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Gorgeous Celestial Chicago Micro Wedding

June 17, 2021 | Junebug Weddings

COVID couples are often familiar with having to trim their guest lists. But less guests doesn’t mean less fun! Many couples, like Cody and Allison, are ensuring their micro weddings are celebrations for the books by incorporating unique details into their ceremony, like a first dance after walking down the aisle. But their uniqueness didn’t stop there. Not only did their Chicago micro wedding have celestial and Halloween details, but their micro wedding was actually on Halloween. 

To fully utilize their Halloween date, they incorporated an autumn color palette from a circle archway drenched in florals, to the yellow and orange bridesmaids’ dresses. If you are obsessed with fall colors and Halloween, scroll down to see all the details of this Chicago micro wedding, as captured by Cody & Allison Photography.

The Couple:

Dorian & William

The Wedding:

Chicago, IL

Walking Down The Aisle Together

Billy met me on the stairs when I was walking into the ceremony. Per usual, it wasn’t in the original plan to do this, but seeing him walk toward me—tears streaming down his face—was exactly perfect. It was so special walking down the aisle together as fiances for the last time. We didn’t do a first look, but this was a fun extra moment for us to experience together.

The Perfect First Dance

When we looked through playlists of first dance options, it became clear to us that leaving our ceremony would be much different than we had originally pictured. For months, I knew we weren’t going to have a first dance and I had accepted it. We had a song picked out, but it had been earmarked for a rainy day at that point. Tired of searching, jokingly, I said “what if we walked down and then just danced instead?” It was immediately decided. We also didn’t tell anyone about our secret first dance plan. I think being able to cap off our ceremony by being able to just nestle into each other after a stressful ride was exactly what we needed. I’m so thankful we were able to stream it online for all of the guests we couldn’t include in person.

Why A Chicago Micro Wedding?

We immediately set up tours of about 12 different venues, mostly in the city, but a few in Wisconsin and Michigan. When we walked into Fairlie, I knew it was the one. I actually stumbled across it in one of my many Google searches the night before we visited. We were set to see another venue and I emailed quickly that evening to see if we could pop in to see the space. Lo and behold, I got an email just an hour or so after saying to come on by. The space is spectacular and the team behind it truly loves what they do and they want the absolute best for their couples.

Wedding Advice For Nearlyweds

One of the first things I did when I started emailing wedding vendors was making a dedicated wedding email. I made folders for each category for a potential vendor, and then changed the names of the folders to the vendors themselves when we selected them. By creating an entire folder of invoices and contracts, I could find them easily later. Gmail is very good for this—you can label and sort your emails and they come in color-coded so you don’t have to comb through to find what you’re looking for.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Cody & Allison Photography
Ceremony Venue – Fairlie
Reception Venue – The Publishing House Bed & Breakfast
Floral Design – Romee Willow Florals
Catering – Green Spoon Kitchen
Makeup Artist – Kylie Rhew
Hair Styling – Glow Salon
Wedding Dress – Grace & Lace Bridal
Groom’s Apparel – The Black Tux 
Ceremony Streaming Service/Sound – Cage and Aquarium

 

Congratulations to Dorian and William on their Chicago micro wedding! Thank you to Cody & Allison Photography for capturing and sharing this day with us. Micro weddings are a trend that we don’t see going away anytime soon. If you’re planning on throwing a micro wedding, check out our ultimate guide to planning one and our micro wedding timelines and tips.

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Elegant Tahoe National Forest Elopement

June 16, 2021 | riley

Just a year and a half ago, elopements were considered a pretty abnormal and unique wedding style. That changed thanks to the pandemic, and now more couples are opting to tie the knot in intimate ceremonies than ever. We couldn’t be happier to be seeing more elopements than ever. The changes in opinion about elopements opened the door to every couple unsure about whether to elope or throw an elaborate party. When it came time to plan their own wedding, Hannah and Trevor knew they wanted to say “I do” with just a few of their closest family members. Their dreams of an epic outdoor elopement began.

The couple–along with their pup–hiked to Upper Sardine Lake, where they exchanged vows before capturing forest portraits with photographer Elsa Boscarello. And although we’ve seen our fair share of weddings, we’ve never seen the “reception in a bag” that they put together for their guests. There’s no better way to celebrate than with mini champagne bottles, cupcakes, and In N’ Out fast food.

