Chicago Wedding Vendor Recommendations
I think I may be one of the few people who actually enjoyed planning a wedding. I spent hours looking for the best vendors and now I want to share those Chicago wedding vendor recommendations with you, so you don’t have to … unless you want to, of course. If you’re at the beginning of the process and need all your vendors, check out the full post. If you’re further along in the process and only need a few vendors, click the buttons below to jump to the applicable section(s).
And drop me a line in the comments section below if you have any questions.
All photos by Zachera Photo.
My husband is an architect, so we wanted a beautiful, historical wedding venue with lots of character. This ruled out a lot of spaces immediately. We also wanted to be in Chicago proper and not in the suburbs. Our search quickly led us to the Ivy Room, which was built in 1894 as artist space and has wonderfully high ceilings. The venue is run by a team of amazing women who will promptly answer your inquiry to see the space.
The space includes an entry foyer that either leads to the outdoor courtyard or indoor hall. Yes, that’s right, this is a venue in downtown Chicago with outdoor space! It further includes a lounge where you can host cocktail hour, a bridal room (including private bathroom) where you can finish getting ready, large bathrooms with lots of stalls (something many venues do not have), and an on-site kitchen (meaning you don’t have to find a caterer). Oh, and that outdoor courtyard has an ivy wall that’s perfect for photos.
When you book your wedding, you are assigned an event manager. We worked with Abby, who is fantastic, and from what I hear the rest of the event management team is just as good. You also pick the level of assistance you need. Your event manager can essentially become your wedding planner if you want. I knew I didn’t need that much help, so I went with a lower tier package that focused on bringing everything together and day of coordination. (As an aside, I planned this wedding without a wedding planner and think anyone can do that – if they want to. However, make sure you have a day of coordinator whether it is through your venue or hired separately. You don’t want to be the one dealing with any last-minute hiccups on the big day. Even if you go with a totally different list of vendors, please take this advice to heart. It will make your wedding day so much better.)
I can’t say enough good things about the Ivy Room; however, I want to specifically call out a few things that I found unique:
- The Ivy Room likes to support other local businesses. They have a Sweet Home Chicago bar package that includes local favorites like Goose Island beer, Koval gin and Few whiskey.
- The bar staff can make a proper cocktail with the right ingredients and garnishes. This is surprisingly difficult to find in a wedding venue, and it made a big difference to me.
- When I couldn’t find wines I wanted on the regular list, Abby was happy to work with the Ivy Room’s distributor to bring in specific wines I requested. (Let me be clear that their wine list is nice, but I had specific ideas about what I wanted to serve. And it speaks volumes about the customer-first mindset of the venue that they let me do it.)
- The point person on the serving staff was so attentive to me and my husband all night. She brought things before we even thought to ask for them.
The last comment I’ll make here is that making the choice to get married in downtown Chicago meant we knew we’d be paying a premium. I feel like every cent we spent on the Ivy Room was worth it, but it’s not the right venue for you if you’re on a strict budget.
I was already in conversations with another photographer when a friend of a friend recommended Zachera. I looked at Zachera’s website and fell in love with her aesthetic and the fact that she, like me, is inspired by Monet. I immediately emailed her to set up an appointment and she came in on a cold Sunday in January to chat with me. We had an instant connection and I knew she was the right photographer for our wedding. I wrote her a deposit on the spot, which is apparently quite unusual, but I just knew.
Zachera sets up her package so an engagement shoot is automatically included. You may think you don’t want an engagement shoot, but it’s like a dress rehearsal for the wedding. You have the chance to get comfortable with being posed and photographed, and you can share which photos are your favorite and why so Zachera knows your preferences going into the wedding day.
Depending on the size of your wedding, Zachera may bring in additional photographers. She only brings in full-fledged photographers so you won’t be stuck with an assistant who is still learning the ropes. This is a huge benefit, and you should ask all photographers their policy on this.
