The Brides’s Choice Event hosted by Room 1520 invited designers, paired with planners, to create unique and inspirational settings, ultimately voted upon by the brides themselves. Our design team at Art of Imagination was paired with our dear friend Anthony Navarro of Liven It Up Events. Our space to create was the bridal Head Table. Since Room 1520 is a clean, white canvas, we created an urban outdoor setting bringing nature indoors, with the added essences of chic enchantment.

Birch trees that Art of Imagination often uses, framed the couple and brought in a Spring-like color when we added the cherry blossoms and other pink flowers. The elegant, white voile fabric added an airy lightness, while the diffused white light behind provided the sunny happiness.  The essence of enchantment was a subtle touch, accomplished using a projection of crystal white water waves. The magical ambiance could be felt immediately. To ground this etherial setting, we incorporated one of our grandiose chandeliers with hanging crystals.

In collaboration with Liven It Up Events, Windy City Linen, and Tablescapes our designers personally selected the glassware, flatware, tableware, and other couture rentals that brought the whole tablescape together. Deborah customized the fold on the luxury napkins to include tiny details inspired by the glassware, china, and florals. She tied each with fresh greenery and accented with a galax formed flower nestled inside. Speaking of flowers, Deborah and Anthony both ventured to the wholesale florist to choose the Spring favorites that completed the look. From magnolia tips to seeded eucalyptus, galax leaves were selected, as well as the lovely and vividly fuchsia agonis. Fresh greenery was displayed throughout, from the accents in the small black basket at each place setting (repurposed from Deborah‘s Flower and Garden Show set-up) to the bountiful garland edging the table, beautifully placed and fluffed by Anthony.

The vintage farmwood table is a repurposed piece of furniture from Art of Imagination‘s personal collection, as well as the damask dining chairs. The gorgeous, charcoal studded bench was on loan from Platinum Events and give a unique options to our newlyweds for their sweetheart table seating.

All in all, the challenge was enjoyed by our entire team and it was so much fun collaborating with our fellow industry friends to create this whimsical outdoor/indoor setting. And, as the cherry on top, our beautiful head-table setting won the event’s competition! We are blessed and so grateful to be designated as the Bride’s Choice! Thank you to everyone involved in the makings of this luxurious setting, the event itself and everyone on our Art of Imagination staff. Can’t wait to see what next year will bring!

Loving this video of Justin and his smooth dance moves. Payal’s new husband lit up the dance floor in her honor to the tune of Michael Jackson. You just have to watch it for yourself.

Our creative juices are bubbling over as we think of all the artistic talents that are going to be in one room. Our friends at Natural Beauties Floral and the amazing Reenie Rose are hosting a unique one-of-a-kind event at Room 1520 (in the West Loop) in just a few weeks. By pairing artists and floral designers together, watch as petals meet canvas in this showcase event.

From the Invite:

FORM: ART + Floral

The only event of its kind in the Chicago area, FORM pairs florists with artists to create an inspired arrangement that reflects a collaboration between two distinct and creative fields. Browse the gallery while enjoying hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and music. This year’s fundraising efforts will go to support Snow City Arts, a Chicago non-profit organization that provides arts education to children in hospitals (snowcityarts.org). A $10 donation is requested. April 9th. 6-9pm. At Room 1520, 301 N. Justine St., 312.846.6297 www.facebook.com/formevent

IndieWed 2014 was beautiful. The annual bridal event took place in the vintage Ravenswood Art Center earlier this year. Partnering with Naturally Yours Events and other fabulous Chicago talents, we transformed the 3rd floor space into a vaudeville-inspired carnival with a lounge area.

The theatrical lounge area, appropriately entitled Cirque de L’Amour, wasn’t complete with a sweeping red curtain and performance area. As a creative touch, our designers incorporated floating parasols from Bella Umbrella of different patterns in front of the floor to ceiling industrial windows.

See more great photos from this lounge at Naturally Yours Events blog!

It was so much fun participating in the Green Wedding Alliance’s wedding expo, Committed. We love supporting our environment and doing everything we to recycle and make as small of a carbon footprint as possible. Our Art of Imagination staff had a great time meeting so many like-minded couples at the Greenhouse Loft in February.

Our fellow green wedding partners really brought their a-game. The details and trends that they showcased took our breathe away. Here’s a few of the great photos featuring their amazing talents, by Tuan H. Bui Photography.

