One of my favorite readings

Sonnet XVII – Pablo Neruda

I don’t love you as if you were the salt-Rose, Topaz

or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:

I love you as certain dark things are loved,

secretly, between the shadows and the soul

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom and carries

hidden within itself the light of those flowers,

and thanks to your love, darkly in my body

lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you simply, without problems or pride:

I love you in this way because I don’t know any other way of loving

But this, in which there is no you, or I

so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand.

So intimate that when I fell asleep it is your eyes that close

Mindy and Eric - James Hotel

This was my first wedding at the James Hotel and I was impressed. The staff were really helpful and great to work with and the room was especially attractive. Here was the team, at least the ones I met.

Venue: The James Hotel
Hillary Cavan, services manager and her staff were there to help throughout

Photographer: Pamela Luedeke Photography
Pamela has promised to provide some photos and I will post them later in a new post.

DJ: Toast and Jam
It is always a delight to work with the folk from Toast and Jam, this was no exception.

Planner: Here Comes the Party
This was my first time working with Marcy Alspach and Meghan Martinez, what a great team.

Florist: Dilly Lily
Usually the florist is gone by the time I get to the venue but this time I got to meet a couple of the people and compliment them on their arrangments.

I think Eric and Mindy were very happy with their choice of vendors and they are certainly worth your consideration.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Ballroom

Allie and Nelson were married yesterday at the Art Institute Ballroom. Their web site says the room has won several architectural awards. The high ceilings, impressive grand staircase and balcony do make it a beautiful venue. The area where the ceremony takes place needs to be reset for the reception so there are some decorating challenges but creative florists have made it work.

In my experience yesterday and in the past, the Ballroom is one of those venues that is very hands off in its approach. In other words there doesn't seem to be anyone their from the Art Institute to provide assistance. I am not saying this is bad but it does mean that couples need either a wedding coordinator or someone like me who will coordinate the ceremony for them. For instance, yesterday the band that was to play for the reception got a late start setting up and were still at work at 6:00 when the wedding was to begin. I asked them to finish after the ceremony and then got the musical prelude started, family members seated and processional started. I think Allie was completely unaware of issues with the band, and I am happy that was the case.

Dave Johnston of Chicalba Bagpiping Service played out on Michigan Avenue as the guest arrived and then he played as Allie and her father walked down the aisle. He also played as Nelson and Allie processed out at the end of the ceremony. You can contact Dave at 630.534.4964 or dave@chicalba.com. If you are looking for a bagpiper for your wedding or event Dave is an excellent choice.

Food for Thought provided the catering and Abby English was the person in charge last night. Abby and her crew did an excellent job.

Green Dolphin Street

Stephanie and Rob were married yesterday at the Green Dolphin Street located at 2200 North Ashland Avenue. I remember this place when it was a car parts dealer and I've been there recently to hear some jazz but this was my first wedding. Jessica Bergman one of the event planners told me that they have weddings there most every weekend. Be sure to look at the photos on their web site because from the outside Green Dolphin Street may not look like a place to have your wedding. However, the inside is nice, some of the rooms have a lot of natural light and they do have a very beautiful garden in the back. They also have a big parking lot and lots of on street parking, both of which are unusual for a venue in the city.

Jessica was very helpful and easy to work with, you can contact her at 773.395.0066.

Zed 451

Dora and Diego were married in August on the roof top at Zed 451 located at 739 North Clark Street in Chicago. Heather Parker was the photographer and we exchanged business cards and I asked if I could post some of her photos on this blog. She send them last week. You can see Heather's website and read her blog by clicking here.

Thank you so much Heather for the photo. She actually sent several more but they are all of me and I think one is enough for this blog. Go to her web site and her blog and you will see some great photos of Diego and Dora and Zed 451.

First and Last

The day began with a 12:30 wedding on the Trump Terrace on the 16th floor of the Trump Tower. It has very dramatic views of the Wrigley Building Clock Tower, Tribune Tower and the riverfront looking east on to Lake Michigan. I noticed that as the guests arrived and walked out on to the terrace many of them took out their cameras and started to take photos of the view, it is pretty amazing. I only had my IPhone so the quality isn't very good but at least you can get an idea of the view east.

