Favorite Destination Wedding Location

Q: Where was your favorite Destination Wedding Location and why? -Ryan & Tyler December 21st, 2013

A: Auberge du Soleil Resort in Rutherford, California (Napa) 707.963.1211

Why?:

My absolute favorite Destination Wedding Location is a Wedding I did with I DO! Wedding & Event Design in San Francisco at Auberge du Soleil in Napa. This Wedding is close to my heart in that it was also published in the May/June 2012 issue of Town and Country Magazine! The scenery and weather made for quintessential wedding photographs.

 

 

 

This Wedding was spectacular in every way! I really enjoy weddings that incorporate the venue into their theme. Kristen & Steve stayed true to the Napa roots and did different types of wine :).

Asiel Designs provided the lilac, rose and tulip floral arrangements and they paired them flawlessly with the gorgeous color scheme of Auberge: lavender, eggplant and aubergine.  I really loved the personal flowers in this wedding, they were delicate but dripped in rich and elegant shades of purple.

A delectable six course menu was prepared by Auberge’s Executive Chef, Robert Curry and paired with wine from Kristen & Steve’s own personal wine collection. Their cake was picturesque and delicious, from Sweet on Cake….the guest had their choice of Red Velvet, Lemon Pucker and Dalmatian flavors!

My personal favorite touch of the night was the entertainment. Keith Johnson & the All Stars Band. I had not yet had the pleasure of hearing them, as they have HUGE following in Northern California and was blown away by their energy and talent- in every All Star. What I really loved, was the fact that all of the artists did their particular craft for a living outside of the group and did Weddings and Special Events for fun…and you really could tell! They had the guests engaged in every moment and had the most talented singer I have heard yet.

If you have the budget for their travel costs, I would without a doubt recommend this Band! They will be one of the more memorable faucets of your Wedding or Special Event!

I stand by my claim, that Photography is at the forefront of importance when it comes to vendors. Laura Grier of A Beautiful Day Photography proves why. I will let some of my favorite shots speak for themselves. Once again, if you feel the same way…get Laura to Chicago for your Wedding! 

Aside for this Wedding being decadent and intimate and in a gorgeous setting, the hotel was a entirely separate thrill.
I had the pleasure of staying two nights and was never disappointed. The service, the amenities, the BATHTUBS are amazing, I, like the next person, enjoy a mint on my pillow every now and then. I was more than pleasantly surprised to receive a Custom fruit basket with items from Auberge’s amazing Gift Shop and a bottle of Wine every night! Loved it! One of my fonder memories is having my own golf cart (with a driver) pick you up from your Suite and around the massive grounds. 

Napa makes a great location for a Destination Wedding for their scenery, weather and of course, Wines!

Thank you Tyler & Ryan for the question and have an amazing Wedding Day!

Lindsay Gloria

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Gorgeous & Stunning (Kaleigh & William’s Wedding)

The words Gorgeous & Stunning  fall short when describing Kaleigh and William’s June 8th, 2013 Wedding at The Harvest Bible Chapel and The Newberry Library in Chicago. I met Kaleigh at The Wedding Salon’s Chicago Bridal Event last Spring. Kaleigh won our Lavish Package and then chose to have us to do her flowers as well! I am a beyond thrilled to show you a wedding long in the making.

Like most Brides, Kaleigh had a lot of ideas and kept being bombarded with new ideas from several different outlets (magazines, movies, friends and Pinterest). Kaleigh came in and the first step was to create a Private Board on Pinterest and only move ideas and themes that she really gravitated towards. We had to weed out the “hasty pins.”

Looking back at Kaleigh’s original design board, her theme and vision changed somewhat but overall concept stayed the same: Understated Elegance with a subtle Vintage feel.

Now take a look at her Personals. I think we found a perfect fusion of each of Kaleigh’s wants and visions. What do you think?

We played around a bit with the color distribution and shades but this color pallet is breathtaking!

Every part of this summer wedding was picturesque.  Here are some of our favorite shots from before the ceremony (taken in Washington Square Park).

My personal favorite moment to have captured is when the Groom sees his Bride for the first time! The  faces are always different but never the less adorable. Here’s our fun 1st Look Photos.

I will mention all of the amazing vendors that worked on Kaleigh and Bill’s wedding at the end of this blog but wanted to give a special thanks to Evan Hunt of Evan Hunt Photography for taking such spectacular photos and getting this one in particular!

