Waterside Shedd Aquarium Wedding

Chicago is Kim’s hometown and one of her favorite cities, so she and Michael chose the Shedd Aquarium to celebrate their nuptials! They exchanged vows in the Oceanarium, and the reception was held in full view of all sorts of aquatic life. Anticipation Events made every moment memorable, and Tim Tab Studios captured it all!

An elegant Waterside Shedd Aquarium wedding in Chicago, IL

The Proposal

“Toward the end of a family trip to the Virgin Islands, the group chartered a boat to go island-hopping. The first stop was to a set of coves with great snorkeling. Michael was taking too long in the boat, so Kim jumped in and started swimming away. Michael caught up and swam over to the quieter of the two coves. Kim was snapping photos with their GoPro when Michael passed her a Ziploc bag with a note card that said “Kim, will you marry me?” Kim freaked out and started crying and laughing, a difficult task when wearing snorkel gear, and (of course!) said yes. We spent the rest of the day exploring the islands and calling people back home to share the great news.”

Favorite Moments

“We got married in the Oceanarium at Shedd, and in the middle of the ceremony one of the dolphins started jumping! Our guests said we were one jump away from the whole wedding party being soaked! We also did a first look and LOVED that. It was so great to see each other in a bit more intimate setting before spending the rest of the day with all our friends and family. It also really helped calm our nerves! After the wedding, lots of people talked about how great the music and dancing were for the reception, and how much love was in the room (not only between the bride and groom, but friends and family too). These two things meant so much to us, so we’re glad people walked away talking about that!”

The Details

“The bride’s dress was found at a small shop in Knoxville, TN where her parents live. Her sister picked it out! The dress shape was really flattering, and the intricate beading and lace matched the elegant, classic theme. Our groomsmen and bridesmaids were from all over the country, so we wanted an option that everyone could easily get without traveling. We rented the dresses from Union Station and the tuxes from Men’s Warehouse.

“We wanted more neutral flowers since the Shedd is such a beautiful, colorful space. Hydrangeas are a favorite of the bride, so she wanted those to be a focal point. With these two requests and a few Pinterest pictures, the rest was left to Kim at Allium. She did a FABULOUS job taking our really vague vision and making it a beautiful reality!

“Neither of us like cake, so we opted for something a little less traditional. Michael’s family is Norwegian and the traditional Norwegian wedding cake is called a kransekake. It’s a tiered almond flour cake that the groom’s family made. The groom’s grandpa introduced the cake and the accompanying tradition – The groom puts his thumb in the top of the cake and pulls off some of the top rings (they’re toothpicked together by the groom’s family in advance!). However many rings he pulls off is the number of children the couple will have. We pulled off 6 rings!

“We put gift bags in everyone’s rooms with some of our favorite hometown things from Chicago and Dayton. We had Garrett’s popcorn, Mike Sells potato chips, water, Wrigley’s gum, and a map and schedule.

Laguna Beach Ocean Wedding

“The bride’s sister made a sign with our hashtag, #Quillio. She hand painted it! Our invitations and other wedding stationery (maps/schedules, signs, etc.) were done by some close friends of the bride, which was a really special touch.

“We did a twist on the tree planting ceremony. The bride’s family has an ivy that has been in our family for many years. When the daughters move into their first apartment, they get a piece of the ivy. The bride brought her ivy to the wedding, with dirt from both family’s homes. The day of the ceremony, the couple added the dirt to the ivy, symbolizing the support and nourishment from the family for the couple as their love grows.”