Lin of Lin and Associates was the real photographer and I am hoping she will share some of her photos with me so that I can post them here. You can contact Lin at 77.727.9494.

Monika Lotter, who is Director of Catering at Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago told me after the ceremony that this was the first ever wedding on the terrace. As I have mentioned in a previous blog Monika and the staff at the hotel are just wonderful. You can contact Monika at at 312.588.8059 or trumpchicago@trumphotels.com

The day ended with another wedding at the Shedd Aquarium for the last wedding of the year on their new outdoor terrace. I can't find it described on their website but let me add that the views of downtown Chicago are wonderful. Again, my photos don't do it justice but you can at least get an idea.


Tara Moser of LOLA Event Productions was the wedding coordinator, you can reach her at 312.513.6531 or tara@lolaeventproductions.com. LOLA always does excellent work and I think couples who select them are well served with the right mix of attention to all the details and the ability to be flexible when last minute changes happen.

Courtney Lawhn of Chicago Harpist provided the music. We have worked together in several weddings and it's always a delight to see her again. You can reach Courtney at 847.826.5067 or at
courtneylawhn@yahoo.com.



I don't often see or interact with florists but I have come to recognize the work of Keho Designs. There designs are always both beautiful and distinctive. Check them out, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Wedding at Wicker Park Lutheran Church

David and Janeen were married on Saturday, September 26 at Wicker Park Lutheran Church, located at 1502 N. Hoyne Avenue in Chicago. In my experience it is unusual for a church to let an outside minister conduct a wedding in their church but this church just did just that. In fact I never did meet or talk to anyone from the church. The building was open and prepared when I arrived for the rehearsal and the wedding itself. It's a lovely old church and for couples looking to be married in a church with no apparent strings attached I would highly recommend Wicker Park Lutheran, their telephone number is 773.276.0263.

Music was provided by Thomas Yang, executive director of Chicago Musical Connection, a string quartet that was just wonderful to work with and did a truly outstanding job. There is no email or web page information on his business card but you can reach Thomas at 847.256.6610. I Googled him and there was a long listing of articles about this well known and respected musician.

A great venue, wonderful music and a memorable wedding for Janeen and David

Prairie Production

This was my second wedding at Prairie Production which seems to have become a very popular venue.There is a good photo of the space on the website and as I walked in I was struck with the fact that it looked entirely different than it did at the last wedding I conducted there.

After the ceremony I met Michael Roberts who owns the space and was also the photographer for the wedding. He hosts private events in there and also uses it as a daylight studio for photos.

EventCreative was the caterer and I suspect, based on their website they were also the florist and did the room decor. It was very impressive.

It's always a pleasure to work with Fig Media, this week Megan Taylor was the Deejay. The room presented some challenges for her but she was right on top of it and did a great job. She was also a huge help to me when the musicians performing the processional and recessional started the recessional before the ceremony was over. Megan responded quickly and saved the day and part of the ceremony.

If you are looking for a venue that's like a blank canvas because you want to do some creative decorating be sure to check out Prairie Production.

Trisha and Stephen chose not to hire a wedding planner or coordinator and not to have a rehearsal so I was happy I could step in and coordinate the ceremony for them. We had worked through ahead of time some tricky seating arrangements for family members as well as all the other pre-ceremony details like the seating order of grandparents and parents, order of the processional and how the groom, groomsmen and brides maids would process it. I think the entire ceremony came together well and Stephen and Trisha were please.

Park Hyatt Weddings

Lori Stephenson of Lola Event Productions served as the coordinator for Pari and Edward wedding last month at the Park Hyatt, 800 North Michigan Avenue. I always enjoy working with Lori and her clients are always well served.

A week before Eugenia and Myat were also married at the Park Hyatt. Darcey Lohman from Big City Bride was the coordinator. This was my second wedding with Darcey and she was a life saver for me.

Both weddings were in the same room but the set up was entirely different for each one. It is a great credit to the hotel, the planners and florists that they can make the same room look so different.

