Written by Curator Lisa at lisa kathan photography

The Chicago-area wedding industry has been especially hard-hit this year with closures, stay-at-home orders and restrictions on wedding sizes. Of course, it’s all for good reason as they try to stay safe, and keep couples and their guests safe, also.

We decided to feature some Chicagoland vendors who are taking this opportunity to serve couples even better than before! They’ve come up with some incredibly creative solutions to not only keep their doors open, but to help couples with some specific needs they might have during this time.

These vendors are so committed to couples and passionate about their businesses and communities, they’re doing whatever it takes to continue to serve couples getting married in 2020 and beyond!

Planners

Urban Allure Events

Nicole is both the owner of Urban Allure Events, and the co-founder of CHI thee WED, with her husband Jeffrey (read about his pivot below)! Urban Allure is an event planning team, creating 100+ weddings a year with a team of 6 planners.

How they pivoted…
Urban Allure created “I Do’s Brought To You!” Couples can opt to have a party box delivered to their door for an at-home wedding celebration; OR they can celebrate their tiny wedding in a big way, by choosing from their vendor partners. Couples can select from 5 different color palettes, venue options, photographers, and florists, making their tiny wedding planning seamless.

Wedicity | Fueled Events

Wedicity is a wedding planning firm with a a focus on the guest experience, service and design, and Fueled Events is a corporate and social event planning firm with a mission to bring an organizations passion, heart and purpose to the forefront of their live event experiences.

How they pivoted…Wedicity and Fueled Events came together and to create CHI-Together, a drive-in event series of movies and music at Chicago’s Soldier Field South Parking Lot! Socially-safe movies and music run 5-nights a week, and include a 90-minute music set by a local band, DJ or artist, followed by a feature length movie on three jumbo screens. A fantastic way to step up and serve the community!

Jeffrey Maitland | Is My Date Open?

Jeffrey is a website developer, wife to Nicole of Urban Allure Events, and co-founder of CHI thee WED! His focus in the wedding industry has been creating fabulous websites for wedding vendors, as well as custom, over-the-top wedding websites for couples.

How he pivoted…
Back in March, with an immediate need to try and help couples who were having to reschedule their weddings due to COVID-19, Jeffrey started a simple database on CHI thee WED to help them out. The database was soon filled with vendors, sharing the dates they were available for weddings, and gave couples a simple tool to help reschedule their wedding plans, without having to call or email multiple vendors.

The tool was so successful, he launched Is My Date Open?, a simple tool that’s FREE for couples to use, so they can easily find Chicago-area wedding vendors that are available on their wedding date!

Olive Fine Weddings & Events

Olive Fine is a wedding planning firm focused on the couple’s experience, focused on being flexible, transparent, communicative, and making the wedding planning process fun, rather than stressful!

How they pivoted…
Olive Fine loves that couples are spending the time reflecting on their wedding plans and boiling it down to what’s really important – family, friends, and their marriage. During this time, they’re refocusing their efforts on helping couples re-imagine their weddings as something totally new: a wedding day that’s fun, personal, and unique, rather than just a smaller version of their original plans.

Photographers

lisa kathan photography

Lisa Kathan has always offered boutique photography to couples having intimate weddings, even prior to COVID-19. She’s passionate about being able to focus her time capturing the love each couple has for each other, and those closest to them.

How they pivoted…
Lisa Kathan is focusing most of her current efforts on being a premier photographer for City Hall and backyard weddings. Quality wedding photos are more important than ever, since most friends and family are unable to attend a ceremony. Also couples planning tiny affairs aren’t always certain of various guidelines for weddings, or even how to get a marriage license with COVID-19 restrictions. So in addition to capturing beautiful memories of the day, Lisa Kathan provides all the information couples need get married safely, becoming an indispensable partner to her couples.

Ed & Aileen Photography | NSFW Boudoir Photography

Ed & Aileen are a Chicago-based wedding photography team who are in the business of photographing authentic connections and honest moments.

How they pivoted…

In addition to their wedding photography, Ed & Aileen have a new creation called NSFW Boudoir Photography - a boudoir studio with a mission to honor the wildness and sensuality of an individual’s identity. Through their wedding photography, they have come to learn how empowering photography can be and the importance of capturing the human experience, including the sensual stories of all races, genders, orientations, and sizes.

Videographers

LEAP Weddings

LEAP Weddings creates docu-style wedding films in a fun, authentic way. They offer a great client experience while creating wedding films that consist of really beautiful and fun imagery, as well as conversations with the couple and guests to help tell their story.

