The Ivy Room Wedding

Rain or shine, a wedding must go on, and this extraordinary event, captured by the talented Robyn Rachel Photography, was no exception! We’re head-over-heels for the outside shots around downtown Chicago. And the luscious color scheme of lilac, lavender, iris, periwinkle and gold is beyond compare! The flower designs from A Stem Above are simply stunning. And we love the bride’s darling DIY touches, including “ladies” and “gentlemen” bathroom signs incorporating childhood photos of her and her groom. Located at 12 East Ohio Street, The Ivy Room is a historical place steeped in tradition, and boasts a romantic outdoor courtyard that’s perfectly suited for weddings. Check out The Ivy Room’s amazing gallery of wedding images.

From the Bride: I began the process believing that nothing was more important for my wedding than non-stop dancing and an abundance of flowers, precisely coordinated to the vague image of perfection that lived somewhere deep inside my head. And Erin Foster at A Stem Above masterfully brought my vision to life, delivering everything of which I dreamed. But at the end of the day, the impeccable beauty of the room, which I thought was so important before, paled in comparison to my husband’s enjoyment of the evening. Everyone had a terrific time at our wedding, loved the food and danced all night, but no one had a better time than Andy. The goofy smile plastered on his face all night is what I’ll remember most, and what made all the hard work 100% worth it.

Oh, Chicago in the spring. The unpredictability of Chicago’s weather really got us this time. The Thursday before our wedding delivered absolutely perfect early summer conditions, but around 2pm on Friday the wind blew in, the skies opened up, and suddenly it was February again. Despite our best efforts to will the sunshine to return, our wedding evening was disappointingly cold and rainy. As such, we reluctantly moved the gorgeous, Ivy-draped courtyard ceremony and cocktail hour that we had planned inside. But as surprising as the weather was, the biggest surprise was that it didn’t matter one bit. In fact, the monsoon outside created an atmosphere inside of such love and intimacy that I never could have planned for or expected. Though we often look back on the weather’s lack of cooperation with frustration, we knew that evening that it was one of those things that we would remember forever with a smile, thinking of how uniquely warm the whole affair felt as a result. And if they say things don’t have a funny way of working out, well, our first dance had already been planned to Eric Clapton and B.B. King’s “Come Rain or Come Shine.”

We loved all of our vendors and recommend them to everyone we know, whether solicited or not. Erin Foster at A Stem Above is a floral genius, and truly brought our vision to life; Blue Plate provided an amazing meal from start to finish; Amy Beck made us our perfect cake; Roberto Monastero kept everyone on the dance floor all night (which is all we asked him to do, trusting him with the rest!); the staff at the Ivy Room pulled it all off flawlessly; Robyn Rachel documented everything more beautifully than we could have imagined (and her second shooter literally risked his life for a couple of the shots we wanted!); and Chrissy Magliano planned it all expertly and, if you ask me, effortlessly! We thoroughly enjoyed working with all of our vendors, and felt that they all truly had a vested interest in making our wedding the best it could be.

Photographer: Robyn Rachel Photography / Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Ivy Room at Tree Studios / Bride’s Dress: Christos (Saks Fifth Avenue N.Y.C.) / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bride’s Earrings: Roni Blanshay / Groom’s Attire: Custom Hickey Freeman / Invitations: Custom Dauphine Press and Invitations by Bonnie; Calligraphy by Christy Toney of CT Designs/ Save-the-Dates: www.mypostcardprinting.com / Wedding Cake: Amy Beck Cake Design / Flowers: A Stem Above (Erin Foster) / Caterer: Blue Plate / Music: Monastero Entertainment / Wedding Planner: Big City Bride (Chrissy Magliano)