For Sarah and Guillermo, their wedding day was about bringing together the people who mean the most.
With just 30 of their closest family members and friends, the couple celebrated with an intimate ceremony followed by an unforgettable dinner at Maxwell’s Trading. The evening was thoughtful and personal, with beautiful design, incredible food, and plenty of room to simply enjoy one another.
From Neutral Ceremony to Floral-Filled Dinner
The celebration began on the rooftop with a slightly more traditional ceremony. A neutral palette complemented the setting, creating an elegant, understated backdrop as Sarah and Guillermo exchanged vows.
Guests enjoyed cocktails on lounge furniture before making their way into the main dining room — where the design shifted dramatically.
Sarah and her mom share a deep love of flowers, so florals were always going to be an important part of the celebration. Third Season Floral brought that vision to life with a true explosion of color. Flowers appeared overhead and across the floor, climbed the existing bookshelf, and floated above the incredible singular long table where everyone would gather for dinner.
Remarkable Events helped transform the space with lighting and drapery, adding another layer of atmosphere to the already immersive floral design. The result was a room that felt vibrant, unexpected, and completely personal.
The transition from the neutral ceremony to the colorful dinner made the evening feel like two distinct experiences, while still feeling completely cohesive.
Dinner Made for Lingering
With all 30 guests gathered around one long table, dinner felt intimate in every sense of the word.
The table design came together through the thoughtful mix of Nuage Designs and Tablescapes rentals, creating a layered setting that complemented the abundance of flowers without competing with them.
A jazz trio from BeatMix Music provided the soundtrack as guests settled in for a carefully curated, multi-course menu from Maxwell’s Trading. Each course gave everyone time to slow down, savor the food, and enjoy the company around them — punctuated by heartfelt toasts was less about rushing through a traditional wedding reception and more about creating space for an incredible dinner party and plenty of conversation.
It was less about rushing through a traditional wedding reception and more about creating space for an incredible dinner party with the people Sarah and Guillermo love most.
And tucked among those 30 guests was one particularly meaningful detail: Sarah’s dad wore a tie she had made for him in preschool, complete with “I Love You, Dad” written across it. A small piece of their family history, brought along for the celebration.
Dessert, Dancing & One Very Fun Final Note
After dinner, guests returned to the rooftop terrace for dessert and light dancing, bringing the evening full circle beneath the Chicago sky.
And because every great dinner party deserves a sweet ending, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams joined the celebration for dessert.
Sarah and her dad then shared their special dance to Madonna’s “Vogue” — a playful, unexpected choice that perfectly captured the spirit of the evening.
Personal. Joyful. Untraditional in all the right ways.
The Finishing Touches
From the very beginning of the day, every element was considered with intention. Tricia Clarke Beauty brought Sarah’s bridal hair and makeup vision to life, while the incredible vendor team worked together to create an experience that felt seamless from ceremony through the final dance.
And, of course, Maxwell’s Trading served as both the venue and culinary heart of the celebration, giving Sarah and Guillermo a setting where dinner, design, music, and gathering could all become Chicago wedding is a perfect example of what makes intimate celebrations part of one cohesive experience.
An Intimate Wedding That Felt Completely Their Own
Sarah and Guillermo’s Chicago wedding is a perfect example of what makes intimate celebrations so special.
With a smaller guest list came more opportunities to focus on what mattered: a meaningful ceremony, extraordinary floral design, an incredible meal, great music, and time elegance of the rooftop ceremony to the explosion of color in the dining room and the final dance under the Chicago sky, every part of the evening felt intentional without ever feeling overdone.
Vendor Team
- LOLA Event Productions: Lavish LOLA Planning Package
- Photography: Jamee Photography
- Venue & Catering: Maxwell’s Trading
- Floral Design: Third Season Chicago
- Lighting and Drapery: Remarkable Events
- Rentals and Linen: Nuage Designs
- Rentals: Tablescapes Event Rentals
- Entertainment: Beatmix Chicago
- Hair and Makeup: Tricia Clarke Makeup
- Gown: Belle Bridal Atelier
- Cake: Vanille Chicago
- Dessert: Jenis Ice Cream
- Transportation: Signature Transportation
