If I Could Do It Again: The Color Scheme

The color scheme of your wedding is a super important decision for sure! I am absolutely SMITTEN with aubergine aka “eggplant”, not to be mistaken with a royal purple-y/grape! I would pair the aubergine with small accents of fuchsia, large splashes of marigold yellow, lots of moss green and with gray serving as my “neutral.”

If you are looking for a cool site to help you pull together color palettes like the one above, check out ColourLovers.com.  Click on Palettes –> Create New, and then have some fun!

What is your color scheme… or if you are married like myself, what would you choose now?

{Disclaimer: Being a wedding planner, I see so many options, ideas, venues, vendors, etc., that I never knew existed when I planned my own wedding a few years ago. So I’m going to have a little fun with a series called, “If I Could Do it Again” and plan my dream wedding… if I could do it again!}

Chicago Weddings: Making it Legal

There are so many fun aspects to planning your fabulous wedding, that sometimes the process of actually getting your marriage license gets overshadowed. But definitely don’t forget about this important step!

Below is a map of Chicago area counties… get your license in the county where your wedding is taking place, and NOT where you live! For example, if you live in downtown Chicago (Cook County), but are getting married in the suburb of Oak Brook, be sure to go to the DuPage County Clerk’s office to obtain your license. And yes, this means you will probably need to take a day off to go there since the DuPage County Clerk’s office does not have evening or weekend hours…

(Source)

Since many of my clients are getting married in the City of Chicago, here are some Cook County tips:

Eligibility:
- be 18 years of age or older
- be of opposite sex
- not be blood relatives

Application Process:
- Couples must appear together at one of the Cook County Clerk's six locations
- Fill out and sign a marriage license application
- Present valid identification with proof of age
- The marriage license fee is $40, to be paid at the time of application by cash or debit card

Additional Information:
- License is issued while you wait
- License is effective the following calendar day after they are issued
- License is valid for 60 days
- License is effective only in Chicago and suburban Cook County
- And lastly, no medical or blood tests are needed

Please be sure to visit the official Cook County Clerk’s Office website for complete details on applying for your marriage license. (I didn’t cover the info on underage marriages or recently divorced applicants!),

Here are additional links with information on where/how to obtain your marriage license in other Chicago-area counties:
- DuPage County
- Lake County
- McHenry County
- Kane County
- Will County

Have a fabulous weekend!

If I Could Do It Again: The Photographer

{Disclaimer: Being a wedding planner, I see so many options, ideas, venues, vendors, etc., that I never knew existed when I planned my own wedding a few years ago. So I’m going to have a little fun with a series called, “If I Could Do it Again” and plan my dream wedding… if I could do it again!}

Wonderful, I’ve got my dream venue! What’s next? Generally, I recommend to my clients that they start their photographer hunt as soon as they’ve secured their date and venue. I’ll follow my own advice :) Now personally, this is a toughie! There is a serious abundance of FANTASTIC photographers in the Chicago area. Yay for options! Yikes for decisions, decisions, decisions… (and I know there are a TON of amazing photographers all over the country, but gotta represent Chicago here!)

While I want a modern, chic, whimsical wedding, I want my pictures to be forever classic and utterly romantic. Enter - Dean Thorsen of Thorsen Photography. I don’t know how much more “classic” you can get. See for yourself:

Dean photographed the amazing wedding of my former clients, Natalie and Jake last September. Natalie is fellow Weddingbee blogger, Mrs. Peacock! This one below is probably one of my favorite pictures of all time!

 

Perfection.

Ohhh, but do I have to pick just ONE photographer?! For my fantasy wedding, I’d like three, please!

Hellooo Olivia Leigh Photographie… so fresh and vibrant with a heavy dose of fun and a splash of vintage.

 

Now if you don’t mind, I’d also like a rock star at my wedding… Kenny Kim is a photography ROCK STAR! He is globetrotter these days, shooting high-profile and destination weddings galore; I just love the sophisticated and editorial look of his work! Check out the amazing photos from a wedding he recently shot – the groom is Yul Kwon, winner of Survivor: The Cook Islands!

 

 

Now, if budget were no issue, who would YOU hire?!