Sarah reached out, telling me her brother sent her my way. (Shoutout to Nate! I love that almost 14 years later –woof! that’s wild to say– we’re still supporting each other’s arts!) Sarah and Aaron were planning an intimate wedding with just their closest friends and family, all taking place at a B&B in Chicago’s West Loop. It sounded like a dream, and it absolutely was.
I remember when Aaron + Sarah had their initial meeting, Sarah brought up the question “what if there’s bad weather?” referring to the fact that their wedding would be taking place in the middle of winter. I assured her that I would make sure I’m there, even if I have to drive 5MPH the whole way down from Milwaukee. In the back of my mind thinking to myself “winters have been so mild, the chances of a snowstorm happening that weekend is so slim. It’s not going to happen” Boy was I wrong!
The week before their wedding Milwaukee was supposed to get slammed with 12″+ of snow, that “snow storm” came and went and we got maybe 2″. So then there starts being talk that we might get snow on Saturday, but the chances were slim…. all the sudden I wake up Friday, the day before the wedding, and we got dumped on. My friends in Chicagoland were showing even more snow than we got in Milwaukee. I started a mild panic. Plan A had been just to leave super early, but the snow wasn’t supposed to stop until Noon the day of the wedding. I started reaching out to friends in Chicago to see if anyone was available to be on call. As the day went on and it was clear that the snow wasn’t going to stop, I made the decision to snag a hotel. I found a hotel, booked a room for Friday and Saturday night, immediately packed all my things and hit the snowy trail down to Chicago. (Don’t worry, I had the full midwest prep setup, blankets, water, snacks, a shovel, etc.) It ended up being the best choice. I’m not sure how bad the roads were Saturday morning, but regardless, the peace of mind was priceless. A quick 5-10 minute schlep over to the venue, it was negative windchill, but inside it was just about the coziest place you could wish to be!
Venue: The Publishing House Bed + Breakfast | Hair & Makeup: Bianca Sansosti Artistry | Florist: May Floral Design | Catering & Cake: Northern Fork | Dress: The Alter Bridal via Michelle Bridal | Alterations: Ellen Veli Atelier & Alteration | Crown: Jennifer Behr | Bride’s Shoes: Dolce Vita | Groom’s Suit: StudioSuits | Groom’s Tie & Pocket Square: The Tie Bar | Signature Drink Sign: CustomPetPortraits | Paper Goods: Minted
