Rain with a chance of dramatic flair: The stormy sky that once seemed ominous served as the perfect backdrop for this moody and romantic wedding.
Grace and Will met during their senior year at Northwestern when they moved into an eight-person house with their mutual friends. Their fast friendship eventually turned into something more, and they have been living together ever since. After settling down in Chapel Hill, NC, the couple returned to their favorite city, Chicago, to bring their story full circle.
Allie Appel Photography was there to capture all the moody details and Anticipation Events planned every detail for the ceremony and reception at Bridgeport Art Center’s Sculpture Garden and rehearsal held at Half Sour in Chicago. You can see all the images in the full gallery .
Grace wore a dress by Blammo Biamo in the style Asta from Bride-ology , a show-stopping ball gown that combined all the elements of fantasy, drama, femininity and more. The gown features an embroidered and stone-embellished corset with tufts of tulle framing its top and a skirt layered in dramatic but delicate flounces. Gathered tulle cascading down the skirt into the never-ending train created the illusion of dreamy clouds.
To call it a dress would be a disservice: it’s a sculptural masterpiece.
Grace completed her look with a dark, vampy lip and dramatic florals that rivaled the art of Dutch still-life paintings with the help of Diem Angie Co.
The wedding featured a rich fall palette of burgundy, gunmetal, indigo, deep green, eucalyptus and nude, and incorporated local dahlias, thistle, greens, ferns, roses, rose hips, eucalyptus and amaranthus from Persephone Floral. The only element of the wedding the couple didn’t plan, that really set the mood, was the downpour of rain that fell at the beginning of the ceremony.
When it was time for the ceremony to begin, the sun began to set and rain began to pour. The dramatic effects from the storm were captivating, but not as much as Grace and Will’s ring bearer, their dog Stella. When it was her turn to walk down the aisle, Stella seemed nervous but all her nerves melted when she spotted the couple. Her cuteness, quite literally, stole the thunder.
The two held their wedding at Bridgeport Art Center’s Sculpture Garden–an idyllic location for an early fall wedding in Chicago. Outside the doors of the historic industrial loft stands a covered courtyard displaying exposed brick, arched walls, and a large window that captures picturesque views of the surrounding garden.
Guests than washed down their cake with His and Her cocktails, a Manhattan and a Mexican Mule. And with those cocktails in hand, everyone toasted the newlywed couple and danced the night away with DJs Toast and Jam.
Mexican Mule Recipe
- 2 oz of tequila
- 1/2 oz of Cointreau
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 4 oz of ginger beer
- Garnish with a lime slice
With all this good taste, it’s a given that actual tasties were served. The cake was made by Chicago’s go-to bakery, Molly's Cupcakes. The three-tiered chocolate cake was iced with vanilla buttercream, filled with cake batter goodness, and topped with fresh flower
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