Whimsical Forest Inspired Wedding in Chicago

The chillier it gets outside, the more and more we fall in love with weddings like Tess and Kevin’s in Chicago. This modern take on an indoor forest party is just what we needed, with its color palette of baby blue, bright red, and various shades of gold. Thanks to Geneoh Photography, Erin Braun, and Revel Decor for their wonderful work on this wedding!

From the event designer, Erin Braun: When I first met Tess she described her personal style as an eclectic mix of vintage, bohemian, modern, and whimsical. This aesthetic is translated through every aspect of her life from the interior design of her historic home to her sense of fashion, so it was only natural to have this be the starting inspiration for her wedding. There was so much thought, love, and personality poured into every detail of this enchanting event!

Tess and Kevin love the city of Chicago where they met and they also love traveling and adventures in nature. We brought an organic textural aesthetic into the historic Café Brauer in downtown Chicago in order to represent both aspects of their life. With hundreds of ferns, stumps, towering branches, blooms, and moss we transformed the venue into a breathtaking enchanted forest with countless thoughtful details.

We created a unique color palette of blush, red, rich burgundy, and deep green with touches of antique gold and sky blue. Whimsical touches were added throughout the event through the playful hand illustrated map in the invitations, sky blue icing on the five tiered red velvet cake, hand painted watercolor stationary, and blue feathers that the flower girls tossed down the aisle. Vintage containers passed down through their families were used for the centerpieces and I sourced vintage double faced velvet ribbons in the most perfect tones of blush and light blue for the bouquets. The bride and her mother hand made blue floating candles for the tablescapes and blue velvet acorns that embellished every place setting. Above all of the lovely details, the bride was an absolute vision and completely stole the show with her captivating sense of style. She wore a stunning custom blush organza voluminous skirt overtop a sleek and modern backless Vera Wang gown and accessorized with deep red Jimmy Choo shoes, her vintage engagement ring, and a fresh bohemian flower crown. The incredibly romantic ceremony took place right at sunset and the room began to glow with hundreds of candles. The moments of sheer joy and happy tears shed throughout the day made evident that Tess and Kevin’s wedding was truly magical!