How they pivoted…
LEAP says that video is more important than ever, since it’s often the only way loved ones can witness the wedding. So once COVID hit Chicagoland they pivoted to two new offerings: micro wedding packages and live streaming.

Their micro wedding packages are smaller, simpler versions of their full packages, while keeping them affordable, since many couples are choosing to host weddings, one now and one later, and they don’t want to miss out on any of the memories.

A popular option for couples right now is live streaming, since guests can’t travel and people are more at-risk in large crowds. So LEAP broadcasts the ceremony (and sometimes reception formalities) to the couple’s guests at home. Guests can even live chat/message throughout the entire wedding, and many are commenting how it feels like they were really there.

Floral designers

Aysel Christian Floral Atelier

Aysel Christian specializes in artful floral design for weddings and events, working with sophisticated clients that want a one-of-a-kind experience and visual artistry.

How they pivoted…
Aysel Christian pivoted to meet client needs by offering online Zoom workshops with materials and flowers delivered right to the client’s door. They also began offering subscriptions for florals, since so many clients said they needed something colorful to cheer them up.

They are also working with a team of vendors from each wedding industry field to offer wedding packages for minimonies and elopements.

Kio Kreations

Kio Kreations specializes in wedding floral and organic balloon displays.

How they pivoted…
First Kio leaned into some sewing skills and began making 100% cotton masks for first responders. Soon they were offering balloon clusters for parties, including collaborating with another vendor to provide “party packs” that included cupcakes and balloons. Balloon clusters could be used for a sweet ceremony backdrop or a fun way to decorate a tiny wedding!

Flowers by Stem

Stephanie has owned Flowers by Stem for 15 years, and historically has focused on designing flowers for weddings and events.

How they pivoted…
With so many events on hold this year, they pivoted and introduced Friday Flowers, a weekly delivery service, celebrating getting through yet another week of this extraordinary experience! Their flowers are modern and organic, focusing on local, seasonal flowers and sustainable mechanics, which are all core tenets of the business.

Stylists

WeddingGPS

Wedding GPS (Groom's Personal Stylist) is the groom's wedding day fashion navigator, ensuring everything goes smoothly and everyone looks polished from beginning to end. Not only does GPS offer custom clothing to ensure the outfit is perfect, they are there on wedding day to help the groom, groomsmen and family get ready — steam suits/tuxes, shine shoes, iron shirts, tie ties/bow ties, pin boutonnières — whatever it is that they need!

How they pivoted…GPS has really taken a consultative approach in helping clients understand how changing their wedding dates and plans may affect their attire. Also, GPS is doing even more work with custom clothing, particularly for video conferencing, such as custom polos, t-shirts, henleys, hoodies, bombers, more casual button downs, as well as accessories like beaded bracelets; pretty much everything visible on video! They’re planning to launch ready-made options in the coming months.

Hair + Makeup Artists

Kate Johnson Artistry Brides

As long as couples are getting married, they will still want beauty services, no matter the size! Kate Johnson Artistry performs on-site wedding services for hair and makeup. Professional makeup and hair services are trained to be one of the most sanitary sectors in the wedding industry. But implementing COVID-19 requirements, such as masks and face shields.

How they pivoted…
Being socially distant isn’t really a possibility when hair and makeup services are being performed. So rather than having the entire wedding party in one space, they are helping this by setting up in a room away from the wedding party, and taking one guest per artist working in the room to have hair and makeup done.

Musicians

David Rothstein Music

David Rothstein Music is a live company that performs for ceremonies and receptions. Their music company adds lots of personal touches to make each wedding authentic, organized and incredibly fun!

How they pivoted…
They’re performing live concerts and parties with 3-piece ensembles right in backyards! Couples can choose from 8 ensembles: micro wedding band, Brazil, jazz, classical, tropical and much more. Bonus, the music comes with free streaming.

David Rothstein mentions that since Ravinia and other Chicago-area music festivals are closed, couples can have all the wonderful ambiance of Ravinia without the hassles of parking, crowds or driving. They also have full-service packages that include food and decor: so if you love Paris, you can have a Parisian ensemble, with french florals and decor by Debi Lilly, and a Parisian menu by Blue Plate Catering!

Cagen Music LLC | Enhance Productions

For 40 years, Cagen Music has been the go-to source for spectacular entertainment for dream weddings, featuring nationally recognized expert bandleaders, musicians, vocalists, DJ’s and MC’s. Cagen music has been packing dance floors with the latest hits and party classics, and also featuring beautiful ceremony music and amazing cocktail entertainment. Their partner company, Enhance Productions, provides audio, video and lighting for weddings and other events.

