Tanya and Jason, Holy Name Cathedral/Elysian Hotel Chicago IL, Wedding
Tanya is one of the most relaxed and easygoing brides I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Her beauty is obvious, but her kindness to people is what makes her endearing to everyone she meets.
Hair & Make up by Sonia Roselli.
Shoes by Jimmy Choo.
Dress by Badgley Mischka.
Photo by Carol of the handsome groom.
Loved her long veil!
Obsessed over her long veil is more likely.
Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago IL.
There was a lot of fog in Chicago this day, it was really cool!
No man has ever looked sexier holding a bouquet, Jason you’re adorable!!!
The groomsmen got their Calvin Klein tuxes from the Men’s Warehouse.
Yes, I will say anything stupid/off color/silly/funny/amusing just to get a laugh.
One of my many favorites.
The reception took place at The Elysian Hotel Downtown Chicago. Now allow me to tell you about the Elysian…they are not a Hotel, they are an experience. From the moment we pulled up we were treated like royalty. The valets are dressed in suits and won’t accept tips. The entire staff from the cleaning lady to the banquet manager is pleasant and helpful. The real test comes though when the Bride and Groom are not around 😉 They don’t have to be nice to me, I’m just the help but they were anyway! When we (the DJ, the band and the photographers) ran out of food during dinner, I asked if we could please have a couple of extra sandwiches, they came back with a silver plate full of hot delicious pork chops. The Hotel is obviously gorgeous, but what sets them apart is their staff and the service they provide, I cannot recommend them highly enough.
The ladies looking beautiful in the lobby.
Sigh….another favorite.
This was a very beautiful Ukrainian (on the Bride’s side) tradition to witness…Tanya and Jason were presented with blessed Icons of Mary & Jesus, along with words of advice and blessing from her parents.
It was very touching for me to witness this for the first time ever.
The flowers looked amazing in this gorgeous room.
A quick change into a more comfortable party dress (by Thread Social) , words cannot express how jealous I am of her legs.
The Grooms Cake was a well kept surprise…made by Luscious Layers Bakery in Chicago
It was a HUGE hit!!!
Their attention to detail was impressive, they used the wedding date (reversed) for the score.
Cake cutting is serious business 😉
Fist dance, another favorite…love how happy they are.
They’re a live band, they’re DJ’s, they play instruments, they spin, they will rock your party….they are Emmaculate Fusion !
The view from the balcony overlooking the fog covered City.
From Tanya…brides to be you’ll find a lot of great info below.
For hair & Make up I chose Sonia Rosselli studio. Claudia did my hair & Rebecca did my makeup. They were both BEYOND amazing!!! I cannot say enough good things.
My bridesmaids had their makeup done by Rebecca & loved it & they had their hair done by Andrew Tartara of Fringe Salon. He’s amazing & a good friend.
The first gown was by Badgley Mischka from Kleinfeld’s & the second gown was made by Thread Social.
I chose Pistil & Vine for my florist. Meg is the owner & florist & she is beyond amazing as well. She is THE sweetest kindest person to exist & she is Phenomenal at what she does. She’ll totally work with any budget & is SO talented I can’t even express. I would recommend anyone going to her for any function where you need flowers. She’s that good!
Our band was Emmaculate Fusion run by Oscar & Sheridia & they provided the DJ as well. If the dancing wasn’t a sign of how much we loved them… we felt as though we were at a concert. They played exactly the music we wanted & were so much fun!
Our photographer was Hilda of Angel Eyes Photography & this was by far my FAVORITE vendor of ours! She’s SO talented I can’t even describe. When you see her art it literally takes your breath away. I was referred to her by a co-worker & as soon as I saw her work I knew we had to have her & then my husband & I met her & absolutely fell in love. She’s just so cool & down to earth & knows her stuff. Hilda was such a pro & I felt so comfortable having her there on my wedding day. She actually had some sort of calming effect on me & I’m so grateful that we were lucky enough to be able to work with her.
Our venue was the Elysian. I’m not sure where to begin with this place. The hotel is gorgeous. The interior design is modeled after Coco Chanel & Christian Dior & it resembles a French chateau. The service was impeccable. The food was insane!! They will literally bend over backwards to accommodate. I, again, cannot say enough great things about this place. So pleased & happy we chose it. It was totally us.
I have a few favorite wedding purchases – definitely the Choos & the short gown as well as the Groom’s cake which was from Luscious Layers Bakery in Chicago. The Groom is a huge Ohio State fan so I had a mock up of the stadium made into a cake. Ashley, who is the owner & designer, worked with me on designing the cake & did an amazing job!! It could not have been a more perfect surprise for the groom & it tasted delicious too!
We didn’t do the typical receiving line, which I liked because it gave us a chance to actually eat, drink, & dance! We didn’t hand out favors to our guests & instead donated on everyone’s behalf to a no-kill animal shelter. That was another one of our favorite ideas. We didn’t do the traditional bouquet toss or garter toss. We wanted it to seem like a big elegant party without having all of the traditional aspects that most weddings incorporate, although we did have some Ukrainian traditions to go along with my Ukrainian heritage. Both my husband & I had a special moment with my parents where they presented blessed Icons of Mary & Jesus to each of us & gave us words of advice as well as their blessing. It was a very touching moment for all of us.
I think one of my favorite memories was seeing the look on my husband’s face when he saw his cake. He had no idea! I actually kept it a secret for 8 months! Another favorite moment was walking down that long aisle with my Dad & seeing my handsome husband-to-be. It was so surreal & I was surprisingly not nervous. The best memories of the night were dancing with my husband & all of our friends & people we love. It was truly a magical night that I wish I could relive over & over again.
The best advice I would give any future bride would be to just stay calm & don’t sweat anything. Everyone there is there to help you & make your day run as easy & smoothly as possible. All of our vendors, & friends, & family made the day so special for us that nothing went wrong. Even if it did I was oblivious to it because everyone kept it under control. I was so nervous the whole week leading up to the big day & when the day came I was unusually calm & didn’t panic like I thought I would. You have to remember that it’s your day & whatever is meant to happen is meant to be. I’m so sad it’s all over because it was that special & that amazing. It exceeded every dream, every expectation, & every wish we could have imagined & I feel this is in large part due to the vendors we worked with. NONE of it would have been possible without all of them.
Above photo of me and the couple taken by a wedding guest.
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