Tag: Jeremy Lawson

Jaisa + Charlie: Cafe Brauer Reception

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Yesterday, I posted about Jaisa and Charlie’s morning and their ceremony at Saint Michael’s Church.  Today, there are lovely photos about their gorgeous Cafe Brauer reception.

All Photos by Jeremy Lawson  Photography.

A very modern invitation.

I love any cake with buttons!  The style would fit perfectly on my Gustavian pin board.



I adore their linen choice.  It is very modern and chic!


The gorgeous centerpieces.


The menus matched the modern invitations.  Can I just mention one more time how much I love that linen?


It’s always so nice to see family wedding photos displayed at a reception.


A place card (not an escort card) with a pretty bow.


I love the little touches like these.  
Do you love the handmade map aesthetic?  I just love it!


I love the little giraffes… they are my favorite animals ever!  So cute.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs!

Jaisa + Charlie: The Morning and Ceremony

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Cafe Brauer has been a long time favorite venue of Chicagans. After seeing these gorgeous photos, it is very apparent why brides swoon as soon as they walk up the stairs to the main room. Jaisa and Charlie hired Shelly almost immediately after booking the venue.  We really enjoyed working with this delightful couple.

DJ: Toast & Jam
Florist: Kloeckner Preferred  Flowers
Hair: Dave Fonseca Stylist
Make-up: Laura Black
Ceremony: Saint Michael’s Church
Cake: Take The Cake
Photographer: Jeremy Lawson  Photography
Reception: Café Brauer
Transportation: Windy City Limo
Caterer/Linens: Blue Plate


The gorgeous dress hanging up in the hotel suite.

Jaisa’s lovely bouquet. I love the texture given by all of the different flowers.

St. Michael’s is such a beautiful church!


Shelly carries that gorgeous train!




I love that Jaisa carried her bouquet to the side so that you can get a full view of her stunning dress.


Gorgeous picture of the couple at their church.
Jaisa’s cathedral length veil drapes the floor.

I love how the guys not in perfect order.  Don’t they all look so happy (and handsome)?


City photos!

The bridal party!  Do you prefer photos will the bridal party is staggered?

Or, do you prefer the symmetry of guys and girls?





Jaisa takes a lovely bridal portrait.


Jeremy is always great at taking shots of the tiny details, like cuff links.


I love Jaisa’s necklace.  Diamonds are very traditional but the key is unique.




I will be posting more photos of this lovely wedding tomorrow!

Stephanie + Cameron – The Details

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You can see Stephanie and Cameron’s ceremony and reception in previous posts. Now, a look at some of the details.

All photos by Jeremy Lawson Photography.

All of the paper items coordinated throughout the event. Here is their ceremony program.

I love this view of the room with all the candle light.

Tent cards helped guests navigate the escort card table.

Stephanie’s mom created cards with an adorable poem explaining how the bride and groom met and got together.

The cupcakes were a huge hit among their guests.

Five Jordan almonds were at each place setting. These are often found at Italian weddings. The attached card explained the wishes of health, wealth, happiness, children and a long life.

Thankfully, the bride and groom were able to pop into the photo booth for some pictures!

Guests loved posing and leaving funny notes for the couple in the album.


This was such a fun wedding. Thanks for letting me share in your celebration!

Stephanie + Cameron – The Reception

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Yesterday’s post featured Stephanie and Cameron’s ceremony. Today, we’ll look at their reception.

All photos by Jeremy Lawson Photography.

They took some fun shots around the city, starting with an L platform…

and ending with a dip in front of the Board of Trade!

Cafe Brauer is a popular reception site in Chicago. We were lucky to have a beautiful night.

Making their entrance into dinner. I love the detail on the back of Stephanie’s dress.

Cutting into their cake. Some of their guests own a bakery in Ohio and delivered both the cake and cupcakes for the reception.

They shared their first dance to “Better Together” by Jack Johnson.


Stephanie and Cameron were paired up for a project in a college class. They invited several of their old professors and personally thanked them for the successful, if unintentional, matchmaking.

The dance floor was packed throughout the evening.


Check back for the last post featuring some of the great details from their event.

Stephanie + Cameron – The Ceremony

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I actually stepped in to help with Stephanie and Cameron’s wedding fairly late in the process, and we didn’t even meet until the week of the wedding! However, she was not only organized, but super sweet so it was very easy. Her parents were also very involved – it’s so nice to see a family who’s genuinely excited about the wedding.

Cake and Cupcakes Bakery Gingham in Columbus, Ohio
Caterer Food For Thought
Ceremony St. Vincent DePaul
DJ Toast and Jam
Florist Scarlet Petal
Hair and Makeup Bridal Beauty Chicago
Photo Booth 312 Photo Booth
Photographer Jeremy Lawson
Reception Cafe Brauer

All photos by Jeremy Lawson Photography.

