Pilsen Secret Garden Wedding
Today’s beautiful wedding was located at a secret garden in Pilsen! Check out this gorgeous real wedding below and hear firsthand from the couple, sharing their favorite wedding moments. Thank you so much for sharing your big day with us!
What was the inspiration for your plans/designs?
So since I was a COVID reschedule, I actually had a wholeee other color palette and design in mind. With the extra year to plan I dug more into richer colors that would contrast better with the venue. And really what helped me with my design was the bouquet arrangement I was getting! My florist, Studio Poppy, mocked up a great bouquet that really set the scene for everything else I did. In general, I just wanted to go with a more romantic vintage vibe. The venue even had antique China that helped tie that in!
How did you feel on your wedding day, having all of your plans come together?
The weeks leading up to the wedding I was so worried that my whole vision would be super haphazard. But then getting into the space, with everyone I love, really made me breathe a sigh of relief. It’s like you have all these grand ideas of how your wedding will “look” because you see everything on Pinterest and Instagram. But you forget to realize, it’s about what your day makes you “feel”. And once I got ready, in my dress, and pictures taken I felt so much more comfortable with the day! Really at the end of the day people won’t remember what your tablescapes looked like or if a sign was missing. They will remember the energy and love that was in the room, and that’s really what made my day so special!
What is your favorite memory from your wedding (you and your spouse can answer that separately if you both have different favorite memories)?
Bride: Mine, aside from marrying the love of my life lol, was getting to sing with my dad :) We didn’t do a traditional father daughter dance, and honestly that is not my style. But we are both musicians and he taught me everything about music. So it was only fitting we did a duet together. We sang James Taylor’s “You Got a Friend”. I will forever remember that and I’m so grateful I was able to share that moment with him.
Groom(Eric): His favorite memory was our vows. He loves to write, so being able to talk about our story and love was right up his alley. It also so happened that we both wrote vows that pretty much matched each other haha. And then another great was he squeezed a gallons worth of like juice for our signature cocktail, a Rum Punch (we named it the Roo punch after our dog) The drink was an homage to our engagement in Barbados :)
Who was playing the guitar (and singing) in the wedding images? What were they playing/singing?
That was my dad! We did a daddy daughter song, rather than dance. It was just more our style as we are both musicians. We sang “you got a friend” by James Taylor.
How did you find/choose your venue spot (since you mentioned that not many people know about it)?
I found it on Reddit actually! There’s a wedding planning subreddit and I just searched for “unique venues in Chicago”. I had done a ton of research and visited other spots within our price range, but they were all pretty DIY and I didn’t love the idea of decorating too much. So when I found this outdoor garden venue, I knew it was perfect! It’s nestled in the Pilsen neighborhood, right by Thalia Hall. And it’s managed by the restaurant “Honky Toni BBQ”. So the one caveat to having your wedding there, is you have to have their food. But alcohol is BYOB and so is your dessert/wedding cake (you can get dessert through them, but I chose to do Molly’s cupcakes instead). Karie, who runs the venue, is fabulous with recommendations on vendors to use there (i.e. DJ, photobooth, alcohol, tents if needed). Also she helps with ALL the set up, which is fabulous. So if you get this venue, there is no need to hire a wedding coordinator (which will save you money!!)
Wedding Pro’s:
Venue: Pilsen Secret Garden (Also known as Honky Tonk BBQ)
Photographer: Justine Bursoni
Makeup Artist: Doria Debartolo
Hair Stylist: Nicole Nadeau
Flowers (Bouquets/Boutinerres): Studio Poppy
Floral Arrangements for Venue: Royal Wolf Event Planning
DJ: Revrb Sound
Hotel: Virgin Hotels
Catering: Honky Tonk BBQ
Dessert: Molly's Cupcakes
Transportation: Limotainment LLC
Bridal Dress: Bridal Elegance
Groom Suit: Zeglio Custom Clothiers