Chief O'Neill’s Pub on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

I had never been to Chief ONeills’s Pub before and was happy to see that when I walked in it felt like an authentic Irish pub but there was also an attractive outside garden which turned out to be a great setting for the wedding of Angie and Tom.

Apparently Francis O'Neill, who was born in Cork Ireland was the chief of police in Chicago for 32 years and was responsible for 3,300 officers (2,000 of them were Irish). The pub was named after the Chief and is know for its good food, proper pints and airs, reels and other grand Irish music.

Tom and Angie’s ceremony was brief just as they wished and at the end I introduced them as husband and wife and also introduced the new family as Delany, Angie’s daughter, joined them to walk out together. It’s always an honor and great fun for me to be a part of weddings, this one was no exception.

A Wedding at W Chicago City Center

Jessica and Brian got married in January at W Chicago City Center, 172 West Adams Street, Chicago. I have conducted several weddings at the W recently and always find that they provide a warm and inviting venue.

Jerry from Timothy Whaley & Associates was the photographer and they have graciously provided me with a couple of photos to share with you. I know that Jessica and Brian were delighted with the pictures and I found that Jerry was easy to work with.

I really enjoyed helping Brian and Jessica create their ceremony and then conduct it for them. They are both warm and outgoing people and they brought that into the ceremony they created.

As part of the ceremony I asked Jessica and Brian’s parents to stand and then asked them, “Will you gladly and freely bless the marriage of Brian and Jessica? Do you accept them as members of your family and pledge your supportive love to them in their new life together? If so will you please respond by saying, “We do.” Both sets of parents immediately responded with a strong and obviously heart-felt, “We do.” It was one of those tender moments that I have blogged about in the past. For more information about wedding ideas please look at my website, or contact me at botto@spiritedweddings.com

Weddings at The Peninsula in Chicago

Recently I conducted two weddings at The Peninsula in downtown Chicago. One was a Saturday evening black tie affair for about 170 guests. The other was on Sunday at noon and included about 70 guests. Jennifer Clarke, the catering sales manager and her staff did an exceptional job with both of the ceremonies and they are a delight to work with.

I was impressed at what appeared to be the ease at which the staff handled two very different styled weddings back-to-back. While they were always ready to assist and fill in where needed they were not overbearing. They were there to help in any way possible and that made it an easy and enjoyable ceremony and reception for me and I am certain for all the guests.

I highly recommend The Peninsula, if you are interested you can contact Jennifer at (312) 573-6701 or JenniferCLARKE@peninsula.com

Classical Guitar and Cello Music

Last Sunday I conducted a wedding where Paul and Kerena Moeller of Moeller Music provided the music. They describe themselves as a, “rare and beautiful combination of the classical guitar and cello” which is a perfect description of what I heard.

They have a repertoire that covers a range of musical styles and they were able to provide a seamless flow of music while the guests were being seated through the processional. The piece that they played for the recessional, "Bridal March" by Felix Mendelssohn sounded so amazing that it startled me. Here’s what happened, I introduced the bride and groom to their guests as husband and wife, everyone applauded and then the music began. The music they played sounded to me so much like a pipe organ that I looked over at them to see if they had brought in an organ or keyboard when I wasn’t watching. No, it was them still playing the cello and guitar. It was absolutely beautiful!

Paul and Kerena stayed to play during the cocktail hour too. Here they switched musical styles to create a more contemporary mood. You can hear samples of what they can play during receptions here.

If you would like them to provide beautiful cello and guitar music for your wedding and reception you can reach them at (224) 535-8932 or through the contact form on their webpage. I know that I am looking forward to working with them, hopefully soon.

Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way

I went to seminary but we never had a class on conducting weddings and as a result over the last 30 years of doing weddings I’ve learned some things the hard way. For instance, during the second meeting with couples I always ask the bride if she has a train on her wedding dress. It’s not that I am nosy it’s that I want to avoid an embarrassing moment for the father of the bride.

Here’s what can happen. The bride walks down the aisle with her father and she is walking on his left side. They come to the front, stop and I ask, “Who presents this woman to be married to this man” and he says, “I do” or “Her mother and I do.” Then he kisses her, shakes the grooms hand and then walks around behind his daughter to his seat on her left. The problem is he forgets about her train and either just tromps across it or if the bride and groom are walking forward by then she will come to a sudden stop because her dad is standing on the train. It’s very embarrassing for dad, who often has worried himself about walking down the aisle and if he will remember what he’s supposed to say but stepping on her dress is a mistake big time. So I’ve learned to ask about the train and then remind dad about it at the rehearsal and just before he walks in. Nine times out of ten, he will remember and often has a proud little smile on this face because he avoided the train.

