CREATIVO

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Inspiration

Perks of a Winter Chicago Wedding

Inspiration, Wedding Pictures, Wedding PlanningWedding Creativo Photography

Yes, many people dread the Polar Vortex monster that sweeps through northern and Midwest states during winter, but if you are planning a December, January, or February wedding, there are some perks to embrace as well.

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Seven Chicago Winter Wedding Perks:

1. Early sunset and twilight between 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. means you can get beautiful twilight portraits, like the one shown above, well before your cocktail hour typically starts at 5:00 or 6:00 p.m.

2. Fancy coats, furs, shawls and other warming accessories can be warn during winter for not only practical reasons, but to also add variety to your winter wedding look.

3. Seasonal reduced rates are sometimes available at some venues and with some vendors and services that are not offered during warmer months.

4. Venues and vendors often have more available dates or have last-minute availability during this time of year compared to higher demand warmer months.

5. Cranberries, pinecones, poinsettia, holly, hot toddy, mulled wine, and other winter seasonal favorites make special appearances this time of year.

6. If you like snowy landscapes, there is plenty of it for your winter wedding portraits.

7. Close snuggles with your sweetheart to keep warm.

Magic Wedding Moment : Nervous Ring Bearer

Inspiration, Wedding Details, Wedding Ideas, Wedding Pictures, Wedding PlanningWedding Creativo Photography

The little ones that carry rings and flower baskets at weddings are usually pretty aware big importance of the wedding day, and kids always create spontaneous and unique magic moments.  To help them feel more comfortable and confident, it is nice to have a parent come a little early with them to the ceremony so they can "practice" their job before walking down the aisle in front of all those people!  Sometimes this does not work at all when kids are extremely terrified, but frequently kids fare better with just getting an opportunity to feel more familiar in uncharted territory.  Even a brief run up and down the aisle can be a big help to settle their nervousness. This little guy took his job as ring bearer pretty seriously and is shown here eagerly awaiting his cue to present the all important wedding rings. So adorable!

Wedding Creativo Photography

Creative Wedding Portrait : Wedding Party Jump

Inspiration, Wedding Details, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Ideas, Wedding PicturesWedding Creativo Photography

The wedding party "jump" is a classic fun portrait to do, especially with a larger wedding party lined up and jumping in perfect timing.  We worked with the monochromatic details to give this portrait a bit more creative flair for this wedding party jump portrait. It worked out nicely with the orange barn, golden sunest sky, and burnt orange bridesmaid dresses at Jenny and Patrick's wedding in Glen Ellyn over the weekend.

Wedding Creativo Photography

Indie Wed Chicago 2013 Highlights

Creative Spotlight, Creativo News, Inspiration, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Ideas, Wedding Pictures, Wedding PlanningWedding Creativo Photography

We had a wonderful time at Indie Wed on Saturday, and were inspired hearing all of the creative plans couples are making for their 2013 and 2014 weddings.  Indie Wed is THE event for couples looking for unique wedding ideas and professionals, and we were honored to participate. Thanks to everyone who came by our booth to say hello, and also a big thanks to our associates Amanda and Kevin for doing such a wonderful job.  We are so fortunate to have such wonderful people, couples and professionals, to make our world go round.

Here are some of our favorite highlights from Indie Wed.  There are also lots more pictures on our facebook page.

Wedding Creativo associates and ambassadors of awesome, Kevin and Amanda

Indie Wed welcome sign

Dame Couture vintage inspired wedding dresses

The "Belles and Gents" lounge on the third floor, presented by Sine Qua Non Events

The chocolate cigar gal rounds the lounge, furnished by Aged Vintage Rentals

Those cigars were a delectable sweet and salty treat by Truffle Truffle

I think we have a crush on food truck wonder Puffs of Doom

Tablescapes unique decor rentals are always a delight

Brides and bridesmaids, can we please see some Mohop shoes on your feet? Folks in Chicago make these kicks!

The Caterist, a new catering company based in Evanston, was in the booth next to ours. They saw us drooling, had mercy on us, and gave us some treats. They were quite tasty and we were impressed!

We liked this band called We, Unity Candle. They were fun, but as serious audiophiles we were mostly impressed with their abilities to manage quality live sound while rocking the house. We see a lot of bands that mistake loud distorted volume for rocking, and these guys did NOT do that, bravo!

