Wedding planning at Hyatt Deerfield (venue for reception and ceremony) Sandra & Peter-
What makes for an easy, fun, stress free (well mostly ;)) wedding? When you have the getting ready, the ceremony and the reception all in the same place! The Hyatt Deerfield is a beautiful venue and has a very photogenic lobby.
Dress: Here Comes the Bride in Addison
I loved so many aspects of this wedding, but the dress with the sexy open back was my obsession. Sandra wore it with such ease and style, and the necklace that came down in the back was just the perfect touch. So SO pretty and unique!
Her Grandmother’s ring she wore for something old and borrowed.
Oh I was in reflection heaven! Sandra was the perfect model.
Flowers: Addison Ashland Florist
Make-up: Dori Mae Makeup
Tuxes: Men’s Wearhouse Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal
Venue: Hyatt Deerfield
In the Hotel lobby.
Pictures: Chicago Botanic Gardens
LOVE!!!
Ceremony time. Celebrant: Anita Vaughan- Anita Weds
Read about the wedding details here.
Sandra painted these apples by hand.
Cute table number ideas.
DJ: MDM Entertainment Love working with them, always guarantees a fun party!
From Sandra & Pete…
‘Dress: Here Comes the Bride in Addison- Rose is awesome and makes you feel like you are at her house raiding her closet! I got an amazing sample dress for 1/2 the price and the alterations exceeded my expectations. It looked and felt like the dress was made for me!
Make-up: Dori Mae Makeup- What can I say about Dori….she is an incredible make-up artist and an incredible person. She was so comfortable and at ease and really listened to how I wanted to look on my wedding day. My makeup looked fantastic and would highly recommend her to any bride who is nervous about looking “made-up” on her wedding day. I told her I was afraid my freckles wouldn’t show through and guess what…she made sure I could still see them!! Plus she started my obsession with false lashes!
Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal- Our dresses were actually Mother of the Bride dresses, but they were really cute and totally re-wearable. A couple of my bridesmaids had issues with zippers and David’s took care of the problem quickly and without any hassle.
Flowers: Addison Ashland Florist- I originally wasn’t going to get flowers, but am so glad I did….and that I decided to go with Addison Ashland. I met with Martha and told her my colors, budget, and vision. She set a table with my linens, grabbed a vase, and said she would be right back. She returned with a mock-up of my centerpieces right there at the consultation! I was in love. They were the most wonderful company to work with. They literally took care of everything for me. Even when I realized I would need all my bouquets 3 hours before they were coming to the hotel to set up, they said no problem and had the flowers there on time! The flowers were unbelievable and totally changed the look of the ballroom. I was beyond delighted.
Venue: Hyatt Deerfield- The hotel was renovated after we signed our contract, so I was nervous, but the new lobby looked great! Plus the outdoor courtyard was a nice intimate setting for our ceremony. We had our event coordinator changed on us twice without the hotel notifying us, and we had to be on top of them about every detail, but the stress before was worth it in the end and I was very happy with how smooth everything went.
Pictures: Chicago Botanic Gardens- The Gardens were beautiful and I can’t wait until I see the pictures. Hilda won major Brownie points for hoofing through the 90 degree heat with all her gear to get lots of shots for us.
Celebrant: Anita Vaughan- Anita Weds- I have received the most compliments hands down about our ceremony. Everyone loved how personal and warm the ceremony was. Anita was so wonderful to work with. She listened to our wants, likes, dislikes, and read into our personalities to create a one of a kind ceremony that was truly a reflection of “us.” It was funny and touching at the same time. I felt a little better about sobbing through the whole ceremony knowing that most of my friends and family were teary eyed too.
Cake: Deerfields Bakery– My sister in law orders all her kids cakes from Deerfields, so I was familiar with the absolute sugary deliciousness that is a Deerfields cake! Lemon cake, raspberry and fudge filling, all topped with butter cream. Enough said.
Invitations: Storkie.com– I spent more than I planned on my invitations, but they were gorgeous and exactly what I wanted. Using Storkie kept prices down and their customer service is outstanding. I was online chatting with a representative and she told me to hold on. A second later my phone rang. She said it was easier for her to talk to me! Since when does customer service ever call YOU?!?
DJ: MDM Entertainment (David)- I had already contacted MDM when we initially met with Hilda, but her endorsement sealed the deal. I liked that they had an online system for payment and song selection. David contacted us a couple weeks before the wedding asking if we had questions or special requests. I told him I really wanted to walk down the aisle to a cello concerto from the movie Master and Commander that needed to be looped to make it long enough. He took it to his studio, edited it, and made it work without me having to ask twice! He also listened to our tastes in music and seemed genuinely excited that it was the first time he got to play INXS “Never Tear us Apart” as a first dance! All that really matters is that our dance floor was packed from the first dance to the last! Every time I tried to take a dance break, another one of my favorite songs came on. Before I knew it, the last song of the night was playing and I hadn’t stopped dancing! David kept the commentary to a minimum which I really appreciated and didn’t play anything on our “do not play” list!
My favorite memory of the day: Right before the ceremony, Pete’s best man (and twin brother!) told me that there was a little girl at the Gardens with her mom when we were taking pictures. He overheard her asking “Mommy, what is the princess’ name?” My heart melted!
However, my most memorable event of the day was ripping my dress on my way down to the ceremony. Shockingly I did not freak out..I just asked one of my bridesmaids for the emergency sewing kit (that she bought for me thank GOD!), hiked up my dress onto the couch, and sewed up the lace. No one noticed and the tailor was able to fix it professionally when I had it cleaned after the wedding.
My advice to Brides- Even though the whole process is overwhelming, take time to put your own personal touches on the wedding. I spend a lot of time hand painting mini wooden apples for my place-card holders and printing, cutting, folding, and wrapping all my programs, but I loved the way they turned out and was proud for people to have souvenirs made by me.
Best purchase: From the very beginning I told my fiance that I was not compromising on my photography budget. I strongly feel that pictures are the most important part of a wedding. Memories of the day’s events will fade, but pictures will live forever to tell the story of our love! Hilda, you played such an important part in our wedding day and seriously were the best money spent. I can’t wait to share your pictures with my family and friends and I look forward to working with you again in the future (but only for babies and family photos….no more weddings for us!) Thank you, thank you 🙂 Sandra and Pete.’
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