Another little thing I’ve learned is that it’s best for the Best Man/Person to take the rings out of the box and put them on their finger prior to the ceremony. First, those little black boxes are difficult to open, I’ve seen the Best Man turning them around and around trying to figure out how to open them while I am standing with my hand out ready to receive them and the guests are snickering out loud. The other thing is that it’s easy to drop the rings while taking them out of the box. In one wedding the Best Man dropped a ring and it bounced off the carpet into a potted plant. The next thing we knew he was down on his hands and knees digging through the pot trying to find the ring. It was very funny and we made some jokes about it but the poor guy was pretty embarrassed.

What humorous thing happened at your wedding? All of us reading this would love to hear so please post your own story. Please also look at my website, www.SpiritedWeddings.com

Tender Moments

At the end of my second meeting with the couples I describe to them, based on what they have selected to include in the ceremony and other details that I have helped them make, how the ceremony will flow from the moment their guests start arriving until the end when they walk out as husband and wife. While I am walking them through the ceremony in this way, almost without exception both of them get very tender expressions on their faces and frequently one of both of them tear up. One bride in her own blog described it this way, “It was almost surreal to talk through the sequence of the ceremony. D and I had of course talked through all of this together as we wrote/crafted the ceremony but there was something different about it when your Officiant mentions that 'you will be emotional during the vows.' I almost started tearing up right there.”
I don’t know exactly what is going on in these moments but my hunch is that after months, sometimes more than a year of planning and dreaming about their perfect wedding ceremony when I describe it to them it comes alive. They feel in those moments the excitement, happiness and tenderness that they will feel even more fully on their wedding day.

One of the suggestions that I make to every couple is after they recess out from the ceremony they go to a room where they can be together for a few minutes before joining their guests. Some venues will provide champagne and food for just the bride and groom. I am not there in the room with them but I think that those moments together are also filled with a lot of tenderness. I learned recently that in the Ashkenazi Jewish Wedding ceremony this time alone is called the Yichud. The newly married couple publicly seclude themselves in a closed room for several minutes.

I would love to hear from other couples if you are planning a Yichud or if you have other comments about tender moments in your ceremony. You can post a response to this blog or contact me at botto@SpiritedWeddings.com or visit my website, www.SpiritedWeddings.com

Chicago Wedding at the Mid-Day Club

Benita and Ken got married last fall at the Mid-Day Club on the 56th floor of the Chase Town in downtown Chicago. I have conducted several weddings there over the years and feel sad that the club closed on January 1 of 2008. The closing is truly unfortunate because it was a great venue for weddings and the views from all four sides of the building were tremendous plus the staff was very attentive and helpful and the food was always good.

As you will see in the photos, Ken’s father Paul and Benita’s mother Sandy stood up with them. The selections they made for their ceremony made clear their deep love for each other. In their vows they said, “When you fall, I will catch you. When you cry, I will comfort you. When you laugh, I will share your joy. No matter what lies ahead for us. I will see it as a journey. I know that all their family and friends wish them well on their journey.

These photos from the wedding were taken by Artisan Events, you can contact them at their toll free number, 877 227 WEDD

Wedding at Hotel Allegro

Amanda and Christopher were married in the Oak Room of the newly remodeled Hotel Allegro. The hotel has done a wonderful job of restoring the Oak Room and it is a beautiful setting for a wedding. The cocktail hour takes place in the second floor lobby and the food was outstanding.

The DJ was Roberto Monastero who is a delight to work with. He is professional, easy to work with and when I see him at a wedding I can always relax knowing that the music is in good hands. I have also worked with Nicholas from Clark Photographics and he too does an excellent job. The flowers were provided by Ray Hoffman and Aly Kurti from Aly's Posey Patch and they were strikingly beautiful.

Unfortunately I don’t have any photos of this wedding but I plan to begin including photos from future weddings. If you have questions about your wedding or are looking for vendor recommendations please contact me at Spirited Weddings, 312 671-1804 or at botto@SpiritedWeddings.com

Later I received a note from Amanda and Chris saying, "Thank you so much for Officiating at our wedding. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and we have gotten so many compliments from our guests on what a great job you did!" As usual, I had a wonderful and rewarding time conducting their wedding.

Sunday Noon Wedding at Volo Restaurant and Wine Bar

Victoria and Phillip had a small outdoor wedding in the cabana garden patio of Volo Restaurant and Wine Bar. It was a warm sunny spring day in Chicago with trees and flowers blooming and all of us wanting to be outside to enjoy the weather.

Just a week before the wedding, a fire nearly destroyed their home but Phillip and Victoria went ahead with the wedding anyway, Victoria’s father, who was visiting from Texas, brought some good humor to the day when he passed out red plastic fireman’s hats to everyone after the ceremony.

There was no professional photographer but a friend of Phillip’s promised to send me a few of the pictures that he took, I will add them to this blog when they arrive.

The staff at Volo was friendly and helpful and the array of food for the reception looked and smelled amazing. I wish I had been able to stay and join the reception but I hope to return for one of the frequent wine tasting events or maybe one of the special cocktail parties, or cooking events that they list on their website.