Happy Anniversary to Lea & Beau!

Posted on October 7, 2013 by soireechicago

Happy Anniversary to Lea & Beau who tied the knot one year ago today at Room 1520!! They had a beautiful day to celebrate, just like today!

Wishing you both many more years of happiness!

xo-tm!

2012 In Review – a great year. (Part I)

Posted on January 2, 2013 by soireechicago

This has been an amazing year — I was truly sad to see it go…

It started with Kelly and Jerry’s NYE wedding at Carnivale. So incredible!

Florals by Stemline, Creative

Then a trip to New York for Fashion Week/Valentines Day..

a Day spent at MoMA

A walk through Central Park

Some star sightings – Bethenny Frankel and Selita Ebanks at Philippe (thought they weren’t together). And Justin Beiber at The London Hotel… Sorry – no pics!

And some drinks at The Harvard Club with my Uncle – so cool!!

We had a blast at the Sixties Social – a Mad Men themed Thursday Therapy! What do you think – did we pull off Betty and Don?

Then we hosted our first annual Bridal Event – this one was “Leap Into Wedding Season” and it was held at Fleur de Lis Florist. It was a huge success – a uncharacteristically warm day (were talking 60’s) led to a great turn out of brides!

Entertaining Company provided the food.. Cristina G took the amazing photos!

Here’s Team Soirée at the Event…

Revae from Femme du Coupe provided the delicious cocktails!

We are so excited for this year’s event – the Wedding March, being held on March 3 at Floating World Gallery! (minor plug!) 🙂 details to come!

St. Patricks day was warm…

Really warm! Coco is enjoying the balcony (above). Chicagoans are enjoying the weather (and the Bars) on Wells St.!

We had so much fun planning and creating the 80’s styled shoot at Room 1520. All the vendors that participated knocked it out of the park! The creativity and fun factor was off the charts!

And — It was featured in Ruffled 🙂

Check out this amazing black and white bridal bouquet from Fleur!

Then there was Becky and Tony’s wedding at St. Ignatius and The Rookery – And it was featured on Style Me Pretty… 😉 (click here to see it!)

Then we took a trip to New Buffalo, Mi. We brought the pooch and it was so much fun!

She’s very helpful when she wears the Dog Pack

she was starting to get real tired..

Our view from the top of the dune of Lake Michigan. Then we stopped at a local Winery..

Bowie was excited – I am not sure why. She’s just always happy

Then we went to the beach –

Then we headed to the Marina – and had dinner at Brentwood Tavern…

It was a nice mini vacay before the start of wedding season 🙂

We started June with Susan and Frank’s wedding at Morton Arboretum..

Then we battled a double header! Sami and Mike’s wedding at Chicago History Museum and Megan and Adam’s wedding at Newberry Library 🙂

Sami’s bouquet and bridesmaid’s bouquets were so lovely! created by the Jan and Jillian of Natural Beauties.

This wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty – click here to see it 🙂

Megan chose a blush and slate gray color palette – it complimented The Newberry Library perfectly!

Megan and Adam had their ceremony in Washington Square Park across the street – and then moved into the Library for cocktails and dinner.

Don’t you want to smell that bouquet of peonies and ranunculus? Fleur nailed it again!

That’s the end of Part I – stay tuned for Part II. I will cover the rest of 2012 – so many more adventures!

xo-tm!

Purple and Silver Wedding Inspiration: Room 1520

Posted on December 7, 2012 by soireechicago

Thanks to Cristina G Photography for this Inspiration Board from Lea and Beau’s wedding at Room 1520! We loved creating the “glam” theme for this couple! The eggplant purple, sliver and gray color palette was perfect for the space and a Fall wedding. More pics to come – but for now…please enjoy some of the “best” from that day!

Flowers by Stemline, Creative; Rentals by Tablescapes; Catered by Food Evolution; Sweetheart table linen by Private Label Linens

I heart the 80s

Posted on August 9, 2012 by soireechicago

So lately, I have been noticing many movies, shows and commercials featuring popular songs from the 80s. And boy I am not complaining!! For anyone that knows me, it’s no secret that I LOVE the 80s! I love the movies, the TV shows and of course, I love the music. Since it has been on my mind a lot lately, I decided to revisit our recent 80s inspired styled shoot that we did this Spring at Room 1520. We had so many amazing vendors involved in pulling this off, it was even published on the credited wedding blog, Ruffled!

I invite you to take a look back at what our work…and soak it all in – Like Totally!

So I came up with the idea for this styled shoot one night while flipping through the TV channels, and St. Elmo’s Fire just happen to be on. The movie exudes 80s while portraying several different characters, all with different styles. Then the wheels started to turn…

I was a kid in 80s. I remember watching John Hughes movies with my big brother and sisters, dancing to their “cool” music with them and being totally jealous of my sister’s yellow high-top Reeboks! I can recite every word of Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. Wang Chung, Thompson Twins, Simple Minds and Morrissey (just to name a few) all have a place in my iPod!