I could tell you about how wonderful our wedding photos came out, but since a picture is worth a thousand words, I encourage you to look at all the photos I’ve posted as part of this entry. And, as of the moment, you can see even more pictures of our wedding on her website here. (Even if our wedding photos happen to come down, check out the other photos she has up. It gives you a great sense of her amazing photography.)
Up until two months before the wedding I was convinced we didn’t need a videographer. The last time I had a videographer was my bat mitzvah and that VHS is sitting somewhere picking up dust. But several friends told me the video game had changed and convinced me I would regret it if I didn’t capture our day on film. I’m so glad I listened to them. If you are on the fence about getting a videographer, do it! I get so much joy every time I watch our videos.
Once I decided we needed a videographer I dedicated myself to watching a ton of wedding trailers. They all sort of looked the same to me, and then I found Wholehearted and was blown away. Their videos are better than any other wedding videos I’ve seen. The way they capture the moments and tell a beautiful story is powerfully moving, even when you don’t know the couple in the video.
I was shocked to find they were still available, I think because our wedding was on a Sunday, so I quickly booked them. We had a pre-wedding meeting to chat through what we wanted, and we left knowing they would do a fantastic job. John and Logan even showed up a little early the day of the wedding and managed to capture everyone’s reaction to seeing me in my dress, in addition to all the moments we’d planned for them to capture.
Our trailer (which you can view here if you’re interested) came out at the end of our honeymoon and we loved it. We watched it multiple times that first day and shared it with our friends. Everyone commented on how perfectly they captured the atmosphere of the day.
I put the hubby in charge of finding a band for the wedding and he delivered with Larry King Orchestra (LKO). We hired their string quartet for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour, and their 12-piece band + DJ combo for the reception. (I was a little confused on why we needed a DJ with the band, but Larry explained that the DJ rounds out the sound when the band plays certain songs and can play when the band takes their break.)
I wanted the string quartet because I’ve always envisioned walking down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon, and they created a perfect moment for me. I felt like I was in a dream while I walked down the aisle. They also serenaded us back down the aisle as a newly married couple to All You Need is Love. It was wonderful.
Then there’s the band, oh the band. We had several New Yorkers at the wedding, and they all came up to tell us that LKO is better than any band they’ve ever heard at a New York wedding. That’s high praise. The band kept everyone on the dance floor all night long. We selected songs together in advance of the wedding and Larry made sure we had a range of music represented from Frank Sinatra to Taylor Swift.
I talked to another florist before I found Stems and was disappointed. I felt like we had a great initial meeting and then the proposal made it clear they didn’t get my vision. So I scheduled an intro meeting with Allison and could tell she got my vision of simple, classic, beautiful after 5 minutes. She asked inquisitive questions and then outlined what she could do and built on my requests. And my response to everything she said was yes (!!!), let’s do that.
She wowed us at our showing two months before the wedding. We made a few tiny tweaks and the countdown to the wedding was on. The first thing I saw day of was my bouquet (which isn’t included in the showing) and I loved it. It was exactly what I’d been imagining, actually better than what I’d been imagining. The real wow moment though was when we walked into the venue and saw beautiful purple and white flowers everywhere. The chuppah especially was a work of art.
What I most appreciated about Allison is that she got what we wanted and delivered on it. I think sometimes other florists get caught up in what’s trendy and try to lead the client in that direction instead of designing the floral arrangements the client really wants.
My husband I lived in different cities right up until the wedding, so we squeezed in one cake tasting one of the weekends he was in town. Under other circumstances I think we would have gone to check out a few other options. Our cake looked exactly how I wanted it to look. (I couldn’t find a photo of an exact cake design I wanted to replicate so I drew them a sketch, and the cake looked exactly like the sketch.) And it tasted good, but I have a suspicion we may have been able to find cake that tasted even better.
This is an incredibly minor note and I would never steer anyone away from using Alliance Bakery. I would simply say I didn’t do any shopping around so you may find a cake maker you like better. But you can be sure your cake will arrive on time (which apparently is sometimes an issue) and will look gorgeous if you go with Alliance Bakery.
