Indie Wed Chicago 2013 Highlights

We had a wonderful time at Indie Wed on Saturday, and were inspired hearing all of the creative plans couples are making for their 2013 and 2014 weddings.  Indie Wed is THE event for couples looking for unique wedding ideas and professionals, and we were honored to participate. Thanks to everyone who came by our booth to say hello, and also a big thanks to our associates Amanda and Kevin for doing such a wonderful job.  We are so fortunate to have such wonderful people, couples and professionals, to make our world go round.

Here are some of our favorite highlights from Indie Wed.  There are also lots more pictures on our facebook page.

Wedding Creativo associates and ambassadors of awesome, Kevin and Amanda

Indie Wed welcome sign

Dame Couture vintage inspired wedding dresses

The "Belles and Gents" lounge on the third floor, presented by Sine Qua Non Events

The chocolate cigar gal rounds the lounge, furnished by Aged Vintage Rentals

Those cigars were a delectable sweet and salty treat by Truffle Truffle

I think we have a crush on food truck wonder Puffs of Doom

Tablescapes unique decor rentals are always a delight

Brides and bridesmaids, can we please see some Mohop shoes on your feet? Folks in Chicago make these kicks!

The Caterist, a new catering company based in Evanston, was in the booth next to ours. They saw us drooling, had mercy on us, and gave us some treats. They were quite tasty and we were impressed!

We liked this band called We, Unity Candle. They were fun, but as serious audiophiles we were mostly impressed with their abilities to manage quality live sound while rocking the house. We see a lot of bands that mistake loud distorted volume for rocking, and these guys did NOT do that, bravo!

Tweedle Press drew a crowd with their chimerical designs and environmentally sustainable paper goods

Endearing accessories and fabric flowers headpieces on display by Clark & Diversey

A great pairing of professionals, the always sophisticated Sarah Drake Design with Pistil & Vine Floral Design

MarEva's custom designed jewelry and brooch bouquets caught our eye. We were easily lured in by so many beautiful shiny sparkly things.

Wedding Creativo featured in CSW

For the recently engaged, or if you know someone who is planning a wedding in Chicago, we recommend picking up a copy of Chicago Style Weddings magazine.  The magazine is desinged to follow a typical flow for  wedding planning, and especially helpful is the month-by-month chart to keep on track with planning tasks.  Wedding Creativo is also honored to be featured in a couple of articles about photography trends and tips.  January/February 2013 issue is hot off the presses, so check a magazine rack at a store near you to pick up a copy.  Happy planning!

10 Great Chicago Wedding Blogs 2012

With thousands of wedding blogs around the world there is literally limitless inspiration and information for wedding planning.  For the Chicago area, we are fortunate to have so many creative and knowledgeable wedding professionals who also have fantastic blogs.  We find the advice and tips found on event professionals blogs to be more realistic, filled with a lot more original ideas, and frankly, far more diverse than what we see on the nationally-known wedding blogs. 

10 of our favorite Chicago wedding blogs and posts in 2012           (listed randomly)

1. Wedding Creativo Blog (okay yes, we are biased, ha ha) - of course as photographers, we feature lots of pretty pictures, but also practical tips and insights based on our real weddings from two decades of experience. One of our most popular posts: Make Your Own New Wedding Traditions

2. Entertaining Company Blog - this is a great catering and event design company, and owner Wendy Pashman is an amazing writer to boot. This blog shares a wide variety of ideas and inspiration for weddings and parties of all sorts. Recommended reading: How to Cocktail Like a Marchesa

3. Alice Padrul Journal - Couture wedding dress designer Alice Padrul shows her stunningly beautiful gowns in action featuring videos and photos of real brides on their wedding day, and occasionally she gives us a peek behind the curtain into her dress making workshop in Chicago.  Recommended reading: The Making of a Gown

4. Sarah Drake Design Blog - Sarah Drake is a professional creative designer on several fronts, and has expanded her creative work beyond weddings and paperies, but she is a greatly admired wedding invitation designer in Chicago.  We enjoy reading about what inspires her work, and also regular features of her behind the scenes working on the delicate details of her designs. Recommended reading: September = Wedding Production

5. Fleur Chicago Blog - Kellie Marie, owner of Fleur, is hands down one of the most talented florists in Chicago, and her blog regularly inspires with photos of her beautiful work, boutique floral shop, and her personal notes and insights.  Recommended reading: Don't Sweat It

