We had a great time working with Amy and her mom to coordinate all the moving parts for John and Amy’s movie-themed Galleria Marchetti wedding! They were on top of all the details, and made sure to have lots of fun along the way.

Amy and her bridesmaids got ready at Amy’s childhood home, perfectly relaxed and with special touches throughout the house to celebrate Amy on her wedding day. Amy’s mother is quite the hostess, ensuring no one went hungry or thirsty and had everything totally organized!

Desi Perna and Karismatic Makeup were onsite to help the girls look and feel beautiful, while Jenn of Jennifer Kathryn Photography made sure to capture all the sweet moments between Amy and her friends as they got dolled up for the big day. The team from With Love Productions expertly captured video.

While the ladies were up north in the suburbs, John and the gents were getting ready at Amy and John’s home in Logan Square. As their “getting ready” time was significantly shorter than that of the ladies, they had plenty of time to have a little fun in Amy and John’s game room!

Amy and John’s house is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from their first look location, so rather than complicate things with additional transportation, they chose to walk over to the Logan Theatre to meet the ladies for photos.

If it wasn’t already obvious from the decor in Amy and John’s game room, these two have a serious love of film. Renting the Logan Theatre for a few hours meant they got a personalized marquee, and an unforgettable spot for their first look!

After snagging a few photos with the whole group, everyone loaded onto the trolley courtesy of  Second City Trolleys to head out for some more photos downtown. Amy and John wanted to take advantage of the city’s incredible architecture for their photo backgrounds, and Jenn certainly made that happen.

Amy’s bouquet by Ashland Addison was so vibrant and colorful — the giant fuchsia peony was definitely a showstopper.

After traversing the city for a few hours, the group made their way to Galleria Marchetti. As the rain started just before they arrived, Amy, John, and their families were able to take some photos against the ivy under the covered patio at Galleria Marchetti. The versatility of this wonderful venue continues to impress us!

Given that the weather didn’t hold for an outdoor ceremony, we moved indoors to the Pergola. When planning an outdoor ceremony in Chicago, it’s always important to have a back-up plan, and Galleria Marchetti has a pretty amazing one with the use of the Pergola! The retractable ceiling and glass walls ensure that as much nature as possible can be felt from the safety of the covered space.

Ashland Addison decorated everything beautifully, and the ceremony was just as beautiful as the family had hoped!

Music was provided by Mary Nisi of Toast & Jam, and to no one’s surprise, the songs all had special connections to movies that Amy and John loved. My favorite touch was the “Ring Security” guard, who walked in with a briefcase, sunglasses, and earpiece for the full effect.

After the ceremony ended, guests made their way to the cocktail hour, mingling in and out of the covered courtyard to try to make the most of what outdoor space they could.

We loved the details to drive home the movie theme, and the place cards and seating chart were no exception!

I always love the moment that the bride, groom, and their families see the reception space for the first time. All the months (or years!) of planning finally have actualized, and you get to see everything come together. We could see by the happy grins on everyone’s faces that things turned out just as they had hoped.

Guests soon moved into the Pavilion for the reception, and found their way to their table by spotting the movie poster for the table name they’d been assigned. Shortly thereafter, toasts began!

Both Amy and John’s dads gave hilarious and heartfelt toasts, and gave so much insight into how perfectly suited these two are for each other. That was driven home by the toasts from Amy and John’s maid of honor and best man, who further expounded on the special relationship these two have.

Alliance Bakery provided a completely appropriate movie themed cake; Amy’s mom sourced the topper from Etsy, and tasked Alliance with adding a ribbon of movie film to each tier.

Another element of the wedding day that never fails to bring tears to the eye are the special dances between mother and son, father and daughter, and newly-minted husband and wife.

But once all the formalities of the wedding reception are over, the dance floor opens and people start to let loose! Toast & Jam always knows how to get people to the dance floor, but no one gets out on the floor faster than young kids. They have an energy and a freedom that cannot be bottled!

Probably one of my all-time favorite photos, and definitely a top-five story from the tales of a wedding planner, is this one below. This groomsman managed to split not one, but TWO pairs of pants in the same day. He clearly has a joie de vivre, and when we talked to Amy at the end of the night, she noted this as one of her favorite things about the day. Sometimes accidents are the best part of a wedding!

Another bonus of weddings at Galleria Marchetti — the flaming donut station!

Amy and John, it was truly a pleasure to work with you both and help you finalize the details for your special day. We wish you love and laughter in your years of marriage to come!