Today's real wedding is SO gorgeous!! I am beyond obsessed with this Chicago wedding venue and adored members, who are both Chicago wedding vendors, Rebecca Marie Photography and Scarlet Petal really wowed me with the work they did for this Chicago wedding. I also love that this wedding showcases 2 hot colors for 2014! ... dazzling blue and radiant orchid! I especially love the image of the bridesmaids wearing radiant orchid wraps with their dazzling blue bridesmaid dresses ... stunning!!

XO~ Heather

When our wedding planning began, we surveyed several people for advice on all things weddings. One of the most adamant pieces of advice came from Margaret's good friend from work. She gave glowing reviews of Rebecca Marie Photography. It didn't take long for us to realize why that was the case. Rebecca's personality and enthusiasm made the picture-taking process completely natural and fun. We felt 100% comfortable around her. Once we received the pictures, we were blown away by the looks and settings that she was able to capture of ourselves, our family and friends, the city and the entire day.

As we began looking at reception venues, it became clear we both were looking for a classic, intimate ballroom-style reception hall. After looking at a few locations, we never had the "WOW" moment we were looking for of everything coming together. That all changed when we saw the School of the Art Institute of Chicago Ballroom in downtown Chicago. We felt everything about the location was perfect from the spiral staircase leading up to the reception to the balcony overlooking the dinner area. It was exactly what we imagined for our day.

Our cake came from Sweet Mandy B's in Chicago, IL. We weren't looking for anything fancy, we just wanted a great tasting cake regardless of the appearance. It was tiered, but most importantly it was a snicker-doodle cake with cream cheese frosting ... it was beautiful and it was delicious!

The only people you need to be concerned about are you and your bride/groom-to-be. It is one of the few days in your life where it is okay to be a little selfish. Do everything you can to make sure your day is memorable for yourself, and the rest will fall into place.

Reception Venue: Art Institute of Chicago Ballroom

Wedding Photographer: Rebecca Marie Photography