“Matt + Stephanie selected us to photograph their Chicago wedding day which took place at one of our downtown favorites the Chicago Blackstone Hotel. We absolutely love this hotel venue. What an awesome venue selection you choose Matt + Stephanie, one of the best in the City, and fitting for two equally amazing people. The Blackstone Hotel is located on Michigan Avenue and Stephanie mentioned that her and Matt fell in love with this hotel for it’s bold decor, location, historical significance, and architectural details. The feeling was mutual, we also love the hotel for it’s amazingly designed rooms which were a treat to photograph the bridal party and bride & groom in… narrowing down our choices to just a few rooms was difficult. When discussing the Blackstone’s English Room, this was one room the four of us especially liked the decor. It’s an architectural gem as the hotel describes it. The historic English Room is “a board room within the hotel featuring 17th century walnut paneling, slate and Colorado white stone flooring, a beautifully carved ceiling, original stained-glass windows from 1910.” Not only this room, but overall the hotel features a great mix of both unique, modern and historical decor. Lucky us, we are already looking forward to our second visit to the Blackstone hotel and Crystal Ballroom where we will be wedding photographers again for another couple later this summer.

 

Matt and Steph’s friends and family stayed at the hotel and traveled to downtown Chicago from around the country. The Blackstone is located in the heart of the City, in the South Loop, and across from Grant Park perfect for out of town guests to enjoy the views of the City’s architecture and stroll around visiting museums and the Loop. Noted as historically a favorite of movie stars, sports legends, royalty and presidents dating back to 1910, the hotel today has retained it’s legendary flair of hollywood, glamour and luxurious splendor. The glitzy and luxury selections Stephanie choose in her dress, shoes, jewelry and modern color palette, tied the venue and her day’s details altogether beautifully. From the colorful lobby, walking through the doors of the both their ceremony and reception at the Blackstone’s Crystal Ballroom, or mingling in the art hall where guests enjoyed pre-function hors’devours and cocktails, guests couldn’t help to mention how impressed they were with the legendary and Chicago style wedding they were attending.

 

Stephanie did an amazing job in hiring local vendors and completing the design and details behind her day decorating the hotel in lovely style. Be sure to check out her vendors listed below and Stephanie also offered up a few extra words of advice for those couples who are still organizing their plans for a wedding day. Steph writes:

 

“Take some time during the wedding to really look around and take everything in. Try not to separate from your husband too much during the night, as once you separate it is hard to get back together because everyone wants to talk to you. Great advice is have a receiving line to make sure you are able to at least say hi to everyone that is there. Matt wanted one and I did not. I was so glad we had one because we would have not spoken to everyone that night had we not had one. People had travelled from all over the country to come to the wedding and had I not even said hi to some of them I would have felt so bad.”

 

Stephanie and Matt we were SOOO excited you choose the two of us as your wedding photographers, we love the Blackstone, documenting your day, working with you two, family and friends, and it was exciting seeing you two united in marriage. Best wishes to the two of you and congratulations.”

 

 

 

 

Matt + Stephanie’s recommended Chicago wedding vendors:
Marriott Chicago Hotel Wedding Venue: Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel, 636 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Wedding Planning, Hotel + Event Information Contact: Ashley Sneddon at the Blackstone Hotel 312.542.3436
Reception + Ceremony Ballroom: The Blackstone Hotel Crystal Ballroom which overlooks Michigan Avenue
Before Dinner Cocktails: The Art Hall in the Blackstone
Bridal Dress Designer: Amsale by Christos
Dress Shop: Bella Via Bridal Couture, 34 East Oak Street, 4th Floor, Chicago
Bridal Shoes: Hondola Platform Pumps Guess
Bridal Jewelry: Monet, a gift from Stephanie’s mom
In Hotel Room Bridal Hair + Make-Up by: Trisha of Sine Qua Non, Four locations in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Andersonville and West Town
Bridesmaids Shoes: Each bridesmaid selected their own shoes
Bridesmaids Dress: White House Black Market Evening Collection
Tuxedos: Men’s Warehouse
Caterer: Mercat a la Planxa inside the Blackstone
Cake: Tipsy Top, Red Velvet Cake by Take the Cake
Topper: Mr. and Mrs. Smith Cake Topper
Bouquets, Tabletops + Flowers: Kehoe Designs
DJ: Mike Veccach
Honeymoon: Aruba at the Ocean Club Marriott

 

 

Stephanie and Matt work for the same organization, but Steph lives here in Chicago and Matt in Washington D.C. With Matt often traveling around the world for his job, when he caught a break and was in town visiting Steph for a long weekend, we scheduled their session. Be sure to visit our blogged favorites images from Matt + Stephanie’s Chicago engagement photography session.

 

“Steve + Ashley’s were married in the evening on New Year’s Eve day. And once the day’s festivities began, the party basically never ended! It was a combo of both a fabulous New Year’s Eve party and romantic wedding with a TON of celebrating. What a fun way to ring in the year in attending a Chicago New Year’s Eve Wedding! Ashely coordinated a theme… the day was full of sparkle and TONS of bling. The bridal gown, the ballroom’s tables and centerpieces all were glistening, shimmering and glitzy with bling, diamonds, twinkle lights, fluffy white plume feathers, white florals, and burning candles.

