• Posted in: Client Wedding

Marguarette and Andie got engaged while sailing, so it was no wonder that they wanted to get married at near proximity to the lake. The Adler Planetarium turned out to be just the perfect place for them to tie the knot: not only does it essentially sit on Lake Michigan, but it also boasts one of the best views of the Chicago skyline. The couple had a medium-sized (150 guests), more traditional wedding that incorporated some fun personalized details. Take a look at the photos below by Ann and Kam Photography to take a glimpse into their special day.

Since red is the color of luck in Chinese culture, Marguarette and Andie decided to incorporate it into their personal floral. The beautiful blooms were provided by Becca Blue Flowers.

I mean, could you ask for a better ceremony backdrop? 

One of our favorite details were the escort cards, which doubled as wedding favors. Each card was actually a scratch-off lotto ticket, so that guests could try their luck! They were held up by cute little golden elephants.

We loved their family photo display!

The couple incorporated their love for travel into their “guest book”. Instead of using a typical guest book, they used a hand painted globe (purchased through Etsy) and encouraged guests to sign it. We love this idea because it can be easily displayed in the couple’s home after the wedding, as opposed to sitting in a drawer! 

Other vendors not mentioned above who helped make their wedding day special were Food for Thought, West Town Bakery, Cage and Aquarium Productions, Atmosphere Events Group, Aries Charter Transportation, Super Sitters, and CHYLArtistry.

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• Posted in: Helpful Tips

Addressing wedding invitations isn’t always super straightforward. Especially since snail mail is no longer a common form of communication, couples tend to find themselves confused when faced with addressing their wedding invitations. Some take addressing etiquette very seriously and follow it to a T, and others say “to hell with the old school rules!”. Either way, it’s ultimately up to you and your personal preference. Here are some common etiquette rules to consider when addressing your invitations.  

Tuan B & Co.

1. Use your guest’s title and full names (no nicknames).

2. Take note of guests’ relationship statuses and properly address them as such. There is a lot that goes into how you address the person depending on if they are married, married yet kept their maiden name, or not married but living together. This link is helpful in answering some of those questions.

Rebecca Marie Photography

3. Spell out everything except for the zip code-  street, direction, apartment, and state. Old school etiquette also suggests spelling out the street numbers (for example: One North State Street Chicago, Illinois 60601).

Julia Franzosa Photography

4. List everyone invited. If you are offering your invitee the option to bring someone who you might not know, put “and guest” after the person’s name. On the other hand, if you know your guest is in a long term relationship, you should list their partner by name and not just “and guest”. For families with children, you should also list the kids by name (girls should have a ‘Miss’ in front of their name and boys do not have a title). If it is a large family and you do not have space to list everyone, it is okay to just put “and Family” after the adults’ names.

For more tips and guidance on how to properly address your wedding invitations, click here. Happy planning!

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• Posted in: Client Wedding

Last summer, we had the pleasure of working with Shannon and Liz on their wedding at Bottom Lounge. The ladies, who were living in Brussels but met in Chicago, wanted their wedding to be fun and unique to them. Their goal was definitely achieved, and it turned out to be a gorgeous day filled with love and special details. Take a look at the photos below by ZW Photography.

Shannon and Liz got their hair and makeup done by the wonderful Debra Petrielli.

We love the couple’s reaction to seeing the space for the first time!

The bistro lights, catering, and bar (of course) were all provided by the venue. It all came together so lovely.

Instead of cutting into a wedding cake, they decided to get a big donut instead! The donut was provided by Glazed and Infused. They also served mini donuts as dessert. Yum!

The pops of floral in repurposed wine bottles were done by Beth Keonig.

Their “table numbers” were photos of places of significance to them. We love the Chicago one, of course!

A friend of theirs officiated the ceremony on the rooftop of Bottom Lounge. It was a gorgeous, sunny day with not a cloud in the sky.

One of our favorite parts was when Shannon and Liz had their first dance to XO by Beyonce. It was completely romantic and adorable! Cheers to the happy couple and their (almost) first year of marriage.

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• Posted in: Photo Shoot

Lead Planner and Owner of Naturally Yours Events – Carlene Smith – was a guest designer at Tablescapes this month! She took her inspiration from Earth Day, making the setting organic, lush, and whimsical. Take a look at the gorgeous photos by Heather DeCamp Photography and read some excerpts from Tablescapes about the shoot below.

