I told you this was overdue!)

A true Chicago couple, their wedding took place at the wonderful Greenhouse Loft, with the ceremony outside on the lovely patio.

Photo by SnoStudios

Sang-Woo and Jessica's ceremony was a true reflection of them as a couple. They shared their love story, including how they met by chance (or maybe fate!) at John Barleycorn and the sweet and funny story of Sang-Woo's proposal outside of the Field Museum. They both value the importance of family and made sure to include their parents in the ceremony. They also incorporated Korean wedding traditions in honor of Sang-Woo's heritage.

Wine sharing 

Happy tears during the vows. Photo by SnoStudios

One of these traditions was a wine-sharing ceremony. In a traditional Korean wedding, a couple will sip wine that has been poured into two halves of a gourd, traditionally grown by the bride’s mother. When the wine is sipped, the two halves of the gourd are symbolically reunited and made whole, representing the joining of two lives.

In honor of this ritual, Sang-Woo and Jessica shared small cups of wine, presented by Jessica’s mother.

Parents tossing chestnuts & jujube fruits for Parents' Blessing
Photo by SnoStudios

Another important Korean wedding tradition is the Parents’ Blessing. In this ritual, the couple’s parents bless the couple by "showering" them with wishes for many children. They do so by tossing nuts and fruit at the bride and groom, who will try to catch them in a wedding cloth. The number caught represents how many children the couple will have. 

I'm happy to report that this ritual was a success - Jessica and Sang-Woo have a beautiful new baby boy!

Guests writing wishes on the wishing stones
Photo by Anita Vaughan

At the end of the ceremony, guests were asked to stop at a table with river rocks and write their wishes for the couple on the rocks. A wonderful keepsake for the couple!

This wedding had so many lovely elements - but the best part? The bride and groom! I had such a wonderful experience working with Jessica and Sang-Woo and seeing their ceremony take shape. They are two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet - and they know how to have fun!!





Thank you to SnoStudios for generously sharing these photos. And, of course, I have to give a huge shout out and thank you to Heather of Greatest Expectations Special Events and Weddings. She made everything run seamlessly - and made it all utterly gorgeous!

Incredible sweet table! Photo by Anita Vaughan

Congratulations on the birth of your son, Jessica & Sang-Woo! He is one lucky little boy to have you two as parents!

Adorable flower girl! Photo by Anita Vaughan

Beautiful "Fish and Bird" Wedding

Look at this gorgeous wedding, inspired by the Tom Waits song, "Fish and Bird." It is featured today on the Wedding Chicks blog.

When Janelle and Chris were first dating, Chris sent Janelle a note with the lyrics to the song. This became the theme for their gorgeous backyard wedding. 

There were so many amazing elements, including succulents (!!), a jellyfish backdrop, and even pie.

Not only do I love all the beautiful details of this couple's wedding, but they happen to be two people I know and absolutely adore.

Congratulations, Chris and Janelle! I wish you a lifetime of love, laughter, joy, and game nights with friends! 

Check out the full gallery of photos by Julia Franzosa Photography (one of my favorites!) HERE.

Wonderful, Intimate Wedding

I had the great joy of participating in this incredible inspiration photo shoot of a beautiful, intimate wedding, which was featured on Style Me Pretty! It was so lovely, I had to share a few of the gorgeous photos by Julia Franzosa Photography.

The ceremony included a handfasting.

The grooms also participated in a Blessing Stone ritual.

And look at this hot cocoa bar!!

There were so many fabulous details, thanks to the creative genius of Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings. The delicious sweets were created by Truffle Truffle, with beautiful flower decor by Pistil and Vine. Be sure to check out all the photos in the complete gallery!

Lara & Joe's Wild Wedding!

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of Lara & Joe's fabulous wedding this past October at Brookfield Zoo.

Besides getting to marry another librarian (some of my favorite people are librarians!), I finally had the opportunity to do a zoo wedding!! How cool is that?

Seriously, I LOVE Brookfield Zoo (and librarians), and every time I went to the zoo with my kids I would say, "I really want to do a wedding here." My wish came true!!!

But, what made it even better was the fact that Lara and Joe are so nice - and fun! I had a great time working on their ceremony. I even managed to use one of my favorite quotes, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: While they’re riding up in the glass elevator, Willie Wonka says to Charlie, "Don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wanted…..

He lived happily ever after."

They also incorporated a handfasting in the ceremony, which is one of my favorite rituals.

Of course, the surroundings were nothing less than amazing. The ceremony took place in front of the Roosevelt Fountain, which is home to pelicans rescued from the Gulf of Mexico. A beautiful setting!

Cocktail hour was in The Swamp, where guests could mingle amongst the river otters and alligators. So cool!

My favorite part? Lara's dad giving me the new title of Priestess.

Be sure to click here to see the gorgeous pictures by their great photographer from r3 multimedia group.

Sarah & Steve's Architectural Affair

Sarah & Steve were married last month at one of my favorite venues, Architectural Artifacts.

This great spot is chock-full of amazing treaures to admire - a real feast for the eyes!

I noticed that, as guests walked in, they couldn't help but wander around, taking in the visual delights. This venue, which is also a store during the day hours, boasts three floors of architectural goodies, ranging from marble statuary to wrought-iron gates, light fixtures to door knobs, and vintage posters to birdbaths.

