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London House Bachelorette Hotel

Chicago Bachelorette Party

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Chicago Bachelorette Party

The city of Chicago has endless options when it comes to planning your bachelorette party. We highly recommend you have your bachelorette party in Chicago! Because the city feels like a destination but is close to home, you avoid the price tag of traveling. Your bridesmaids will thank you profusely when they don’t have to take up their allotted days off from work, or the expensive travel costs that come with a destination bachelorette party. We promise if you choose any of these bachelorette party ideas you won’t miss traveling at all! Are you ready to plan your Chicago Bachelorette Party? We’ve got you covered!

Let’s begin with where to stay!

As we mentioned, staying local means fewer days of hotel costs and fewer days off work. It’s a financial win only having to book one night at a hotel. There are so many great hotels in Chicago to relax in after your fun day and night out! Some favorites are:

  • LondonHouse Chicago is a river-front hotel. It is modern and glamorous in style. This Mag Mile location is a convenient walking or short ride-sharing distance to many attractions. The rooftop bar (and views) are to die for, not to mention the spa and other package options.
  • Ivy Hotel Chicago feels like home, but the home in your city-living dreams! The look of this hotel is sleek and luxurious. With its Mag Mile location, it is also perfect for walking or short ride-sharing to many restaurants and attractions.
  • Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel is right outside the Chicago Theatre District while also being steps away from River North and the Chicago Riverwalk! Talk about the perfect location! The hotel has a contemporary look, with the added Chicago perk of a rooftop! They also have a great indoor pool perfect for relaxing with your friends the next day.
  • The Blackstone is right across the street from Grant Park on S. Michigan Ave. Its vintage, luxury style is sure to make your bachelorette party one to remember. They have great bar and restaurant recommendations all within walking distance! Stylish and a great location? Win!

Where to eat dinner, you ask? The options are endless!

The privilege of being so close to a world-class city is the huge range of culinary styles! Whether you’re looking for gourmet healthy fare or legendary Chicago Pizza, there is something for you! Here are a few of our favorites:

  • True Food Kitchen is perfect if your bridal party has any dietary restrictions or is focused on wellness! The healthy food, mocktails, and cocktails are beautiful and delicious! You won’t regret keeping this one on your list!
  • Gino’s East is the perfect pre-partying restaurant! Its atmosphere is super casual, with its legendary writing on the walls. Literally, you can write on the walls. Aside from the chill atmosphere, the legendary Chicago Deep Dish Pizza is amazing. If you have any out-of-town bridesmaids, this is a down-to-earth Chicago experience for them!
  • Carnivale Restaurant is the perfect restaurant if your group wants to start the evening off with a bang! The Latin menu is absolutely delicious and unique! They also have an extensive drink menu sure to get the party started. This restaurant touts a fun experience with authentic Latin artwork and dancers! We think it’s perfect for a lively bachelorette party!

Fun options all night long!

Chicago has a great nightlife! While there are so many great bars to go bar-hopping at we have narrowed down some of the most renowned experiences. A great night is guaranteed!

  • Howl at the Moon Chicago is an amazing dueling pianos bar! Belt out your favorite songs with your best girls and have fun dancing to all the hits you can request! Great music is a given at Howl at the Moon, but they also have Bachelorette Party packages! Being one of the more popular nightlife options, we highly recommend their “Jump the Line” package so you and your bridal party will definitely get in and not have to wait outside in line in the probably cold Chicago weather!
  • If dancing isn’t your thing, Chicago is well-known for their comedy shows! What’s more fun at a bachelorette party than laughing with your best friends? You’ve likely heard of Chicago referred to as “The Second City” but there is of course the iconic comedy club “The Second City” where you will love their talented comedians and some great drinks to go with it! If you want to continue the party afterward, the Old Town neighborhood in Chicago has so many great restaurants and bars too!
  • The Underground Chicago is a well-known nightclub. Its city dance club vibe, conveniently in River North, is perfect for the dancing queens in your bachelorette party, and if you’re a night owl! The neon lights and great DJs are sure to keep you dancing all night long! A fun bonus is it’s frequented by celebrities and professional athletes! They also have bottle service and a VIP area if you’re feeling fancy!

In short, you will have the best bachelorette party!

Because Chicago is a world-class city, we could go on and on about the endless options for your Chicago Bachelorette Party! We hope these ideas spark your excitement to have your bachelorette party right here in Chicago! With so much to offer, you’ll be so glad you had your bachelorette party in the Windy City! Are you planning your Chicago Bachelorette Party? We’d love to hear about it! Email your bachelorette party plans and photos to hello@Chicagoweddingblog.com. Happy Planning! For more wedding planning tips and inspiration check out more Chicago Wedding Blog posts below.

