Eco Chic Wedding

Kathryn and Kurtis really wanted to make it their day and together planned a wedding that would touch on who they are and the things most important to them as a couple.

Kathryn tells the story of her wedding …

The ceremony site was an easy decision… it was outside in the Hedge Garden at the Morton Arboretum, which is where we had our first date, and where Kurtis proposed. The Reception was at Hotel Arista, which initially caught our interest with its clean and natural, yet modern, style (similar to ours). We were more than sold once we tried their food, and when they were named the only LEED certified Hotel in Illinois, it couldn’t have been a more perfect fit.

Being the detail oriented people that we are, almost every aspect of the day was personal in some way, and being the outdoorsy people that we are, the garden feel that started at the Arboretum naturally spread into the entire day.

My favorite color is yellow and Kurtis’ is orange, so we wanted to stay in that range. Once we found the perfect color in the bridesmaid dresses, everything grew from there. I call it marigold.  We like to match, so we really didn’t stray from that color… from the bow ties down to the soup.

The monogram took on a life of it’s own. We both love symmetry, so the reversing the second “K” for symmetry was an idea I had had for months, the bracket effect with our final design simply won out over the hundreds of options we designed. The save-the-dates and invitations stemmed from the monogram, and I designed the cake to match the invitations.

We made the cork boards (to display the place cards) ourselves, mostly from corks we had saved for years, to show our love for wine and it tied into our “green” efforts.  The table numbers were painted on rocks, our signature drink was made from organic vodka, and in lieu of favors, we made a donation to our local forest preserve district.

We opted for a sand ceremony which was only appropriate for two beach lovers in the Midwest, and it allowed our family and friends to have a role in the day, representing they roles they have in our lives.My dress was the second one I tried on, and the only one that made my mother, Aunt, and MOH cry.  Our flowers were calla lilies – white and “marigold” only.  I wore my grandmother’s bracelet that was a gift from my grandfather and the necklace my mother wore the day she married my father was wrapped in my bouquet. My favorite photo of the day was taken right at the spot Kurtis proposed in the Spruce plot at the Arboretum. We didn’t plan our wedding with a theme, but I think our earthy, yet classic style showed through in the end.

Ceremony: Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL / Reception: Hotel Arista, Lisle, IL / Photographer: Artisan Events, Inc. / Videography: Artisan Events, Inc. / Cake: Cocoa Bean / Florals: Expressions / Band: Al Sofia / Bride’s Attire: Rivini / Groom’s Attire: Perry Ellis / Invitations: Thia & Company