Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Perfect Wedding


     It will be weeks before the professional photos are ready from my niece's weekend wedding, but I couldn't wait to share a few of my own photos. The above photo will be my favorite, no matter what the photographer does because Jenny looked at me and grinned after the ceremony and it looks "so Jenny" that I just love it!


     This was by far my favorite wedding, ever. I would say the same thing if I hadn't been related to the bride. Our family tends to do things slightly non-traditional and this wedding was the perfect blend of fun, fabulous, silly and elegant. It took place at the Adler Planetarium on the lakefront in Chicago, at sunset. The view was stunning even though the temperatures were a little warmer than we expected.


My dad walking my sister (the mother-of-the-bride) to her seat.


     There were 7 bridesmaids, the dresses were these deep teal and navy. The two above just happen to be the bride's sisters, my nieces. Aren't they all just gorgeous? The guys all wore gray suits of their own choosing, with matching plaid ties.


    Jenny and her dad entered from the upper level down two flights of stairs. There was no traditional Wedding March. Our Jenny came down the aisle to Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine. I loved it!

     The service was really personal. Jenny and Jerry asked their very good friend Chris to be ordained so he could marry them. He was friends with Jenny long before Jerry came into the picture and as he said during the ceremony, he was there after their first date when Jenny came home floating on air. His service was a mix of humor, memories and a few tears. Above you see that they asked my dad for a few words of advice about having a long marriage. He talked to them about a few things he and my mom did to remind each other of their love and then he read from the Book of Ruth, which was very special to my parents. There wasn't a dry eye in our family when he was speaking. The bride and groom also included a memorial section on the program that included my mom, Jenny's other grandparents and two of Jerry's friends.


     We had cocktails and a large variety of appetizers out on the terraces before dinner was served. They had a mac and cheese "tini" bar set up. A large chafing dish of macaroni and cheese (with truffle oil) to be spooned into martini glasses and topped with everything from sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and blue cheese. So clever.


The flower of the day was the pink peony.


     You can't share a blog post without showing the food. We had the choice of salmon (mine-above), chicken (my husband's below) or a vegetarian dish. I don't know who catered this wedding but they did it very well.


     Another thing that I loved was they didn't have a cake. In fact at one point my niece said, "we are going to cut the beignet" and that is what they did! There was a beignet dessert bar. Servers would fill the beignet with either chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or lemon cream and then serve them with ice cream, hot fudge sauce and a fruit selection. Coffee and tea were served with chocolate spoons and optional Bailey's. 

     The DJ was great and the dance floor was packed all night long. There is nothing quite like dancing to Katy Perry singing Firework while the fireworks are going off right outside the window.


Of course being in a planetarium added a few
decorations that one doesn't normally have at a wedding!



     My niece is as sweet as she is beautiful. My sister and I are really close and our kids are also very close, so I couldn't be happier if this was one of my kids. What makes it even better is that her new husband Jerry is such a great guy. He not only worships her, he fits in very well with our family and after meeting his parents and grandparents over the weekend, I can see why he is so special.


     It is rare these days when everything comes together perfectly, when everyone is happy and healthy and when everyone has a wonderful time. We were all very blessed that our first family wedding was absolute perfection! They are currently taking a 3 week tour of Italy, France and London. Bliss!

21 comments:

Unknown said...

Spectacular & romantic, Sue. She is beautiful, he is handsome. May they be blessed with many joys.

Have a great eve ~
TTFN ~
Marydon

Flo @ Butterfly Quilting said...

sounds like a wonderful wedding! And great pictures, thanks.

Barbara F. said...

Sue, I love this wedding just by reading your post. I love every aspect of it, the venue, mac & cheese-tini bar, beignets, oh my. Beautiful bride, handsome groom, your dad, God bless him, looks handsome as ever. Good luck to this young couple. Thanks for sharing this. xo

Lynn said...

Absolutely amazing Sue! It sounds like such a beautiful and fun event and I wish them much happiness:@)

Glenda/MidSouth said...

What a wonderful weekend you had. Thanks for sharing this very special occasion with us!! Great looking family and love the first pic of your niece looking back at you. I love the non traditional ideas they used and confess that I teared up when read the part about your Father speaking.
Her dress is beautiful and like the idea of the men wearing grey suits. The food sounds and looks wonderful!
I wish them the best and much happiness.

NanaDiana said...

Sue-What a beautiful couple. You can tell that she is as sweet inside as she looks on the outside. What a wonderful wedding...with lots of little special touches. I love that your Dad got up and talked about himself and your Mom. I would have been bawling my eyes out. xo Diana

Entertaining Women said...

I love weddings! This one was beautiful, and Jenny is gorgeous. Thanks for inviting us for a peak. Cherry Kay

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

What a great wedding. Her dress is stunning. I love that it is not traditional. What a honeymoon. I'm jealous.

Sarah said...

Looks like bliss! The bride is gorgeous and so is the setting of this wedding. Thanks for sharing.

Leigh Powell Hines said...

Sue,

What a beautiful wedding. Really stunning. Loved the tablescape.

PAT said...

What a beautiful bride and wedding, Sue.

That first photo took my breath away. I can see why it is your favorite. Amazing capture!

Sunny Simple Life said...

How absolutely lovely and what a gorgeous bride.

Traci said...

It looks like it was a gorgeous wedding! My friend had a mashed potatotini bar at her reception & it was awesome. The mac & cheese sounds delish!

xinex said...

You areright, Sue. That was a beautiful wedding. I love the bride's gownand what a beautiful couple! Lovely location too!...Christine

Gypsy Heart said...

I love it! The "norm" does not apply for my family either. I think a wedding should be fun, happy and full of shared memories, great music and whatever else the bride and groom choose.

They are such a beautiful couple and the whole wedding looks to be stunning! I'm so happy for them and for your entire family.

xo
Pat

Gypsy Heart said...

P.S. Jenny's dress is simply gorgeous! I love the bridesmaids dresses too.

xo
Pat

Nellie's Cozy Place said...

Hi Sue,
What a lovely and unique wedding,
your neice is gorgeous as well as your other neices, all beautiful girls, and what an unusual yet beautiful place to have the wedding.
Love the colors on the tables, so pretty. Can only imagine what a great time you had.
I said something about you in my thankful Thursday post, so hope you get a chance to come over and see,
I think it is #8 if I remember correctly.
Hope you are doing well hon,
blessings, Nellie

Patrice said...

What a gorgeous wedding and so personal...I bet Jenny will love these pictures as much as the professional photographer's!

bj said...

OOO, Suz...what a beautiful bride. The wedding is awesome. So glad it went so well and everyone had a great time.

I, too, am behind on visiting...but, it's summer and things are busy. :))

koralee said...

Oh my ....she is stunning and that dress is soooo lovely. What fun... I love weddings. Hugs to you.

Sue said...

I always cry at weddings! It looks very, very beautiful. Thanks for sharing.