So many of our brides at Art of Imagination have a whimsical yet earthy wishlist for their wedding day. The ideal style for them would be a Rustic Elegance, the perfect combination of strong neutrals, worn metals, and flowing florals.

Everything starts with the dress! Jenny Yoo’s 2014 bridal collection includes many dresses that we absolutely love, yet the Vionnet dress couldn’t be more perfect for our Rustic Elegance theme. With lace cap sleeves, the dress features a V-neckline and a V-back in a unique Ivory lace with gold threading for a romantic and vintage look. A gold ribbon and detachable brooch pin sits at the natural waist adding detail to the dress. The skirt is fitted though the hips and then leads to a full skirt made of Tulle and Organza adding volume.

Adding to the ethereal theme, a crown of sweet flowers with an abundant bouquet of greens and ivories were provided by Juliet Tan Florals. Our bride is standing in front of a unique wedding structure designed by Deborah and her team. The woodsy arch features mini white lights and a small window pane hanging just behind. The picture perfect setting transforms from ceremony to reception as a place for photo ops (including a rustic bench from Tablescapes Party Rental) or a background setting for an intimate sweetheart table.

As we mentioned earlier, rustic and worn metals compliment the theme and our designers created these beautiful moss-filled votives as accent pieces than could be placed throughout your event. Floral linen is another big trend for 2014. If a full table linen is too much for you, accent a place card table or gift table with a table runner in a muted tone-on-tone pattern.

Bling, glitter, and poofy dresses do not make a princess. Today’s princess bride is fashioned in a more regal way, as opposed to diva. The look of royalty starts with the dress! Our friends at Jenny Yoo recently debuted their 2014 line and this Magnolia dress immediately caught our attention. The winter white color and crystal embroidered tulle flowing over the chiffon was breathtaking. It was as if our fairy Godmother herself picked it out.

For our recent segment on WGN Midday News where we showcased our 2014 Wedding Trends, we used fishline to display the magical dress as if butterflies were brining it to the beautiful bride on her wedding day. Next to the dress, we displayed our princess’ beautiful bouquet. Juliet Tan Florals created the floral spectacle with a touch of crystal and pearls amongst beautiful ivory flowers. Juliet even created an embellishment on the bouquet’s handle, which could easily be swapped out for personal family heirloom.

Deborah, and her Art of Imagination designers teamed up with Tablescapes Party Rental to create a sparkling table setting, ideal for a royal event. The golden chairs with the ivory and metallic linen add a warm romance to a room due to the soft color palette. The team also added height by placing enchanted candelabras to anchor the tabletop, and a delicate yet bountiful centerpiece by Juliet Tan Florals.

The regal setting and fairytale gown is a perfect fit for our princess bride and her guests.  Chicago has many event venues to accent this look, including The Stan Mansion located in the The Historical Logan Square. If this bridal style is just what you are looking for, reach out to our designers and venue specialists today to begin planning your own royal wedding.

Our team of designers absolutely love styling photo shoots. The creativity and opportunity to stretch our imaginations is at it’s highest when we get to work with so many of our friends. We were honored to be asked to contribute to the photo shoot at Stan Mansion for Wedding Guide Chicago.

It was such a beautiful day with a beautiful team of vendors. Each vendor brought their A’game and surpassed expectations to make the entire photo shoot breathtaking. The vision was Reflections in Black:

Designed with the formality and timelessness of ‘black tie’ in mind. We created a classic but contemporary ambiance that will work or any venue, any season and any color palette by changing the florals.

The vendor team included: DBY invitations & events, Elysia Root Cakes, Stan Mansion, Wedding Connections, M&M Special Events, Windy City Linens, Phillip’s Flowers, and, of course, these beautiful images were taken by Lemon Twist Images.

For more images and the full coverage, check out Wedding Guide Chicago’s Winter/Spring 2014 issue, on shelves now. Or simply click here to see their online coverage!

The beautiful partyscape included more than just a table set-up, we also set up a beautiful VIP lounge area in one of the wings of Stan Mansion. Our designer team added ambient uplighting with glimmers and sparkles to add a touch of bling to the black decadence.

