Love is Essential: A Dream Wedding for Essential Workers

A project created out of love, Love is Essential is a wedding, held at The Old Post Office, that was gifted to two essential workers who were dramatically impacted by Covid-19. Chicago’s top wedding vendors worked together to create a stunning day for Susan and Zach, both of whom work in a local hospital, and as a team gave them the dream wedding they’ve always wanted! Photographed by Something Blue Photography.

The Proposal

“Zach and I used to exchange music interests when we first started talking since the distance made it difficult to meet. There was one artist (Kishi Bashi) that ended up being one of my favorites. About 1.5 years later, Kishi Bashi went on tour, so we bought tickets to go! During the encore, Kishi Bashi and his band went into the middle of the audience and had them form a circle around him. He played a song that has repeated lyrics of “And I’m in love with you.” Kishi Bashi has the audience repeat that part of the song while he pulled my up onto a wooden box. It was there that Zach got down on one knee and proposed! After the proposal, Kishi Bashi went right into our favorite song. It was perfect!” Susan

The Wedding Vision

“My wedding vision was a gothic romanticism theme. I wanted black, white, hunter green, and gold mixed with a dark romantic vibe. I wanted the flowers (Vale of Enna)to be white with a black center along with colors to make it deeply dramatic. I wanted black velvet table cloths (BBJ La Tavola) with a gold accent centerpiece, gold napkins, black candles, and black silverware (Tablescapes Chicago). I had a vision to do traditional and classic with a touch of darkness.

We also hired a jazz style band (J-Livi & The Party) to begin the entrance to the ceremony. They started the ceremony by dancing down the aisle playing “Our Love is Here to Stay” then played “Our House” for my (bride) entrance. On the way out, they led the procession playing “Got to Get You Into My Life” leading the guests to the cocktail hour! It was exactly what I was hoping it would be! Having a jazz style band walk down the aisle to begin the ceremony was an idea I had for years, and I’m so happy we were able to execute that.”-Susan & Zach

Stand Out Moments

“Zach and I had an idea to write personalizations on each person’s table cards (Simply Scripted Ink) with a memory we had for each guest. We were so touched to see how many people enjoyed that extra touch and came up to us to reminisce about that special memory. I loved getting hair and makeup done (Tricia Clarke Bridal) with my family and best friend. It was such a fun and relaxed morning!

I don’t even have enough words to brag about our vendors. There are too many to count. Something Blue Photography went above and beyond in generosity, approachability, creativity, and talent. They were with us every step of the way in planning and have become like family to us.

Jenny Bartkus for JPB Designs was beyond organized, concise, and gave us a great overview and plan for the day. Anyone can see that she has passion in her work, works extremely hard to take care of her clients, and was so kind and welcoming. She kept us on track and checked in with us often. We never had any wedding concerns or stress throughout the process because of her!

Vale of Enna (Florals) and Yanni Design (Event Design) made our visions become a reality. We gave them our theme and let them take control and they made the venue look better than we could have ever imagined. They were so lovely and could not have been nicer to work with. Highly recommend them for any event!

Amp Event Professionals (DJ) was organized and used a very easy portal to suggest music, special songs, and do both play lists. He had great energy and had people on the dance floor all night! He is always open to taking things one step above and making sure your wedding is unique!

Tonya as The Wedding Dresser! Something you didn’t know you needed then you had her and realized her couldn’t live without her! She streamed everyone’s dresses the day off, helped everyone get ready and dressed with a delicate hand so no one was worried about ruining their dresses. She was so nice and comforting throughout the day and really knew what she was doing. If you are debating at all, don’t. Hire her for your wedding!”-Susan & Zach

Advice for Couples Planning a Wedding

“We’ve had to cancel our wedding twice due to Covid. It was 1.5 years after our first wedding that we finally got married! At that time, we were just so excited to celebrate and enjoy the connection with everyone there. Zach and I really wanted to make it a fun, energetic and personal celebration for everyone invited, not just for us. For anyone getting married today, I would focus on that. Go into it knowing hiccups will happen, but that the goal is to have fun and not worry about the minor details. Instead, focus on how you’re going to bring joy into the day! Why else would we have a band dance down our aisle in celebration? It worked for us!”-Susan & Zach