This takes the cake as the most unique wedding concept I have seen to date [and not only because my husband + I share also share a love of overseas travel]…special thanks to Ian Grant Photography + his blog.

Meet Katie + Mike…

Katie + Mike decided to merge their love of traveling + fine cuisine and plan a wedding around the world. That is right. After considering various wedding ideas they opted for a worldwide tour – and could you blame them? Their aptly named Wedding of Wonders consisted of:

- 36,000 miles

- 35 days

- 11 flights

- 10 countries

- 8  languages

The around the world trip, which was documented on their Wedding of Wonders blog, concluded with a celebration + six course gourmet meal  in Radnor, Pennslvania at Susanna Foo.

Take note of the lovely decor + menus, which were designed by the couple themselves.

Thank you Ian for letting me share these photos.

[image credit: Ian Grant Photography and Wedding of Wonders]

So, you have a sweet tooth [Like yours truly. Did I mention it is the 3rd time this week I had a cupcake for breaky?] Or rather you’d like to treat your guests to delicious sweets + goodies…but you don’t want just any sweet table or candy buffet…

Look at these yummy desserts from Sweet and Saucy Shop + this lovely dessert display I spotted on the Jesi Haack Weddings blog from a wedding at the recently renovated + modern Belamar Hotel in the South Bay/Manhattan Beach, CA.

Lemon cupcakes, cake lollipops, and awesomely modern cookies, oh my!
I love what they’ve done…the mini desserts, the display, + the cookies in line with the wedding theme. Love this…

This week’s ideas + inspiration will be how to make ‘normal’ more modern. Think of it as a Cliff’s notes of sorts…with some of my current favorites.

What better way to modernize a reception or event space than GHOST CHAIRS. I love the clean look of these chairs + the way they really open up a space [+ draw attention to your tablescapes].  After all, you can literally see through the chairs. The result? Great decor + photos like these from White Lilac Inc. and Barnet Photography, respectively from a recent wedding at one of my favorite LA area venues – The Beverly Hills Hotel [remember this post?]

You know how well in advance great venues get booked. Chicago area 2010 brides – want to have your  large wedding or event [the venue is 24,000 square feet] at a unique + new space? Conveniently located just 14 miles west of Chicago and near the southwest suburbs as well, Brookfield Zoo offers a new outdoor tented space for your venue – with complimentary parking!

“The tent will certainly be in high demand next spring, especially due
to the fact that we also plan to open our Great Bear Wilderness exhibit
at this time.  It is going to be a fascinating 7.7 acre habitat
consisting of roaming Bison prairie, underwater Polar Bear viewing, and
would be a most unique and memorable setting for cocktails before
dinner!”

Contact:
Susan Schoen
Brookfield Zoo
708-688-8357
susan.schoen@czs.org

Planning a Hollywood Glam wedding in the Chicagoland area? Just under an hour from downtown is Joliet Union Station, located in the Southwest Suburbs. It was originally built in 1912 and the private ballroom, featuring lovely architecture, crystal chandeliers and forty-five foot ceilings, can accomodate up to 350 guests.

Check out the wedding reception of Christine + Tim, which took place at the Joliet Union Station Grand Ballroom, photographed by Olivia Leigh Photographie.

Pretty.

Having a ceremony a little closer to downtown? There is also Chicago Union Station.  A few of the area high schools had their proms, and local companies have had events in the Great Hall there and the events drew rave reviews.

The inspiration for this week? Hollywood Glam, both new + old, all week.

While I knew I wanted to have a city wedding in my hometown of Chicago, I always knew that if I were to  get married in California for some reason, it would be at one place in particular – The Beverly Hills Hotel. It has had such notable guests as Greta Garbo, John F. Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin to name only a few, and it just exquisite + a perfect locale for a Hollywood Glam wedding, of course.

Take me out to the ball game…

I am a pretty big baseball fan. I love April because it means that baseball season is just around the corner and I get to watch my White Sox in action with my family and friends. This week was opening week, so I thought what better use of theme Thursday than to highlight some fun baseball themed wedding ideas and photos.

Stadium and baseball field wedding receptions are so fun. Why not have a reception in a space that shows your interests as a couple and your baseball fandom?

In creating a baseball theme, the ideas don’t have to be over the top and don’t have to be included in everything. Here are some ideas…

1- Food + Drink: You can have a slightly baseball inspired cake like the white one above by using the team’s colors and a cute bride and groom sports fan cake topper. Or if you are having a groom’s cake, that could be a great way to include your favorite team’s logo…or even have a baseball mit + ball cake.
For drinks, I always like thinking ‘locally.’ For the Chicago White Sox, that could be Goose Island’s 312 beer [the area code] or a Southside cocktail. Another great drink option – the Louisville Slugger. Or you can always take your favorite drink and give it a new name for your reception. Are you a SF Giants fan? What about the Giants gin + tonic?

2- Bride + Groom: The baseball details can be in the jewelry + accessories. Remember the sporty groom wedding bands I wrote about? Or for the bride, what about the cute baseball bracelet shown above?

3- Guests: Tickets can be used as place cards [some venues can do this for you, I heard] and look very cute.  In lieu of a candy bar, you could have a popcorn, peanuts + crackerjacks stand/bar/station and have cute little popcorn bags like shown above. In Chicago, that would mean having the famous Garrett’s Popcorn. Yum. For late receptions and for a late night snack, you could also serve mini hot dogs, hamburgers, baseball cupcakes or baseball cookies, and soda out of the bottle with a straw for a late night snack for your guests to make them feel like they spent a day at the [baseball] park.

The wonderful & huge U.S. Cellular field, where the White Sox play, has a large space for reception with a capacity of 400! That would really make for a fun rehearsal dinner or reception venue. And did I mention parking is complimentary? That is hard to find in Chicago!

Here are a few photos from some Sox fans who had their wedding reception at the park. Even from the photos, you can tell they had a blast!

It’s a nice day for White [Sox] Wedding! Want to celebrate at the park? Call  312-674-5155.

Play ball!

[image credit: 312 beer - Goose Island, cake topper - Unveiled, baseball bracelet - Cooperstown baseball bracelet via Rachael Ray mag, Sox cake - S1 Weddings, white wedding cake - the knot, tickets as placecards - brides.com, Chicago map baseball - Unveiled, Popcorn boxes - Gracious Bridal, cookie- The Well Dressed Cookie, wedding image 1 - brides.com, other 3 wedding images - life on prints, U.S. Cellular image-middle-Wedding Mapper]

The other day I posted some photos of fabric backdrops, per a reader’s request. I said there’d be more, so here it is. Here are a couple additional photos of backdrops but with a little extra/different touch, like a ribbon backdrop…I like the creativity.

{Image credit: 1-Inspired Goodness; Project Wedding, 2- Yvonne Design}

A reader wrote to me asking for ideas and inspiration for a fabric backdrop to be hung in the reception space for her Illinois wedding. I think a nice fabric + lights (especially pin spot, up light or both) makes all the difference.

In this photo, the floral arrangement “bookends” help anchor the look.

Different colored fabric + the height of the branch centerpieces – A+

Great way to emphasize the cake.

Check back soon for even more backdrop and reception space ideas…

{ Image credit: 1+2 Yvonne Design, 3 WeddingDecor.com, 4 Project Wedding, 5 Cynthia Martyn Event Planning & Design, 6 White Night Design, 5 Project Wedding, 8 Cynthia Martyn Event Planning & Design }