Attire
My style is understated, so I wanted a simple, classic wedding dress, and I looked at so many vendors online that only had elaborate dresses. I know that is the current style, but I was so frustrated I couldn’t find anything more streamlined. Then I found Vwidon’s website and was drawn in by their beautiful fabrics, expert draping and clean lines. I immediately booked an appointment.
Carla welcomed me, my mom and my mother in law into her shop warmly and had a series of dresses ready for me to try on based on our preparatory email exchange. Every single dress I tried on was beautiful and incredibly well made, but none of them were exactly what I was looking for. I filled Carla in on my dream dress, and she got out a sketch pad and brought it to life. She was more than happy to design my dream dress, which is a huge benefit of working directly with the designer.
The first time I tried on the dress I was in awe. The dress laid well and gave me a look that was a lot Audrey Hepburn, a little Cinderella and just a dash of Scarlett O’Hara. In short, it was perfect – and this was the first fitting. Over a series of several fittings Carla made the tiny tweaks necessary so the dress fit perfectly.
Perhaps the best part about the dress is how comfortable it was to wear all day. I’ve heard so many people comment on how heavy or itchy their wedding dress was. My dress was light and not at all itchy.
Even if you want an elaborate dress, I encourage you to check out Vwidon’s website. They have a variety of styles and will work with you to find a dress that suits your needs. I don’t think you’ll find a better made wedding dress anywhere in Chicago.
Believe it or not, it was harder to find shoes than it was to find a wedding dress. I thought I’d simply get a pair of Badgley Mischkas and call it a day, but no one carries inventory anymore so I had to guess on my size and order online. Then, even when I found a pair that fit and tried to break them in, I found them so uncomfortable I knew I wouldn’t last even half of the day. I kept ordering more and more options online and none of them worked.
Luckily a wedding store I popped into recommended I go see James. I knew I was in good hands the second I walked into his store. He gave me a personal fitting and actually had inventory I could try on. He helped me evaluate each shoe so I found both the right shoe and the right size. I ended up with his best seller 3.5-inch Milena heels and they looked absolutely stunning with my dress.
I will admit I still didn’t last quite the whole day in the shoes, but I think that’s because I’d basically destroyed my feet trying to get other shoes to work. (I had trouble even with my regular work heels for several months after my wedding because of trying so hard to break in the Badgley Mischka pair.)
James’ shoes run about $400 each, but they are worth every penny. If you are only going to splurge on one item of your attire, make it the shoes. Your feet will thank you. As a bonus, James is happy to dye the shoes another color after your wedding so you can continue to get use out of them.
If you are anywhere in the Chicago area, you must come see James and get fitted for your wedding shoes. If you aren’t in the area you do have the option to order online, but I’d try to come in person. And you can see Carla at Vwidon on the same trip.
If you haven’t gone down the Etsy rabbit hole yet you undoubtedly will at some point during your wedding planning. I looked through many vendors to find the right pair of earrings and was so excited when I found Poetry Jewelry. She has many wonderful options. I went with her Joni earrings in silver. They were the right size and shape for what I was envisioning. I wanted earrings that would make a statement since my dress was simple and I wasn’t wearing any other jewelry.
My other concern as I shopped for earrings online was that they might be too heavy. These weren’t. I couldn’t even feel that I was wearing them.
(See Makeup section for photo.)
Brideside has locations in Chicago, New York, Boston and Charlotte, and they carry a range of designers. I brought one of my bridesmaids to the store with me and we settled on Brideside’s own line of dresses. They are reasonably priced (most under $200) and come in a variety of colors and textures. I was able to pick a color and several dresses my bridesmaids could chose from. This allowed each bridesmaid to pick the dress she felt most comfortable in.
The best part is Brideside will send out samples for each bridesmaid to try on in the comfort of her own home. This means you don’t have to go shopping with all your bridesmaids in tow, and that your bridesmaids don’t have to run all over town hunting down a store to try the dresses on in.
