This weekend sip some bubbly and enjoy some gorgeous baubles and shoes at The Haute Bride Trunk Show, brought to you by The Left Bank.

Trunk show hours are Friday from 11-8pm and Sat-Sun from 11-5pm.

The Left Bank Jewelry & wedding Shoes
1155 West Webster Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
773.929.7422

One of my favorite couples of last year, Ren and Jim, are featured on Chicago Style Unveiled’s website!  Check out the details to their fabulous wedding and the amazing vendors that helped this gorgeous couple create a one-of-a-kind wedding.

Whether you’re planning your wedding in Chicago because you think it’d be a great time or because it’s your hometown and you have tons of family here, you’re still at a disadvantage.  Planning a wedding from out of state means you have very little access to the vendors you are considered other than phone or email.

I have many brides who book me site unseen because of our phone consultations, but hiring a planner unseen is very different from hiring a venue unseen.  When you’re looking through magazines and online photo galleries, you need to remember that everyone is putting up their best front.  You don’t know what a venue is like until you see it; you don’t know what the neighborhood is like around that venue.  Same goes for many other wedding vendors you’re considering for your special day.  So keep these thoughts in mind when planning your Chicago destination wedding:

1. Have a strategy for your visits.

Because you may not have many chances to visit (most of my brides come to town twice before they get married) you need to have a good action plan in place to make your visits as effective as possible.  Make sure all the vendors you plan to visit are routed near or on the way to the next so that you are using your time to its best advantage.  You do not want to waste your time going uptown to downtown and then back uptown.  You’re wasting valuable time.

2. Take pictures

I always take pictures of venues and surrounding environs when I do site visits.  Whether it’s a ceremony site or a reception location, I want to get a feel for what they look like naked and in the daylight.

3. Get referrals from vendors

If you fall in love with a particular photographer after you meet her, chances are pretty good that you’ll fall in love with someone she recommends to you.  Try to do this at every vendor you click with.  We all have worked with many different vendors and can make your life easier by taking the guess work (and time involved researching) out of finding that next great vendor.

Begin your wedding planning with a vision so that when you do visit Chicago, that precious amount of time you have to spend on planning your wedding will not be wasted by visiting vendors that don’t fit your style or budget.  You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration if you plan your visits thoroughly.

Chicago Social Brides is doing their 3rd annual charity wedding walk.  An Afternoon of Bridal Luxury will take place again on Oak Street in Chicago on October 4th, from 12pm-4pm.  Fabulous swag for the bride.

The walk begins at The Private Dining Rooms of Spiaggia and includes some pretty swanky participants, including Vera Wang, Kate Spade, Jimmy Choo, Juicy Couture.  Event partners include Fig Media, Bagable Gifts, and Ronsley Special Events.

Purchase tickets online or call 312.274.2506.

Space is limited so please rsvp before September 28th.

I had these made for a workshop I did a couple months back and they were such a huge hit I got plenty more!  I have five left to give away! Next five brides to send me an email will get this cute tote bag. Perfect for all your wedding planning mags!

From the outside, the Metropolis Ballroom is unassuming, situated on a gorgeous street of brick-front shops. But once you walk in and up the stairs to where the ballroom is located, you can envision your wedding.

To me, the Metropolis Ballroom is a throwback to the Big Band era; the days of Frank and Dean, Marilyn and Lana.  The whole feel of this place exudes that old Hollywood vibe and I absolutely fell in love.

While the ballroom is of course the main feature (able to accomodate 250 guests, features hardwood floors and an amazing 40ft ceiling with exposed wood beams) they have other smaller rooms for cocktails or social/corporate parties.  And let me tell you about their fab bridal suite.  This room was stunning!  Big enough for the bride and her ladies, it has a door that leads out to the veranda that’s attached to the ballroom.

But what really sets this place apart is Michael Raymond.  As the Director of Bridal and  VIP Events, Michael takes every event personally.  He is there from the first meeting until the wee hours of the wedding day to make sure that everything is exactly how the bride and groom wanted it to be.  No detail is left to chance and he likes to throw in special suprises for his couples.  To him, you are not just another wedding, and I absolutely love that about him.

The Metropolis Ballroom of Arlington Heights
6 South Vail Avenue
Arlington Heights, Illinois 60005

Phone: 847.870.8787
Fax: 847.870.1717
info@metropolisballroom.com

While getting engaged is one of the happiest times for a bride, it can easily be one of the most stressful as well. If you have no idea where to start or just want to make sure you don’t quickly fall into traps when starting out, go to a wedding planner.

