Paige and Peter’s summer wedding took place at a new venue in Rockford, The Standard. The rooftop conservatory offers a fabulous modern, industrial vibe with incredible views of the city! They chose a classic palette of black, white and gray and lots of greenery to complement the urban space, and Mindy Joy Photography captured their day!
An urban and industrial rooftop conservatory wedding in Rockford, IL
The Proposal
Peter and I had recently moved to Chicago and we loved walking around exploring the city. One day, Peter suggested we walk along Lake Michigan. After a long afternoon of exploring and shopping, Peter asked someone to take our picture in front of the skyline, and then he knelt down and asked me to marry him!
About the Wedding
We tend to like modern, but romantic and soft design, and neutral black, white, and grey. We were so excited when The Standard opened in Rockford (my hometown) months after we got engaged, and we fell in love with the giant chandeliers and modern industrial design. The Standard ended up being an amazing choice that our guests raved about, and the staff there was top-notch. The Standard is located right along the Rock River, which leads to beautiful views, and is situated between a ton of great restaurants, shops, and nightlife.
The Attire
For attire, we again wanted a modern but romantic and classic vibe. Peter and the rest of the groomsmen wore classic black tuxedos. My wedding dress was an ivory ballgown with horsehair trim and lots of beautiful floral embroidery. It was so fun to wear and a bit sad to take off! Our bridesmaids wore matching charcoal grey dresses in a variety of styles.
Favorite Moments
We had some really great moments during our wedding day. Some of the particularly special moments included when Peter’s best friend Kyle sang and played our first dance song on the guitar (“500 Miles”).
We also loved having my older brother officiate the wedding and Peter’s sisters each doing a reading. All of the special moments with our families, including our moms giving us roses during our ceremony, the speeches, and first dances, are moments we love to look back on.
The Flowers, Cake & Favors
For florals, we chose greenery with pops of white peonies and roses to keep with the neutral look but to add some softness. London Avenue was our floral vendor and was great to work with. London Avenue also supplied all of the gold accents for our vases and candlesticks, which gave the space a romantic and warm touch.
We are tried and true dessert lovers, so picking the cake was one of our hardest decisions. We live near a Nothing Bundt Cake location, and we kept coming back to this option because it is so delicious. We were very happy with our choice and our guests also really liked the bite-sized bundt cakes.
Our favors were mini gourmet bags of coffee from a local coffee shop and roaster that we love to go to, Rockford Roasting Co. They customized each of the little coffee bags with our names on it, and were a pleasure to work with. The coffee was also delicious and a very fun memento for us.
Special Details
We designed our black and white paper table numbers and programs and printed them ourselves. We also designed and made most of our signage and monogrammed elements, such as the bridesmaid hangers. My dad built a number of wood items, including our card box, and my mom worked with a local artist to build our welcome sign.
Peter’s sister-in-law made each of the flower girls’ floral crowns and they came out so cute.
Peter gave me a beautiful clock as a wedding gift, which he put together himself and designed with a wood burner.
Artists
- Photography: Mindy Joy Photography
- Venue: The Standard Rockford
- Event Planning & Day-of Coordination: Ever After Planning
- Floral: London Avenue Designs
- Videography: Talia Pasqua
- Wedding Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes
- Linens: Event Floral Rockford
- Hair: Pin Me Up
- Makeup: Joey Claeyysen
- DJ: Luxe Productions
- Ceremony Musicians: Dream City Music
- Catering: Abreo
- Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse
- Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka
- Bridesmaid Dresses: Bill Levkoff
- Veil: Genevieve’s Bridal Couture
- Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm
- Flower Girl Dress: Us Angels
- Submitted via: Matchology