How they pivoted…
Cagen Music is presenting musicians with streaming audio and video for online ceremonies and receptions with a new roster of soloists, duos and trios for in-person and hybrid in-person/online micro weddings. They’re also presenting custom after-dinner “mini-concerts” for weddings with no dancing.

Enhance Productions is providing several new wedding services for before, during and after COVID-19 weddings, such as pre-recording parts of the wedding day to be inserted into streams, live streaming the wedding with interactive Zoom options, and synopsis videos for sharing and streaming to guests after the wedding

Entertainment

Backthird Entertainment

Backthird Entertainment provides DJs and live music for about 150 weddings a year, with a on making their events as personal as possible, while making the prep as easy as possible.

How they pivoted…
Backthird created a completely new service called Huge Little Wedding by taking the micro weddings that their couples plan, and turning them into huge, interactive online events. Huge Little Wedding is helping couples ask, “what would our wedding look like if it was actually designed to be online?”

In some sense it’s very different from a traditional live stream because the focus is participation by having guests get that sense of being part of the party. The MC guides the guests through activities like toasts, cocktail conversation and games, or dancing. They can even help couples tweak their micro wedding plans so they’ll line up with what online guests want to see and feel.

Platinum Events | Platinum Sanitation

Platinum Events is a nationwide event production company. They traditionally provide full in-house event production services for lavish weddings, as well as trade show and conferences.

How they pivoted…
When the pandemic struck, Platinum pivoted to become Platinum Sanitation, a full antiviral and antibacterial decontamination solution services company. During the last few months, they’ve attained all proper accreditation to certify their clients businesses and facilities clean and safe.

BBJ Linen | photo by lisa kathan photography

Rentals

BBJ Linen | La Tavola

Over the past 35 years, BBJ Linen has become the largest linen rental company in the country, and have a huge selection of linens for your wedding reception and parties.

How they pivoted…
Four months ago, like everyone else, their parties were postponed to 2021, or cancelled. So they made a right turn and began creating PPE for hospitals and healthcare workers all over the country! They will continue to make hospital gowns, medical masks and plastic face shields for the healthcare industry, but look forward to when couples begin to celebrate with beautiful receptions again.

Catering

BellaRu Catering | Mis Dos Magos

Bella Ru is a full service boutique catering company, specializing in combining multiple authentic and fusion ethnic cuisines to create a harmonious meal, while Mis Dos Magos offers traditional Mexican cuisine.

How they pivoted…
Since March 2020, they have used their businesses to do amazing work in the community, by feeding homeless, under-served and low income families directly affected by COVID-19. They partnered with multiple non-profit organizations to feed as many families as possible in Lake County, by serving homeless families sheltered in hotels and seniors sheltered in place. Almost 4000 families have been provided fresh groceries and supplies through the help of their service!

Amid this, they launched their brand, Mis Dos Magos, which allowed them to cater their service to the large Hispanic communities in Lake County by including items like fresh tamales, fresh masa, and culturally relevant vegetables, giving families a sense of “normalcy” and comfort, so they are able to still cook their ethnic foods.

Maison Cuisine

Maison Cuisine is a boutique caterer, specializing in alternative diets & allergy friendly foods. They provide catering for groups of 10-1,000 for weddings and other events in Chicago and the suburbs.

How they pivoted…
Maison has been delivering “bento box” style meals for clients! They started out by delivering many to healthcare workers, and are now starting to offer delivery to businesses. It’s also an adorable idea for a casual backyard wedding!

Maison also partners with Concord 55 , a small indoor-outdoor venue, to offer Petite Weddings for up to 45 guests.

Cakes

ECBG Cake Studio

ECBG makes custom and specialty wedding cakes, and by getting to know each couple - their personalities and vibe - they create a wedding cake the couple has always dreamed of. From a 6 tiered cake to a 2 tiered cake they love to accomplish each couples’ wedding cake vision!

How they pivoted…

ECBG is now offering wedding cake tastings-to-go and curbside pick-up, as well as virtual consultations. We love to ensure couples that even though this is not the experience they might have envisioned, they want to make it just as fun, easy, magical and special.

In the past they had a $500 minimum for wedding cakes, which was typically the cost for a very large cake. However, now that couples are having smaller weddings, they’re creating smaller cakes that are just as stunning and delicious (even cakes as small as for 20 guests). ECBG also developed a semi-customizable option, which doesn’t offer as much customization in terms of design and flavors, but it’s MUCH easier, and costs less.

In fact, the entire process has made things so much easier for everyone, they plan to continue these services even after COVID-19 is behind us!

20 Wedding Vendors Who Pivoted in 2020