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!