6. Sine Qua Non Special Events Blog - event planner Beth Bernstein leads the team at SQN with lots of practical planning advice, and her blog also shows her talents as a taste maker with posts that are always on top of the latest trends.  Recommended reading: Beauty and the Brooch (Bouquet)

7. Stitely Entertainment Blog - Jeff Stitely and crew are tops among wedding musicians in Chicago, and their blog often has some surprising and clever sources of inspiration for wedding music.  Recommended reading: Perpetuum Mobile - Music Inspired by Food Poisoning

8. Anita Weds Blog - Anita Vaughan is a kind and thoughtful person, which is why she is a much loved wedding officiant in Chicago.  As a certified Life-Cycle Celebrant she shares a lot of diverse weddings on her blog, and we always enjoy reading how she works with couples to help them add personal touches and special meaning into their ceremonies.  Recommended reading:  Adding a Little Spice to a Ceremony

9. Everything But The Dress - This blog belongs to the ladies of The Left Bank, where brides find dazzling wedding jewelry in Chicago.  It is always fun to see their latest arrivals and trunk shows, and we also enjoy seeing their real brides' bling, as well general wedding style tips and trends.  Recommended reading: Magnificent Cuffs Inspired by the 2012 Oscar Awards

10. The Haberdash Blog - For fashion and lifestyle tips for the guys, this blog by the Chicago men's clothing boutique Haberdash is an excellent resource.  This is not specifically for grooms, but these curators of fashion for well-dressed men can also inspire great ideas for grooms looking to express their own style beyond the standard black tux. Recommended reading: Classic Essentials The Overcoat

Creative Spotlight : Spiaggia Chef Tony Mantuano

Tony Mantuano is an internationally acclaimed executive chef/partner of several restaurants, including Terzo Piano at The Modern Wing of the Art Institute, and Spiaggia, which has the distinction of being Chicago's only four-star Italian restaurant.  

The Kenosha, Wisconsin native was awarded the 2005 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Midwest, and was one of the champions on the Bravo television series, "Top Chef Masters."  Mantuano specializes in Italian cuisine, and was even presented with the keys to the city of San Martino, Italy in recognition for serving authentic Italian cuisine in America. Spiaggia is also a favorite restaurant of President Barak Obama, who celebrated his election win there in 2008.

Spiaggia also has private events, and one of our recent newlyweds Rebecca and Christopher celebrated their wedding reception with a wonderful dinner by Chef Mantuano and Spaggia's impeccable staff. 

© Wedding Creativo Photography

Great Chicago Hotel Rooms for Brides

When it comes to envisioning the wedding morning, and all of the elaborate preparations that will go on, we imagine most brides would like their special day to start in a beautiful and relaxing environment.  For many that may be their own home, but for others there may be a search involved when it comes to finding the optimal location to get ready.

Trump Hotel

From a photography perspective, we're experts on what makes locations more appealing than others, and we think the best hotel rooms have all or most of the following features:

1. BIG windows.  Rooms with grand floor to ceiling windows are optimal, but rooms with many big windows are good too.

2. Good natural light.  This inherently comes with big window room, but a room with any windows is better than no windows.  Natural light is best for checking your makeup for color and tone accuracy, and most desirable for those fresh face close-up portraits. For the best natural light request a room with north or south facing windows, or optimally a corner suite with windows along two walls.

Dana Hotel

3. White, cream or very lightly warm colored walls.  In general light or pastel tones of beige and ambers are best for skin tones.  Dark walls in brown, blue or purple are okay, but make rooms very dark.  Above all, avoid green painted walls.  We love the color light green as much as the next person, especially for wedding colors.  However, green walls, especially darker hues, make everyone look sick. 

4. Suites or a larger room.  If you can swing it, or can get a great deal, try to get the largest room or suite you can afford, especially if you plan on having your bridal party get ready in the same room.  No one enjoys getting ready in cramped quarters.  Having a comfortable space definitely helps reduce stress.

Sax Hotel

5. Creature comforts.  Often hotels are very good at making brides feel like queens for a day by including pampering perks.  But even if they do, it is a good idea to bring extra treats if you are planning to have a roomful of ladies getting ready.  Champaign, white grape juice, water, fruit, as well as some sweet and salty snacks, or whatever you fancy, is good to have around in order to keep your blood sugar stable and stress levels down.