Holiday parties are a festive way to celebrate your employees and all of their hard work throughout the year. To complete your celebration, it’s always fun to incorporate your branding into the design and decor of the event. For this particular event at Chicago’s House of Blues, we added the company’s logo within the dramatic lighting with the use of gobo lights. For an added touch, we lit up the bar and added their logo to the front.

Guests walked through the venue’s multiple rooms, each distinct yet cohesive with the coloring and table decor. To celebrate the winter season, we added snowflake light patterns throughout the dining area where guests enjoyed special musical guest, John Mayer. It was a magical night for all!

Room 1520 is a blank canvas unlike any other venue in Chicago. The opportunity to work creatively is endless with colors, fabrics, spacial design, furniture… we have even added textured and patterned walls and floors with the use of decals. With so many possibilities we chose a few of our favorites for your inspiration!

Metallics

gold and steel

A Happy Place

sky blues with a little coral

Romantic Palette

reds and pinks

Luxurious & Swanky

blush tones

Fairytale

soft blues with a little pink

These color palettes were made with the help of ChipIt! by Sherwin Williams.

So many of our events take place inside, yet it’s so much fun when we get to take our decor outside and enjoy nature.  To celebrate Fall, Ignite Glass Studio hosted a Fall Festival and it just happened to take place on the most perfect fall day. They featured many of their artisans and beautiful glass pumpkins. Kids had a blast making their very own glass sculptures as they enjoyed fabulous treats from local food trucks.

Our design team brought in comfortable outdoor furniture and provided spacial design to create a flow for the guests. With multiple vendor tables, live musicians, glass blowing workshops, and a rooftop beer garden, the entire event was a family affair celebrating the beauty of autumn. Here’s a couple of photos provided by Heather Ahrens.

Belinda & Phyllis’ civil union at Centered Chef was unique in so many ways. The Buddhist ceremony included florals from Fab Floral that were all living, never cut.  To celebrate life, each guest took home the centerpieces with notecards describing how to care for their succulent and how to nurture the life to bloom. The couple invited their guests to be an integral part of the day. Multiple friends and family members were invited to speak during their ceremony. Guests also participated in interactive cooking demonstrations, from mocktails to crepes.

The simple and elegant design of the space added to the couple’s simplicity. Our designers used soft ivory fabric with amber lighting to create a focal area for the ceremony. The light emoting from the structure created the spiritual energy that the ladies were looking for. These fabulous photos were taken and provided by Liesl Diesel Photo.

Over the years we develop friendships that are as strong as family ties. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday time, we often want to share it with our friends. Friendsgiving is the new term for this fun and festive dinner party. It’s a more casual environment, unlike the stereotypical family dinners that may be filled with a lot of emotions and stress.

Get creative with the table decor by combining vintage and modern plates with a few untailored DIY crafts. Use your Grandmother’s plates, that were handed down to you or even stop at at resale shop, like the Brown Elephant, and pick up some old vintage pieces where proceeds goes to a specific foundation. A table runner can easily be made from fabric remnants from your local fabric store. I selected a burlap fabric and just cut it down to size.

For the centerpiece, display a collection of pumpkins and branches with fall leaves that you can get from a local nursery or even your backyard. As a showstopper, I used hand-blown glass pumpkins that we made at a local glass blowing studio, Ignite Gallery….FUN! Then don’t forget candles, candles and more candles … your guests will love the intimate feel that they create.

On the buffet/beverage table I placed large tree branches in a glass vase. Paper leaf cutouts were available, and we asked each guest to write what they were grateful for this season. The cutouts were then tied onto the tree branches with raffa.

For the beverages, I went to a local brewery and selected some of the group’s favorite. If you are adventurous you can even brew your own. Have you friends bring their favorite side dishes that they love along with the recipes written on index cards. The turkey is key and the host(ess) of the dinner can create their own secret recipe especially with the stuffing. I love food network and always try new recipes…the question this year is to brine or not to the turkey.

It’s always fun to add some craft projects…I had soy, hand-poured candles that I picked up and went to a boutique paper store and purchased colored vellum, printed the letters T-H-A-N-K-S and cut it to size and tape to the cylinders….voila a nice centerpiece on my fireplace.

This photo shoot where we displayed ideas and suggestions for you was set at the beautiful urban venue Loft on Lake in the West Loop Chicago and all the photos taken by Steve Garrett from Lofty Weddings. Please see our list below for other vendors that helped put this look together with their special items.

