Chicago Glamping Wedding Ideas

Camping might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Chicago, but this styled shoot from Made to be Mine and Bittersweet Floral makes it clear that you can bring a bit of ‘glamping’ style into any surroundings. Also, we have to say that the bride’s floor-length sequin skirt is one we’d definitely like to see more of on wedding days!

From the photographer, Kristi of Made to be Mine: I grew up camping. It’s kind of the most peaceful and awesome thing ever. I know some people think it’s gross, difficult, maybe even pointless… but I think our collective minds are starting to appreciate nature more and what we share with it. This whole “glamping” trend started a while back but I’ve seen it more recently hitting feeds of all kinds. More specifically, I saw a pin about the Northern Lights… you can rent out IGLOOS to camp in and watch the lights in a comfy pile of linens. From there, my inspiration took off… the colors of the northern lights combined with the joys of camping. After a few weeks of planning it became clear that this is how my wedding will most likely go… as I said, my childhood was full of camping. It was almost as if I was planning my own wedding instead of a styled shoot. Needless to say, I’m holding onto all of these ideas for my special someday!

Now the table, that table is just one of my favorite things ever. My dad helped me build it out of pallet wood. The design is completely my own, I love the angles coming in and out of each other, and the clean lines combined with the rustic wood is just my favorite. I wish I would’ve kept it! I’ve been loving on concrete as well, and I was inspired by one of my favorite etsy shops (of which I included her pieces for this shoot), with the gold and concrete combination. So I got some cinder blocks and painted them for the base of the table. All in all this was a very easy DIY, both of those things I found for FREE btw! The brass candlesticks are just so beautiful against the wood… but I also wanted to tie in the blues of the NL as well… the combination of the two with the silver and white candles, I just drooled with every shot.

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I found several lanterns and more concrete pieces as well for my floral designer to go crazy with, and she pulled it off flawlessly. I even took some of the pieces home to gaze over more until they dried up. There are small winks to camping with the lanterns, canteens, and binoculars. The invitations were designed from a single photograph of pine trees, with added camping icons, and fun nods to adventures in the woods, I loved how they turned out and looked with the rest of the shoot. Natural pieces like the wooden silverware, Jill’s necklace, and the wildflowers, kept the feel of the outdoors while being paired with very beautiful and modern pieces. One of my favorite aspects were the place cards; old camping badges from scouts that I found on etsy and through antique vendors, with the person’s name and table number attached, and old handkerchiefs to conceal the back of the badge. I love the idea of people pinning badges of all kinds to their person, or just having a fun little kitschy souvenir to take home. The place setting is just a dream to me; wooden silverware dipped in gold, something an eco-loving camper would adore for their wedding, fancy little woodland creatures adorn the plates, hand-dyed napkins, and copper mugs. OH, and you can’t have a campsite without s’mores and trail mix! The cake was inspired by the trail mix, with berries and nuts decorating the spread. Deconstructed s’mores were at a second dessert table, with graham cracker covered marshmallows from wondermade.com and little cups of caramel, nutella, and chocolate sauce for dipping. Along with an adorable s’mores pie, lit up with a tiny sparkler. My favorite piece of all were those amazing vintage postcards I found, easily diy-ed to be table numbers or a banner, all the images were of mountains and wooded areas all over the U.S… and they were REAL, what a fun treat to read the back and dive into someone’s past adventures! I am so grateful to Jill and Brad for their love, beauty, and willingness to participate, my amazing vendors for being perfect at what they do, and for the world around me that inspired this gorgeous, laid-back style. It all came together to reveal something unique and gorgeous, a wedding I wish was my own.

Shoot Location: Chicago, IL / Photographer: Made to be Mine / Floral Design: Bittersweet Floral / Long-sleeved Top: Fossil / Layered Tank Top: ASOS / Gold Skirt: Revolve / Druzy Necklace and Ring: DanaCastle / Hair and Makeup: Ali Onken of Bella’s Salon / Groom’s Attire: J. Crew / Tan Jacket: Zara / Grey Tie: Prada / Groom’s Shoes: Florsheim / Wedding Cakes: Jordan Sneath