Bright Summer Wedding in Chicago

Today we are so excited to share Xander and Meg’s gorgeous wedding at Big Delicious Planet. As you all know, our new favorite way to showcase a wedding is to connect with the couple and this one does not disappoint. Meg and Xander took some time to share their wedding story with us and we could not be happier with their honesty (and wedding planning through a pandemic) and candid answers. Thank you both so much for sharing your story with us and your beautiful wedding images!

How did you meet? Tell us a bit about your love story.

Like most 21st century couples, we met online before meeting in real life. Our first date was for Sazeracs- Xander’s family is from New Orleans so I thought inviting him out for a Sazerac would impress him. But according to him, I didn’t need to work so hard since I was clearly “much cooler than him.” We dated casually at first, but Xander fell for me pretty quickly. Several months later, he joined my Birthday Camping trip and my friends all fell for him. At that point, I couldn’t help but fall for him too. We’re just two Virgo's who have been together over 5 years and living together for like 4 of those.

What was your vision?

I’m queer and Xander is a trans man, and having a wedding that felt very authentic and community focused was incredibly important to us. We are really big on buying and eating local, so we also spent a little extra energy making sure all of our vendors were local, environmentally friendly, and queer-affirming. We picked bright, juicy colors for our flowers and table settings, and made sure to have family photos and special touches that made our wedding feel like bringing our favorite people together. Our bridal party all wore suits, which was such a cool juxtaposition in the garden- structured black and white amidst the flowers and bees and butterflies. When we walked down the aisle, the sun shown down and the garden seemed to come alive- with the birds chirping so loud it almost sounded like a soundtrack. There was not a dry eye in the whole place!

How was the wedding planning process?

Man, oh man! The wedding process is always a stressful time, but pivoting through the pandemic made it so much harder. We essentially planned three weddings and rescheduled and rescheduled until we found the right time and place! While a wedding is about the couple, we also really believe that a wedding is about merging our family and community. So, it helped to think about our loved ones through the process. I’m not the most traditional bride, so we found the most fun in customizing and curating things in our own way. Luckily, those turned out to be the parts that people remember most!

How was your experience with BDP?

- BDP was our caterer right from the start, and when we needed to pivot our plans they were able to pivot with us, offering us their new Urban Farm space as a cozy, perfect little wedding venue. The food was a nod to my Middle Eastern heritage and Xander’s New Orleans roots. Everything was super fresh and in-season. We had specialty cocktails, including our First Date drink, the Sazerac, and a Kentucky mule for those who wanted something lighter and more refreshing. We loved the BDP staff as well- they all came out of the kitchen during our ceremony and we could see them laughing and crying along with us- it made us feel right at home from the start.

And we loved all our vendors:

- Our photographer, Jordan, was incredible to work with- so calm and so fun that before the end of the night felt like she was as much a part of group of friends as anyone else. She managed to capture such small moments between people, that helped us remember the whole night (even though for us it felt like a blur)!

- We used Edwards Florist Winnetka for our flowers because my grandma worked for them for decades (60s, 70s, 80s, 90s) and they’ve been so good to our family since! We chose those bright, juicy colors as they are reminiscent of the “Golden Hour,” when the sun is setting and everything is all pinks and oranges and golds- its warm and lovely. My grandma has always been obsessed with fresh flowers, so we even asked her to be our flower “lady” and she walked down the aisle throwing petals to kick off our ceremony better than any flower girl I’ve seen!

- Our DJ was Toast & Jam, which I’m sure is always cool, but our DJ- Marjorie- is non-binary and was so excited to be a part of our queer wedding that they specially decked their hair out with rainbow colors! We talked with them ahead of time about the playlist and really chose music that was important to us, which meant Lake Street Dive for our first dance, a special New Orleans Style Second Line around our party, and the kind of tunes that make you never leave the dance floor.

- Our specialty vendor was Nina Nightengale who cut silhouettes of all our guests for a really unique gift and guest book option. She hand cuts the most precise profiles of people that you can see the tiniest eyelash or hair on the back of your neck. Everyone walked away with a cool piece of art to remember the night!

What was the best moment (for each of you) on the wedding day?

Meg: Walking down the aisle felt like the most perfect moment I’ve experienced in life. Listening to all the speeches was so much fun, but my brother’s speech made me cry- he couldn’t be more different than me, but he is just such a good man- I’m proud he’s MY brother. And our Second Line getting the whole wedding party up on their feet for the dance floor- it changed the whole mood and got people ready to dance and sing and feel the pure joy of the moment.

Xander: The best moment for me, Xander, was how dynamic the whole space was. Looking back, the flashes of joy I can remember: The ceremony against The Big Green Wall, with everyone standing in the garden, ice clinking in cold glasses, and hankies patting cheeks dry, was a beautiful moment. The whole world stood still as we gathered and Meg entered. The garden was so beautifully curated and taken care of, that it made for a truly special place to begin our life together.

Weddings Pro’s:
Venue: Big Delicious Planet Urban Farm
Planner: Grace Hamilton, Former BDP Director of Weddings + Events
Catering: Big Delicious Planet
Photographer: Fuller Photo Co.
Floral: Edwards Florist, Inc.
Decor: Tablescapes
Linen: BBJ La Tavola Fine Linen