Wedding | Emily & Brick

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met in the summer of 2022, when a lot of life was still happening over Zoom. Emily was presenting her master’s thesis and Brick had joined the call to support his friend and Emily’s fellow classmate, Sarah. Somewhere between thesis slides and tiny Zoom squares, Brick spotted Emily and asked Sarah if she knew her. Our first date was a week later.

We fell in love in Chicago. The early days of our relationship were spent riding our bikes around the city, swimming in Lake Michigan, loafing around Horner Park, and drinking bad wine in Emily’s apartment above a sushi restaurant. We still do a lot of these things, although we’ve acquired a little better taste in wine.

Brick works in the School of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology and has his own studio practice. He’s passionate, creative, and always has a new hobby in rotation. Emily works in education at a furniture company and is a lifelong learner, reader, and lover of a good outfit. We’re both adventurous and have a hard time saying no to a plan.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

As soon as we started planning, we knew we wanted to be married at City Hall. It felt really romantic to share a moment, just the two of us, in the city that shaped our relationship. But, we also love a party. Deconstructing the typical day and timeline allowed us to have the best of both worlds. We went to City Hall Tuesday, followed by a fancy lunch and prosecco, and threw a party with all of our people on Friday to celebrate.

For the reception, we wanted to host an event for our guests that was an ideal night out in Chicago. Having this goal in mind, Webster’s Wine Bar in the heart of Logan Square was an easy choice. The wine list is extensive, the staff is knowledge (and fun), the food is top-notch, and the space feels elevated without trying too hard - a delicate balance we are drawn to.

How many guests did you have?

We had around 75 guests, which felt like the perfect number. The room was full with our closest friends and family, but it still felt like a small enough group to capture the personal atmosphere we hoped for.

What was your budget?

Having an unconventional celebration in a smaller space allowed us prioritize what we value, while still recognizing that a wedding should be designed for the guests as well.

Tell us about your outfits.

Fashion is something we both care about, so finding our outfits was one of the most exciting parts about the planning process.

Emily: I’m drawn to pieces with sculptural shapes and playful details. I wanted to incorporate outfits that felt like me, but the most elevated version.

For City Hall, I wore the Self-Portrait Crepe Mini Dress. I’m obsessed with a shift dress and I loved the soft yellow as a way to bring color into my look. Plus, the flower details were just so fun.

For my reception dress, I went to LEIN and couldn’t stop thinking about the Wylie Scarf Dress. The scarf draping, hand-placed lace, and movement of the fabric gave the dress a quiet sense of drama. It felt bridal in spirit, but still distinctly my own.

I styled the dress with the Cult Gaia Ria Sandal, a Melisse sequin fringe bag, and Chan Luu pearl drop earrings. Accessories are usually where I have the most fun with clothes, so I wanted to give them just as much thought as the dress itself.

Brick: I wanted to pick something that was not a tuxedo but still felt special enough to get married in. I have always been drawn to menswear suiting with a classic fit. After trying on many variations, the Miles double breasted suit in coal from Knickerbocker stood out for the fit, weight, and silhouette.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We kept coming back to the idea that we wanted the night to feel like your favorite Friday night out: a good outfit, music you actually listen to, and your favorite drink. We wanted to celebrate our marriage, but we also wanted everyone to have a really good time with each other.

The night was relaxed and open, with plenty of room for our guests to enjoy it however they wanted. There was no strict dress code; we encouraged everyone to wear something they’d been waiting for an excuse to wear. Dart Collective handled the music, including vinyl, and we worked with them to build a playlist that felt like us. We also kept the schedule intentionally loose, with plenty of time between the more structured moments for people to wander, mingle, eat, drink, and have creative freedom of their night. The night took its cues from our real life in Chicago, rather than a traditional wedding itinerary.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

Because our day didn’t follow a traditional wedding format, we wanted to incorporate details that made the night more elevated. A lot of that came through in the design of Webster’s. The space already has so much character, it feels cool and lived-in, so we wanted to work with that rather than transform it. We added vintage linens, silver, stationery we designed, and mirror writing by Catio O.

Along with what we were going to wear, florals were high on our list of priorities. Nerine Floral brought another layer to the space; Sinead and Liz created funky, sculptural arrangements with lots of movement and variety. The compositions they created drove conservation as guests moved through the space.

We also wanted the night to include a few moments that gave it a feeling of togetherness. Our sisters and a close friend gave speeches that spoke to us as individuals and as a couple. And our talented friends Eva and Arden, who make music together as Lilla Sol, sang during the evening.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Don’t be afraid to look at your wedding through a fresh lens. If you feel like the traditional wedding formula doesn’t reflect your relationship, create your own. There are no rules about what your wedding has to look or feel like, and some of the best decisions we made came from asking ourselves what we actually wanted rather than what we thought we were supposed to have.

Also, be glued to your partner’s hip throughout your event. It all goes by incredibly fast, and you want to experience as much of it together as you can.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Everyone we worked with hit it out of the park.

Alisha Tova has a way of photographing a wedding that bottles up the atmosphere of the day without feeling staged. Beyond being incredibly talented, she’s also just a pleasure to spend the day with.

Melodie, our incredible coordinator, understood our vision and goals without being explicitly told. We gave her a lot of trust when it came to the design and flow of the evening and she brought a sense of ease to both.

For flowers, we knew immediately that it had to be Nerine Floral. We’re lucky to call them friends, but we’re also genuine admirers of their work. They approach flowers in such an inventive way, playing with shape, scale, movement, and unexpected combinations.

Lastly, the stars of the evening were the incredible people at Webster’s Wine Bar. We have a quite a lively group of friends, but Tonya, Nik, Catie, Ethan, and the rest of the team matched our energy and amplified it (no, really, they even joined us for the after party). They made space feel like magic.

Photographer: Tova Studios @alishatova | Planning: Melodie Rose @mel0dierose | Styling: by Emily's sister | Flora: Nerine Floral @nerinefloral | Reception Location: Webster’s Wine Bar @websterswinebar | Hire: Twelve Fourteen Vintage @1214vintage | HMUA: Gold Dust Woman @goldust_woman | Catering & Beverages: Webster’s Wine Bar @websterswinebar | Stationery: Brick & Emily | DJ: Dart Collective @dartcollective | Live Song: Lilla Sol @lillasolband | Courthouse Dress: Self Portrait @mrsselfportrait | Reception Dress: Lein Studio @lein_studio; | Suit: Knickerbocker @Knickerbocker | Emily's Engagement & Wedding Ring: Lindsay Lewis @lindsaylewis.fine | Brick's Wedding Ring: Father’s heirloom | Shoes: Cult Gaia (Emily) @cultgaia; Kleman - France (Brick)