Rock On & Location Envy

I just scored vacation time for next week to work on all my projects. It will be so good to just focus and plow through everything. I hope it rains a little so that I am not tempted to go to the lake instead of staying in and getting my stuff done.

*************************************************************

I hate to re-post images from other blogs, I don't have a post prepared for today, so I'm going to do so out of laziness. These rooftop images from Michelle Rago's blog make me swoon. I have never been so jealous of a location. I'd pick this over a beach wedding any day. *LOVE IT!* I'm adding this to the "If I Won the Big Game..." list. :)

Images: Michelle Rago

Amazing Event Space

As much as I love A New Leaf, the narrowness of the space gives me heartache. I have to admit...if I happen to win the Big Game tomorrow, there's a small chance that I may move the wedding to the Chicago Illuminating Company. How h-o-t is this space? Unfortunately, at $7500, the rental fee is a tad out of our range. We could rent the space, but couldn't afford to actually feed anyone who showed up. Just imagine the cocktail party you could have here though...the mind reels.

Photos: Chicago Illuminating Company

Crystal Balls

Happy February 29!
Does anyone else remember when it was about 70 degrees on February 29, 2004?

I was browsing the Michelle Rago blog (found via Blush) when I fell in love with the crystal globes shown in the images below.

Photos from Michelle Rago blog

I am toying with stringing paper lanterns of various sizes throughout our wedding location, similar to the pictures shown below, but I am concerned that it will look more whimsical than chic. I found a supplier that carries lanterns in all of the colors on our invites. I guess that I could go with all white or a single color since I'm having colored linens. But, I really do want things to be colorful. What do you think? Are lanterns played out? Would different colors be more gumball machine than chic? Those crystal lanterns would solve the predicament. They're both whimsical AND chic. Oh, to be wealthy!

Photos from Studio This Is, Kelli and Paul Taylor's Wedding

Dress Envy

There is a new dress that I'm on the mad prowl for:

Photo: Venus bridals

I discovered it today it in a "Real Wedding" article in the Knot Chicago magazine and just love it. I've already e-mailed the manufacturer and have some follow-up e-mails out to the salons that they recommended trying. I'm hitting Macy's after work tomorrow for some more humiliation, I mean, to try on some more dresses. (fingers crossed)

Also, check out the "Real Wedding of the Week" featured on the knot.com site. I actually had this article saved to post at a later date. 1) The bride is so wonderfully creative. 2) It's at our venue:

http://www.theknot.com/keywords/ch_528.shtml

Speaking of the the Knot, don't forget to vote for enjoy/Mimi's entry in the Real Wedding Awards. I was out there the other day and her's seems like a winner hands down!

Location Update

Andy and I walked by A New Leaf last night. We had never seen it all dolled up for an event. It looked stunning! The bride had sprung for the candle treatment and the room was just glowing. There were even candles in the windows. And there was a HUGE centerpiece with a spotlight in the black table room that was framed just perfectly by the brick archway. It's so pretty! I feel so lucky.

Location, Location, Location

I am ashamed to admit that I had a "secret" wedding orchestrating in my head for some time before I scored my new ring. It surprised me, as I didn't think that I cared about weddings (other than from a party planning perspective), so it required of a bit of adjustment to my self-image when I found that I did indeed care.

My secret wedding involved gathering my immediate family and my good friends in the city for a fun party that would not only celebrate my good fortune in scoring a nice dude, but also incorporate my love for the quaintness of Chicago neighborhoods. A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon some photos of a fundraising event at A New Leaf Studio and it was love at first site. Check out these photos from their web site...there are just so many things to adore!





I used to live down the street from A New Leaf back when it was a tiny lone storefront in Old Town. I would buy my mom flowers from there for holidays and birthdays. I remember telling my friend from college that I was going to buy my flowers from there if I ever got married...and ten years later (eww), I am getting married...there!

Unfortunately, between my pre-Andy discovery of A New Leaf Studio and my actual engagement, A New Leaf has become a HOT wedding spot. A girl's got to get up pretty early in the morning to nab a prime Saturday date there. In fact, the day that we went to check it out in October 2007, there was a girl signing a contract for July 2009!

I actually like the story behind our selecting A New Leaf (ANL). I had called ANL (I am getting tired of typing it out) on the Tuesday after we were engaged and they were booked solid through November 2008. I was bummed, but assumed it was out of our budget anyway. I had mentioned the location to Andy, but never got a response. A few days later, I made an appointment to look at The Signature Room on the 95th Floor of the Hancock Building. On the afternoon of our appointment at the 95th, a few coworkers had mentioned ANL to Andy and he sent me the link saying, "What about this place? Everyone here says it's cool and cheap." (Note: He hadn't paid attention to it when I sent it to him!) I called ANL right away and they had a cancellation on Friday, 10.17! I suggested that we hop into a cab after our appointment at the Hancock and check it out for kicks. I already knew that I would love it, but he had never seen it. I was so jazzed from the moment that we walked in the door. I immediately called my friend in Buffalo to see if she could make it in for a Friday wedding. When we were standing in the Mezzanine, I asked, "So, what do you think?" Andy replied, "What do you mean? We have to have this place. Call that caterer tomorrow and make it happen. We'll find the money somewhere!" He was smiling ear-to-ear. We took his family to see it on the way to his mom's retirment dinner that weekend and their reaction sealed the deal. We signed the contract that afternoon.

A New Leaf has been featured in several magazines over the last few months, so I have a few of photos of it decorated fabulously. I'll save those for a rainy day when I can't think of anything to talk about. (Shut up, Balz!)

P.S. Barack Obama had a fundraiser at A New Leaf in January! I hope that my friend trix will still come to the wedding despite the venue's liberal undertones.