The contact at the the Park Hyatt was Virginie Bishop, vbishop@hyatt.com and Maria Farrell, maria.farrell@hyatt.com. Virginie was there for the rehearsal and she and the other staff were most helpful on the day of the wedding.

The hotel offers the couple two complimentary nights at any Park Hyatt or Hyatt Resort worldwide when their wedding is at Park Hyatt Chicago. That seems like a very nice perk.

Swissotel Chicago

I have conducted several weddings at Swissotel Chicago but they have been two levels down from the street entrance in the Alpine Room. Shawna and Robert's wedding was on the 43 floor and had magnificent views of the city and the room worked perfectly for their 100 guests. After the wedding the guests adjourned to an adjacent room for the cocktail hour and the hotel staff set up the room where the wedding had been for the dinner.

Erik Friedly aka, dj erik, from Fig Media was the DJ and Billy Rood, also from Fig Media was the photographer. These guys were great to work with.

Budi Tanzil, director of catering at the hotel was very helpful with the multitude of last minute details. Budi can be contacted at

budi.tanzil@swissotel.com

Trees Studios

Monica and Frank were married on Friday of Labor Day weekend in the Courtyard of Trees Studios. It had been almost a year since my last wedding at Trees Studio and it was good to be back. Be sure to check out the web site, it has some great photos of the courtyard set up for several different weddings.

Donna Albertson, is the director of marketing and special events for Tress Studios and she was as helpful and wonderful to work with as I remembered. Donna was joined by Lauren Knuepfer, from LK Events who was Monica and Frank's coordinator. Donna and Lauren were a great team and made my job very easy and enjoyable.

You can contact Donna at The Ivy Room at Tree Studios, 12 E. Ohio, Chicago, IL 60611, 312.645.7760, info@ivyroomchicago.com

Lauren from LK Events can be contacted at lkeventschicago@gmail.com

Chicago History Museum

.The Chicago History Museum is a great venue for weddings whether they are indoors or outdoors. The staff is wonderful to work with and extremely helpful throughout the entire wedding. I will be back for another wedding this Friday evening and I am looking forward to it.

Cathie and Rich were married there on June 20 and Chris Ocken of Oken Photography sent me these photos last week. I know Cathie and Rich were pleased with the photos and after seeing a few I am sure you will see why. Chris can be reached at 312.238.9188 or chris@ockenphotography

You may also want to check out their facebook gallery of this wedding.

Hotel Monaco

Kristian and David were married on July 25 at Hotel Monaco. This was my first time at the Hotel and the wedding took place in an attractive room on the third floor.

Carrie Collins of Wed-Chicago was the coordinator, it was fun to work with her again and I really like the way she works with couples. Carrie seems well organized but also laid back.

James Knabe, trumpeter and two other musicians did a very nice job with the music.

Kristian and David did some editing of my materials and came up with a great Declaration of Consent combined with a Guest Blessing, they also used some traditional vows. I really like the Guest Blessing because it gives the guests a role in the ceremony as opposed to just sitting there passively.

Kristian and David did some editing of my materials and came up with a great Declaration of Consent combined with a Guest Blessing, they also used some traditional vows. I really like the Guest Blessing because it gives the guests a role in the ceremony as opposed to just sitting there passively. Here is what they came up with we called it the Declaration of Consent and here is how it went.

Kristian will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?

Kristian, I will.

David, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

David, I will.

Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage? Will you, the family and friends of David and Kristian, you who know and love them best, pledge to them your honesty, compassion, and support? Will you continue to be quick to encourage and slow to criticize, ready to share both tears and laughter? Will you continue to share with them the deepest concerns of life-- whether in grief or in joy-- and so receive and give the love of the truly abundant life? If you will, with God's help, pledge these gifts to David and Kristian, answer: "We will."

Latest in Processionals

Ok, check out this link for the very latest in Processionals.

Prairie Production

This was my first wedding at Prairie Production which seems to have become a very popular venue. It's located on Randolph between Halsted and Ogden. Parking was easy and there wasn't much traffic.

This is not your typical hotel or banquet type venue. My pictures aren't the best but I think you can get an idea. There is a nice out door area for people to gather in before and after the ceremony. The room is reset after the wedding for the reception. The whole place has a very urban feel and I think Michelle and Shaun were very happy with the venue selection.