I was just talking to a Bride who mentioned that they wished their photographer had gotten this image. Such a great shot!

On to the reception! (Which was conveniently right across the street!)

I love The Newberry Library mainly because of its history. It has that old book smell, dim lighting and amazing fixtures and marble everywhere. Ruggles Hall is always a mesmerizing room and even more so with the amber uplighting we added!

It was great to finally see the centerpieces complete. They looked fantastic in the Hall, especially with the reflections from the lighting. I also think it was great that we opted for  high and low arrangements. This gives the room more dimension and is extremely pleasing to the eye.

I loved Kaleigh & William’s centerpiece for many reasons but the 31inch Mercury Vase was a perfect addition. I am a fan of looser tall centerpieces, this enables you to use statement blooms and greenery  and not having a sphere of flowers.

I love when couples do a Sweetheart Table! It draws the attention even more so towards the Bride and gives me a chance to adorn their table in lush floral arrangements and in Kaleigh & William’s case, make it more personal. (Their & sign gave it that vintage touch Kaleigh was looking for). 

Here are a few more of my favorites from the Reception. 

To keep in theme with The Newberry Library: Library Place Cards & Table Numbers.

The beautiful couple ended their night in a horse drawn carriage.  Kaleigh & Bill’s wedding was a blast to design! I wish them nothing but the best and hope they had a fabulous Honeymoon in Ambergris Caye, Beliza!

Thanks for reading and enjoy more photos.

Thank you to all of the Vendors and Venue Coordinators that helped make Kaleigh & William’s day everything they deserve and more!

Wardrobe/Accessories/Gifts

Dress: Paloma Blanca (purchased at A’Lamour Bridal Store)  All Tuxedo/Shoes: Men’s Warehouse 
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Alexia Designs (purchased from Lily’s Bridal Store) Mother of the Bride: Sue Wong (Bloomingdale’s)
Shoes: Kaleigh- Something Blue
Jewelry: Bridal Bracelet and Earrings from The Left Bank Jewelry Store
Bridesmaid’s Gift: “Knot” bracelets from Kate Spade
Kaleigh’s Gift to Bill: Burberry Watch
Bill’s Gift to Kaleigh: “I Do” necklace and “Bride” Bangle from Kate Spade
Bridal Suite: The Knickerbocker Hotel (Chicago, Michigan Avenue)

Vendors

Photographer: Evan Hunt Photography
Event Design: Parrott Party Productions
Floral: Parrott Party Productions 
Catering: D’Absolute Catering (included cocktail hour, plated dinner, bar service and cake)
Transportation: Noble Horse Theater 
DJ: DJ Chicago (ceremony musicians- Jonathan & Valerie Guerra)
Wedding Favors: Garrett’s Popcorn 
Bridal Hair/Make-up: Mario Tricoci Salon 

Happy Summer!
Lindsay Gloria

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Celebration of the Ages

On October 13th of this year, my Mother and I had our Celebration of the Ages Birthday Extravaganza at  City Point Loft, I promised to show images of the space after MDM Special Event Lighting, Halls Rental and Town & Country Gardens helped me transform it.

1st floor cocktail and passed appetizers (image bottom right ) 2nd floor dining area (image top right) centerpiece and wall mural (image left)

Upon entering the first floor of City Point, guests were washed in red and greeted by a server offering appetizers from C’est Ci Bon Catering in Hyde Park or a drink from the bar. The appetizers included: mini Crab Cakes in a Creole Dipping Sauce, Cajun Fried Chicken Strips, Collard Green Egg Rolls with a Soy Mustard Mayo, Jerk Chicken with a Zesty Mango Dipping Sauce and Chicken Satay on a Skewer with a Peanut Dipping Sauce.

 

Ben, from Studio One Photography was excellent and made sure to get everyone at one point in the night…he even posed for a few pictures himself! Definitely a photographer I will use and recommend again.

 

champagne glasses with guests’ name and table number. flags purchased from etsy vendor

 

At 8pm, everyone was ushered upstairs for dinner service and more open bar.  The head tables were made from some of our rental inventory at P3 as well as the high boy arrangements. The candelabras and floral design came from Town & Country Gardens. A mix of Anemones, Roses and seasonal floral in reds and white accented the already red washed room.

