Happy bride. Saying these words in our shop without a doubt brings Andrea Rochetto’s name to mind. She is a light. Post-paper, adorned in Francesca Pitera for Jim Hjlem she became a Chadwick on Febuary 11, 2012 in the heart of the French Quarter at Latrobe’s On Royal. If you’re already swooning over her dress like we were, wait until you hear about their invitation. Andrea and Brian chose a Bella Figura design customer letterpress printed on double thick stock with the sides bearing metallic edge painting. That was only the start of their ornate paper trail; we tied it all together with matching programs, menus and a rehearsal dinner invitation all in the same elegant calligraphy. I’m sure you’re just as curious as we were to hear about how this fairytale came about, below Andrea shares their story.

We met on a blind date, Avec in Chicago to be exact, and I wasn’t sure what to expect  as Brian told me he would be the shortest guy in the bar wearing a Bear’s jersey.  As gullible as I am, part of me believed him, but little did I know I would walk into a date that would change my life forever.  When I first met Brian, all I could think about was how handsome, kind and fun he was.  We enjoyed each other’s company and didn’t want the night to end.  I came home not knowing what to expect next, but I knew how I felt and I could only think of him and how wonderful he made me feel.  

We were so in love and we decided to move in together and Brian had planned a trip for us to go to Maui.  Part of me was hoping that would be when he would propose, but I wasn’t expecting it.  I met him there and after two days of relaxing by the ocean he brought us to a romantic evening with a private dinner, just the two of us.  I did not expect a thing, until we pulled up to our tented dinner on the beach, candlelit, while listing to our favorite music, Radiohead.  Brian spoke of our great times, the love he felt for me, and then he did it.  He got down one knee and proposed, and I could not resist my tears of joy.  

 New Orleans is a city that Brian considers home, and when he asked me if we could get married there I did not think twice.  I knew how much it would mean to him to get married in the city which has played such an intricate part of his life, and I thought about all of our memories in New Orleans.  We wanted to give our guests a unique wedding experience, so we decided to go with New Orleans’ wedding traditions. Our guests arrived at their hotel to find a welcome bag, created by Lagniappe for your Event, with fun Louisiana snacks such as mini tabasco bottles, Zapp’s chips, and Pralines.   From the venue, to the music, to the food, to the drinks, and to finish the night with a second line parade, our guests were able to experience a traditional Big Easy wedding.  I was able to spend the day with my girls in the penthouse of Latrobe’s, getting our hair and makeup done by Barbara Kessel and her team, while enjoying lunch from Antoine’s Annex. 

We were married in the candlelit Latrobe’s courtyard to the classical quartet and trumpeter arranged by New Orleans’ Finest Musicians. Our guests were dancing all night to the talented Groovy 7, and we finished the evening with a traditional second line parade escorted by the NOPD through the french quarter, while the Pinstripes performed. 

I loved our details, from the beautiful candles and fun candy bar from luminous events, to the beautiful array of flowers designed from a very traditional southern florist, Meade Wenzel, the venue looked and felt unique.   The photo booth was a total hit as our guests were able to wear feather boas and carnival masks, Kristy May provided the photography and printed out photos for our guests to take as a party favor.  

Advice I would give to brides is to enjoy the planning and the events leading up to the wedding.  You can create the wedding of your dreams, and don’t be afraid to do things differently, we sure did!  

All photos by Kristi May Photography.

How can you really use Twitter to discover new resources for your wedding?  So glad you asked. As of now consider your relationship with the hashtag #official, he will be a wonderful tool in helping you get started. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the agenda of a hashtag my explanation will be painless I assure you. These little guys (#) are used to mark relevant keywords or topics in a Tweet. By doing so your word is then categorized making it easily searchable by all users. Still with me? Now, for the sake of this post let’s say I just got engaged. I’m going to walk you through the process of getting those wedding to-do lists started. The great thing about utilizing this form of social media is that you can, in real time, see what a business is all about. No one is a step above the rest, everyone’s foot is in the same door, per say. You have the ability to discover vendors that may not live at the top of Google, and even browse some big names, but with Twitter they’re all on the same seating chart if you catch my drift.

Let’s begin!  I login to Twitter and type “Chicago Wedding” into my search bar at the top right hand corner of the screen. BOOM. I just struck gold. The first hit is a tweet from local dress designer Veronica Sheaffer. I’m not familiar with her, but thankfully she mentioned the words “Chicago” and “Wedding” in a recent shout out. As I begin to browse her collections I immediately realize they are striking, extraordinary really. This self-taught dress designer uses only the finest fabrics and clearly has a knack for sweet, old-fashioned gown design. All you modern day Jackie O’s get ready to swoon. After spending a good ten minutes going absolutely ga-ga over her gowns (my favorite pictured above) and reminding myself that this is pretend and I don’t in fact need a dress I was finally able to move on. Next, I type “Chicago bakery #wedding” into the search bar. To my left I see two options: Tweets or People. After selecting “People” a list of vendors claiming the real magic happens in the kitchen appears before my eyes.

