This sweet and relaxed, Chicago loft wedding is a real charmer. The loft space combined with the little bits of Indian and Moroccan decor gives Jenn + Brian’s wedding a lovely bohemian-chic vibe, and perfectly suited to their wedding theme: “Things We Like”. I love that the same rug that Jenn and Brian stood on and said “I do”, now sits in their living room where their one-year-old daughter plays every day. And the simple guidelines for the bridesmaid dresses: black dress and red shoes is such a great idea, thematic yet unique and tastefully textured. Perfect!
Jenn + Brian | June 26, 2010 | Chicago, Illinois
The Ceremony
Both our ceremony and reception took place in a gorgeous loft space in the West Loop of Chicago. We loved it because it had a city feel without being stuffy. Our ceremony was short, unique and sweet. I walked down the aisle to Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” which set the tone for a personal and casual ceremony. There was a lot of laughter and just a little bit of crying. My bridesmaids (and two grooms-maids) picked their own outfits with simple guidelines: black dresses and red shoes. Those girls did an awesome job. One of my favorite things about our ceremony is that we bought the rug we were standing on when we got married – it now sits in our living room and our one-year-old daughter plays on it every day.
The Reception
Our reception was fun! The unifying theme was things we like. We had comfort food, great dance music and the “Ultimate Photo Booth.” Our venue had a built in photo studio complete with hats and props. People could pop in all night long. It made getting group shots a breeze and our wedding photos have tons of personality. Our décor was a little bit Indian and little bit Moroccan. I made our table clothes from sari fabric bought in little India. Our favors were sets of brightly colored bangles. We love barbequing in the summer and served locally sourced favorites like mac and cheese and amazing mini burgers. Our caterer designed two signature drinks using some of our favorite ingredients like blood orange soda from Trader Joe’s. My brother and one of our grooms-maids did a cover of Liz Phair’s “Polyester Bride.” Our first dance was to Alexi Murdoch’s “All My Days” from the Away We Go soundtrack – our favorite movie. We topped the night off with a tower of cupcakes and dance favorites from the 80s and 90s. One of my favorite things about our reception was that we had no seating chart. People actually mingled and we weren’t tied down to a table. Our friends and family are scattered all over the globe and we knew this would be our one chance to bring them together. So we basically threw a big party and had a blast.
Jenn’s Dress Search
I knew I wanted something with a vintage and glamorous feel. I had started out looking at Jenny Packham styles, but when I tried on this Lazaro it was all over. I think this dress was in the neighborhood of what I wanted but with a twist.
How Jenn Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Confident, Special, Myself
Why Jenn Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
I like the idea of passing it on to someone who will get as much joy out of putting it on as I did. It’s been hermetically sealed in my closet for almost two years now and I think it deserves at least one more spin on the dance floor.
