Before I share pictures from my daughter and her then-Groom-to-Be’s Wedding Day (near-future post), here’s a glimpse into some of the planning and details that made their Wedding Ceremony extra special and meaningful for us, and hopefully some of our guests too.
WELCOME BAGS FOR OUT OF TOWN WEDDING GUESTS
There were quite a few out of town guests attending the wedding including many who were not very familiar with downtown Chicago.
Welcome Bags for these guests add a special touch for them to feel more welcome to an unfamiliar place. Besides a few edible goodies in their bags like Chicago-Famous Garrett’s Popcorn, the bags also included some key information:
Map of Downtown Chicago
The map continued with the couple’s “Eat, Drink, & Be Married” Theme – with some restaurants and bars marked, and of course, the all-important locations of the wedding ceremony (St. James Chapel) & the reception (The Drake Hotel).
Some Suggested Activities
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Schedule of Events
Since the wedding reception and our block of rooms were at the historic Drake Hotel, some fun facts about the hotel were included in the bags also.
Fun Facts About The Drake Hotel
WEDDING CEREMONY PROGRAMS
I have some very talented friends. One of them is an artist who specializes in watercolors. I asked her if she would paint some blue flowers for the cover of the Wedding Ceremony Programs. She kindly agreed.
She drew several samples on the heavy linen paper we would be using for the programs, and told my daughter and I to choose our favorite before painting a final one.
Beautiful Choices…
Her added touch to the programs made them not only gorgeous to look at, but so much more special.
We chose the more aqua color blue to keep with my daughter’s aqua wedding color theme.
Part of the Wedding Program shown above
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A Closer Look at Some of the Wedding Program Details
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LOVE BLOOMS
I originally saw this idea in Martha Stewart Weddings, and loved it. The idea is to have additional single flowers available for all guests to wear in their hair or pinned to their clothing to further include them as part of the celebration.
The ring motif is the same one that was used on their Wedding Invitation.
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RING BEARER PILLOW ALTERNATIVE
The then-Groom-to-Be’s godson served as their ring bearer. Instead of having him carry the rings on the typical pillow, we came up with an “out-of-the-box” idea. He carried the rings in a pretty Limoges Pear Box.
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I had the inside of the box personalized with their names and the wedding date.
The box would also serve as a future jewelry box for my daughter’s wedding ring or other small piece of jewelry.
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Next up in a Wedding Journey, a quick look at some of the planning and details that went into their Wedding Reception and then it will be on to The Big Day.
Photo source: bing images
Inspirational Details 