Q. How did you meet your Fiance?

A. Jimmy and I met on Halloween of our freshman year at Brown. He was wearing a polyester jumpsuit and an afro wig. I was dressed as a “virgin”. I thought he was adorable, but unfortunately he had a girlfriend. We had a lot of friends in common and ran into each other pretty frequently, but we never seemed to be single at the same time. Finally, two years after meeting, Jimmy asked me out on our first date. From our favorite children’s book, to the way our parents met, there wasn’t a topic we didn’t cover. We closed down the restaurant and the rest is history.

Q. How did you choose the location for your wedding? What type of venue were you looking for?

A. The Standard Club has always had sentimental value to me and my family. In addition to my mom’s 50^th birthday party, my parent’s 25^thanniversary celebration and the holiday parties I would look forward to all year as a child, I also had my Bat Mitzvah there. While we did go through the motions of looking at a few venues, I was really hoping that Jimmy would share my love of the space; he did! From the hard wood floors to the high ceilings and crystal chandeliers, aesthetically, the ballroom was exactly what we were looking for: a classic, timeless, beautiful, clean space. The delicious food, spacious bridal suite and expert staff were the icing on the cake.

Q. What was your favorite part of the day?

A. I definitely can’t pick just one. In no particular order:  

Getting ready: I can’t think of another time in my life when I have been able to spend the entire day surrounded by all of the most important ladies in my life!

A few minutes before it was time to walk down the aisle I started to get a little emotional. In an attempt to make me laugh, my dad started singing “What’s New Pussycat”, a la Steve Martin in Father of the Bride. It was hilarious.

 

Right after the ceremony, Jimmy and I were able to spend a few minutes alone together. He didn’t want to see me before the ceremony or know anything about my dress because he wanted to be completely surprised when he saw me walk down the aisle. When we got into that room and we were all alone, he told me that the dress I had chosen was the exact dress he had pictured in his head. The fact that we had been on the exact same page and that I had been able to give him that perfect moment made me feel so connected to him and reiterated what I already knew: we share the same values and visions and are almost always on the same page. It was a great thing to realize five minutes into our marriage and I was so happy we were able to have a few minutes to ourselves to take in what had just happened.

Q. What inspired you when you were planning your big day? 

A. A few years ago, I stumbled upon a picture of my grandparents cutting the cake at their wedding. Everything about the picture was beautiful, elegant and timeless. I wanted to plan the type of wedding that would evoke the same reaction from my grandchildren some day.

Q. Was there a theme you were going for?

A. We’re not really theme people. There was no theme, but we had a vision. I guess I would call it “classic with a twist”. While we had our wedding in a traditional ballroom, we did not necessarily make “traditional” choices. I like things to look “perfectly imperfect” and I love texture. For example, we went for a butter cream cake instead of fondant, and used snapdragons and gladiolas in our floral arrangements instead of more traditional roses.

Q. What made you decide to do varied designers, styles, etc. for your bridesmaids dresses?

A. All of my bridesmaids have amazing and distinct personal style, and I wanted to honor that. It was more important to me that they all felt beautiful than that they all matched, but I didn’t want them to look disjointed, so I limited the color palate. The look was very: “look at my seven best friends hanging out together looking gorgeous and happy, and oh wait, they all happen to be wearing blush”. I wanted a sort of relaxed perfection. Additionally, I let them chose their own shoes, jewelry, hairstyles and make-up to complete the look.

Q. What advice do you have for other brides?

A. Stay true to yourself and your style and don’t get caught up in the trends of the moment. Listen to the experts, but if it doesn’t sound like “you”, have the confidence to go with your gut.

Also, I know everyone says this, but make sure you take a few minutes to notice all the details. We spent a whole year making sure everything was absolutely perfect, and then we got so wrapped up in the night that we forget to take a look around. Thank God for our amazing photographers! 

Wedding Photography: Artisan Events, Oak Park, IL/ Reception: The Standard Club, Chicago, IL / Bridal Gown: Christos from Belle Vie, Chicago, IL/ Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Varied Styles from Bella Bridesmaid Chicago, IL