As a wedding planner, we are always trying to push the envelope, come up with the fresh and new ideas. Because that is what every bride wants. They want something that hasn’t been done before. On the same token, the are often a bit apprehensive of doing something totally different than what we are used to seeing. That is why I took on this challenge, because I knew it was just that – a challenge. How do you take a theme, like the 80s and make it look good?

The 80’s were about peace, free will, lot’s of color, punk attitude, pop culture, teenage rom-coms and alternative music. Not to mention the outrageous fashion statements as well! I wanted the shoot to be current – with only hints of inspiration from the 80s. The fear was that this theme could become too costumey. We wanted to play on the current runway fashions that we are seeing now, everything from bright neon to color blocking. Today’s designers are taking what we loved about the 80s, but doing it right! We wanted to show today’s bride how to take a modern trend and translate into bridal.

I knew exactly where I wanted to photograph the shoot. The glass block windows at Room 1520 were what sold me, and I knew I wanted to feature them every way I could!

Suzy Rohan of Lily Red Studio came up with the concepts for the invitations and signage. Fun sayings and song lyrics added just the perfect amount of charm. She collaborated with Elaina Vasquez of Boutique Bites on the design of the menu. Elaina designed a TV dinner-styled entrée that mimicked the popular frozen dinners of the 80s. The menu was designed in sections – as if you are looking down at the plate! I suggested a game of MASH on the reverse side to serve as a fun favor and entrainment for the guests. Suzy designed two different coasters for the bar. One that read “Cocktails and Dreams” along with the couple’s names and wedding date and one for the signature cocktail, “Pretty in Pink.” The adorable tape cassette place cards added the just the right amount of 80’s to the table.

Kelly Marie Uss of Fleur, Inc. added some color blocking elements with monochromatic arrangements of purple, hot pink and lime green flowers. Romantic blooms like peonies and lilacs added the perfect touch of bridal, which was juxtapose with the structured and modern calla lilies used on the rectangle banquet tables.

We chose white shantung linens for the guest tables which made the black Mirage chairs and the black glassware pop with contrast. The sweetheart table is always an opportunity to do something special. All eyes are on the bride and groom during the reception – so why not add a little bit of drama there? We chose a teal ribbon rosette linen for the cabaret sweetheart table, adorned with crystal candlesticks and votives.

I wanted to showcase modern design but pair it with romantic elements like the flowers and the bridal gown. I had the perfect dress in mind for this shoot! It was the Monique Lhuillier “Bouquet” gown from her Fall 2012 Collection. Ultimate Bride on Oak Street provided us with the gown and …voila! The pièce de résistance! The dress stole the show! Some hot pink pumps, edgy accessories and big hair created just the perfect styling to bring the whole look together.

Styling the models was very important. I didn’t want them to look too literal. The Bridesmaids wore Coren Moore and LuluKate dresses in pink, purple and green. I found some colorful geometric earrings and bangles to add some flare. I kept their shoes simple with a black pump. Their hair and make-up is what really tied it all together! I also wanted the girls to take center stage, so I kept the guys very simple, but added pops of color with their pocket squares and socks. My favorite were the Tetris socks I found for the groom! Just perfect!

We also created a photo booth – equipped with bold 80s props, sunglasses, headbands and a DIY paint splatter back drop!

Amy DiTomasso of Sugar Chic Designs created the totally rad sweets table. Everything from “Gag me with a spoon jello shooters” to Pac Man cake pops! The design was colorful and delicious! I asked Bleeding Heart Bakery to come up with a cake design that was 80s, but also still very chic and edgy. A geometric-80’s Mondrian cake in pink, purple, teal, yellow and green was the perfect addition to the design theme.

The photos really capture exactly what we wanted to portray with this styled shoot. Cristina G’s talented camera work was the final piece that brought it all together. I hope that this inspires brides to think outside the “wedding” box and envision new, fresh ideas and themes for their wedding day. If implemented with style and class – it can really work!

xo-tm

To see this photo shoot featured on Ruffled, click here: Ruffled®| 80s Wedding Inspiration.

Happy Anniversary Deitzah and Andrew!

Posted on June 11, 2012 by soireechicago

It was such a pleasure planning Deitzah and Andrew’s wedding, I just loved this couple and I am happy to now call them my friends! A year ago today, on an uncharacteristically cold June day, they were married at Room 1520. Despite the cold, the wedding was gorgeous! The couple, the dress, the space and the decor – all gorgeous!
There were so many good photos, but here are some of my favorites. Let’s take a glimpse back into their day…