Katie Kozlowski, the owner of Dettagli Weddings was the coordinator and she and he staff were a delightful to work with.

Bonnie and Charles were married in May at the Omni Hotel, 676 North Michigan Avenue, in the Picasso ballroom that features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Huron and Rush Streets. The room accommodates up to 160 guests and is a stunning and memorable Chicago wedding reception site.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact their wedding specialist at 312..944.6664 or visit their wedding site.

Hotel 71

The 39 floor penthouse at Hotel 71 was the venue for Angela and Dave’s wedding last month. The room has incredible views and Rebecca from the hotel was wonderful to work with. Dave and Angela had a little over 100 guests and it was a prefect fit for the room. As is often the case the room was reset after the wedding for the dinner, there is a adequate space with more great views on the same floor for the cocktail hour. If you look on Yelp you will also find 37 reviews on the hotel and weddings there.

Kathleen Carter, 585.590.0154 provided the music. I wish I could tell you who the photographer and the video guy was but neither of them had their business card

Pulaski Park

Elaine and Greg were married in the park house at Pulaski Park, 1419 West Blackhawk in Chicago. The room was nice and not fancy. I suspect it is an affordable space for a lower budget wedding. I think the bride and groom rented the chairs and they had their reception elsewhere but as you can see, it was a nice setting.

Greg and Elaine chose to do the sand ceremony and they purchased vases online from Things Festive.

The sand ceremony is often done at outdoor weddings but it works fine inside too. I really like these particular vases. Often couples will get sand that has special meaning for them. In a wedding a couple of years ago the bride and groom who lived in Hawaii brought different color sand from their favorite beaches to use in the vases.

Michelle Morales was the cellist. She can be reached at 773.910.8690 or azcello@gmail.com. The wedding was nearly 30 minutes late and she provided wonderful prelude music the entire time.

Newberry Library

I conducted a wedding at the Newberry Library on April 14 and a couple of days ago the photographer Ana of anamiyares.com sent me a link to her photos,. Check it out they are great!

Ana can be reached at ana@anamiyares.com or 773.852-376

Grand Piazza Weddings

I had never been to the Grand Piazza or even heard of it for that matter and then I had two weddings there on the same weekend. The Grand Piazza located at 1431 West Taylor Street Chicago, IL 60607 and is home to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, a museum that pays tribute to athletic greats such as Joe DiMaggio, Tommy Lasorda, and Mary Lou Retton. Natalie Arakelian is the contact person and she can be reached at 312.226.5566 or kperez@levyresturants.com

One of the best features of the Grand Piazza is its rooftop terrace, the views of the downtown skyline are incredible.


But, with outdoor weddings there are a lot of things that can go wrong. The first wedding was on a Friday night and it rained almost all day and evening. So, the wedding had to be moved inside into the ballroom. The space was nice and worked well but it would have been nicer outside.

The wedding was about 30 minutes late because I had not carefully thought through how to get the guests up to the third floor on a very slow elevator and then how to get the bride, who had not seen the groom that day, off the elevator without being seen by the groom. She ended up riding up and down the elevator for about 20 minutes while the groom waited patiently at the front. Nevertheless, I think they were happy with how the ceremony turned out.

The second wedding did take place on the terrace but in the midst of gale force winds. You can't see them in the photo above but there are actually guy wires holding down the hupa. The aisle runner had been tapped down but as the wedding party walked to the front it sort of billowed up in front of them. The ceremony however came together beautifully and the bride and groom were cheered as they walked down the aisle as husband and wife.

Marcia Hemphill and her staff from An Urban Affair coordinated the Saturday wedding, they are always a pleasure to work with.

The other cast of participants included:

• Daniel Gin, photography, 312.285.0388 and dg@dangin.com
• Kate and Rachel from Toast & Jam provided the music for a wedding and reception. I’ve worked others from staff in the past and they are first rate.

Newberry Library

The Newberry is an interesting setting for weddings. If you were to walk into the lobby during the week when the security desk and guard rail are in place it would be difficult to envision having a wedding there. But, when the desk and railing are removed it looks much different. The lobby has been restored and an art-nouveau chandelier creates a dramatic affect. The marble staircase and ornate banister become the focal point of the room and a dramatic way for brides to enter.

