• Real Weddings

Have you ever wondered what bringing a lush and enchanted garden into your chic urban venue might feel? Andy and Sarah's organic rustic industrial wedding took those dreams and made them a wedding day reality! This beautiful day has the convenience and chic style of a downtown venue and the charming beauty of an overgrown garden.

Keep scrolling and you will see what we mean. Oh and as always, there is plenty more to see in the full gallery thanks to the images provided by Julia Franzosa. Be sure to stop by!

Described by the bride as “organic rustic industrial” with touches of white, ivory and wood, Sarah + Andy’s black tie wedding the perfect balance of modern and whimsical. 150 guests attended their special day to watch the couple say their vows, then plan and water them. 

How did you meet?

Just kidding! 6 weeks later, after I returned home from a trip to Australia, I broke her #1 dating rule and reached out to Andy to ask him on a second date. I was thinking of doing it but changed my mind but eventually saw (what I thought was) his last name ( - long story -) on the side of a truck I parked near. Accepting this gentle nudge from the universe, I texted Andy, we went on that second date, and the rest is history. 

Tell me your funniest story:

We are always laughing about stuff, so it’s hard to pick one thing, but we both agree that our ordeal at the parking garage in Croatia this past summer pretty much tops everything. You really had to be there to get the feel for the situation, but I’ll try to explain.

At the end of our trip to Croatia, we had some early morning flights to catch. Andy’s sister’s flight was about 45 minutes before ours (I think it was at 6:15am), but we offered to get up a little earlier and give her a ride with us, rather than her take a taxi. We were in Dubrovnik in the old town, where no cars are allowed. So we parked in a garage just outside the city walls. 

After lugging our giant suitcases up a million flights of stairs for about 20 minutes at 4:30am, we get to the parking garage and discover that it’s cash only. We had spent all of our Croatian money because we were leaving and assumed the pay station would take a card. Andy lost his shit, and his yells of frustration echoed through the empty garage. I just burst into laughter because of how ridiculous the situation was and how vocal Andy’s frustrations were. We were running low on time.
He decided to hustle halfway back to where we started to find an ATM to take out cash while Becky and loaded the luggage into the car and pulled up to the exit gate to wait for his return. After 15 minutes, Andy calls to say that he’s in a cab trying to get back to us because his card isn’t working at the ATM. As we’re talking, we formulate a new plan: Becky will unload her luggage and jump into the cab when Andy arrives in it so that she can make her flight on time. Andy will then wait by the car while I venture out to ATM land to try my card. We’ve been in this same garage for several days, so it’s going to be steep. 

As we’re talking about this plan and Becky gets out to unload her luggage, I notice a van coming up behind me to signal that the rest of the world is starting to wake up. I Back up away from the gate and pull off to the side to let the van through. Realizing that this is our only chance to get out of here, my brain shuts off and my body just reacts. I floor it to follow the van out of the gate. As I’m almost out, the gate arm starts going back down, and I’m sure that it’s going to break the rental car windshield. In this moment, Becky’s face is priceless, and she said my expression was pretty funny too. But like magic it senses the car and goes back up again and all is well. 

I pull out into the street, screech to a halt, and tell Becky to get in the car. We peel out like Thelma and Louise, convinced that this was all caught on camera and that we’re going to hell. Andy pulls up in the cab and looks incredulous, “How did you get out?!” “I James Bonded it behind a van that was leaving.” And then I reminded him that I’m awesome and he agreed. 

We made at least 3 attempts to pay that parking garage bill via the rental car company once we got back to the states, but it’s Europe. They just don’t care.

Your Love

Bride: What's your favorite thing about him? I love the way his eyes smile when he’s happy and sparkle when he’s also a little mischievous. His hugs feel like home.

Groom: What's your favorite thing about her? I like her energy and sunny disposition. I like how she makes me happy.

• Cakes & Catering: Paramount Events
• Cakes & Catering: Alliance Bakery
• Event Planning & Design: Estera Events
• Flowers: Fleur Chicago
• Groom & His Men: Syd Jerome
• Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Andie Cumber
• Lighting, Entertainment & Photo Booth: Innocenti Quartet
• Lighting, Entertainment & Photo Booth: JJ & Dre
• Lighting, Entertainment & Photo Booth: DJ Taz
• Paper Goods & Calligraphy: Minted
• Photographers: Julia Franzosa
• Venues: Garfield Park Conservatory
• Venues: The Joinery
• Wedding Dresses: Rue De Seine
• Wedding Dresses: Anna Campbell
• Wedding Films: Out of the Blue Weddings