At Last: Custom Shoes by Nina

Believe it or not, when I planned my own wedding, I spent more time trying to find “THE SHOES” than “THE DRESS”! Odd as it may sound, I know I am definitely not the only bride who had a hard time finding the perfect pair of heels for my trip down the aisle. I lusted after some Manolos, Jimmy Choos, or Louboutins, but knew that realistically, they were not in the budget!

These are the Nina heels that I ended up wearing (from DSW)… I think they were the 4th or 5th pair I purchased (and returned) on my shoe quest. They were nice, but I definitely “settled” because I couldn’t find what I was looking for. And not to mention, slingbacks always tend to slide off my heel and I end up stepping on the straps…

Now if only Nina offered custom shoes back then!! I might have paid the $200 price tag for the perfect pair of shoes… Visit the Nina website and have some fun!

They currently offer 3 styles, and your choice of heel height and multiple color combinations:

Electra

Paladin

Culver

 

You can choose your color in 3 different areas: upper, heel and bow:

And considering how hard it is to determine actual colors on your computer monitor, it would definitely be wise to order their mini swatch book for $9.95, which is applied to your order later on if you decide to buy them.

What combination would I pick now? I would choose the Electra with the 3.25” heel in gold royal satin with a red rouge satin bow!

What combination would you pick??

Visit the Nina site to design your custom shoes!

Inspiration Board How-To

Have you ever wondered how people put together those awesome inspiration boards that you see ALL OVER the internet, and yet, you literally have no idea how to create one yourself? (I admit, I didn’t know either!)

Well here’s an easy-peasy way that requires NO knowledge of Photoshop or any other graphics program:

Helloooo MosaicMaker!

You can link images from other sites, or you can upload your own images (you need to register to upload, but it’s easy and free!). You can even order your end collage as prints. They give you a variety of layouts to choose from, such as:

Square Tiles

 
Thin vertical frames

4 x 4 with large center

I decided to have some fun with images from my own wedding… Images all courtesy of the awesome, Dennis Lee!

Ahh, the memories…

What do YOU use to create your inspiration boards? I’d love to hear about some more (easy) options!

Married: Lei Lei & Steven!

Lei Lei and Steven are high-school sweethearts who have been dating for over 10 years, many of which were spent long-distance! One of my favorite moments of the wedding was during Lei Lei’s father’s toast, when he apologized for chasing Steven out of their house when they were just teenagers, hehehe. Their lovely ceremony was held at Bond Chapel on the University of Chicago campus (Steven is alum!), a picturesque chapel tucked in the heart of U of C with beautiful stained glass windows. Their lunchtime reception was hosted at Wildfire Restaurant downtown, so you can be sure the food was FAN-tastic! Perk: Since the restaurant does not open for lunch, we had the entire place to ourselves! Perk #2: vendors got to eat filet mignon too :) And on a side-note, their staff was top-notch!

Lei Lei found me over a year ago through Weddingbee, and she was the first bride to ever book me without having ever met me! Thanks for the trust and vote of confidence, Lei Lei! And without a doubt, this was the most relaxed and easy going wedding I have coordinated to date! Thanks, Lei Lei and Steven for being such a joy to send down the aisle!

The wedding was captured on film (errr, jpeg?) by the fabulous Laurie Peacock and her awesome second shooter, Steve Koo. Enjoy!

Cute & comfy red shoes, and Lei Lei’s gorgeous Alvina Valenta lace gown!

About to see each other for the first time in their wedding finery…

 

Their first look… *tap tap*!

 
This picture gets me all misty eyed…

Adorable details - She SEWED her ceremony programs!

 

“WE DID IT!!”

Do you see the way they look at each other?! *le sigh*

The reason why all brides & grooms should pay attention to their footwear!

Do you see what we worked into their reception itinerary?? Update their Facebook status!
Gotta love the modern couple!! 

For some entertainment, they played the shoe game (more info about that another day), which was a HUGE HIT!

They also set up a MAC photobooth and some hilarious props (another hit with the guests!).    
       

It was obvious that Lei Lei’s bridesmaids ADORED her!

Now you may wonder, “Do people actually dance at a lunchtime wedding?” Uhm, YES, THEY DO! These guests knew how to get down, and even Lei Lei’s 11 yr old sister had some MOVES!

Pooped, but happy and married!

Ceremony: Bond Chapel
Reception: Wildfire Restaurant
Photographer: Laurie Peacock
Videographer: Jeff Manimbo
Flowers: GnG Designs
Cake: Sugar Syndicate
Stationery: Lei Lei!

Giveaway for a Deserving Chicago Couple!

 
{Photo courtesy of Slack Photography}

Do you know of a wonderful, engaged couple that has recently encountered some hard times in the midst of planning their Chicago wedding?  Perhaps one of them was recently laid off, or there are some other extenuating circumstances that are making it difficult for them to handle all of the (numerous) wedding expenses…

Send them our way, we want to help! Led by Thomas of Slack Photography, a few Chicago-based wedding vendors and myself have teamed up to offer our services at no charge to one deserving couple. What’s on the line:

• Photography by Slack Photography
• Videography by Kiwimonkie Films
• Day-of Event Management by Sweetchic Events
• Personal flowers by Kio Kreations

Requirements: The wedding must be taking place in Chicago/surrounding suburbs and in 2009 - we are hoping to help a couple in more immediate need!