My attention is first drawn to Bleeding Heart Bakery(@Bleeding_Heart) who, might I add, is the first Certified Organic retail bakery in the Unites States. Round of applause, you have my attention. Basically Michelle and Vinny do punk rock pastry, but don’t think that’s all. Meet with these visually innovative cake experts and we guarantee you’ll be saying ‘I do’ at first sight. I hear their grooms cakes are truly one of a kind and as Patty Wetli said, “…nothing says I love you quite as well as chocolate whiskey cake.” Amen sister.

Feeling floral and pretty accomplished in the sweet department, I type “#Chicago Floral” into my search bar. My first hit happens to be Pollen (@EcoFlorist). Right next to her our good friend Alexandra Jusino of Exquisite Designs(@AlexJusino). Not only does Alex have the ability to compose such captivating arrangements, but she has a genuine warmth about her.  Creating classic designs with a modern flair, they’ll catch your eye and that’s a promise. She also has a rockin’ blog for anyone who’s feeling exquisite today.

In my book, Twitter is the James Bond of search engines and using it as a wedding resource can do no harm. Shoes, violinists, headpieces and even venues…it’s time to 007 your way into planning with those hashtags and start exploring. Have fun and let it surprise you, after all this is your time.

Also, don’t forget to checkout @1elizabethgrace for all of your paper dreams!

#Gracefully yours,

Lindsey (@lindscavanaugh)

P.S. Don’t forget to checkout some of my other Chicago wedding favorites on Twitter!

@AnneBook_   @BHLDN   @BlissChicago   @CSbrides   @EsteraEvents  @EventCreative   @FemmeDuCoupe

@fleurinc   @LeftBankJewelry   @MarinaBirch   @SQNevents   @trufflesquared   @Walforf_Chicago

In spirit of this classic love story being re-released we recognize that dusting off the old shelf copy at home simply won’t do. Rest assured, we are just as excited as you to see Leonardo Dicaprio’s perfect hair in 3D.  The re-release is scheduled for this month to commemorate the centenary of the Titanic setting sail on April 10, 1912(whoa). This is why we are giving away two tickets and some sweet treats for this Friday’s showing downtown! Leave a comment on this post telling us exactly where you were the first time you saw Titanic along with your favorite go-to movie snack and we’ll pick one at random to be the lucky winner.

Hailey: I was in Madison Connecticut with my friend Stephanie, who might I add had, already seen it 21 times in theatres(no joke!). My go-to movie snack would have to be sour patch kids, but only the yellow and orange ones. I leave my best friend on red and green duty.

Lindsey: I remember my entire family saw it together on Christmas Eve. First purchase after film: Leonardo DiCaprio poster. I’m notorious for sneaking Chipotle into the movies, always up for a good challenge.

Laura: At the time Titanic was released, I had a crazy head of red hair and my boyfriend at the time thought I looked like Rose. I loved hearing that one! I saw the movie in the Cayman Islands and with my fascination for all things ocean, diving and James Cameron, I couldn’t wait to buy my ticket. Oh, and I’m a popcorn girl, hands down.

Molly: I remember seeing it with my mom in middle school, it was definitely an experience I’ll never forget! I’m always armed with Twizzlers and a Diet Coke at the movies.

*Tickets are for this Friday, April 6th at 7:00 pm*

Meet Laura Manteuffel.

“Some girls buy shoes, I buy fonts.”

5 things I could never live without: My dog Jasper, diet coke, cashmere, a camera, my kindle, and if I could add one more, the panna cotta at Riccardo’s.

What inspires me: When it comes to creative inspiration, good design of any kind!  Of course I love admirable graphic design, but architecture, interior and fashion design are all places I look to for inspiration when I start a new project.  I love to pull in details that are meaningful, whether it’s an embellishment from a couture gown, or a color palette from a favorite photo. Also, I’m a total sucker for good typography-it never ceases to impress and inspire me.  It’s  fair to say that it’s always something different with me, some tiny little detail can easily turn into something big.  That’s what makes it fun!

People are always surprised to learn that:  I used to be a theatrical designer.  When I lived in New York I worked as a lighting designer on Broadway and at Radio City Music Hall.  I was lucky enough to work with and learn from some of the best designers out there.

 If I weren’t here at Elizabeth Grace (and money wasn’t a factor!) I’d be: Off saving the whales and the oceans somewhere. Give me a boat on the water with some scuba gear and I would be a very happy girl.

My favorite invitation:  That’s impossible for me to do.  It’s like choosing your favorite kid (and it changes almost daily!)  We have a custom design that has some very intricate engraving and gold gilded edges that I keep going back to as a favorite.  It’s a wonderfully classic, timeless, design but at the same it has contemporary feel.  (Everyone always asks me what I would design if I were getting married, I think it would all depend on the groom!)

The best part about my job is:  We get to “make pretty” every day.

Meet Hailey Yetman.

“It takes a lot of courage to grow up and become who you really are.” -E.E. Cummings

5 things I could never live without: My husband and family (including our pets Ollie the pup, Oscar and Felix, our cats), my running shoes, the beach, manicures and a great cup of coffee in the morning and a good glass of wine at the end of the day.