A separate room, Rugles Hall has large windows facing both Washington Square Park and Dearborn Parkway and is ideal for the wedding dinner.

Another room, the Towners Fellows' Lounge has oak paneling and works well for small more intimate weddings.

The staff in the office of events can be reached at 312 255-3595 or via email to skubishk@newberry.org

Anne and Michael were married at the Newberry last Saturday. Once again I enjoyed working with Ali Phillips of Engaging Events by Ali. I've mentioned Ali in many previous blogs and it continues to be delightful to work with Ali. You can contact Ali at ali@engagingeventsbyali.com

Ana of anamiyares.com was the photographer, she can be reached at ana@anamiyares.com or 773.852-3761. I am hoping Ana will share some photos with me to post here or perhaps a link to her site with photos of Michael and Anne's wedding.

Keith Jorgensen was the video guy. He is the co-founder of Poetic Productions a professional videography company. Keith is also involved in the wedding website called the Daily Bride. You can contact Keith at info@poeticweddings.com or 312 863-4007

Back at Bond Chapel

Bond Chapel at the University of Chicago was the setting for the wedding of Elizabeth and James last week.

Lori Stephenson of Lola Event Productions was the wedding planner and the person who introduced me to James and Elizabeth. Lori is a delight to work with, she is very well organized and detail orientated but she is also laid back so things get done well but without the stress that sometimes happens in weddings.

Intercontinental Hotel Chicago

Amy and Sandro were married last night at the Intercontinental Hotel in the King Arthur Court room that features an entire wall of original stained glass and intricately carved wooden pillars, cast-iron chandeliers and a hand-painted ceiling. Christopher Schmidt, associate director of catering and his staff were great to work with. I really like the rooms in these older hotels, they just seem to have more character that many of the new places.

Sandro's father Dalmo who is a professional pianist played Chopin Nocturne in E Flat, Opus 9, No. 2 which was a wonderful addition to the ceremony. Sandro's brother Gian-Carlo read Love written by Roy Croft, a really beautiful reading.

Mike Stoklasa of Red Letter Weddings was the videographer and Toni DiDonato of Indigo provided the music.

Matt of Imaginative Studios was the photographer. I have had the pleasure of working with them several times recently. Be sure to check out their webpage to see their outstanding work.

It was a great team to work with and the wedding was a lot of fun for everyone.

A Suprise Wedding

Becky and David were married Friday evening at Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro

They had invited about 100 guests to what they described as an engagement party. After an hour or more of food and drinks a video of them as kids and then adults was shown on the video screens at the Bistro, the video ended by inviting everyone to the next room for the wedding! Becky's mother and grandmother, and brother knew about the wedding but no one else did including David's mother.

During the video Becky slipped away and changed into her wedding dress, when she walked in with her brother everyone stood and applauded. They were obviously surprised and delighted.

The wedding itself was a lot of fun, with laughter and a few tears all around.

2009 Bride's Choice Awards

WeddingWire, a wedding technology company, just announced that Spirited Weddings has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means Spirited Weddings is one of the very best Officiants.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

I would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award!

Trump International Hotel & Tower

Keith and Kelly were married in the Skyline Room at Trump Tower located at 401 North Wabash Avenue, in downtown Chicago. Monika B. Lotter, Director of Catering, 312 588-8000 and her staff were fantastic to work with. I was truly impressed by their willingness to help with the smallest of details and I was especially impressed that it seemed like every staff person in the hotel looked me in the eye and greeted me.

This was my first time working with Debi Lilly, Chief Eventeur, at A Perfect Event, Inc. Debi was clearly on top of every detail and provided a calm but professional presence during the rehearsal, wedding and reception. You can contact Debi at 773 244-9333 or debi@aperfectevent.com. Debi and Monica were a great team.

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

Wedding at Pazzo's

Deanna from Deanna Mandarno has graciously provided these photos for me to post here. The wedding was in December at Pazzo's, 311 South Wacker. Enjoy.

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.