Tweedle Press drew a crowd with their chimerical designs and environmentally sustainable paper goods

Endearing accessories and fabric flowers headpieces on display by Clark & Diversey

A great pairing of professionals, the always sophisticated Sarah Drake Design with Pistil & Vine Floral Design

MarEva's custom designed jewelry and brooch bouquets caught our eye. We were easily lured in by so many beautiful shiny sparkly things.

10 Great Chicago Wedding Blogs 2012

Creative Spotlight, Inspiration, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Ideas, Wedding PlanningWedding Creativo Photography

With thousands of wedding blogs around the world there is literally limitless inspiration and information for wedding planning.  For the Chicago area, we are fortunate to have so many creative and knowledgeable wedding professionals who also have fantastic blogs.  We find the advice and tips found on event professionals blogs to be more realistic, filled with a lot more original ideas, and frankly, far more diverse than what we see on the nationally-known wedding blogs. 

10 of our favorite Chicago wedding blogs and posts in 2012           (listed randomly)

1. Wedding Creativo Blog (okay yes, we are biased, ha ha) - of course as photographers, we feature lots of pretty pictures, but also practical tips and insights based on our real weddings from two decades of experience. One of our most popular posts: Make Your Own New Wedding Traditions

2. Entertaining Company Blog - this is a great catering and event design company, and owner Wendy Pashman is an amazing writer to boot. This blog shares a wide variety of ideas and inspiration for weddings and parties of all sorts. Recommended reading: How to Cocktail Like a Marchesa

3. Alice Padrul Journal - Couture wedding dress designer Alice Padrul shows her stunningly beautiful gowns in action featuring videos and photos of real brides on their wedding day, and occasionally she gives us a peek behind the curtain into her dress making workshop in Chicago.  Recommended reading: The Making of a Gown

4. Sarah Drake Design Blog - Sarah Drake is a professional creative designer on several fronts, and has expanded her creative work beyond weddings and paperies, but she is a greatly admired wedding invitation designer in Chicago.  We enjoy reading about what inspires her work, and also regular features of her behind the scenes working on the delicate details of her designs. Recommended reading: September = Wedding Production

5. Fleur Chicago Blog - Kellie Marie, owner of Fleur, is hands down one of the most talented florists in Chicago, and her blog regularly inspires with photos of her beautiful work, boutique floral shop, and her personal notes and insights.  Recommended reading: Don't Sweat It

6. Sine Qua Non Special Events Blog - event planner Beth Bernstein leads the team at SQN with lots of practical planning advice, and her blog also shows her talents as a taste maker with posts that are always on top of the latest trends.  Recommended reading: Beauty and the Brooch (Bouquet)

7. Stitely Entertainment Blog - Jeff Stitely and crew are tops among wedding musicians in Chicago, and their blog often has some surprising and clever sources of inspiration for wedding music.  Recommended reading: Perpetuum Mobile - Music Inspired by Food Poisoning

8. Anita Weds Blog - Anita Vaughan is a kind and thoughtful person, which is why she is a much loved wedding officiant in Chicago.  As a certified Life-Cycle Celebrant she shares a lot of diverse weddings on her blog, and we always enjoy reading how she works with couples to help them add personal touches and special meaning into their ceremonies.  Recommended reading:  Adding a Little Spice to a Ceremony

9. Everything But The Dress - This blog belongs to the ladies of The Left Bank, where brides find dazzling wedding jewelry in Chicago.  It is always fun to see their latest arrivals and trunk shows, and we also enjoy seeing their real brides' bling, as well general wedding style tips and trends.  Recommended reading: Magnificent Cuffs Inspired by the 2012 Oscar Awards

10. The Haberdash Blog - For fashion and lifestyle tips for the guys, this blog by the Chicago men's clothing boutique Haberdash is an excellent resource.  This is not specifically for grooms, but these curators of fashion for well-dressed men can also inspire great ideas for grooms looking to express their own style beyond the standard black tux. Recommended reading: Classic Essentials The Overcoat

Perfect Perfumes for Weddings

Inspiration, Wedding Details, Wedding Ideas, Wedding PlanningWedding Creativo Photography

Whether you collect perfumes, or are searching for a special scent just for your wedding day, here are a few tips for your fragrance selection and post-wedding storage. 


Wedding Creativo's top 10 favorite perfumes for brides:

All of these wedding fragrances are equally wonderful, and listed alphabetically.  The right choice is the one that best represents your personal style and scent preference.