Ah, yes, that Etsy rabbit hole I mentioned? Well, one of the items I knew I had to buy was robes for me and my bridesmaids to get ready in. This was a bridesmaid ‘gift’ along with earrings to wear at the wedding and hangers for the dresses, but it was really a gift for me because I wanted everyone to look cute in the getting ready pictures.
Monogram Works was easy to work with, sent the robes quickly, and uses good quality robes as their starting point. They have all sorts of color and font options, so check them out.
Willow Grace Bridal was also wonderful to work with. The hangers were one of the first things I ordered for the wedding and I did a little dance party when they arrived.
(In addition to the robes, earrings and hangers, I also sent each bridesmaid four bottles of wine. I wanted to make sure they felt appreciated and had a gift that was all for them.)
Groom Tuxedo: Brooks Brothers
My hubby splurged on the Brooks Brothers Regent Fit One-Button 1818 Tuxedo. The fit worked perfectly for him, and it is an item he’ll be able to use any time we have a black-tie occasion. (If your guy is thinking about renting vs. buying, I’d suggest he buy. Unlike your wedding dress, he will be able to wear the tuxedo again.)
We didn’t want to ask the groomsmen to buy tuxedos so we sent them to The Black Tux asked them to get The Broadway Outfit. Like Brideside, the Black Tux will send you a tux in advance to try on for size if you like. Then for the big event they’ll make sure the tux gets to you in time and they’ll provide everything you need to ship it back after the wedding. It was a seamless way to ensure each groomsman looked debonair at the wedding.
Sylwia is an absolute pro at doing wedding hair. She makes sure each strand is in the right place and that you are looking your glamorous best. She also procured hair extensions for me so my hair would have extra volume and oomph. Sylwia did the hair for my bridesmaids as well and everyone was very pleased.
Morgan is wonderful. I’d never had my makeup done professionally and was so amazed what a difference it made in photos. Morgan did the makeup for me, my bridesmaids, my mom and my mother in law. And everyone looked fantastic. She was more than happy to use our makeup in addition to her own if we wanted specific colors or products. (That may be common among makeup artists, but I got the sense it was a little unique.)
She took each person’s vision for what their ‘best self’ looked like and really delivered on that vision. For instance, I let her know that I wanted the focus to be on my eyes and lips and I wanted to keep the rest of my face understated. So she kept my foundation light and made sure I had just a hint of blush. She also incorporated some purple into my eye shadow since that’s my favorite color.
Give her website or Instagram feed a quick look and you’ll see how talented she is.
In what your sensing as a theme here we knew we wanted simple, clean invitations. I found the Someone Like You suite on Minted and knew it would be perfect. We were able to order invitations, thank you notes, place cards, table numbers, and programs.
We also worked with a local print shop, MI-TE Printing, to create welcome cards and signs for the venue using the same fonts from our invitation suite.
We received a lot of compliments on our stationary suite. Even if super simple isn’t your thing, I encourage you to check out Minted. They have a lot of options and good customer service.
We booked a One Bedroom River View Suite at The Langham to ensure we’d have a beautiful setting for getting ready photos. (A pro tip here is that no matter what your price range is for your bridal suite, talk to your photographer before booking your room. Good lighting is so important, and they’ll be able to let you know if the hotel you’re considering has good lighting.)
If you can splurge on your hotel, this is a great option. The space is light, airy and beautiful. In addition, the staff is wonderful and will ensure you have everything you need. We were able to request things like a stand-alone full-length mirror, a special hook to hang the wedding dress at full height over the door, and a rack for the bridesmaid dresses.
I don’t normally stay at hotels quite this nice, but it was a special treat for the wedding.
We booked hotels within a four-block radius of the venue so we didn’t need transportation for the guests, but we did need a limo bus to ferry the bridal party around to our various photo locations. We booked the 20-seater limo bus and it worked great. Windy City Limos was easy to work with – they even have a wedding line you can call to get started. Then you’ll have a dedicated representative who will work with you to ensure everything runs smoothly on your big day.
Whew that was a lot of Chicago wedding vendor recommendations! But if you still have any questions let me know in the comments below.