Texture Wedding Initation

Add Texture To Your Wedding

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Add Texture To Your Wedding Day

This week we’re talking about how to add texture to your wedding. What does that mean? Texture entails layering different shapes, patterns, & materials together. Not only does adding texture add beauty to your wedding day, it also adds a personal touch to your decor. You can add texture to your wedding day in many different aspects!

First, we look at your wedding invitations.

Adding texture to your wedding invitations gives it a more personal vibe. Are you going for trendy? Add metallic lettering or copper foil for that extra edge. Do you want it to be more romantic? You could use a deckle edge or lace on the invite. Add cloth or ribbon to your stationery to tie into the fabrics or ribbons you are using in your wedding. Add twine around your invitation to create unique dimension. Texture also applies to the type of paper you choose. You can use thick parchment for an old world feel, or acrylic for a modern touch.

Another way to add dimension to your wedding is your wedding guests’ tablescapes!

We love gauzy, romantic runners and bursting floral wedding decor. You can have a wide range of texture experiments with your wedding tablescapes. Keep in mind, big floral designs can overshadow some of the smaller textures. Because of this, we recommend you just pick three colors or materials. Choose from metal accents, wood details, flowers, runners, paper and fabric to create your unique tablescape. Texture can add that certain sparkle that you’re looking for in an invitation or tablescape. Adding texture gives you creative license to customize how you’d like your big day to look and feel.

The most obvious way to add shape and materials to your wedding day is your bouquets.

Nowadays the more texture, the better when it comes to your wedding flowers! The endless options of greenery, succulents, & flowers make it easy to add texture to this aspect of your wedding. If you’d like to follow the velvet trend of this year, you could even wrap the stems of your bouquets in a soft velvet.

Another way to add dimension and personal touches to your wedding day is varying the styles of your bridesmaids dresses.

Having your bridesmaids wear various dress styles adds dimension to your wedding photos and day. When your bridesmaids dresses are carefully coordinated to be different, yet cohesive you can rest assured you will not have a mismatched wedding. This will look beautiful visually and make your bridesmaids happier by because they can choose a personal style they feel comfortable in.

For more wedding planning and wedding advice, check out the blog posts from Chicago Wedding Blog below. Did you add texture to your wedding decor? We would love to see! E-mail your photos, with credited vendors, to be one of our “Featured Weddings” to hello@chicagoweddingblog.com.

The Wedding Diet

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The Wedding Diet

So you’ve got the groom, save the dates and started to look into venues and vendors. What next? For most brides, it’s a wedding diet. Many women are not happy with their bodies, but that doesn’t have to be you! The wedding diet isn’t a fad or quick fix. What we propose is almost a life style change if you’re willing.

Everyone knows that staying hydrated is key to any diet and healthy lifestyle. On a wedding diet that still holds true as well. We recommend eight glasses of eight ounces of water a day. You may need more or less depending on the exercise routine you plan to follow. A wedding diet isn’t just a quick fix, it’s a life change. Staying hydrated will also improve your general mood because when you’re hydrated you are able to think clearly and focus on those little wedding details. If you can’t stand plain water think about adding sugar free mixes, fruits or veggies to give it a splash of flavor!

Another key to the wedding diet is avoiding processed foods. This means anything in a box, package and of course fast food. We think it’s fine to indulge once in a while, but on a wedding diet you can and should be pretty strict. Just think about how the results will make you so happy you stuck with it. You also may find once you avoid these foods it’ll become easier to do and you’ll make it a life style change.

The next thing to keep in mind while on a wedding diet is to limit your sugar intake. You should be sure to look at labels now! You’d be surprised by how much added sugar things have in them – yogurt and cereal are culprits that people don’t realize have a lot of sugar. It might be hard to avoid sugar right now, but just think of the delicious cake you’ll eat on your wedding day! Keeping your diet simple is also key. You can pick up easy foods like vegetables and fruits and have them readily available so you don’t reach for chips or cookies instead.

Another possible hard thing to eliminate, at least while you’re on a wedding diet, is alcohol. We suggest limiting your intake to less than 7 drinks a week if you can. You can let loose on the big day if you’d like! Alcohol dehydrates you more than you think.

The best thing about a wedding diet is you CAN have a cheat meal once in a while – not a cheat day – but give yourself permission to eat something you really want once a week or once every other week.

