As purveyors of weddings that continue to push the bar on creativity, we dream about weddings like this one. For a designer, clients like Alecia + Jon, with their amazing taste and up-for-anything attitudes, are the perfect couple to work with. Jesi Haack, the lady we’re bowing our heads down to today, even described Alecia as her design soul sister and both A + J as her soulmates. The details and design are so, so fun. See cowhide aisle and table runners, gold balloon table numbers, chevron curtains, graphic signage, and yes, a stunning bride and groom!
We wanted our wedding to reflect our personalities; so we were looking for details that would be fun, humorous, and non traditional all within a budget. I didn’t have a crazy huge budget for a sit down dinner downtown Chicago for 150 guests, so a lot of areas I had to get creative. I tried to choose materials that were inexpensive while still creating huge impact. My design taste is pretty dramatic and bold, so flagging tape and balloons became a central part of my wedding. We were also lucky enough to have a venue that allowed us to bring our own liquor (which saved us huge bucks and we were able to drink exactly what we like, score!).
Alecia and Kate Arends of the infamous blog, Wit + Delight designed these fun fold out wedding invitations.
From Alecia: I wanted bright bold colors, gold accents paired with funky/fun pattern (i.e my cow hide/chevron). My venue played such a key role in being able to show off my bold color choices with pattern. I wanted an all white loft space where Jesi Haack and I could literally create the room from scratch and not have any competing color palettes/patterns.
From Jesi Haack: Alecia is a designer at heart. So once we started going, it was ridiculously unstoppable. We knew we wanted a slick, clean palette. Then add crazy, unexpected pops of color. I wanted to add something else. I wasn’t sure what it was. But then I thought, cowhide? There is no way she is going to go for it. Um, she was THRILLED. So we added in cowhide for the aisle runner and the table runners. It gave us the anchor we so needed with all of the craziness we were about to do!
Music: The groomsmen walked in to Grizzly Bear’s, The Foreground, Alecia’s walked in with her mom to the beautiful instrumental version of Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros, A + J exited to Raphael Saadiq’s, Go To Hell, their first dance was Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Acoustic version of Maps, and they cut the cake to Beirut’s, Postcards from Italy.
Guests found their seats by finding their triangle on a colorful triangle board, then were instructed to flip it over and write a cute note to the couple. It turned into their guest book!
With so much bold design already going on in the space, we love that Alecia decided to go monochromatic with her flowers and just do simple raspberry colored carnations and pink garden roses in the center of each table.
Using balloons as table numbers just screams FUN!
Don’t you just want to live in this wedding for just a little while? Just pin it all, and you can! And while you’re at it, check out Alecia’s wedding inspiration Pinterest board to see where she was keeping all her decor ideas.
Alecia + Jon, if we had balloons to spell out congratulations, we’d wave them in the air for you right now. Congrats!
Event Design + Planning: Jesi Haack Design / Photography: Avery House / Personal Florals: Dilly Lily / Centerpieces: Bride’s friend Laura Wagner / Cake + Desserts: Bittersweet Chicago / Catering: Pure Kitchen Catering / Venue: Room 1520 / Paper Products: Escort Cards, Place Cards, Guest book, Ring Bearer signs, menus, stir sticks: Pitbulls and Posies / Invitations: Kate Arends of Wit & Delight / Makeup: Rommy Najor / Photobooth: Smilebooth / Ceremony Installation Inspiration: Jenny Van Sommers / Bride’s dress: Reem Acra dress from Belle Vie Bridal Couture / Shoes: Kate Spade / Jewelry: rented from the runway / Bridesmaid dresses: each picked their own / Junior bridesmaid dresses: Neiman Marcus, sweaters from Gap Kids