Naturally Yours Events is a long time member of the Green Wedding Alliance – a community of environmentally and socially responsible vendors within the wedding industry. But it was important to Carlene that she showed being green doesn’t always mean having to have a “rustic” wedding. Her table has the green accents for Earth Day complimented by gold accents as shown above with our Emerald  Trumpet Goblet and Fine Gold-Rimmed Flute.

She began creating her elegant design by picking some of her favorite gold pieces from our showroom- our new gold 8″ plates in the Gold Dot and Gold Leaves patterns. Not being able to pick which one she liked more, she decided to alternate them between the place settings. She paired these with our brushed gold flatware, and chose a gold rimmed dinner plate to complement them. She then started layering in several different green tones: from the light Emerald Jewel-Tone Buffet Plate to the Hunter Shantung napkin to the bright tones of the Emerald Jewel-Tone Martini/Compote.

Carlene tapped fellow Green Wedding Alliance members to be her partners on this project. Working with Flowers by Stem, they were able to create more Earth friendly centerpiece options by not using floral foam (the green styrofoam often found in the middle of centerpieces to hold the flowers – which is toxic to not just the environment but also humans), and by including green succulents and air plants which are longer lasting and can often be reused or repurposed.

Carlene created a dessert display using our Aged Farm Wood Back Bar and Table to present the cake and macaroons provided by Elysia from Elysia Root Cakes. The beautiful 4 tier cake – sat atop our Gold Cake Plateau – had green and gold brushed accents, and incredibly detailed sugar flowers to match the bright pops of color in the centerpieces.

All vendors involved in this photo shoot are Heather DeCamp Photography, Elysia Root Cakes, Flowers by Stem, Tablescapes Event Rentals, and Naturally Yours Events.

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• Posted in: Helpful Tips

In honor of Earth Day this month (April 22nd), we’re sharing tips on our favorite area of expertise: green weddings! Naturally Yours Events prides itself in being an eco-friendly wedding planner, and we’ve got plenty of hacks to help you make your wedding less wasteful. Here are just a few simple ways to incorporate the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle!) into your wedding.

1. Rent, don’t buy. You might think that buying your own inexpensive linens that you found on Amazon is a good idea, but we’re here to tell you it’s not. Aside from the extremely low quality of the linens (thin, cheaply made, and not ironed), the problem is that you most likely won’t know what to do with them after the wedding. Who wants to deal with dirty, food-stained linens? Once you realize that dry cleaning them costs even more than buying them, you’ll probably end up tossing them anyway.

Photo by Studio Starling

2. It’s unnecessary to buy paper programs for every single guest. Most couples just take one program to share, so count on ordering enough for about 70% of the guest list. This will result in less paper waste and a lessened paper cost.

Photo by Allison Williams Photography

3. Choose to serve a plated dinner. Due to the reduced amount of portions (as compared to family style and buffet style), a plated dinner will yield less leftover food. This means that less food will end up in the garbage at the end of the night. Additionally, when compared to a cocktail style reception, less cutlery and napkins will be wasted and thrown away.

Photo by Studio Finch

 

4. Donate your flowers at the end of the night. Nothing is more tragic than throwing away gorgeous, fresh blooms at the end of a wedding. Choose a florist that would help you donate your flowers to nursing homes or hospitals. Even without the help of your florist, you can donate them yourself by using Random Acts of Flowers.

Photo by Z+V Photography

5. Allow bridesmaids to choose their own dresses. Give your bridesmaids a specific color or color palette, and let them to choose a style of dress that they feel comfortable in. This way they can purchase a dress they’ll wear time and time again, instead of getting something that they’re not comfortable in and will live in the back of their closet forever. Type A brides don’t need to worry – you can always approve the dresses before the wedding!

Photo by Coach House Pictures

 

There are plenty of little hacks to make weddings more eco-friendly. In a notoriously wasteful industry, small modifications go a long way. For information on more green wedding vendors in Chicago, please visit the Green Wedding Alliance website. If you’d like to learn more about eco-friendly events and weddings, please contact us at info@naturallyyoursevents.com!

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