Kristen+Ryan's Winter Waldorf Astoria Wedding

The Proposal: Kristen scored tickets to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra perform at the Chicago Theater knowing how much Ryan likes Motown and jazz. They decided to make a full date night out of the event and made reservations at Trattoria No. 10, a great Italian restaurant in the theater district.

Kristen was a bit suspicious Ryan had purchased a ring, but had no idea how he might propose.  The day of the show, anticipating something might happen, she left work early to get ready (just in case!) and then met Ryan for dinner.

They enjoyed an amazing italian dinner, complete with wine, tiramisu, and lemon cello  When the check arrived, she decided to test her theory of a potential proposal and offered to split the check with him.  Kristen knew he would not allow her to pay for any of the dinner if he would be proposing later.  She was shocked when he enthusiastically, said, "Sure!" and they split the bill.  Kristen wasn't going to let that ruin their evening, and she figured he had something planned for a later date.

They arrived at the Chicago Theater, took pictures together outside, and then went inside to claim their seats.  

As the second act began an All-American medley of songs began to play, which they both loved. During the Star Spangled Banner, Kristen stood with the crowd to place her hand over her heart and enjoy the music.  Half way through the song, Ryan started talking to her and because the music was so loud, Kristen couldn't really hear what he was saying so she urged him to be quiet.  Suddenly, Ryan turns her toward him and looks her dead in the eye and says, "The easiest decision of my life was deciding I wanted to marry you."  He then knelt down on one knee, opened a little emerald green box and popped the question. Kristen was thrilled and immediately burst into tears of happiness.   

After the show, Ryan told her the surprises were not over, and they jumped in a cab to the Pump Room, in the Public Hotel.  As they walked into the lounge, Kristen saw a table with a huge bouquet of red, pink and white roses as well as a bottle of champagne.  The next thing she knew, two of their best friends, Christine and Brittany, leapt out from behind a pillar wishing them "Congratulations!"   They all spent the rest of the evening enjoying champagne and wedding planning, and decided to be married on January 3, 2015.

The Wedding: The day started at the Waldorf Astoria with Kristen getting ready. Her hair and makeup were by Sonia Roselli, she wore a Pronovias gown from Dimitras Bridal, a bracelet from her grandmother, earrings from Christopher Duquet, and shoes by Jimmy Choo. The Bridesmaids wore dresses by Jenny Yoo from BHLDN, and earrings from Etsy. The Groom and Groomsmen wore tuxes from Formally Modern. After Kristen and Ryan got ready we headed over to Old St. Patrick's Church for their ceremony. The whole thing went off flawlessly with Kristen and Ryan finally tying the knot. We then left the church to head back to the Waldorf for some photographs before heading into the reception. Florals were by Natural Beauties Floral, catering and cake both were done in house by the Woldorf. The reception's musical entertainment was by Bluewater Kings Band. Everyone clearly had a wonderful time! Congratulations Kristen and Ryan!

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Kelly+Brent's Chic Harry Caray Wedding

The Proposal: Kelly and Brent were celebrating their one year anniversary where their third date took place, Black Bull in Wicker Park.The date they realized the relationship was something special.

Entering Black Bull, they were seated in the back. The server asked if we were celebrating anything special and they told her it was their one year anniversary. She inquired about their story and brought the couple a bottle of champagne on the house. Then the chef came out and brought an appetizer that paired with the bubbly. Kelly was blown away at how friendly everybody was. She started recapping the day, how wonderful it had been... Spending time with great friends at the horse tracks and winning! The wonderful dinner experience at Black Bull... Kelly started to pour her heart out to Brent about how blessed she felt to have met him, and how in love she was. Brent excused himself from the table, he came back quickly and asked Kelly to stand up. He took her hands, and told her how much he loved her. Brent got down on one knee and asked Kelly to marry him. Naturally, she cried, said yes and they embraced. Everybody in the restaurant started clapping and Kelly noticed the owner was taking pictures with her own camera...( Brent had brought in the camera earlier that day). The host, waitress, chef... Everybody was in on it.

Newly engaged, the couple headed to Brent's house for a quiet rooftop evening. Kelly followed Brent onto the roof and was astonished to hear "Surprise" by 60 of their closest family and friends. Brent had planned a beautifully decorated surprise engagement party with all of their loved ones! Kelly couldn't believe Brent pulled this off and felt like the luckiest girl in the world. She says it was truly the best day of her life... until, the day she officially became Mrs. Lawson.  

The Wedding: Kelly got ready at her parents home in Homer Glen. Her mom Bobbe was also responsible for the wedding planning. Kelly's makeup was by Erica Haynes, her hair was by Renay Stanek, and florals by Petal Play Design. Her beautiful gown was Vwidon by Carla and Kenneth, shoes by Betsey Johnson, earrings and bracelet by Nadri, and her necklace was borrowed from her mother. The Bridesmaids wore Jenny Yoo, and Brent wore Hugo Boss. We headed to Old St. Pat's for the ceremony where Kelly and Brent finally became husband and wife. Then it was time to take photos around Chicago at the Board of Trade and Buckingham Fountain.  The reception followed at Harry Caray's where the couple dined with their guests. La Petite Sweet made the cake, and Greenlight Band kept everyone dancing all night.

Congrats Kelly and Brent!