Have a Great Friendsgiving and if you need any guidance or suggestion fell free to email us at info@artofimagination.com and I would be happy to help.

Style and Design: Art of Imagination
Platters: Nimblewell
Plates, glassware & silverware: Vintage Rentals
Handblown pumpkins: Ignite Glass Studios
Tables & chairs: Tablescapes
Table linens: Private Label
Beautiful venue: Loft On Lake
Photography: Lofty Weddings

We are so grateful to have another beautiful bride featured on Style Me Pretty this week. The lovely images of the wedding were submitted by Robyn Rachel Photography and took place at The Ivy Room in Chicago, IL. Here’s a snippet from Style Me Pretty‘s post, these words come from the bride herself:

Whenever my husband and I get asked how we met we always laugh and respond “it’s a long story.” The story is we met 8 years ago on a college spring break trip with our friends and knew right away our spring break fling was something more and that we had found the one. Our friends to this day do not let us live the story down that “what happened on spring break didn’t stay on spring break” which made for fun reminiscent rehearsal dinner toasts! I was lucky that 8 years after we met on a beach in Florida, my husband proposed to me in Chicago using my grandmother’s diamond which made it all the more special.

The feeling of our wedding that our family and friends kept describing to us was “understated elegance” and that is exactly what we were going for! We wanted a wedding that would best reflect our relationship of being timeless and traditional, but also fun loving, romantic, and something fresh. We chose to get married at the Ivy Room Chicago as it was important to both of us to have the ceremony outside, but also be located in the heart of our favorite city and home near all of the action. Our officiant was from my church in the suburbs where I have gone my whole life so even though we were not in that particular space it was nice to have a piece of it there with us that day. We absolutely loved all that the Ivy Room had to offer and tried to compliment it with soft pinks (using peonies my favorite flower) and champagne colors and focus on candles and lighting. We wanted to make sure every detail was perfect, yet at the same time did not want to get carried away with too many little things and lose sight of what we were there for. This was especially evident in our guestbook which was done by our photographer to be a book of all of our engagement photos as the pages and our guests could write messages on top of the photos. We really loved how she wanted to capture and show our personality as a couple in both our engagement and wedding photos for our love for each other, Chicago, and our friends and family.

One thing that brought my husband and I together is the importance of the people in our life. We are close with our families, but also consider our friends to be family, as you can see by our large bridal party! We didn’t want to leave out anyone out in sharing in our day, even my niece as the flower girl who had to be carried down the aisle at just 9 months old!

We were so happy when the Chicago weather cooperated and allowed us to have the perfect day! It was really meaningful to us to have so many family and friends who had come to know our relationship so well over the past 8 years be there to support and celebrate and not leave our side on the dance floor for the entire evening! Everything was absolutely perfect and we wish we could relive the weekend all over again.

She was so amazing to work with and the leaf pattern on the wall added such texture and elegance to the entire reception. Here’s just a sneak peek of these great images.

You can find the entire article from Style Me Pretty here!
You can find out more about the Ivy Room here!
You can also view our Pinterest Board from The Ivy Room here for inspirations!

Photography: Robyn Rachel Photography | Venue: The Ivy Room Chicago | Floral Design: Kathie’s Flowers | Catering: George Jewell Catering | Lighting: Art of Imagination | Band: Nick Kitsos Band | Cake:Amy Beck Cake Design | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier

Just a few weeks ago, we were part of a whimsical, DIY wedding at Architectural Artifacts. The couple was really fun and artsy and the wedding ceremony and reception was brimming with personal details and meaningful, DIY touches that really showcased their personalities for their Big Day.

Our part included using natural ivory linen fabric to soften the urban, loft-like setting of the venue. We created beautiful swags of fabric by the roll-up metal doors, blocking the back areas of the entry to create a more clean look for pictures, when the family and bride walked down the stairs. Architectural Artifacts also features a two-story atrium, where the ceremonies are held, so from ledges on the second floor we suspended dozens of Asian lanterns which created a more intimate setting for the ceremony. You’ll see the lanterns were a big hit with the guests.

We also loved the idea of terrariums lining the aisle – each sat on a square piece of wood. It was an elegant and unique touch that we haven’t seen before.

Scroll through the photos for all the whimsical details.

