Meredith and Alex’s day was filled with so much love and laughter it was difficult to stop smiling afterwards! 

The morning started out at the Thompson Chicago with makeup and hair by Nika Vaughan. Meredith was surrounded by close friends and family, filling the morning with excitement for the day ahead. It’s always wonderful to see everyone enjoying themselves, and Allison Williams Photography captured the energy that continued throughout the day.

Alex and Meredith were all smiles for their first look and it was a gorgeous day for outdoor photographs.

Then, everyone gathered in the courtyard at Artifact Events to celebrate the couple–this day was a long time coming and the anticipation was palpable.

The stunning saturated colors Bonnie’s Flower Shop provided mirrored the joyous emotions of the day. From the archway to the centerpieces, the floral served as a beautiful statement of color throughout the entire space.

As the sun set, toasts were proposed that had everyone laughing. After a few special dances,  Style Matters put the dance floor into full swing with no breaks through the end of the night. Jordan’s Food of Distinction set up a donut wall for guests to enjoy while they danced the night away.

Meredith and Alex, we loved being a part of your celebration and we wish you a lifetime of laughter and love. 

We had the pleasure of working with Chris and Alexis through their wedding planning process; once they had selected their venue, they reached out to Five Grain Events to help them find the rest of their vendor team, maintain their budget, and keep them on schedule. We had no idea it would grow into a multi-year process, with an adorable new family member joining the family (Hi, Kai!)! We managed to find the silver linings of the pandemic.

One of the greatest decisions that Chris and Alexis made was choosing Ryan Moore Photography to document their engagement and wedding photos. Ryan’s ability to capture unique candids and beautiful, interesting portraits makes him an invaluable addition to your wedding vendor team. We love how he used the architecture and interior design of the Kimpton Gray Hotel (where Chris and Alexis got ready on wedding day) to capture the ambiance of the wedding day!

Alexis worked with Alyssa Diana Makeup and Laura Brokamp of Mane Space Salon for her wedding look, and I am still amazed at how effortlessly beautiful she looked, while still caring for a new baby!

Aries Charter was so helpful helping this little wedding party get around the city, given that we were moving around town with a carseat, stroller, two photographers, and a nanny in tow! After getting a few shots near Alexis’s old job at the Board of Trade, Ryan directed the transportation to head to Lincoln Park for some nature-focused photos.

Working with Mary at Steve’s Flower Market is always a pleasure, and this wedding was no exception. She seemed to immediately know how to help Alexis visualize her wedding decor, despite Alexis not knowing exactly what flowers she wanted to utilize come wedding day. Plus, Mary found ways to incorporate some of the more unique elements of Chris and Alexis’s decor — including fabric and hanging lanterns they sourced from their travels to China, just before the start of the pandemic. It was such a special way to tie Alexis’s heritage into the day!

When everyone arrived to Galleria Marchetti, they were delighted to see how beautifully Steve’s Flower Market had decorated the space, and that the weather was holding just enough to allow for an open-air ceremony in the Pergola! Galleria Marchetti offers one of the best all-weather ceremony options with this space. And given Chris and Alexis’s smaller guest count, it would double as their reception space as well.

Chris and Alexis worked with Officiant Bruce Otto for their ceremony, and he made the process so simple and approachable. They wanted to keep things straightforward, while still incorporating a few special details about their families. He was very understanding, patient, and flexible as we worked through date and formatting changes along the way.  And given that Alexis’s family could not make it from China due to travel restrictions, they opted to work with Vanilla Video to capture the ceremony and reception formalities, like toasts and dances, to help share the special day with them.

After the ceremony, guests made their way into the adjacent room for cocktail hour, while we focused on flipping the Pergola for the reception. Alexis and Chris put together a DIY Photo Booth with an Instax camera and props, which is one of our favorite ways to create some additional memories to look back on years down the road!

As guests enjoyed the passed canapés and cocktails, our team was hard at work overseeing the room flip to prepare for the reception.

Enlisting Okyne Medialab to help with all the music and entertainment facets of the day was another wise choice! Al of Okyne helped us select the right musicians for ceremony, cocktail hour, and the reception, while adding his expert emceeing abilities to help keep the night moving smoothly.

After a delightful toast from Chris’s brother, Chris and Alexis were ready to party! Okyne Medialab got things going, and per usual, the youngest guests were the first to the dance floor!

There are a few things that can help make sure a dance floor stays busy all night long… since great music was already checked off the list, a little hit of sugar was just what the doctor ordered! And Galleria Marchetti really goes for it with their flaming donut station.

Chris and Alexis added to the sugar rush by providing a selection of Chinese candies in traditional red and gold boxes. The children especially appreciated these (though the jury is still out on whether or not their parents did!).

Chris and Alexis were happy to partake in a little sugar rush themselves with their cake cutting. Nothing like a sweet treat to help stave off the exhaustion that only new parents understand!

Chris and Alexis, it was such a pleasure working with you both. We wish you all the happiness in the world, and hope you look back on your wedding day with as much fondness as we do!