 

With Christmas being less than a week before, remnant shades of green and red, holiday wreaths, and decorated trees were trimmed aside the bridal party and Steve + Ashley while on stage during their 5:00 PM evening ceremony. It was a romantic setting for their winter ceremony. The romantic aisle was lined and illuminated by flickering candles along the path down the narrow chapel’s aisle at the historic La Grange First Congregational Church. The church’s rich dark wooded pews and beams of the chapel and windows featuring stained glass warmed the room creatIng a cozy environment. Smiles, tears and vows were exchanged during the emotional ceremony.

 

Being Winter with a limited time for daylight photos, Steve + Ashley though creatively choosing a unique Lombard wedding photography shooting location which was very close by their Westin Hotel’s reception ballroom. The bridal party went bowling! – and we loved the modern photo backdrop the dubbed Hollywood iconic bowling alley Lucky Strike Lanes Lounge in Lombard offered. With black lights, moody lit lanes, and vintage hollywood decor, the style was fitting for the couple’s excitement of their NYE date. A special thanks to S+A in getting creative in picking the location and in reserving the couple of lanes for us. The later part of the day was packed full of energy, entertainment, and of course a few choreographed dance performances ( naturally with the bride being a professional dancer. )

 

Steve + Ashley’s New Years Eve evening’s reception events, cocktails, heavy hors d’œuvre dinner, dancing, photo booth, midnight countdown, and fireworks all ringed in the year at Harry Caray’s Ballroom in the Westin in Lombard. The bridal party’s arrival into the ballroom was one definitely not one unnoticed, nor unheard as each couple entered blowing into personalized vuvuzelas blow horns which everyone was madly honking as Ashley and Steve were announced! You would think that after an amazing dinner, special dances, speeches, and guest’s rockin’ our “Rock the Drop photo booth“, the night couldn’t get any more fabulous, but after the strike of midnight, the celebration moved outdoors onto the terrace where guests watch a spectacular NYE fireworks show over the pond. The Westin’s Harry Caray Ballroom has inside a perfect neutral decor with floor to ceiling windows and doors leading onto a private, outside terrace which overlooks a pond. A great venue not only inside, but giving room to roam outdoors with accessible outdoor terrace space.

 

The strike of midnight was EPIC! Guests were having a great time on the dance floor for the countdown, balloons and confetti were floating in the air, and everyone was on their feet. The rest of the night was one huge dance party with an unbelievably spectacular fireworks show on the terrace at 12:15 And who could forget the abnormally warm, fifty degree weathered day, which made it easy to be outdoors enjoying the amazing fireworks show. Steve + Ashley… spending New Year’s Eve with you is definitely one we’ll never forget! We loved, loved, loved working with the two of you! Thank you in choosing us as your engagement and wedding photographers. We enjoyed being there on such a big day in your lives and we wish you MANY wonderful years of happiness in your new lives together. Congrats!”

 

 

 

 

A few more details from Steve + Ashley’s amazing Chicago New Year’s Eve celebration:
Church: First Congregational Church, La Grange, Illinois
Reception: Harry Caray’s Ballroom in the Westin., Lombard
Bridal Session: Lucky Strike Bowling Alley, Lombard
Dress Designer: Rina Di Montella
Dress Shop: A L’Amour, Barrington
Bride’s Shoes: Jessica Simpson
Jewelry: The Wedding Etc., Downers Grove
Hair: Via Moda, Lisle
Make Up: Jodi Carey Makeup ( A good friend of Ashley’s … who does not only bridal and also make up for HGTV )
Custom Made Veil and Garters: Sandra’s Designs, Lombard
Bridesmaid Dresses: Belsoie
Tuxedos: Black Tie Formalwear, Naperville
Food: Harry Caray’s ( pasta station, carving station, mashed potato station, sweet station )
Cake: Creative Cakes
Flowers: Shamrock Garden Florist, Lombard
DJ: Fun Times DJ
Honeymoon: Riviera Maya
Reception Fireworks: The Mad Bomber
Miller + Miller’s Reception Backdrop: Our Rock the Drop photo booth ( ask us about this optional upgraded photo service we offer )

 

Other Fun Details: New Year’s Eve guest favors included New Year’s hats, noise makers, confetti shooters, feather tiara crowns, and personalized blow horns with Steve + Ashley’s names and wedding date. Decorations featured tons of clocks ( tying in the NYE countdown as a theme ) which they put all over the reception hall, tables, bars. And the “bling theme” was developed with bling touches of silver diamond brooches put on the cake, bling-ing table number frames, diamond jeweled dress and jewelry, bling on the centerpieces, cake cutters, and cake topper, and a tad of bling in the bridal veil. Vuvuzela horns were a tribute to Steve’s love of soccer and Ashely, the DeForest Dance Academy teachers, and bridesmaids did a dance to “Single Ladies”.

 

 

Viewed the engagement session in Chicago with Steve + Ashley yet?
Click here to see their modern Chicago engagement photography session’s blog post.