Kathy and Tom were one of my favorite clients in 2015!  They had a very clear vision of what they wanted out of their wedding day and what their priorities were:  they just needed help figuring out how to make it all happen!  I was thrilled when Kathy let me know they wanted to move forward with hiring Five Grain Events to help with some of the planning of their Art Deco-inspired celebration at The School of the Art Institute in July and we had a blast working together!

Wedding day started at the new Hyatt Centric hotel in the loop.  It was a pretty easy-going group of bridesmaids who enjoyed the relaxed pace of the morning.  Livia Caporale and Cassie Barron made sure everyone was photo-ready.

Kathy’s high school friend, Kyle Flubacker, shared his talented photography skills for the occasion and caught some adorable moments through the day.

Tom and his groomsmen spent the morning in another room of the hotel sharing a few laughs and preparing for the big event.

The folks at Hyatt Centric kindly allowed us to use the roof to stage Kathy and Tom’s first look, despite it not being officially open to the public yet!  Despite our elaborate plans of setting up the official first look moment, we were foiled:  in all my years of planning weddings, this was the first time the groom peeked before he got the official cue to turn (tsk, tsk Tom!).  Luckily Kathy and Tom were both good sports about it and they stole a few minutes to themselves before the wedding day really got rolling.

The bridal party went off for some group photos around the city while the Five Grain team headed over to The School of the Art Institute to get set up.

Before long, guests began to arrive and we prepared for the ceremony.  Several of Kathy and Tom’s talented friends and relatives played music for the processional and recessional.  Cal, of Chicago Wedding Officiant Services, did a beautiful job officiating the ceremony.  The beautiful personal flowers and ceremony décor were provided by Redberry Floral.

Following the ceremony the real fun began!  Kathy and Tom had met when they were both living in Atlanta, and one of their favorite things to do was go to hear James Patrick Morgan play!  They were lucky enough to get him to agree to fly to Chicago and play music for the cocktail hour and dinner–and he was incredible!  While guests enjoyed delicious hors d’oeuvres and cocktails thanks to Food for Thought, they got to listen to this fabulous musician put on a veritable concert.  Tom’s close friend and groomsman, Ben, works for Cooper’s Hawk and generously donated all of the wine for the event as well:  these guys certainly know people in the right places!

When it was time for dinner, everyone descended the steps from the Mezzanine to the Main Level which had been changed over from the ceremony setup.  Kathy and Tom were announced into the room and went straight into their first dance played be James Patrick Morgan:  Georgia On My Mind–an homage to the state where they first met.

After official welcomes from both sets of parents, the delicious meal was served by Food for Thought:  a watermelon-feta salad followed by a choice of lime-grilled salmon and braised beef short rib with summer peach glaze. Yum!  It was a joy to hear the delightful toasts from friends and family–who regaled the group with stories of the bride and groom from “days of old”.

Following the meal, Kathy and Tom cut their cake from Sweet Mandy B’s (with an adorable cake-topper depicting the couple with their adorable pup) and kicked off dancing.  Max from Style Matters DJs did an incredible job at playing a wide variety of music which the bride, groom, and their guests loved to keep the party going throughout the evening.  It was definitely a high-energy crowd!

Kathy and Tom, it truly was a pleasure working with you on your wedding.  I hope you have been enjoying Year #1 of marriage.  Cheers to many, many more.