Inquire with the venue about your event: Architectural Artifacts.

Our work was recently part of this lovely wedding at the Zhou B Art Center. This multi-purpose building is at once one of the city’s most vibrant and artistic wedding and event venues and art gallery. The ground floor is a massive, blank canvas of a space that transforms to accomodate any event with the city’s most cutting edge art on it’s walls.

Founded by and named after the Zhou brothers, who are some of the most visible artists working today in America, the converted multi-story building also houses a cafe and several stories’ worth of artists studios where some of the city’s top and up-coming talent creates the work that hangs in the space.

This wedding had us use gobos and light with the idea of bringing a touch of the doors indoors – we hung colorful Asian lanterns and used bright orange panels of fabric at the entry to make a bold and lively statement as the guests walked in to celebrate. We had fun working on this wedding – take a look below!  

Be sure to visit venue website to learn more – be sure to schedule a tour. Zhou B Art Center.

Recently, Room 1520 hosted the 4th iteration of what’s become one of our favorite events in the industry. Titled “Flower, Flow, Flour, Fresh” the party was both fun & irreverent. That evening, over a hundred couples mixed and mingled with dozens of industry professionals who showcased the very best of all aspects of the wedding industry.

The highlight was of course the nearly a dozen bakeries who were paired with dress-makers, with each station having even more decadent and delicious treats than the last – the most interesting part was having the dresses suspended about the treat stations.

Our role was creating the lounge settings and the atmospheric decor throughout the space – we hung a luxe canopy over the central area in a gold & silver material that matched both the space and the logo for the event. At the very back of the space, we created a beautiful lounge setting with platinum fabric and gold spheres and gold detailing.

Maypole Studios was on hand to take the photos – scroll through and share your thoughts in the comments.

Art of Imagination owner, Deborah, on the far right, with Leah from Room 1520, Debi Lilly and Joshua, of Pure Kitchen Catering. 

Mercury glass was all over – as the light dimmed, it sparkled and glimmered – so very pretty! Below is the lounge setting we created for the event, with the fish-wire suspended gold wire spheres.   

Larkspur was on-hand to showcase their amazing bouquets.   

Bethany, from Maypole Studios, goofing around with Mina Lee of Swan Events, Joshua from Pure Kitchen Catering and June, of Room 1520.Another fun shot – they’re clearly having a blast! Kudos to all the vendors who were a part of event. From the top of our head – here are some of the vendors that participated – be sure to check them out.

Debi Lilly  |  Pure Kitchen  |  Baked  |  St. Germain  |  Room 1520  |  Shutterbooth  |  Maypole Photography  |  Larkspur  | Chicago Earth  |  SpeedPro Chicago

We were recently a part of a posh birthday celebration at Room 1520, subtitled “Faithful, Fit & Fabulous” – the event was thrown in honor of a very special lady who was celebrating her 50th birthday with all her closest friends and family.

For the event, we washed Room 1520 with a beautiful, light shade of green. We used various shades of gold and brown to create accents throughout the space. We even created VIP lounge areas for her guests to mix and mingle – one right next to the photobooth to the left of the stairs by the entry, and another at the far end of the space, next to the band, with a huge swag of fabric overhead and a dozen of hanging crystal votives, which created a big focal point for the entire space. Over the dance floor, we hung an overhead swag in a matching gold shade and projected moving water overhead, which was a big hit with all the guests.

Scroll through the photos & share your thoughts in the comments.

Photobooth: Shutterbooth    

Loft on Lake hosts all kinds of events other than weddings. It’s played host to car launches, fashion shows, trade events and corporate meetings. It recently hosted a book launch by a renowned New Age author who chose the space to kick off a tour for his latest  book. The chose Loft on Lake for it’s flexibility and adaptability and wanted to have an event where the decor matched the look of the book cover.

We took that idea and ran with it, using blue and orange throughout the space. Our blue uplighting in the skylight and around the perimeter played off the orange brick and linen. For the entry we created a stunning display of blue satin, with orange sheer swags and even paper cranes hand-folded by our team that played off of the birds found on the cover of the book.

This was more than just a book signing, but a full-fledged multi-media event that included live music, a movie premiere, live art-making and food and drinks for the 200+ guests.

Scroll through for the images by Lofty Weddings.

 Inquire with Loft on Lake about their availability today.