Airbnb Wedding

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If you’re looking for a non-traditional venue, why not check out an Airbnb wedding venue? If you have any experience traveling and staying in Airbnb’s then you know not all are created equal. You’ll have to do some hard ground work before you decide, but an Airbnb wedding just might have the special pizzazz you want for your big day!

Photo by Airbnb Popsugar

The pro’s for an Airbnb wedding are that you can find virtually any place you want. Have you always dreamed of walking down the aisle with a towering mansion and fountain gardens in the back ground? That can be found. The cons here are that it is a private property and there may be limitations that other public venues wouldn’t have. Be sure to read fine print and communicate with the host. Some venues say “no parties or events” and it couldn’t hurt to ask if they’d make an exception for your wedding day.

Photo by Airbnb Huff Post

Another pro for an Airbnb wedding is it may cost less than a traditional venue. It could cost a few hundred a night versus thousands for another venue. The con here is that it probably won’t have amenities like chairs, tables, linens and servers. That needs to factor in your budget when you pick an Airbnb space. In addition to this you’ll need to make sure there are enough parking space and accommodations for everyone you want there.

Photo by Ashley Stone

Lastly, a pro to choosing an Airbnb wedding is that your guests may be able to stay on the premises overnight. This makes it easy for everyone to gather and could be even more fun the following morning! Staying together in an Airbnb creates an intimate and cozy atmosphere. This is versus a large venue where everyone has to leave at the end of the night. If you’re looking for a smaller, more personal wedding day then this is an option to consider. A con for having everyone being in the same place could be that the owner will want you to get insurance or liability waivers. This extra cost may or may not be worth it to you.

Wedding Dress Trends

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It’s a new year and new trends emerge. We’re taking a look at some wedding dress trends!

Bows! This year we’re seeing the wedding dress trend go towards statement bows. These huge pieces can be used on the back of trains, loops on straps or accents. You could also use the bows on your bridesmaid’s dresses. Bows can also define a waistline or draw attention to areas of your body you’d like more attention to.

Photo by Martha Stewart Weddings 

Another trend we’re seeing is geometric shapes on wedding dresses. Shapes and cut out shapes can create a sleek and elegant outline you want. Geometric shapes on dresses are also a great way to draw the eye where you want it go.

Photo by CoutureLace

The next trend is very “girly” but if you’re into glitz and sparkle this one is for you! Glitter. This year we’re seeing wedding dresses utilize the sparkly stuff all over and it can literally help you light up the room. Glitter on your wedding dress will catch the light beautifully. If you don’t want an entire dress full of glitter you can just do a light dusting, or have a few places accented with it.

Photo by the Crystal Room

No matter what wedding dress trend you pick, you’re sure to glow on your big day!

Recycle Wedding Items

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You’ve spent a lot of money on your wedding, but how do you get the most out of the leftovers? We have some creative ways for you to feel like you haven’t wasted your time and money by recycling wedding items!

Read more

Popular Wedding Ideas

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Popular Wedding Ideas

It’s getting to be near the end of the year, but we’re still hot on the trail of fun and popular wedding ideas. In 2018 we’ve seen a lot of technology free weddings or more simple settings.

One of the 2018 trends we love is the foregoing the favors. You can imagine on top of wedding cost the favors given to guests can add up. We love the idea that instead of small trinkets like cigars, chocolates or flowers. More and more couples are opting to spend funds on a live band or late night snack bar to make up for no favors. Plus, what do you really do with the favors from a wedding? They usually just get thrown out or eaten. A great memory lasts a lot longer than chocolate!

Going along with the no favors, more weddings are incorporating unique entertainment for their guests. Not just a live band. Couples can tailor the entertainment to their likes such as belly dancers, comedians, tarot card readers or even theatrical performances. The wedding reception is a place where awesome memories are created and a lot of fun! Instead of a photo booth your guests will not soon forget.

Another fun wedding idea we’re seeing this year is a first look that includes more than just your partner! What a fun way to capture the moment for all the most important people in your life. Perhaps your grandma or grandpa can’t make it to the wedding or stay for the whole thing – a first look gives them ample time to celebrate with you without the time constraints or having to stand so long. It’s also a way to make it more special for your bridal party who have put so much time and expense into being in your wedding! They get the first glimpse of the happy couple and share in your big day in an intimate way.

 

Wedding Planning Checklist

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You’ve got the groom, the dress and the bridal party, but is it that simple? We’re here with a big wedding planning checklist so you don’t forget anything.

Most usual engagements are at least a year long. You may be in a spot where you only have a few months to plan or over a year. You can make the wedding planning time less stressful no matter your timeline if you make checklists!