What inspires me: My younger sister (she’s as strong as they come), a long walk, country music and of course Adele, genuinely kind people,  my girlfriends, the Crayola box of 96 crayons and last but not least, organizational tools!

People are always surprised to learn that: I am actually not a girly girl!  I love hiking, camping (in a tent not an R.V.), skiing, boating and anything that involves the outdoors.  I once woke up to a tarantella on my pillow while on a volunteer trip to Costa Rica, that was fun…not!

If I weren’t at Elizabeth Grace I’d be: Living on a ranch out in Colorado.  I would have horses, cows and a big farm.  I would run the whole thing myself, maybe with a little help from my husband.

The invitation I like most is: Hmm that’s a tough question, I have too many!  I think my all time favorite though is a custom invitation that has a beautiful monogram and three different fonts (three!) all tied together with fabulous back patterns.  It is classic and unique at the same time.

The best part about my job is: Meeting with the brides!  I love meeting with a bride that is excited to pick out her invitations, and that has a passion for this aspect of her wedding.  After all, the invitation is the first glimpse of their wedding that their guests are going to see, why not make it special!

Meet Lindsey Cavanaugh.

“A ship in the harbor is safe… but that’s not why ships are built.”

5 things I couldn’t live without: A camera, Sundays, family vacations, my bookshelf and last but not least avocados- life without them would be unimaginable.

What inspires me: My three amazing parents, sunny days, The Freedom Writers Foundation, Bill Eppridge, music and especially my two little siblings(Charlie and Taylor!)-always keeping me grounded and reminding me of the important things in life.

People are always surprised to learn that: I have seven years of French under my belt, parlez-vous francais?

If I weren’t at Elizabeth Grace I’d be: A creative writing professor or an international photographer for the Travel Channel. If money wasn’t a factor-I would spend my time kayaking in the Ardeche Gorge and eating lots of French cheese.

The invitation I like the best: I had the opportunity to photograph several of our office favorites with Laura for our 10 year anniversary book. After seeing all of the great work, I would have to say I love the storybook save the dates. Such a cool way to express your love story in a laid back, personal and fun way. Huge fan!

The best part about my job is: Being able to combine my passion for social media and marketing with the bridal industry.

We had so much fun putting this post together and now we’re curious-what are 5 things you couldn’t live without?

The inspiration for this came from a beautiful little bottle of Pommery Pink Champagne. For about a year, we have been enjoying a “Pink Champagne Friday” tradition here in the shop, so sharing that was a definite choice.  The color combination of the bottle was perfect, especially with pink and navy being Hailey’s favorite color palette. The foil wrap being neither silver, or gold, gave me the perfect excuse to finally use platinum engraving, a color I have been dying to use for so long!

Pairing it with my other favorite, white engraving was pure heaven.  I found the perfect shade of raspberry stock to make our tags, only to discover it had been discontinued.  It matched the bottle perfectly,  I was kind of heartbroken.  Lucky for us we did some digging and we found some we could use for our project.  In my mind, we gave Raspberry a stellar send off! We were joking in the studio about what we would say on our Valentine, and tossed out “we go together like peanut butter and jelly”.  That wasn’t really the message I wanted, but all of a sudden I knew I had to talk to my good friend Nicole at Truffle Truffle. She makes the yummiest Peanut Butter and Jelly truffles, adorned with a little heart.  She quickly rounded out my idea to include “Milk and Cookies” and “Beer and Pretzels”…all things that go really well together. 

Feeling excited about our sweet treats we focused our attention on the creation of our Valentine. I wanted to do something creative and special that we could coordinate with all of the tags and packaging. Hailey thought a laser cut doily would be the perfec mix of fun and elegant. Lace patterns danced across the desks and with a little help from The Beatles our Valentine was complete!

In addition to pretty fonts and chocolate, we had something else brewing. I wanted to put together a look book of sorts of our work. With this year being our tenth anniversary, I knew ”Celebrating Ten Years of Elizabeth Grace” would be the perfect way to approach that.  We began gathering photos from some of our “real weddings” and many of our favorite invitations. Lindsey had just started working with us and she jumped right in helping us with the photography and editing. After a case of diet coke and a hefty investment in mid-day Starbucks runs we had about 70 pages of our favorite stationery pieces. Sadly, I had to cut a few favorites reminding me of my theatre days when we had to cut a favorite song from a new musical. It was quite the walk down memory lane.

Thanking everyone who has meant something to Elizabeth Grace over the years would be near impossible. Hopefully through the writing of this blog we will be able to highlight the talents of our co-conspirators and celebrate all the people who have been so important to us over the years. I remain humbled by how lucky we are to work with so many great individuals and the brides who have allowed us to share in such a special time in their lives.

Lend a helping hand and Bella Figura will return the favor! (Free flat letterpress favor cards)
To encourage bypassing traditional guest favors and donating to a cause instead, Bella will letterpress your flat favor cards for free if your favor is a donation to a charitable cause. (Small print: The favor cards must be printed with a minimum $500 order; place card size; letterpressed in the design and ink colors from your order; and your highest order quantity will be matched.)