There is an enclosed courtyard where outdoor ceremonies take place, which served as the setting for Sarah & Steve's ceremony last month. Even though it was the end of November, we were treated with a gorgeous day. One of my favorite features is the red phone booth off to the side. I mean, you never know when Dr. Who may want to pop in for an event.

Steve & Sarah's wedding was so much fun! They picked a fabulous venue and worked with me to create a ceremony that was all their own. While the choice of readings were of the classic romantic nature (Yay for fellow English Lit majors!) their ceremony was anything but typical or boring.

There were lots of laughs - some due to the periodic pauses due to the passing "L" trains. But mostly, the laughter stemmed from Sarah & Steve's funny comments during the ceremony. They really cracked me up! It was such a joy to share the tale of how they met (at softball) and the happy details of their love story.

The place they chose, and their ceremony, were a fantastic reflection of a wonderful, witty, and utterly charming couple.

Congratulations, Sarah & Steve! I loved being a part of the fun!

Patty & Jessica- continued

I just realized that I missed a bunch of photos from my last post, about Patty & Jessica's wedding at Byron Colby Barn.

So, here's more wedding eye candy, just for you!

Patty & Jessica's Rustic Barn Wedding

When I arrived at Byron Colby Barn for Jessica & Patty's rehearsal, the bridal party and family members were busily putting up decorations. In fact, some folks were hammering the frame of the canopy when I arrived, while others were hanging lanterns in the trees. This was definitely one cool, crafty DIY wedding!

I have to preface all the details of the big event by saying that Patty and Jessica are one of the most fun couples I've met. After talking to them and then reading their questionnaires, I was really excited to work on their their ceremony.

It turned out to be sweet and funny - and I even got to use Twilight references. Heck, the ceremony started with a quote from the Princess Bride. They were definitely my kinda gals!

But, I have to admit that I adored them even more when I saw all the wonderful details Patty and Jessica had planned for their rustic fall wedding. There are so many delicious tidbits to share, that I'll have to let the pictures tell the story. But, here are a few of my favorites:

• Buckets of birdseeds for the guests to throw after the ceremony
• The button bouquet (made by Patty!) and coordinating button-aires for the guys
• Pitchers filled with citrus fruit as table decor, serving as the table markers
• Jars of jam as table decor - and guest favors
• An impossibly cute flower girl and ring bearer duo
• A wonderful wooden chest with a gorgeous quilt - a wedding gift for the couple!
• The gorgeous yellow, orange and green handfasting cord - also made by Patty
• Photo display with lots of great pictures of Patty & Jessica

Congratulations Jessica & Patty! It was such a joy to be a part of your special day. I wish you a lifetime of joy and laughter!

Aaron & Nicole's Gorgeous Garden Wedding

I had the pleasure of marrying Aaron and Nicole this September in a beautiful garden setting. The wedding took place at Blumen Gardens in Sycamore. This is a large garden center, which doubles as a wedding venue. It was perfect! Except for one thing - it was REALLY cold that day. I wore a suit, so I was okay, but I felt really bad for poor Nicole and the bridesmaids who were freezing. But, they were all great sports and went on to the absolutely beautiful reception - indoors.

Besides being in a gorgeous setting, the wedding had lots of wonderful details, which you can see in the photos here.

Of course, you know I went crazy when I saw the cupcakes! And look at those darling little birds on top. So adorable!

Each table had fresh flowers and greenery. Plus, questions for the guests to answer. What a great way to get people chatting!

My favorite part was that they made a donation to Operation Smile, in lieu of traditional guest favors. I just love it when couples give back to others! This definitely illustrates Aaron & Nicole's generous hearts.

Everything was so beautiful, especially the bride and groom. Just take a look at those gorgeous smiles! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

And for more pictures, taken by their great photographer, Kristin Kasperek, click here. Enjoy!

James & Kristy's Baseball Bash!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of marrying Kristy and James.

This very sweet couple had their wedding at Villa Olivia Country Club. The patio, with the lovely pond, provided a wonderful backdrop for the ceremony. It was so pretty, especially with the fall colors just starting to emerge.

Kristy and James are both big baseball lovers, namely White Sox fans. Their passion for the Sox was evident on their Big Day.

Rather than table cards, James' brother created "admission tickets" for the guests, which were very cool. The tables were each named for a different baseball team. The centerpieces featured bags of peanuts adorned with baseball cards, which served as wedding favors. Love it!

The wedding included a sand ceremony, for which James and Kristy chose two colors of sand: black and white. The colors of the White Sox. A coincidence? I think not! I believe I even recall a little cheer of "Go Sox" from Kristy during the ceremony.

The ceremony itself went off without a hitch, despite some earlier worries about rain.

The bridesmaids each wore different colored dresses - pink brown and coral. They looked beautiful! The flower girl wore a bright pink dress and definitely looked the part of the adorable little princess. I think my favorite moment was seeing the her skip/prance down the aisle, tossing her rose petals. Too cute!

I also loved checking out the cool tattoos on some of the bridal party. I especially liked the Japanese Maneki Neko (good luck cat) sported by one of the bridesmaids!

Kristy and James, it was so much fun being a part of your celebration.
I wish you a lifetime of happiness - and Sox wins!