Julie + Brett’s Antique Store Wedding

When the extremely talented Chicago photographer Olivia Leigh from Olivia Leigh Photographie emailed me to submit this wedding, my eyes popped out when she told me that she had shot a wedding that took place at an antique store. Not only that, but the couple handmade most of the design, with lots of quirky details. Oh yeah!

Olivia tells us a little bit about their wedding:

A bit about this wedding: I met Julie and Brett in early 2009 and instantly felt a connection to them. They both have such a strong, palpable joie de vivre and I found myself energized by their excitement about each other and their wedding. Brett is a graphic designer and played a large role in the day, crafting a beautiful website, www.wemadethisourselves.com and making amazing, engaging programs with a detailed explanation of why they chose the songs they did, etc., to help add meaning and context to their day for the guests. He also designed their fabulous save the dates, and Brett and Julie scoured eBay to find vintage keys to send to all of their guests along with the delightful, curled tags. This theme carried over to the invitations, which featured an door that opened like a pop-up book, along with Gocco-ed save the dates.

Julie and Brett decided to have their wedding at Architectural Artifacts, a fantastic space here in Chicago that is essentially an antiquities and curiosities emporium – three floors overflowing with vintage treasures, all built around an atrium perfect for weddings. We used the space for some of their portraits, which are some of my favorites ever! Julie wore jewelry and a headpiece from etsy vendors and had a beautiful dress from Liancarlo couture. She gave her bridesmaids custom Etsy clutch purses for the wedding. Brett wore a custom suit from Suit Supply in Amsterdam, a city that Brett surprised (literally told about a week before they went!) Julie with a trip to the day after our engagement session.

Centerpieces were sourced from the supply at Architectural Artifacts, and guests were free to roam to find other treasures on their own.

A live French jazz band provided a great soundtrack for much of the day, which, when combined with the globe lights that Brett and Julie and their wedding party strung from the floors, created a chic, European feel to the space (sounds so cheesy, but it is so true! I really felt like I was in some little adorable square in a small town in Europe).

Olivia’s boyfriend who is starting to get into wedding videography also sent a video of their day. It’s incredibly captured – watch it here.

Venue: Architectural Artifacts
Caterer: Jordan’s Food of Distinction
Hair and Makeup: Sonia Roselli Esthetique
Cake: Amy Beck Cake Design
Tandem Bicycle Cake Topper: Heather Boyd on Etsy
Hair piece: Doomfox on Etsy
Bouquets and boutonnieres: Asrai Garden
Bridesmaid purses: Red Ruby Rose on Etsy
Groom’s suit: Suit Supply
All paper goods were made by the couple