It never ceases to amaze us how talented Chicago wedding vendors are! This extraordinary group of businesses turned a beloved Chicago venue, The Armour House, into a wedding shoot inspired by the French Palace of Versailles. Brought together by Chelsea of Gilded Aisle Weddings, we are pinning this style to our must-have list! Photographed by Lisa Blume & Lynette Boyle Photography.
The Inspiration
“Since international travel has been delayed for many couples this past year, I wanted to bring a little bit of Europe, more specifically France, to this shoot. Our inspiration drives from The Palace of Versailles focusing on its glorious details and romantic theme. Our color palette includes a great deal of gold, similar to that of Versailles, as well as pinks and burgundy to portray that feel of romance.
When you think of The Palace of Versailles you think of elegance and sophistication with great attention to detail, which not only is represented in this shoot but in my style as a wedding planner as well. Through the details of the marbling and landscape of the venue, I wanted to feel as though we were transported to another era, while adding a refined and graceful yet contemporary feel to the bride.”-Chelsea of Gilded Aisle Weddings
The Vision
“The stunning florals, constructed by the wonderful Ashland Addison Florist, give a nod to the famous Versailles Gardens and make use of vast greenery as well as incorporating many bold colored flowers such as purple phalaenopsis orchids, burgundy amaranthus, dark blue delphinium, and pink garden rose. After my first meeting with Veronica of Ashland Addison Florist, I knew immediately that we were about to create something truly special and what their team created was beyond what I could have imagined. I had grown up close to the shoot’s location, The Armour House at Lake Forest Academy, and since becoming a planner I have always dreamed of what I could create in the space because it is truly a breathtaking venue. The Armour House demonstrates beautiful features such as a glossy pond, an elaborate staircase, and crown molding throughout the space. You will see in the images of our intricate escort board, that it was designed to emulate these hand-carved moldings found in the venue.”-Chelsea of Gilded Aisle Weddings
The Tablescape
“Our wedding table began with gorgeous rentals provided by Ellie & Rose, located in Chicago. Their stunning white and gold table was the perfect size to include all the glorious items we envisioned to be placed on the tabletop. To compliment the table, we included gold chairs with luxurious back detailing and white cushion covers. The table place settings were crafted by the fabulous team over at Kenzy Gifts, located in Lake Forest, IL. I knew before coming to Yasmin, the Owner of Kenzy Gifts, that I wanted to utilize Arte Italica’s Vetro Gold plates because to me, it screams Versailles. We used Arte Italica’s Bella Bianca beaded white dinner plate to break up the gold in the charger and salad/dessert plate as well as tie in the white marble detailing of the vinyl table cover provided by Inkredible Dance Floors. We softened the dinnerware by adding the Arte Italica Sofia glasses with dainty white lace engraving on the glass. To tie in some of our burgundy and rose colors seen in the florals, we added Kim Seybert’s Dip Dye Napkins in berry & plum as well as Kenzy Original Verona Tea/Drinking Glasses. Ashland Addison Florist topped off the table with gold votive candles and candlestick holders with a light pink candlestick.”-Chelsea of Gilded Aisle Weddings
Stand Out Vendor Team
“My favorite element (or elements in this case) was the vendor team. They truly went above and beyond for this shoot! After bringing the idea of the shoot to the vendors, everyone took the idea and created something phenomenal. Not to mention everyone was at the shoot from start to finish collaborating with each other which made it extremely fun. After creating the initial vision, the wonderfully talented photographers Lisa Blume and Lynette Boyle Photography joined me to collaborate on the shoot and help capture all the elegant features. Lara from Old North Film Company joined shortly after, who filmed the shoot so beautifully and created stunning video content consisting of every bit of detail.”-Chelsea of Gilded Aisle Weddings
Our Favorite Details
The extravagant cake, designed by Cake Chicago, brings this French idea full circle. We love the intricate detailing that mimics the architecture as well as the rentals utilized in this design. It’s almost too pretty to eat! The gold elements play beautifully into the edging of the place cards, by Inquisited, and the beautiful custom gold wax seals. The customization of the entire invitation suite is seriously goals. The ribbon, the hand drawn venue sketch and the stunning calligraphy on the guest envelopes set the tone for what’s to come with this full design.
The beauty of the bride has to have a special look to really live in the realm of this concept. Fearless and Bella created soft curls that are pulled off of the bride’s face to compliment the drama that is the wedding gown, from Mira Couture. The soft palette of makeup, by Shannon O’Brien Weddings, allowed the features of the model to sing and brought the look full circle.
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