Happy Anniversary: Claudia & Ryan

Despite attending the same college, Claudia and Ryan didn’t meet until they attended a serendipitous goodbye party for a mutual friend in New York. After their initial conversation, Ryan instantly felt moved by Claudia. He asked her out, and she said no! In the form of an email, Ryan laid out a convincing argument as to why she should go on a date with him – and she agreed! Fast forward a few years later, Ryan planned an elaborate proposal that involved a cute scavenger hunt (including their friends and family from all over the country) that ended with him on one knee on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Building. Learn more about their wedding and see photos by Allison Williams Photography below!

Planning Claudia and Ryan’s wedding was interesting because both had completely different ideas of what they wanted their big day to be like: Claudia envisioned a very casual, Sunday backyard pizza party, and Ryan wanted a lively and more formal Saturday night party. As the planner, we had to find solutions to bring two different tastes together in the same event, to make it feel cohesive and like their two tastes were coming together. We chose Bridgeport Art Center because it was a perfect mix of industrial, prohibition feel, but with warm rustic brick and wooden beams. Since Claudia is an architect, having skyline views was very appealing to her. We decided to do a light Chicago theme, emphasizing the skyline in their invitations and other printed goods. Combining their aesthetics, we utilized old whiskey crates for the escort cards, and the pie table. The pies for dessert tended to the more casual feel that Claudia wanted. They had a (kosher) southern barbecue family style meal which felt casual and fun.

Two aspects that Claudia and Ryan agreed upon right away were that celebrating with their family and friends was the biggest priority and that they wanted to incorporate many Jewish traditions into their ceremony (Ryan, newly converted to Judaism, embraced Claudia’s family and Jewish traditions with excitement). Many of their friends and family flew in from across the country to help them celebrate their big day. The ceremony included the tish (joyous celebration with the men drinking whiskey and signing the marriage contract), the bedeken (the veiling of the bride and greeting her loved ones), and then they moved into the formal ceremony under the Chuppah. Many family were involved in this portion with the 7 blessings, the Ketubah signing, and the breaking of the glass.

The whole room felt very vintage, eclectic, and slightly prohibition era-esque. And yet, the setting still set a classic, romantic wedding tone. After the ceremony and cocktail hour downstairs, guests were escorted to the upstairs space. From the moment they stepped off the industrial elevator, guests saw the bright and shining Chicago skyline.

Vendors involved in their big day were Allison Williams Photography, Key Tov Orchestra, Charlie Hilbrant Films, Fab Flora, Wolfgang Puck Catering and Events, Fotio, Toast & Jam DJs, Atmosphere Events Group, The Festive Frog, Rent Vintage Chicago, Aries Charter, M&M Limousine Service, Nika Vaughan, Mignonette Bridal, and Super Sitters.

Happy anniversary, Claudia and Ryan!!