Today we are SO excited to share Kristen and Jeremy’s Chicago wedding. This wedding is truly coming full circle for them because Kristen planned her Chicago wedding while out of town, using CHI thee WED to get inspiration and wedding planning advice. That is ALWAYS our goal as a blog so we are grateful that we were able to connect with her again and share HER story and wedding journey with all of you!
Kristen and Jeremy have been amazing enough to not only share their wedding images but have also answered some of our questions about their love story, planning journey and wedding day. Enjoy this new blog post and these beautiful images captured by Mari Trancoso.

Tell us a little bit about your love story/proposal story

“My (now!!) husband Jeremy and I met in Spanish class during our junior year of high school, and we now lovingly refer to Spanish as the language of love! We became fast friends and a few months later, we started dating.
Jeremy and I have gone on many dates in downtown Naperville throughout our high school and college years, so he knew this would be a meaningful location for a proposal. While I thought we were on a double date with some of our good friends in the same area, Jeremy brought me over to a beautiful, bright Christmas tree and asked what my favorite memory of downtown Naperville was. He then told me he thought I may have a new favorite memory, and that is when he asked if I would marry him!”

A fun, little detail

“One of the most unique and helpful vendors on our big day were our wedding dressers from The Stylish Bride. The groomsmen/Jeremy had 1 dresser and the bridesmaids/myself had 2 dressers to ourselves for the day! Each of us and our bridal parties had our outfits steamed for us, so we did not have to worry about taking care of that on our wedding day. The wedding dressers also bustled my dress for me so that my sister, mom, and bridesmaids could enjoy the cocktail hour!”

How did you feel on your wedding day?

“Jeremy and I felt elated to finally celebrate our wedding day after nearly 12 years of dating and two years of wedding planning! We knew we were in the best hands possible with our incredible vendors so that we could truly step back, relax, and soak in the day that we worked so hard to plan. To top it all off, there was no better feeling than being surrounded by the most special people in our lives, all in one place!”

Why did you choose the vendors that you did?

On our wedding day, we wanted to be surrounded by truly wonderful people from start to finish. This not only included our wedding guests, but our vendors as well. We spent months talking to all different vendors to find our group of incredibly talented and genuinely wonderful people.

Ways we incorporated our family into the day

“My ‘something old’ was my grandma's gold brooch, which I attached to my bouquet. My grandma passed away in 2020 but it meant a lot to me to have her with me on my wedding day! Similarly, for our wedding drinks, while we had drinks called ‘The Mr.’ and ‘The Mrs.’, we also had ‘The Scherer’ which was a gin and tonic, for my grandparents' favorite drink! This was a wonderful way to have them there with us in spirit. My ‘something borrowed’ and "something blue" was my mom's own blue sapphire ring.”

What was the inspiration for your plans/designs?

“Jeremy and I both wanted to provide input on the wedding planning and design. It was important that the wedding was representative of both of us from a design perspective, so we knew that timeless and clean décor would ultimately be our goal. We utilized Chi THEE Wed for inspiration from stylish Chicago couples to incorporate fresh ideas into our big day. The most important concept to us was planning a wedding that would be the most convenient, laid back, and fun for our guests.”

The Reception

“We had a poker table for those who wanted a different activity during the reception. All donations went towards Cycle for Survival, which funds research for rare cancers.

”My brother created the music mixes for our first dance (we danced to a portion of My Universe by Coldplay + BTS) and the father/daughter dance. For a father/daughter dance, my dad and I changed into Iowa gear and entered to the Iowa Fight Song and danced to Back in Black, as we are both University of Iowa alumni. Go Hawks!”

The finale

“We ended our night with a vintage Gold '69 Rolls-Royce getaway car that drove us down Lakeshore Drive to Pequod's Pizza, and got to "cheers" with deep dish pizza at the end of the night (captured perfectly by our videographer!)”

Huge thank you to Kristen and Jeremy for sharing their wedding day with us and check out their amazing wedding video HERE!

Wedding Pro’s:
Photography: By Mari Photography
Venue: Chicago Athletic Association Hotel
Wedding Planner/Day of Coordinator: Amelia Cole Events
Videography: Dave and a Camera
Reverend: The Wedding Rev
Floral/Design: XO Design Co
Wedding Gown: Sareh Nouri from Bella Bianca Bridal Couture
Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie
Wedding Dresser: The Stylish Bride
Hair Stylist: Luis Valdez
Makeup Artist: Jessica McKane
Wedding Cake: Cake Chicago
Musicians/DJ: Okyne Media Lab
Calligraphy: Lively House and Home
Initiations/Programs: Magnificent Milestones
Late Night Food: Shake Shack
Digital Photobooth: Magic Moment Photobooth
Post-Reception Getaway Car: 312 Limo
Escort Cards: Jenn and Jules Designs
Reception Guest Shoes: Rescue Flats
Cookie Favors: Oh Dough! Cookie Co.
Custom Painted Champagne Bottle: Wine By Design
Bridal and Bridesmaids PJ and Robe: Flora Nikrooz
Bridal Shoes: Emmy London
Custom Maid of Honor Earrings: Made by Maddie Designs
Ring Box: The Mrs. Box
Casino: Casino Party Planners