Sofitel Water Tower

With these criteria in mind, here are some hotels in or near downtown Chicago that offer brides and grooms ultimate spaces for getting ready, and of course also for your wedding night stay.  They all have rooms that meet our optimal conditions for lighting and decor for great "getting ready" spaces, and are listed in random order:

Dana Hotel

InterContinental Chicago

Trump Hotel

Wit Hotel

Drake Hotel

Waldorf Astoria Chicago (formally Elysian Chicago)

Park Hyatt Chicago

Wyndham Blake Chicago

Raffaello Hotel

Hotel Palomar

The Peninsula Chicago

Hotel Sax

The Ritz-Carlton

Sofitel Chicago Water Tower

Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza

Four Seasons Hotel Chicago

Public Chicago

JW Marriott Chicago

Blackstone Hotel

The James Hotel

Chicago Creative Spotlight: Alice Padrul Bridal Couture

We have long admired the wedding dresses of Alice Padrul Bridal Couture.  Alice has been designing high fashion for decades, and exclusively creating couture wedding gowns since 2004.  Giorgio and I started to see her beautiful gowns in wedding magazines several years ago, and were excited to find out that Alice's boutique studio is located nearby us in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood.  One of our brides recently wore a beautiful gown designed by Alice, and then we had the fortunate opportunity to visit Alice and her husband Gene at their boutique studio.  We loved seeing all of her fabulous dresses and accessories, which are all made at her studio with Alice overseeing every last detail.  We were also thrilled to learn that Alice imports her organza silk from Italy, and that she loves Giorgio's native country just as much as we do.

© Giorgio Ventola / Wedding Creativo

Help Wanted: Great Bridesmaids

So, what exactly makes a great bridesmaid?

We take a fun look at typical bridesmaids duties in the form of a hypothetical job listing.  Brides can be equal-opportunity "employers," so we just want to point out that both men and women can qualify for this position these days.

JOB TITLE: Bridal Attendant

COMPANY: Bride & Groom Inc.

REPORTS TO: Bride-to-Be

POSITIONS: Up to 10 openings available

PAY: I.O.U.

JOB DESCRIPTION:  Assist the bride on the wedding day with any specific assigned tasks, along with practical and emotional support. Attend and possibly help organize wedding day and ancillary wedding events and details.

IDEAL CANDIDATES:  Positive, cheerful and supportive attitude, problem solver, detail oriented, organized and works well with a diverse group.  Does not complain, even during formal wedding portraits in hot or cold weather. ;-)

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND JOB FUNCTIONS:

1. Able to handle heavy lifting (emotional or otherwise).

2. Comes to work prepared and organized with "wedding day survival" bag.  Bonus points if bag matches shoes or other accessories.

3. Gets along well with others and is a team player.

4. Has strong command of tools used for wedding preparations and general problem solving.

5. Maintains a tidy workspace free of dust and lint.

6. Good with fastening microscopic jewelry clasps.

7. Has nimble fingers.

8. Helps bride get into dress without getting stuck, falling, or messing up hair and makeup.

9. Knows what "bustle" means, and can figure out how those gosh darn thingies work.

10. Experience in shoe retail is a plus.

11. Assist fellow team members as needed.

12. Set a good example for junior team members and trainees.

13. Excellent conflict resolution skills are a major plus. Confrontations should be avoided on the wedding day, especially with any company board members, such as the mother of the bride.  If any conflicts arise they should be handled calmly and discretely, and preferably addressed at another time either prior to or after the wedding date.

14. Having a keen eye for details is essential.

15. Ability to break out into spontaneous comedy or stress relief exercises will be required of all successful candidates for this position.

16. The candidate with the best dress "floofing" skills will quickly be promoted to Head Floofer.  This person is responsible for maintaining high quality "floofiness" of the wedding dress throughout the day, especially during the wedding ceremony.

17. Candidates with M.D. degrees, "Masters of Doting," are highly desired.

18. Those who are interested in being considered for the Maid of Honor position must be willing to take on a central role as a team leader, and should also have the ability to give a reception toast that evokes reactions of both laughter and tears, no more than 30 second apart, or optimally, at the same time.

19. Past experience as a cheerleader is helpful, but having great enthusiasm and a supportive attitude is really what matters most.

20. Finally, having specialized party and entertainment skills is not required, but they can certainly be a big advantage.

We dedicate this humorous post in honor of Lucille Ball's 100th Birthday today...and salute all women with a funny bone who help keep us all in good spirits.  For more serious tips on how to choose your bridesmaids, and a guide for how to include them in your plans once you have them selected, check out this helpful article on The Dessy Group website.