Jackie and CJ are another wonderful, patient couple that we worked with throughout 2020 and 2021.  Though their originally planned celebration was postponed from November 2020, they were still married on their original wedding date.  After one more false start in April, the pair hosted an absolutely gorgeous reception and party at the luxurious Langham hotel in downtown Chicago in July.  The day was all about FUN with no pre-ceremony jitters to worry about!

The morning started with makeup and hair from Tamara Makeup and Hair Artistry.  Jackie and her bridesmaids were calm, cool, and collected as they got ready throughout the morning.  Artisan Events joined us to capture some detail shots and getting ready photos.  We love getting a sneak peak into our couples’ personalized items for wedding day: Jackie’s shoes were out of this world and we loved CJ’s personalized cufflinks!

We love a good first look photo and are even more excited when a family member gets involved.  Look at how happy and proud Dad was to help with Jackie’s veil!

Next, it was off to take some photos with the members of the wedding party around the Langham.

While photos were being taken, we joined Steve’s Flower Market in the ballroom.  They did an absolutely stunning job with their florals that really accentuated the space.  The cocktail hour decor was adorned by photos of Jackie and CJ taken on the day of their private ceremony.  Just before the end of cocktail hour, we gave the couple a quick peek of the space before guests arrived; they were thrilled!  We loved the special addition of a pouch of Jordan almonds–shipped for the occasion from Italy–at each place setting.

The night began, as most nights should, with a champagne parade to the head table.  Such a great kickoff to the event!  After cake cutting and a delicious meal, it was time to open up the dance floor. Style Matters blew us away.  It was important to note that these two had some serious dancers in their group; Jackie’s mom and dad were on the dance floor all night long–and we actually mean that literally: I don’t know that they took even a five minute water break!

Jackie and CJ, thank you so much for including us in your celebration.  We wish you many champagne showers in your future.

Courtney and I were introduced in late 2018 by Courtney’s family friends whose two daughters’ weddings Five Grain had been lucky enough to be involved in. She and her fiancé, John, were at the very beginning stages of their planning process and were ready to get support from start to finish.

Courtney’s parents had been married at The Drake Oak Brook and so we knew right away that was the place it had to happen (though we took a couple other tours just to be sure). Planning went along swimmingly for their 8/08 (or “BOB” after her dad) 2020 wedding…right up through their menu tasting on Leap Day of that year. We all know what happened next.

Despite the stressors of planning a wedding through a pandemic (AND both moving across the country and dealing with a family health scare to boot) Courtney and John were a delight to work with. After their third separate wedding date, they were excited to have a fabulous party with their friends and family to celebrate this perfect match–and thankfully we were able to finally deliver in June of this year.

The morning began for the ladies at Courtney’s family home where her long-time hair stylist, Debbie Musso, did all the ladies’ hair. Andie Cumber worked in her parents’ sun-soaked dining room to ensure faces were made up to perfection.

Lindsey Kay Photography and Smiling Toad Video were on hand to capture all the preparations including the gift of some very nice perfume from the groom.

Meanwhile, the gents were getting spiffed up at The Drake. Once everyone was dressed, Aries Charter Transportation gathered up the groom and groomsmen and brought them to where the ladies were for Courtney and John’s first look. It was such a sweet moment for the happy couple after a very long wait.

The group headed around town to take some photos. They made a special stop at Courtney’s home church, St. Peter’s in Elmhurst, to take a few photos. They had hoped to celebrate their wedding service there but with too much pandemic-related uncertainty in the lead up, we opted for an onsite ceremony at Drake. It was important they were able to get some of the traditional portraits done there.

The wedding ceremony was held in the stunning Flower Room at Drake Oak Brook. Flowers for Dreams brought in the gorgeous backdrop to frame the space and the ceremony was officiated by Courtney’s pastor from St. Peter’s, Amanda McEvilly. The personal vows the couple wrote to one another were sweet and heartfelt–I’m sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Cocktail hour was buzzing with excitement as guests finally had the chance to say hello and embrace after a too-long absence from social interaction. It had been raining and raining in the days leading up to wedding day but June 27th blessed us with absolutely perfect weather.

Lindsey Kay Photography captured some stunning photos fo the bride and groom during golden hour.

I am certain the Three Oaks Ballroom at Drake Oak Brook has never looked more beautiful.  The deep blue and purple tones of the Flowers for Dreams floral brought a deep sophistication to the space, while the mixed table shapes and mirrored stage front planners were an unexpected bit of decadence that tied the space together perfectly.

The Drake’s staff effortlessly served the delicious multi-course meal while Courtney and John’s friends and family gave some of the best toasts I’ve ever heard (and, trust me, I’ve heard MANY).

After dinner it was time to really kick off the party.  The Mix brought the energy and fun and guests packed the Drake‘s light up dance floor until the very end of the evening.

I absolutely loved this recap video that Smiling Toad put together which encapsulates this incredible group of people and all the gorgeous details.

Courtney and John, wishing you both the very best.  Thank you for giving us all a reason to celebrate!  Here’s to many more years of joy to come.