CREATIVO

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Chicago Autumn Wedding at Ivy Room

Wedding Pictures, WeddingsWedding Creativo Photography

We had the pleasure of having an extended amount of time for intimate portraits with Nadia and Bill.  Their chilly and rainy September wedding day began at the Hotel Sax, with lots of unusual and diverse areas for indoor portraits.  Our brave troopers then faced the windy and chilly elements outdoors at a few Chicago landmark locations, before heading to the Ivy Room for their ceremony and reception.

There was a slight rain delay, but thankfully, the clouds eventually parted so the ceremony could carry on as planned in the outside courtyard.  Afterwards, their intimate lounge-style reception featured a gourmet Mediterranean spread.   Colors of purple, orange and brown were a perfect pallet for their cozy autumn evening soiree.  Of course, a favorite moment for everyone was their fun rendition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" choreographed dance...complete with the trademark silver glove.

Also, for a fun interactive activity for their guests at their reception, Nadia and Bill included our fun Polaroid cameras and guest book.

© Wedding Creativo Photography

Event professionals:  Wedding Creativo Photography, J&L Catering, Flora, I Do Films, The Left Bank Jewelry, Wedding Bells Bridal, Art + Science Salon, Home James Chicago Limo

Ukrainian Wedding at Public Chicago

Wedding Pictures, WeddingsWedding Creativo Photography

Olena and Andrew celebrated their marriage with a Ukrainian ceremony at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, followed by a modern-vintage style reception at Public Chicago hotel.  The bride's own father celebrated the traditional marriage mass at this spectacular and historic church located in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood in Chicago.

Olena was radiant in her lace detailed Watters gown, long lace trimmed Vera Wang veil, and sparkly Enzo Angiolini heels.  Andrew wore a sleek Hugo Boss suit.

The bride and her family handmade several sentimental details.  Her sister made the blue floral dressing robe, grandparents made the Ukrainian wedding bread, which symbolizes blessings and good fortune, and her mother made the ceremonial myrtle crowns. The bride sewed the pillows that incorporated lace from the groom’s mother & grandmother’s wedding gown. The hand-binding fabric was embroidered by a local Ukrainian artisan with Olena’s design.

The bride made all of the paper goods, and styled her reception dinner with her own collection of silver embossed chargers, vases and candles.  The couple gifted guests with Kona coffee, vanilla infused cane sugar from Maui, and chocolate covered macadamia nuts from their home in Hawaii.

© Wedding Creativo Photography

Event professionals:  Public Chicago/Pump Room catering, Weddings by Karolina day-of coordinator, TipsyCake pumpkin spice cake, Asrai Garden flowers, La Tavola linens, Tablescapes rentals, Nika Vaughan makeup, Sarah Jean Stevens hair styling, & Wedding Creativo Photography.

A Milestone Anniversary for Our Business

Creativo News, Wedding Pictures, WeddingsWedding Creativo Photography

My partner Giorgio is kind of like Peter Pan.  He is not really into celebrating birthdays and anniversaries in what I think is his own magical way of staying perpetually 18 years old.   While our years of experience is one of our biggest assets in this line of work, Giorgio is usually embarrassed for me to talk about time.  We are forward-thinkers, continually pushing ourselves to be modern and progressive artists, so I understand why he always prefers to look ahead to the future rather than dwell in the past. However, I do think it is rather significant that Giorgio established our studio in May 1980, and we (I joined him almost a decade ago) still continue to grow and explore new and exciting work every day.

To kick off our Daily Photo features looking back thoughout the years, please enjoy one of our favorites from the 1980s.  This was our very first "signature" image when we first expanded our studio onto the World Wide Web in spring 2001.  A big thanks to all of our clients, past and present -- we literally could not have come this far without you!  And, of course we are looking forward to all of our new clients' weddings and portraits this year, and we hope, many more years to come. 

To Giorgio...cento anni di felicità! Baci, Sarah :-)

© Giorgio Ventola Inc. / Wedding Creativo

early 1980s bridal portrait

Farms, Barns and Winery Weddings

Destination Weddings, Wedding Ideas, Wedding PlanningWedding Creativo Photography

We've been asked a few times lately about rural places for weddings such as barns, farms and vineyards. They can be lovely alternatives to traditional venues and you might even consider making near-destination weddings down-state or to neighbor states for a fun getaway weekend for your guests. They also generally make for a relaxed day, especially when ceremony and reception are both held at the venue and guests need not travel to any additional locations in these usually unfamiliar countryside areas.

Here are suggestions in the region closest to Chicago area:

Lynfred Winery (Roselle, IL)
http://www.lynfredwinery.com/priv.html

Whyte Horse Winery (Monticello, IN)
http://www.whytehorsewinery.com/winery/winery.php

County Line Orchard (Hobart, IN)
http://www.countylineorchard.com/weddings/staging/events.html

Hoosier Grove Barn (Streamwood, IL)
http://www.hoosiergrovebarn.com/

Vehe Barn (Deer Park, IL)
http://www.village.deer-park.il.us/Vehe_Barn_Rental.htm

Danada House - horse stables (Wheaton, IL)
http://www.danadahouse.com/

Millcreek and Blue Dress Barns (Southwest Michigan)
http://www.millcreekbarn.com/aboutus.html

There are a lot more vineyards that have weddings in areas throughout the region in southern IL & IN and northern MI, so if you are open to having a near-destination wedding these would be good to look into as well.

Chateau Pomije (Guilford, IN)
http://www.cpwinery.com/weddings.html

Chateau de Pique (Seymour, IN)
http://www.chateaudepique.com//index.htm

Spirit Knob Winery (Ursa, IL)
http://www.spiritknob.com/events.html

Ravissant Winery (Belleville, IL)
http://www.ravissantwinery.com/banquet.htm

Gill's Pier Vineyard & Winery (Leelanau Peninsula, MI)
http://www.gillspier.com/banquet-room.htm

Black Star Winery and Farms (Suttons Bay/Leelanau, MI)
http://www.blackstarfarms.com/events/

Michigan's lakeshore and Traverse City area is loaded with wineries - certainly make for a great weekend getaways for newlyweds too!


© Giorgio Ventola / Wedding Creativo Photography