The Ivy Room

Emily and Jason were married last night in the Courtyard of Trees Studios in what will probably be for me the last outdoor wedding of this year. The reception was held in The Ivy Room. The wedding was a 7:30 pm and it was dark here in Chicago so my outdoor photos didn’t turn out however the website contains some excellent photos of both the courtyard and the actual Ivy Room. Donna Albertson, director of marketing and special events donna@ivyroomchicago.com was a wonderful and helpful hostess for the wedding and reception. There were about 150 guests who comfortably filled both the courtyard and the Ivy Room.

Mary Nisi, president and disc jockey of Toast & Jam provided the music for the reception. I’ve worked with her staff in the past and they are first rate. You can contact Mary at Mary@toastandjamdjs.com



Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant

The Three Minute Wedding

It happened again this past Saturday. About 20 minutes after the ceremony I went to the bridal room to personally congratulate the bride and groom. The first thing the bride said was, "I can't believe how short the ceremony was, it must have been three minutes long!" The groom started to laugh and said, "That's exactly what Bruce told me before the ceremony, it will feel like a three minute ceremony."


In fact the ceremony was nearly 20 minutes long but almost every couple tells me afterward that it seemed like three minutes. I guess it's understandable from their perspective and I often wonder what is going through their minds as the ceremony progresses. Certainly they are listening and when we get to the exchange of vows it always gets serious and usually emotional in some way. But, the fact remains, regardless of the length from the perspective of the bride and groom it always feels like a short ceremony.



Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant

Wedding at the Metropolitan Club

Alexis and Sam got married this evening at The Metropolitan Club on the 66th floor of the Sears Tower. It's an outstanding venue and Joe Flynn, the private event director and his staff were wonderful to work with and very professional in the best sense of the word. Of course the views from the Sears Tower are amazing and it was a clear night so the views were exceptional both in the room where the wedding was held and in the dining room.

Lori Stephenson from LOLA Event Productions LLC was the coordinator. Lori and I do one or two weddings a year together and I always appreciate her thorough preparation and skills at guiding the ceremony from beginning to end. I don't have first hand knowledge of the other things she does to assist the bride and groom but I have no doubt her same attention to details comes through in all of her services.

If you want a photography team of three who advertise they take 1,200 to 2,000 photos at each ceremony and for a good part of the time, even though I asked them not to, stand next to me, like a member of the bridal party, then I would be happy to provide you with their contact information.

For more information on The Metropolitan Club, contact Joe Flynn at joe.flynn@ourclub.com or 312 993-2506 and Lori Stephenson at lori@lolaeventproductions.com or 773 942-6172. You can contact me at botto@SpiritedWeddings.com or 312 671-1804

Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant

Great Photos from Notebaert Nature Museum

Last August I wrote about working with Sylver McAllister, from Sylver Studio at a wedding at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Syler has graciously provided the photos shown above, I really like them.

If you like what you see, you can contact Syler at syler@sylerstudio.com or 847 416-7343





Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant

Photographs from White Pines Country Club

I was just reviewing the results of Google Alerts and discovered some wonderful photos from the wedding I conducted for Jennifer and John in August at White Pines. Gina, Matt and Amy of Imaginative Studios were the photographers. The photos of the wedding are posted on their Blog, check them out, I think you will be impressed.

I am so happy I found this blog and can share these great photos with you.

Imaginative Studios can be contacted at info@imaginativestudios.com

Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant

White Pines Golf Club

My first visit to White Pines Golf Club was two years ago when Denise and Joe were married there. Last year I conducted a wedding for Joe’s sister Bernadette and Reginald, who were married at Promontory Point, part of the Chicago Park District. This year a mutual friend of both couples, John and Jennifer were married at the White Pines. They have a charming outdoor area for the wedding and the inside reception area is also very nice. Call the banquet manager, Ginger, at 630-766-0304, ext.2 or email banquetoffice@whitepinesgolf.com for more information. I found Ginger was delightful to work with and I look forward to my next visit to White Pines.

It's always rewarding to have couple refer me to their friends and family. I joked with Denise, Joe, Bernadette and Reginald, Jennifer and John about which one of their family members or friends would be contacting me about conducting their wedding in 2009. I hope it happens!

Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Katherine and Ryan chose the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum on Cannon Drive and Fullerton in Chicago as their wedding venue. I think I conduct about one wedding there each year and it is a excellent venue. Normally the weddings are outside in what the Museum calls the Ravine. It‘s adjacent to the lobby, is equipped with a sound system and can accommodate almost 200 guests.

Mary Kehoe the special events manager and her staff were fantastic to work with. They gave good advice and stepped in just when we needed them most. You can contact Mary at 773 755-5154 or mkehoe@naturemuseum.org. Be sure to check out the special events brochure on their site, it is very well done.

Sylver McAllister from Sylver Studio was the photographer and when I asked about including some of their photos in this blog she handed me a beautiful business card that said, “Ryan & Katherine. Proofs will be available 09.06.08. Event id: 2776.” She said, just let us know what photos you want to post and I will send them to you. I will do that after September 6 and then update this post. I thought the preprinted card was a great idea, it was the first time I had seen something like that.

Another thing impressed me about these photographers, they were very courteous. They were not standing next to me taking pictures during the ceremony, in fact I can’t remember where they were but I bet they got some excellent photos. Check them out and see if they are a good match for you.

Emanuel Ban and the Wellington Strings provided the music. They have a nice website filled with helpful information and audio samples of music they play. I find that frequently couples don’t have ideas for music beyond the Canon by Pachelbel so their list is helpful. You can contact Emanuel at 847-347-1127

Technorati Tags: Wedding, Minister, Spiritual, Chicago, Non-Denominational, Wedding Officiant