How to apply: Send an email to slackphoto@hotmail.com with your story and why you need our help, along with a picture of you and your fiancé/fiancée. (You can also submit an application on behalf of a deserving couple.)

Deadline: None… we’ll accept applications until we find the right couple, but we don’t think this will take long! So get writing… and we’ll announce the winning couple when we find them!

The nitty gritty: The winning couple will ultimately be chosen by Slack Photography, and they may receive ALL or a PORTION of the above mentioned services, depending on the availability of the vendors. Participating vendors will do our best to accommodate the couple, and at the very least they will receive complimentary wedding photography by Slack Photography. 

Good luck, and please pass this exciting opportunity along!!
  
        

Keep Your Wedding Cake and Eat It Too!

On the topic of cake…

There are generally two schools of thought when it comes to what couples should do with the top tier of their wedding cake:

A) Freeze it! You should definitely (attempt) to eat it on your one-year anniversary!

OR

B) Don’t bother… cut it and serve it to your guests. Why not get a fresh replica made for your anniversary from the same bakery?

I like to suggest an alternative to my couples… before you relegate your top tier to the depths of your freezer, cut it into 12 smaller slices and individually wrap and freeze them. That way you can take out a slice on each montha-versary (or whenever you feel like some cake!) and enjoy a sweet reminder from your wedding day.  If you can’t get 12 slices from your topper – no worries – eat a slice every other month! :)

How to handle your wedding cake:

1) If possible, have a trusted friend or family member take the tope tier of your cake home with them. Since hopefully, you will be on your honeymoon, it would be great if they could take care of these next steps for you!
2) Remove any fresh flowers (call me Captain Obvious, but I’ve heard stories…)
3) Cut the cake into 12 yummy slices (or however many you can get out of the tier) 
4) Wrap each slice in three to four layers of plastic wrap. Top each piece off with a layer of foil for good measure.
5) Place the slices in a Ziploc freezer bag and into the freezer they go!
6) When you want to eat a slice, defrost at room temp and enjoy!

 

Our delicious cake from Rolf’s Patisserie in Lincolnwood.

What was left of our cake one year later (yeah, kinda mangled…).  Vanilla chiffon with raspberry mousse, cream cheese filling and butter cream frosting… It was SO good, even after one whole year!

Bakery Spotlight: Luscious Layers

Some people are not big on cake… but in my opinion, no wedding is complete without CAKE! So I have made it my mission to scope out the best bakeries in Chicago… enter Luscious Layers, a new bakery that just opened in  Bucktown. The husband and wife team of Ashley and Kile, are adorable and SO passionate about what they do. Ashley is the baking brawn and Kile is the graphic mastermind (check out their awesome website!) I read about them in Daily Candy and immediately called to set up a tasting.

Their tastings are $25 (and so worth it), although if you book with them, that $25 goes towards the cost of your cake. You get to choose 4 delicious cake combos, and let me tell you they have some INSANELY unique flavors! How often can you find lavender, margarita, or pistachio cake? Or if you have a special flavor request, they can accommodate at no extra charge! Check out my goodies:

 Clockwise from top left: Coffee cake with mocha mousse, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, champagne cake with strawberries and whipped cream, and green tea cake with green tea whipped cream and cream cheese frosting.

The winner? Green tea cake! I LOVE green tea ice cream, and I LOVE cake, so hands down my fave. Yeaaap, wipe that drool, hehe. 

After the tasting, you get to talk about the design of the cake. That’s where Kile’s graphic design background comes into play – he comes up with “stencils”, which are essentially different mock-ups. He will work with you until the design is exactly as you imagine it to be! In my case, I requested an imaginary Eiffel Tower themed cake as my hubby and I got engaged there in 2006!

Go visit them at 2315 N. Damen. And better yet… pick up a cupcake for $1. Yes. ONE DOLLAR CUPCAKES! (only when you pick them up from the bakery case).

Hello, Chicago!

Welcome to the newest wedding blog in town! I am so honored to be one of the first “pro” bloggers here, and hope you’ll check in frequently, as this site (and soon-to-be-blog) is full of information you can’t afford to miss as you plan your fabulous Chicago wedding.

My name is Charlene, and I am an event planner and owner of Sweetchic Events, Inc., a boutique event planning company in the Chicago area. While I can plan all sorts of social events, I have a singular love for weddings and all-things-wedding-related! There is just something unbelievably special about sending a bride down the aisle, and bringing the couple into their reception space for a sneak peak, and I am so honored every time I am given this opportunity. I believe that weddings should be a little bit sweet… and a whole lotta chic, and aim to create unique, and delightfully stylish weddings for each of my clients.

Chicago is an amazing city to get married in, so I hope you’ll follow along with me as I introduce you to some of Chicago’s best wedding resources and more!

Cheers,

Charlene
Sweetchic Events

{Image courtesy of Steve Koo Photography}