 

Dinner was started with a seasonal salad and pine nuts wrapped in a thin cucumber slice. The second course, Gumbo, was served in a Ruby Red Martini Glass and the final course, was either a Southern Comfort Chicken with apple duck sauce sausage stuffing in a thyme jus or Cornbread Crusted Catfish with Jalapeno Peppers and Herbs. I have had both the chicken and fish, but that night I chose the fish and LOVED it!

Sorry, we only have images of the salad! The photographer said the food left the plates too quickly to capture…not a bad problem to have 🙂

You may of wondered why there was no dessert. I am not a cake person but do have a sweet tooth. YUMCAKES will always be my go to for anything Cupcakes! We had a mix of my favorites and my Mom’s. Some of the choices people had to choose from were: Creme Brulee Cupcakes (you actually got to crack the top!) Cherry Garcia (like the Ben n Jerry’s Ice Cream), Pineapple, Strawberry Rhubarb, Bellini and a Dark Chocolate Cupcake with a Pear and Red Wine Reduction Chocolate Icing.

The night ended with more pictures, more drinks and several trips back to the cupcake table.

Here are some more images from the night.

Thank you for reading!

Lindsay Gloria Parrott

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City Point Loft

I have been planning my 25th Birthday the last few weeks and chose City Point Loft (off of Michigan Avenue and 23rd street). Located near McCormick Place, City Point Loft is the perfect blank canvas to make any event spectacular.

CityPoint Loft is a “diamond in the rough” venue in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. As a non-profit organization, CityPoint Loft donates 100% of its profits to non-profit organizations meeting social, educational, and economic needs around the globe. Be it weddings, business events, or other special occasions, CityPoint Loft could be the perfect place for you!

The space gave me complete design control. Bare white walls with oversized windows, exposed brick and a built in small stage on the first floor for the DJ (for me) but also a head table or lounge area. They do not allow open flame (who does anymore?) but can do hurricane vases and LED candles.

click here to see more images of the space!

The coordinators there were pleasant and answered my many questions. The venue does offer some smaller rentals (tables, chairs and speakers). I chose to rent outside of the venue.

Loft;s are always gorgeous venues for any special event or wedding but you need to really make sure paying for rentals, lighting and catering are in your budget.

They do give you some information on their preferred vendors. If you decide to use your own, they are given some paperwork to fill out 30 days before the event.

Another fun aspect of this venue is their spacious, newly added 2nd floor.

I will post pictures of the transformation and results to show what we transformed the space into.

VIDEO TOUR of 1st FLR

IMAGES  OF 2nd FLR

I hope you enjoyed this post and stay tuned for the after pictures from my Birthday Celebration!

Lindsay Gloria

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Pazzo’s 311 S. Wacker

A few weeks ago, a new bride came in needing a venue fast! She had been overwhelmed by all of the options and not sure what would be best for her and her fiance’s budget.

After getting some information from her  about her likes, dislikes and MUST HAVES in a venue, we found her a venue within the hour and that weekend, she signed and booked her wedding venue!

Pazzo’s, which is located at 311 S. Wacker, is a beautiful wedding venue. I particularly would recommend this venue to brides on a tighter budget simply because of all the built-in decor and ambiance.

They have almost ceiling height trees that add a subtle elegance to the room, not to mention their jaw-dropping ceiling covered in nothing but glass. This gives you great natural lighting and beautiful photo opportunities.

There is a gorgeous fountain and a winding marble staircase that becomes a fabulous backdrop for your ceremony, photographs and head table. They have a large room in the back where guests can enjoy open bar and a cocktail hour while your ceremony space is transformed into your reception. This place has a great staff working with an excellent Catering Manager. They offer several in house upgrades if the chairs or linens that come with are not to your liking. They even include a few different Charger plates!

If you have a larger party, there is more room upstairs for a cocktail hour as well. There are rooms in the back where the bride and her bridesmaids can get ready before and after the ceremony too.

They have great menu options and are very accommodating to special requests. I have had the pleasure of eating there before and have ALWAYS heard great things about Pazzo’s cuisine.

The room is large enough to fit most wedding parties but cozy enough to keep your special event intimate and romantic. One of the best parts of the night is Sunset and the reflection of the sky illuminating your reception area right before the lights from the inside start to take effect and the city lights shine through the ceiling.

Pazzo’s has a lot to offer any bride and definitely should not be overlooked.

Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

-The P3 Team

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