Happy Anniversary: Phyllis and Belinda

Phyllis and Belinda have a real special kind of love. They are the two warmest and most kind individuals I have come across in my life. Their wedding was incredibly tailored to fit them as a couple and who they are as people. It was truly a magical day and I am so honored to have been a part of it. Enjoy these photos from Liesl Diesel Photo.

Their ceremony was one of the most beautiful moments of the day. Several of their friends came up and spoke about the couple’s dedication to each other and commitment to living life to the fullest. The decor was simple, elegant, and very purposeful. Phyllis and Belinda chose a modern draping for the ceremony backdrop designed by Art of Imagination. Since they asked for no cut flowers to be used, they incorporated two large cylinder vases of moss and curly willow flanking each side of the aisle.

Since they share a love of cooking together, I helped them plan an intimate cocktail-style reception with a private cooking class and demo at Centered Chef. During the cocktail hour guests learned, hands-on, how to make one of the passed apps that they would later eat at the reception. The detail I love was the favors were aprons with the couple’s names and wedding date on them. How thoughtful! Best yet— being that Belinda and Phyllis are both practicing Buddhists— everything was very eco-friendly, vegan, and no-kill.

Most every vendor we hired for their wedding was a part of the Chicago Green Wedding Alliance and the venue itself shared green practices. The florist, Fab Flora, was asked to create beautiful living terrariums with care instructions to keep them alive long after the wedding was over. Centered Chef prepared food from local sources and all items were in season and vegan to the client’s explicit request. Even the mini cupcakes from Luscious Layers Bakery were vegan. Phyllis and Belinda really wanted to minimize waste so we made sure to have green to-go boxes for guests to take home any extra food and plants used.