The ultimate goal of Margaret and Brett’s Café Brauer wedding was to invite guests into a cozy and warm environment inspired by the exquisite Prairie Style architecture of the Café Brauer, where they’d eventually dance the night away underneath a ceiling filled with stars. To say guests were impressed and felt right at home would be an understatement. Mixed metallic and wrought iron brought in the right amount of industrial flare every Chicagoan seems to have deep in their soul, while the autumnal color palette of the florals by Kehoe Designs created rich and vibrant accents to the show stopping candlelight display that illuminated the venue.
The day started at two iconic Chicago hotels – The Ambassador East and The Thompson. While the men had a typically more low-key dressing experience, the girls prepared with champagne in hand, waiting patiently for Margaret to slip into her stunning Oscar de la Renta gown. Once dressed and ready, our bride made her way down to an outstanding classic car, and took off to finally see her groom at the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond. To say he was excited to see her would be an understatement! Finally, the two met up with their best of friends for a trolley ride around town eventually making their way to Cafe Brauer to patiently await saying “I do.”
The ceremony was held in the Forman Pavilion, overlooking the Flamingo Pond within the Lincoln Park Zoo. The colors of the floating chuppah were simply spectacular as the light from a magical double rainbow hit it just perfectly. The chuppah featured various shades of green, petite hanging votives, and full stemmed blooms to bring in our warm and rich color palette. With our bride and groom finally beneath the chuppah, there couldn’t have been a more breathtaking site. We even had a few unexpected guests appear just as the vows were said – a few talkative ducklings filled with excitement and cheers as Margaret and Brett officially tied the knot.
Guests finally made their way over to Cafe Brauer to cocktail and lounge on the loggia and dine and dance in the Great Hall. Jewell Events Catering served up a mouthwatering feast and kept the bar flowing while The Chicago Players kept the dance floor packed the entire night, and even let the bride take her turn on the mic!