Not sure if an elopement is right for you? You’ll be sold once you see these beautiful photos!

The Couple:

Hannah and Trevor

The Wedding:

Sardine Lakes, Sierra City, California

A Memorable Sprained Knee

Aside from Hannah spraining her knee on the rocks, the most memorable part of the day was getting dressed behind a tree just off-trail! We were lucky the day was so cold so very few people were hiking in the area. It gave us enough time to have a moment of semi-privacy.

Why A Tahoe National Forest Elopement

The single most important factor that dictated the shape of our wedding was having Hannah’s sister, brother, and sister-in-law safely attend as witnesses, so we knew we wanted to be in a secluded outdoor area. Being avid hikers, we looked straight to the mountains and let the natural beauty of the Sierras be the backdrop of our ceremony. Sardine Lake stuck out as being on public lands, and the short one-mile hike to the upper lake was a bonus. We couldn’t wait to drag our guests on a hike for our elopement. It was the perfect mix of accessible, secluded, and adventurous.

Wedding Advice From The Groom

Spend time thinking deeply about what you need from your wedding. When everything is taken off the table and you can only bring back a few core pieces, you’ll be surprised by what stays and what goes. We hope that couples in the near future will be able to do this by choice rather than necessity. The practice of starting from a “minimum viable wedding” can be freeing.

A Unique Wedding Favor 

We built a “reception in a bag” for our guests, since we didn’t have an in-person reception. The bags included mini champagne bottles, our favorite cupcakes, cake sparklers, a custom coaster, and an In-N-Out gift card so we could still treat everyone to dinner, drinks, and dessert!

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Elsa Boscarello
Venue – Upper Sardine Lake
Floral Design – The Little Flower Shop
Cake – Miette
Wedding Dress – BHLDN
Groom’s Apparel – Indochino
Rings – Shirlee Grund

 

Congratulations again to Hannah and Trevor on their elegant Tahoe National Forest elopement! We’re so thankful that Elsa Boscarello LLC was there to capture the intimacy of the day. To make sure you’ve got all the boxes checked for your own elopement, check out the ultimate elopement planning checklist!

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Rainy Day Government Cove Elopement

June 15, 2021 | Junebug Weddings

Ever heard of the superstition that “rain on your wedding day is good luck?” Well this Government Cove elopement should be proof enough that rain on your wedding day is gorgeous regardless! Amber and Monty—two outdoorsy lovers—grabbed their boots and trekked the mountains to exchange their vows in the most scenic way possible. And Amber didn’t let the weather or hike stop her from rocking a stunning polka dot gown. 

Not only were the views stunning, but when the rain came down, Amber and Monty snuggled close, grabbed their clear umbrellas, and took time to enjoy being married. Adventure-seekers, this one’s for you. Scroll down to see how Five Fox’s Photography captured this stunning elopement.

The Couple:

Amber and Monty

The Wedding:

Government Cove, Oregon, USA

Staying In The Moment

I would say we are most proud of just being in the moment together. We wanted to do an elopement-style wedding because we wanted simplicity and aren’t really into flashy moments!

Shop Similar Umbrellas: clear bubble umbrella ($18.99); clear umbrella ($20.80); clear dome umbrella ($30)

Rain Storm And Snuggles

The most memorable part of the day for us was when we got caught in a crazy rainstorm! Hiding under those beautiful sheer umbrellas we were able to snuggle in close and laugh and watch the rain. It was pure love at that moment.

Stay True To What You Want

My advice is to stay true to what you really want and don’t allow anyone else to steer you away from that! This is your big day and you deserve to look back and have everything you ever wanted.

Why A Government Cove Elopement?

We chose our location because we both love the outdoors and felt that this area had everything we loved between the mountains and the river. There was lush green grass and a little bit of leftover snow that made it the perfect location.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Five Fox’s Photography
Floral Design – Caroline Reusen
Wedding Dress – Utah Gown Rentals

 

Congratulations to Amber and Monty on their Government Cove elopement! Thank you to Five Fox’s Photography for both capturing and sharing this day with us. Thinking about planning your own adventure elopement? We don’t blame you. Here are four reasons to elope and our ultimate elopement planning guide to get you started. 

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