Chicago History Museum Wedding

We love it when couple’s share their wedding planning and wedding day experience with US (and all of you). Enjoy today’s newest blog post with first hand experience from this VERY Chicago wedding day! Jesse and Hunter, thank you for sharing your story with the CTW Community!

“We wanted our wedding to be timeless. When we looked back on the day, we didn’t want it to look like it was definitively a 2024 wedding, but rather a beautiful and classic event that could have taken place a decade prior or in the future. Our colors were black and white with silver accents, and we chose cream and blush florals. We also had all the guests wear black (with the exception of my MOH in white) as we viewed each guest as part of the wedding party due to the intimacy of the event we curated.”

“We had Saville Flowers design our florals, which included a bridal bouquet, altar and aisle arrangements, and an entryway arrangement that greeted guests as they arrived at the museum. We also repurposed all our florals from the ceremony at the reception. My bouquet was an organic garden-style arrangement featuring luxe seasonal peonies in blush and white with varying delicate textural florals. The other arrangements were designed to highlight the classic colonial architecture of the venue with luxe florals and cascading greenery.”

“The Chicago History Museum is stunning in its own right—we chose this venue because we didn’t need to create an atmosphere. We relied on the black and white tiled floor, chandeliers, and expansive windows to set the tone, and incorporated stunning florals from Saville Flowers throughout the space. The reception took place at Sepia’s private dining venue, which features silver and grey with mirrored accents. We based our decor on these features by incorporating a silver mirror for our seating chart and designing shimmering place cards with silver tassels, which were placed on guest napkins. Since all our guests traveled to Chicago for the wedding, we wanted to highlight.”

“The most special moment for us was our ceremony. Our officiant, Talia, crafted a beautiful and brilliant ceremony that featured individual shoutouts to most of our guests. This allowed us to connect with our family and friends during the ceremony, alleviating nerves and creating treasured memories. More generally, our favorite part of our wedding day was spending time with our family and friends. There were 50 of us in total, which allowed us to spend intentional time with every person. People talk about their wedding days feeling like a blur, but we truly remember so much of it since we committed to being present with everyone throughout.”

“Chicago’s beauty throughout the events. My sister (my MOH) is a graphic designer and designed our table numbers and matchbooks, featuring several Chicago landmarks including all three of our wedding venues—the Chicago History Museum, Sepia, and a yacht for firework viewing. Lastly, we wanted to show our appreciation for the effort it took to celebrate with us, so we featured wedding pictures of every married couple in attendance in various silver frames surrounding our wedding cake.”

“With the main goal being a timeless aesthetic, we went with classic silhouettes. The groom wore a tuxedo with a bowtie and patent leather shoes. I wore a strapless A-line gown with symmetrical pleats and a button closure. As stated before, our guests all wore black with my MOH in a white trumpet gown and my mom in a black dress with a white sash. As these are the most important women in my life, it was important to me for them to be showcased. I also changed into a mid-length white dress with a feather hem for the reception—an intentional stylistic change after the more classic wedding gown.”

“Hunter and I met while attending the University of Oregon. While we both had crushes from the start, we didn’t start officially dating until our senior year in 2018. Upon graduation, we decided to apply to graduate schools to pursue our PhDs—mine in marketing and Hunter’s in environmental science. Despite our best efforts, we did not get into any of the same schools, but ultimately were able to attend our top choices—Northwestern University for me and the University of Wisconsin-Madison for Hunter. After navigating our long-distance relationship for 3 years, we decided the titles of boyfriend and girlfriend no longer matched the depth of our commitment to one another.“

“Hunter proposed on June 3rd, 2023. He secretly decorated my apartment while I was out for a haircut. In order to maintain the surprise, he planned a full day in the city that ended with a sushi dinner. When we got back to the apartment, he bent down on one knee, gifting me the ring of my dreams along with a beautiful bouquet from Saville (why we chose them for our wedding) and a cake from Sweet Mandy B’s (also our wedding cake bakery!)”

“We personalized our day by having our best friend officiate the wedding and by having my sister (the MOH) design the artwork featured on our table numbers and matchbooks. One of our favorite parts of the day was definitely the yacht that took all our guests on a private cruise around Lake Michigan, showcasing stunning views of the Chicago skyline and the firework show off of Navy Pier.”

“Our advice would be to not feel bound by any specific traditions or customs. It is your wedding day, and you should feel ownership of every moment. If a certain element only brings you discomfort or dread, take it out! Similarly, if you would like to add something you haven’t seen done before—such as a fireworks cruise instead of a more traditional DJ with dancing—do it! It is your day, and your family and friends are there to celebrate you in the way that you intend.”

Wedding Pro’s:
Photography: Fine Detailed Collective
Ceremony Venue: Chicago History Museum
Reception Venue: Sepia
Musicians: Cloud Gate String Quartet
Dress Store: The Bespoke Bride Boise
Floral Designer: Saville Flowers
Beauty: Glam Atelier
Cakes: Defloured and Sweet Mandy B's
Signage: Bryn D'Agostino Design
Invitations: Beacon Lane