Classic and Elegant Chicago Zhou B. Art Center Wedding

When you think classic and elegant, this is what you think of! Joe and Fawn’s gorgeous summer wedding was so perfectly executed by Sofie & Olive at Zhou B. Art Center. White and green is one of the most popular wedding aesthetic and this wedding is a perfect template for inspiration. Photographed by Alexandra Cantemir Photography, the dreaminess is alive in these photographs. 

The Proposal

“Joe and I like to do at least one international trip a year, and in 2019 we decided to go to Spain. I grew up in Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, and Joe had the idea that we book our outbound flight to Spain and include a layover in Philadelphia so we could have lunch in the city with my mom. The plan was for my mom to pick us up from the airport and we would have a picnic lunch in Fairmount Park. As soon as we landed, I called my mom but she said she was running late and would meet us at the park. Joe and I grabbed a cab and went to the park to kill time before my mom showed up. As we were walking around, we stumbled across a gazebo called The Treehouse in the Sky. As we stood there and looked at the city view, Joe and I talked about what we saw for our lives together and before I knew it, he was down on one knee asking me to marry him. Of course, I said yes, and as I looked behind us, I saw some of our best friends, who had flown from Chicago, and my mom all watching. We went and popped some bottles of champagne to celebrated and enjoyed a lunch together before Joe and I went back to the airport to head to Spain!”-Fawn

The Wedding Vision

“For our wedding we had this idea of an “industrial garden party” theme. We chose Zhou B because we had a large guest list and it was a great space to accommodate our family and friends comfortably. Zhou B is really a blank canvas, with white walls and pillars, and concrete grey floors. Our goal was to make the space feel very clean and romantic. To do this we worked with our florist, Juliet Tan, to add lots of greenery and small touches of white and blush flowers. Our lighting and drapery vendor, Art of Imagination, understood our vision completely and added the must beautiful swag drapes and chandeliers down the center aisle and café lights on either side of the aisle to give it a dim and more intimate feel.”

Favorite Details

“One of our favorite memories was seeing our cultures come together. Joe is Palestinian so we incorporated a lot of traditions that my family and many of our friends had never seen. Both of our families were so inclusive and excited for us to be able to get married that it made the day very special. It really felt like we were combining two people, with two different backgrounds, and making us all one big family.

The most personal detail we included was my veil. One of my bridesmaids let me use her veil, which was her moms, which was also worn by her grandmother. I felt beyond honored to wear it knowing that so many special women had worn it before me. And all these women have had successful marriages, so it seemed like a good omen!”