Nicole+James' Salvatore's Ristorante Wedding

The Proposal: Nicole's one wish with her proposal was that someone from her family could be there to witness it, since she had lived away from her family for 4 years. Nicole's sister Isabelle flew in from Alabama, but Nicole thought it was to celebrate her sister's birthday. Nicole & Isabelle went to dinner at Pars Cove in Lakeview, then met James by the lake to watch the Saturday night fireworks. Looking back, Nicole realizes James was really quiet during those fireworks! After the fireworks they were walking home by Belmont Harbor, when James told Isabelle to walk ahead. Nicole was about to tell him how rude that was, but when she turned around he was down on one knee with a beautiful rose gold diamond ring. Isabelle was able to get photos of the proposal, and the thing James said that sticks in Nicole's memory was, "I can't imagine growing old without you."

The Wedding: Nicole and James got ready for their wedding at the hotel Allegro. Nicole's makeup was by Axelle+Ivy Salon, and hair by Jacob Leatherman of  Bocaj Beauty. She wore a Tara Keely gown from Bella Couture in Birmingham, AL paired with adorable embellished flats, and a delicate topaz necklace. The Bridesmaids wore dresses from J Crew, earrings from BHLDN, and necklaces from Tiger Lily Dream. Nicole gave her Maid of Honor a special necklace from EmBound.
James excitedly waited outside to see Nicole for the first time on their wedding day. We then all went to Old St. Patrick's Church for the ceremony where Nicole and James tied the knot. Then it was time to head out on the town to take photographs of the newlyweds. The reception took place at the intimate italian restaurant, Salvatore's Ristorante. The florals were by Stems, cake by Oak Mill Bakery, and the evenings entertainment was by Ryan Norsworthy of Style Matters DJs.
A great time was had by all!
Congrats Nicole and James!

Erica+Doug's Salvatore's Ristorante Wedding

The Proposal: Late July 2013, Erica traveled to Paris with three girlfriends for 10 days. Doug had been invited but declined, stating he needed to save for “things". What Erica didn't know was that he was already planning to come to Paris to surprise her with a beautiful engagement ring! Doug was aided by Erica's best friend, Karina, and his friend, Jacek. 
On August 1, 2013, Karina and her Parisian friend Rafael, were going to take the girls for a night out, so they got all dressed up and met Rafael on the Bridge of Love, the lock bridge Pont des Arts.  Rafael was taking pictures of the girls on the bridge, and kept complaining about some guy  photobombing behind them. After several complaints, Rafael showed Erica the photo, and the photo-bombing offender that showed up on the camera screen was none other than Doug! Erica turned around only to see he really was there, looking handsome as ever. The couple walked towards each other, kissed and hugged, then Doug told Erica he loved her and wanted to “lock it down for life",  got down on one knee and blew her away with one gorgeous engagement ring. Of course, she said “Oui!” and they all celebrated into the wee hours of the Parisian Night, at Aux Trois Mailletz, an amazing Jazz Club, where the group danced on tables and toasted with plenty of champagne!

The Wedding: It's no surprise that after that amazing proposal, Erica and Doug would let subtle parisian themes come into play on their big day. Erica and the girls got ready at the Bride's own condo, with hair by Abby from Sharon Daniel Salon, makeup by Sara Parisi from Bella Lei Studio. Her gown by Enzoani from Dimitra's Bridal fit her perfectly. She paired it with bright orange heels by Nadia from Lord & Taylor, earrings from France, and a bracelet that was a gift from Doug.

 The Bridesmaid's had free reign to pick their own dresses! The Bride requested they be pink/red coral and short. Erica designed a piece of gold and tiffany blue jewelry for each of her girls with Sarah Savage of Driftless Jewelry. Doug and the guys got ready at the aloft City Center Hotel, and they wore suits from JoS. A Bank. Erica and Doug chose not to see each other before their ceremony at Old St. Pat's, but shared a little moment together (without peeking) and a prayer before mass.

After this fun couple officially tied the knot, we took some family photos in the park, then swept up the wedding party and headed out for their creative photography time around town. Hitting up the Board of Trade, one of the beautiful Chicago bridges, and Lincoln Park before heading to Salvatore's Ristorante for the intimate reception. Florals were by Keith Davis of KEDesign, cake by Oak Mill Bakery, and the macaroon wedding favors were by Pamplemousse Bakery. The reception fun featured a photo booth by ActionBooth, and music by DJ Skittles and DJ Masters Worldwide. 

Congrats Erica and Doug!

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