This jungle-inspired Latin wedding at the Field Museum was everything Lauren, Jose, and their families wanted in terms of their wedding as it was all captured beautifully by Erin Hoyt. The first thing they said to me when we met? We want guests to feel like they’re roaming in the time of the dinosaurs! Well, let me tell you, with a whole lot of tropical greens, and a little bit of the Jurassic Park Theme song, we were able to do just that!
I should start out by saying that Lauren and Jose’s event was not the wedding norm. In fact, they may have actually made my dreams come true, because not only did I get to help them celebrate once, but TWICE! That’s right – twice! Their vows actually stem farther back than July of 2019. They decided to say their “I Dos” in an intimate setting surrounded by close friends and immediate family back in December 2018. They invited their guests to join them at Little Goat Diner, the place they had their first date, and they were married under a simple, natural, chuppah, and dined on their favorite brunch offerings. It was a beautiful, intimate, ceremony that was perfect for them, as they weren’t necessarily keen on the idea of exchanging vows amongst 150+ guests.
After it was made official and a few months went by, then it was time to get that Vera Wang gown back out and celebrate with the remainder of their family and friends at the Field Museum! When guests arrived at cocktail hour, they were in for a vacation-inspired treat! Not only did we have a steel drum band playing for cocktails through dinner, but we also had a fantastic themed rum bar featuring four signature cocktails guaranteed to make you feel like you were in the middle of the tropics, jungle or Caribbean!
As mentioned, our design was inspired by the era when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, so naturally, unique, tropical, greens, textural blooms, and wood tones were where we started. Kehoe Designs and Frost Chicago brought all of our décor dreams to life. Kehoe incorporated towering, tree-like pieces, textural tabletop elements, and protea galore! Frost elegantly highlighted all of these elements and made the architecture of the building really pop!
As for food, this was an area where our groom’s Latin culture was really highlighted! Instead of a traditional, sit down dinner, guests mingled amongst stations of Carne (meat), Mariscos (seafood), and Tapas (bite-sized treats), and the Dulces (sweets) that came out later for dessert were definitely crowd pleasers – boozy milkshakes, churros with chocolate sauce, and carrot cake from Flourish Cakes designs were just a few of the sweet offerings.
Finally, once guests’ palettes were satisfied, it was time to get the dancing going! The Business did a great job captivating our audience and making everybody shake it with Monstera leaves (originally our chargers!) in hand! They even did a perfect, Latin inspired Hora to symbolize the combination of Jose’s Colombian roots and Lauren’s Jewish heritage. It was the perfect way to end the most perfect year of celebrations for this sweet couple and their families!
Jungle Inspired Latin Wedding at the Field Museum Vendor Team
- LOLA Event Productions
- Erin Hoyt Photgraphy
- The Field Museum
- Kehoe Designs
- Frost Chicago
- Field to Table
- BBJ Linen
- Steracle Press
- Windy City Limo
- Flourish Cake Design
- Nika Vaughan Bridal Artists
- The Business
- Vera Wang