Let’s plan on a 12 month long engagement. The first list on your wedding planning checklist needs to be budget. How much do you want to spend on your wedding? Keep in mind unforeseen costs too and what are you willing to compromise on? Who is paying for the wedding? It’s usually a tradition for the bride’s family to pay, but these days it’s more common for the groom’s family to cover some cost as well. At this point in time, you also will want to make a guest list. This can get tricky with everyone wanted everyone involved so be sure to make your wishes clear.

10 months out you’ll want to start the fun of wedding dress shopping and venue selecting! You may fall in love with the first dress you try on but keep an open mind. Sometimes what you envision doesn’t quite match up to how it looks actually on you. You will want to start looking at invitations and take engagement photos if you want. We’ve put together a wedding planning checklist to keep things easy:

  1. Book hotel rooms/blocks for guests
  2. Send out save the dates around 9 months before the big day
  3. Buy wedding dress
  4. Register for gifts
  5. Select bridesmaid’s dresses
  6. Meet with florist and other rental accessories
  7. Book rehearsal dinner venue
  8. Hire musicians/DJ for reception
  9. Hire Officiant
  10. Book the honeymoon, guest transportation and your own transportation on the wedding day
  11. Buy/rent the tuxedoes
  12. Choose your cake
  13. Buy wedding bands
  14. Hair and makeup trial
  15. Select groomsmen’s attire
  16. Brainstorm guest favors
  17. Select readings (from any religious texts you may want in the ceremony)
  18. Meet with Officiant and invite them to rehearsal dinner
  19. Send out wedding invitations and/or rehearsal dinner invitations
  20. Dress fitting
  21. Marriage license

These are only a few of the myriad of things you’ll want to keep track of. You may find it helpful to hire a wedding planner to help keep everything on track! No matter what, enjoy your wedding day because you’ve certainly worked hard enough planning it!

Unplugged Wedding

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In today’s social media craze it’s hard to put that phone away, but you may consider it for your wedding. There are several ways even the best-intentioned friend can ruin the big day. They may forget to put their phone on silent (that includes no buzzing), obstructing the professional photographer’s view at the peril of taking and posting their own blurry, inadequate pictures on social media.

There are a few ways you can help your guests get “unplugged” for your ceremony. The reception is a better time for guests to be on their phones.

You may have your officiant greet guests and kindly remind them to turn off their phones before the ceremony starts. You could also kindly say that you’d prefer them to enjoy the moment instead of trying to capture it on film – that is what the professionals are there for. If you’re concerned that the photographer or videographer won’t get all the angles and if so, then consider hiring a team of two or three.

It might also be a good idea to remind guests to unplug with signs before they enter the ceremony site or on your wedding website. It is not proper etiquette to print it on the invitation. You also want to avoid confiscating phones. That sends a negative message to your loved ones and it creates more problems than it solves. You may also offer an “altar photo op”. During the ceremony, the bride and groom can turn to face the audience. At that time, you may invite them to take pictures and then put their phones away for the remainder.

An unplugged wedding is a simple way to enjoy the day and not worry about people crowding each other or getting in the way. It might also take the pressure off your guests or family as well. They can relax and have the memory captured for them by professionals.

 

First Look

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We discuss today the pros and cons of having a First Look on your wedding day! Most brides don’t let the groom see their dress until the wedding day. Some brides like to let their groom see them just before the ceremony for a great, intimate moment together before they walk down the aisle.

The Pros of having a first look:

  1. If you or your husband to be are feeling nervous before the big reveal it’s nice to have the first look to reassure each other. Not only will the photographer capture real moments, but it’s a great way to spend a little time just the two of you. You can take time to truly connect before the chaos of the celebration.
  2. The time of day can also impact your decision to have a first look. If you’re getting married in the winter the light fades pretty early. So, having a first look earlier ensures you can use natural light for great photos.
  3. Another reason is just practical. A first look gives you time to get those pictures out of the way so you can get to the cocktail hour and reception sooner.

 

The Cons of having a first look:

  1. If you are a traditional couple that can be the only reason needed to skip it. If you want the magic of the moment when you’re walking down the aisle that’s not a problem.
  2. Timing can be an issue as a con as well. If you get married earlier in the day then that means your time table will need to be pushed up as well. You may have to get ready earlier and that also possibly means your bridal party may have to get ready too. Some brides include their party after the first look too
  3.  It’s not as private as you think. The photographer and assistants or videographer may be far away, but they’re still there to capture the moment. If you’re camera shy you may not get the genuine moment you want.