Brittany and Drew wanted a venue with an outdoor garden feel, and it was love at first sight when they chose to have their wedding at Galleria Marchetti! Their intimate Chicago wedding was planned by Plum & Ivy Events and features lovely florals by Ashland Addison Events and photography by Jenna Marie Photography.
He Proposed on Her Birthday!
Drew and I met when we were in the same group of work friends and we would do trivia nights and go to happy hours! After a few years our friendship turned into romance and the rest is history!
He proposed on my birthday. One of my best friends was coming in town to celebrate with me. We planned to have a girls day on Saturday and then Drew was planning something for us for dinner! Given that it was 60 degrees in November – he thought that it would be fun to go grab a drink at Motel Bar and walk down on the Riverwalk before dinner, showing my friend where we used to work and where we met. Of course, this was all a ploy! As we were walking on the Riverwalk, Drew got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was completely shocked but of course said “Yes!” Right after he said that we still were going to dinner so we headed to the restaurant. The hostess led us upstairs and again, to my COMPLETE SURPRISE all of our family and friends were there to celebrate with us. I was completely overwhelmed with love and it was the perfect day!
Classic Wedding Attire
When thinking about my dress, I wanted something classic but also unique. I chose an A-line ballgown with a sweetheart neckline from Sottero and Midgley. It had lace, Swarovski crystals and pearls throughout. I really loved all of the details. For Drew and the groomsman we went with a classic black tux. For our bridesmaids, we chose pale pink dresses by WTOO by Watters.
A Garden Tucked Away in the City
Drew and I both really wanted an intimate wedding in the city. We wanted it to be bright and have an outdoor feel. When we saw the Pergola at Galleria Marchetti we knew that it was perfect! I loved the ivy on the walls (it reminded me of Wrigley Field), and I felt like it was a little garden tucked away in the city. Since the roof and sides all opened we were able to have the outdoor feel even if the weather didn’t cooperate (which it did!)
Wedding Budget Priorities
When planning the wedding the most important thing to us was making sure the guests had a great weekend. We splurged on our rehearsal dinner and had a welcome party open to all of our guests as well as provided transportation for the guests to and from the wedding. We felt it was really important to make it easy on friends and family who traveled to celebrate with us! We decided to skip a band and opted for a DJ which was great since we got to dance to all of our favorites. I have always been a big photo person so we put a lot of thought into our photographer. We could not have been happier to have Jenna of Jenna Marie Photography with us throughout the day and I can’t say enough good things about how our photos turned out! I love looking back at all of the memories she captured so beautifully.
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A Family Tradition
My parents used Ashland Addison for their wedding over 35 years ago so it was pretty special to have them do my floral as well! I love peonies and roses, so we incorporated those in light pink and white. I just wanted everything to be really light and bright!
Memories and Advice
For both of us, our favorite part of the day was seeing each other for the first time during our first look. There was so much anticipation leading up to that and it was nice to share that intimate moment just the two of us. As a close second I would say the ceremony and the first dances. We recited our own vows and our friend was our officiant so it was really special. I think sometimes with the excitement of the day and all the details of the reception you can forget the reason you are there is to become husband and wife.
My advice to future couples is to make a budget and then talk about what things are most important to you. Spend money on those things and then cut back on things that aren’t as important. When you look back on the day, you won’t remember if you did or did not do hotel welcome bags. What you will remember is the time spent with family and friends so maximize your time with them, it goes by so fast!
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