Sofitel Hotel

The Grand Ballroom of the Sofitel Water Tower Hotel , with a 20-foot-high window and a spectacular view was the venue for Lauren and Michael's wedding on Friday evening.

This was my second wedding at the Sofitel and as I said before, the ballroom is stunning and the staff of the hotel were helpful and pleasant to work with. They reset the room for the dinner and it looked like an entirely different room.

Courtney Lawhn and a violinist provided the wonderful music for the ceremony. You can contact Courtney at courtneylawhn@yahoo.com. John Straus was the photographer and his business card says the photograph proofs will available on his sight in three weeks. The room was decorated beautifully, I bet the photos will be outstanding.

Michael and Lauren included the Polish wedding tradition of having their parents share bread, in hopes that they will never hunger or be in need, salt as a reminder that their life may be difficult at times and they must learn to cope with life's struggles and wine, in hopes that they will never thirst and will have a life of good health and good cheer and share the company of many good friends. It was a lovely and tender moment in the ceremony.

Pazzo's

Ok, I will start with the normal disclaimer that I am not a professional photographer but I hope the photo above will, if you have never been to Pazzo's located at 311 South Wacker Drive, give you an idea of the space with its very high ceilings, fountain at the front, palm trees and the sense that Pazzo's is a stunning venue for weddings. Fay Sweeney, the catering director was great to work with and attended and helped at both the rehearsal and the wedding itself. Fay can be reached at 312 913 6096 or ppazzos311@aol.com.

Deanna from Deanna Mandarno was shooting the photos. I just received a link to the slide show Deanna has prepared, check it out there are many wonderful shots.



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Chicago Mart Plaza

Linda and Michael were married yesterday at the Chicago Mart Plaza, which is a Holiday Inn located across the street from the Merchandise Mart. If you are looking for a venue with an outstanding view, recently remodeled room and a catering department that is outstanding, don't rule out the Chicago Mart Plaza simply because it's a Holiday Inn.

The actual room is on the 15th floor and looks south along the Chicago River and Wacker Drive. Check out their website for some very accurate photos of the room. After sunset the view is as good as any I've seen in Chicago. Take my word for it, this is one very nice place. Barbara Martin is the director of catering sales and she does an excellent job for her clients. You can reach Barbara at 312 529 1124 or bmartin@martplaza.com.

I haven't seen the photos from yesterday but the photographers were from Timothy Whaley & Associates and I've worked with them in the past and seen their photos. They too are very good.

David Adams from Chicago Style DJ's provided most of the music for the wedding. They apparently don't have a webpage but you can reach them at 847 366-0656 or chicagostyledjs@sbcglobal.net

Weddings in Old Town

Yesterday I conducted two weddings in Old Town, walking distance from my home.

Fran and Quincy were married at the Hansen House Mansion, a bed and breakfast they own. They had gone to grade school together but not seen each other for many years. Last year they met at a reunion in New York and now they are married. Their 35 guests were a combination of family and friends from all over the US, many of them friends since grade school. The Hansen House would be a very nice venue for small weddings and out of town guests could stay right at the house. You can contact Fran or Quincy at HansenMansion@aol.com


Georgia and Frank were married at New Leaf, 1818 North Wells Street. This is a popular venue and works well for smaller weddings. New Leaf has three different levels and no elevator so if you have elderly or disabled persons participating or attending there are lots of stairs to deal with. It is however a very attractive setting.

Sofitel Chicago Water Tower

The Grand Ballroom of the Sofitel, with a 20-foot-high window and a spectacular view was the venue for Rob and Andrea's wedding and reception last night.

Marcia Hemphill and her staff from An Urban Affair coordinated all the events of the day. Kristine Semanic from The Brass String Chamber Ensemble provided the music and Brian Kinyon Photography was the photographer.

It was my first wedding at the Sofitel but I have another one coming up in January. The ballroom is stunning and the staff of the hotel were helpful and pleasant to work with. There were about 160 guests but the information on the website says the room will accommodate 270. As I was leaving the ballroom was being reset for the reception and it looked very classy.

Independence Grove - Indoor Wedding

I have conducted several weddings at Independence Grove but they have all been outside.Last night Kellen and Kevin's wedding was inside in the Audubon Hall. It was a cold November evening but the room was beautiful and the fireplace burning in the front created a warm and inviting atmosphere. It was dark at 6:30 when the wedding started but if it had been light we would have also enjoyed great views of the marina, lake and beach. Audubon Hall is constructed with cedar, stone and glass and the high ceilings and the spacious design make it a wonderful setting for a wedding. You can contact Tania Paez, tania@eventsig.com or Beth Beringer, beth@eventsig.com, 847 247-1111 for more information.

Paul and Kerena Moeller of Moeller Music provided the music for the ceremony and also accompanied the soloist. I love working with Kerena and Paul and think the music they provide is absolutely wonderful. The combination of cello and guitar is such an usual sound and their ability to play all types of music from classical to the solo last night, The Power of Two by the Indigo Girls provides couples with limitless options. Contact Paul or Kerena at (224) 535-8932 or through the contact page on their website.

Visual Image Photography, Inc 414 456-0848 were the photographers. Their website indicates they do a variety of kinds of photography including weddings. Obviously I haven't seen the pictures they took last night but they were great to work with.

Swissotel Chicago

The Swissotel was the venue for Rekha and Sujit's wedding in late September. It was a large rather formal and traditional wedding with about 200 guests, five bridesmaids and groomsmen, a right bearer and three junior bridesmaids. There were also five ushers and like Sujit and Rekha, they were all M.D's. If anyone had become sick or had a heart attack they would have been well cared for right on the spot.

Michael Mitloff, the senior catering manager was a huge help during both the rehearsal and the wedding itself. The room where the wedding took place is in the lower level of the hotel as is the large separate room where the dinner was held. It's nice when there are separate rooms for the wedding and the reception so the room doesn't have to be changed over. It just feels less rushed.

If you are interested in the Swissotel you can contact Michael at 312 268-8220 or michael.mitloff@swissotel.com