Burberry Body - absinthe, peach, freesia, rose, iris, sandalwood, woody cashmerean, creamy vanilla, amber and musk; a modern and crisp scent, currently very popular

Chanel No. 5 - the classic luxury fragrance, launched in 1921, jasmine, rose, iris, amber, patchouli; timeless romance

Chantecaille Vetyver - bergamot, lemon, nutmeg, pepper, musk and sandalwood; an earthy and spicy chic fragrance

Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue - Sicilian citron, bluebell, granny smith apple, lasmine sambac, bamboo, white rose, cedar wood, amber, musk; a tropical floral fragrance

Estee Lauder Beautiful - floral scents of rose, jasmine, and carnation, with fruity notes of fresh citrus, melons, peaches and plums; a fresh summery fragrance, popular since the mid 1980s

Guerlain Shalimar - another classic introduced in 1925, exotic florals and vanilla; seductive evening or autumn scent

Issey Miyake Women - blend of fresh water florals; a clean, soft and feminine fragrance

Oscar de la Renta Live in Love - sweet hyacinth, lily of the valley, orchid, sandalwood, cedar amber; graceful floral and chypre blend

Ralph Lauren Romance - rose, ginger, marigold, violet, oakmoss and musk; refined and flowery

Vera Wang Perfume - mandarin, lotus and iris; exotic and feminine

After the wedding, many women keep their perfume bottles in the bathroom, which is actually not the ideal place for storage.  The steam from the shower and inherent humidity of a typical home bathroom affects both the aroma and color of perfume. It is optimal to keep them in a in a place without direct sunlight and relatively low humidity, such as your bedroom dresser or wardrobe closet.

If you rather show off your pretty bottles, perhaps display them on a tray or in a basket that can easily be moved to a closet shelf on occasion, such as when you are away on vacation or on a long weekend.  This will help to extend the life and vibrancy of your favorite fragrances.

Revolutionizing Chicago Elopements

Creativo News, Inspiration, Wedding Ideas, Wedding Pictures, Wedding PlanningWedding Creativo Photography

In the last couple of years we've been working with more couples having weekday elopements.  Inspired by these couples, we're trying different ideas to blow away the old stereotype of "courthouse" weddings and elopements, and revolutionize this whole concept.  These kinds of weddings are not for everyone, but for those who do, we have been working on making the experience a lot more special, creative and fun.  We had a blast recently with Susan and Joseph, and this sweet ride, the Italian Fiat 500!

We'll post more from this elopement soon, but we just love this shot, and it epitomizes our quest at Wedding Creativo Photography to inspire couples who are eloping to think outside-the-box and beyond the City Hall basement court office....and have a lot more fun!

In addition to covering traditional marriage court weekday weddings, we have developed our own elopement packages that include photography and an officiant, as well as creative elopement planning.  Interested? Email us for more info.

Sofia Vergara is engaged

Inspiration, Wedding FashionWedding Creativo Photography

We are big fans of the comedy show "Modern Family" and the funny and lovely Sofia Vergara.  Reports are out that on her recent 40th birthday, she accepted the proposal and sparkling ring from her beau Nick Leob.  Vergara always looks spectacular on the red carpet, and we wonder what she will wear on her wedding day.  Inspired by her curvy fashions, we take a look at some Hollywood glam wedding dress ideas.

Sofia Vergara is engaged

 

Happy 4th of July 2012

Inspiration, Wedding Ideas, Wedding PlanningWedding Creativo Photography

We are enjoying the holiday this week and taking a break from blogging, but in celebration of the holiday, we put together this wedding inspiration board for July 4th.  Also, as we focus on Chicago-made good on this blog, we would like to take the opportunity to feature W.G.N Flag & Decorating. They have been making flags and decorations of all sorts in Chicago since 1916!  We think their 8x12 inch flags shown below would make a great table centerpieces for any patriotic holiday party or wedding.  FYI, we recently started a sister blog for our event venue, Creativo Loft, where we regularly feature Chicago-made wedding inspiration at www.smallweddingschicago.com.

Great wedding moment : groom receives gift guitar

Inspiration, Wedding Ideas, Wedding PicturesWedding Creativo Photography

We are preparing to feature Megan and Luke's wedding soon, but wanted to share this sweet moment from the morning of their wedding day.  The bride Megan obviously came to know her sweetheart Luke very well during their courtship, and surprised him with a beautiful acoustic guitar as her wedding day gift.  It was wonderful to witness this great gesture of love to start their married life, and also fun to see the bride receive text messages from Luke's impressed buddies too. 

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