Planners do not just do the planning for you. We can do as little or as much of it as needed. One of the things we offer at KJS weddings is a strategy to help you get started with your planning. We work with you on what you are envisioning for your wedding, your guest list size, bridal party size and your budget and then recommend vendors specific to your needs and style. We also provide you with a task list tailored to you and which vendors to select in a particular order to maximize your budget.

I have so many clients that have booked us last (as a day of planner) and have lamented that fact because they could have used our advice and tips prior to selecting the vendors they’ve chosen for their event.

Even if you need only a day of coordinator it is helpful to work with the planner before you book anyone else. For example, if you rush to book a venue because they have the date available that you want you’ve already painted yourself into a corner–you are limited to the room size you booked even though you’d like to invite more (or less) people. You are limited by the restrictions they have as to the decor you can include even though you’ve always envisioned a gorgeous midsummer night’s dream type wedding. You are restricted in the style of tables you can use because all they offer is 60″ rounds and you really wanted square tables. They can do this, of course, for an additional charge.

If you are in the beginning stages of planning, I beg you to call around to wedding planners in your area and see for yourself what we have to offer you. You’d be surprised how much can be taken off your plate by hiring a planner.

More stuff to do if you don’t hire a professional wedding planner:

I always hear from brides that they want to create a “theme” or they have ideas of what they want to do with their weddings.  Whether it’s incorporating something important to the bride and groom (hobbies, sports, movies, places they’ve visited together) or creating a completely look based on one concept, today’s bride (and groom) don’t go very far when carrying out their wedding theme.

Chicago is a cultural beehive and many couples love exploiting this.  But where they fail is in wanting to bring in only a small section of Chicago into their wedding.  I do get the brides that say “we met in Chicago”, “we got in engaged in Chicago”, “we want a Chicago wedding” but when it comes to creating an event around the Chicago theme what we end up with is a wedding with a some favors thrown in to say “hey, we’re in Chicago”. 

This post is based on Generation Y and how you all think and learn.  You learn by experiencing, by doing it, not by being talked to or reading about it.  So why should your wedding be any different?  Throwing in some pictures of Chicago and some favors from famous Chicago names do not a Chicago theme make!

Create a vibe by hosting your event a true Chicago landmark: Sears Tower, Wrigley Field, Buckingham Fountain, Navy Pier, Art Institute of Chicago, Field Museum.  Take it a step further.  Serve quintessential Chicago dishes or feature famous Chicago restaurants:  deep dish pizza, Charlie Trotter’s, Greektown,  Chinatown, Portillo’s.

Make each guest table a different Chicago neighborhood: Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Wrigleyville, etc.  Feature wines only from the city.  Beer born and brewed in Chi-town.  Have a screen backdrop behind the bridal party table showing pictures of you and your friends at bars and ball games in Chicago.

Show pictures of the waterfront, Soldier Field, Lincoln Park Zoo, Michigan Ave, State Street, the Picasso in Daley Plaza.
To help you with ideas on theme immersion and how to truly create a themed wedding we’ll be doing a feature post every Monday with ideas on different popular themes for weddings and how to take it one step further to surround your guests with your vision.

Chicago Social Brides’ “An Evening of Bridal Luxury” March 26 at the Four Seasons Hotel, 120 E. Delaware Place, Chicago.  6pm-9pm.  RSVP required. Buy tickets here!

weddings 826 Sale March 16-22 for 5-15% off your purchase!  www.weddings826.com, 826 W Armitage Ave, 1st Floor, Chicago

Francia Bridal Sample Sale March 15-31 Get 20% off all special orders.  By appointment only.  www.franciabridal.com Francia Bridal & Formal Wear Boutique 47 S Washington St, Hinsdale 630.325.4100

White Chicago 3rd Annual Dress Drive March 20-21 Donate your gown for a worthy cause!  Now until March 19th,  White Chicago will be collecting gowns to donate to Brides Against Cancer. Visit www.whitechicago.com for more information or visit them at 222 W Huron, Chicago. 312.397.1571

The Left Bank “Veils & Vino” March 27-29 Sommelier J. Pinsler will be serving wine while you enjoy the accessory collection of Laura Jayne Bridal.  The designer will be on hand showcasing her gorgeous veils and hair accessories.   The Left Bank Bank Jewelry & wedding Shoes, www.leftbankjewelry.com, 1155 W. Webster Ave, Chicago. 773.929.7422