Getting ready at the Belden Stratford Hotel. My favorite thing is when a bride is not stressed but having a glass of champagne with her girls!


Stephanie’s gift to her mother. I think it’s a lovely keepsake.

In the assembly line of pinning the groomsmen’s boutonnieres, Jeremy took this shot. Do you see my detailed timeline in the background?

The ring bearers passing some time before the ceremony began.

Both Stephanie and Cameron are DePaul alumni, so this church had special meaning for them.

Officially husband and wife!

The bride and groom took a celebratory twirl in the back of the church.


In the next post, we’ll take a peek at their reception at a popular site, Cafe Brauer, in Chicago.

Sharon + Carlos: The Details

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Yesterday, I showed some photos from Carlos and Sharon’s wedding. Here are some details from their big day.

All photos by Jeremy Lawson.

I thought their wedding invitation was formal but a little edgy.

The unity candle for their ceremony.

Ceremony programs. The chandelier motif was featured on many of their paper items.


Sharon made these signs. What a cute way to thank your guests!


Bird cages of different sizes held cards from guests.


Favors provided guests with a treat and an invitation to take some silly pictures in the photo booth.


A sweet take on a rings photo. Even the candy matched the color scheme!




Thanks for letting me be a part of your big day! Congratulations!

Sharon + Carlos

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Sharon and Carlos were planning an elegant and sophisticated wedding, but they definitely wanted to have fun, too! Their wedding was a perfect blend of both – the dance floor was packed all night.

Band Latin Street Dancing

Cake Rolf’s Patisserie

Ceremony St. Ita’s

DJ ETV Productions

Florist Vale of Enna

Hair Alice Salazar

Makeup Nika Vaughan

Photo Booth The Traveling Photo Booth

Photographer Jeremy Lawson Photography

Reception Chicago Marriott O’Hare

Transportation The Trolley Car & Bus Company

Videographer Ben Mahoney Productions

All photographs by Jeremy Lawson.

All the girls got ready at the couple’s home. The lighting was perfect – a sunny day always helps get everyone excited!

The beautiful church where the ceremony was held.

Sharon and Carlos incorporated their Filipino and Cuban traditions into the ceremony.

After, they stopped at one of their favorite restaurants, 90 Miles, for a quick spin.


Jeremy always captures unusual and fun photos!


The Best Man signs the photo mat during cocktail hour. This is always a great keepsake for the bride and groom.


Sharing a slice of yummy cake.


Carlos and Sharon thanked all of their guests who traveled from all over the country, and kicked off the party.


Though many of my brides no longer toss the bouquet, I think it can be a lot of fun with the right crowd. Sharon seems to agree!


Leading the way onto the dance floor!



Tomorrow, I’ll feature some of the details from their wedding.

Miranda + Rich: Part Two

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In my last post, I shared Miranda and Rich getting ready and taking pictures around the city. Now it’s time for their fabulous ceremony and reception!

All photos by Jeremy Lawson Photography.

I love this picture of Rich as Miranda is walking down the aisle.


And, even better is Miranda’s expression when she’s standing next to Rich!



As a part of the ceremony, Miranda and Rich incorporated a Chinese ceremony where two wine glasses are joined by a red string. I love helping to set up these little details.


The Newberry Library’s space is just gorgeous for an intimate ceremony.



With a kiss, Rich and Miranda were husband and wife!



While Miranda changed into her dancing shoes and everyone enjoyed cocktail hour, we flipped the room from ceremony to reception!



The couple chose to have a sweetheart table during dinner. While the best man was giving a toast, Rich had no clue what surprise Miranda had in store!



It was a Chinese lion dance! The “lion” is accompanied by very loud drumming, which definitely caught the attention of everyone in the room. Before the dance I had discreetly given guests oranges and lettuce. The lion went around the room and “ate” these items.



Rich was obviously very surprised by the dancers! I was relieved that everything happened perfectly and right on time.



It was finally time for Miranda and Rich to cut their awesome cake from Luscious Layers.




Since their cake had black and white anemones on top, the couple had this adorable “cake topper” that was placed on their card box instead of on the cake.



It was time for their first dance as a married couple and then we opened up the dance floor.



And, as always, the photo booth was a huge hit with everyone!



Everyone danced the night away…



…and Miranda gave everything a big thumbs up!



Thank you Miranda and Rich for being so wonderful to work with and letting me be a part of your day!

Miranda + Rich: A Newberry Library Wedding

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When Miranda and I met almost a year before her wedding, I knew that we would work well together – she was all about the fun little details of the day! Miranda even used quotes from the book The Time Traveler’s Wife in their ceremony programs because the ceremony and reception was held at The Newberry Library, where so much of the book took place.

Miranda and Rich planned such a fun wedding celebration and incorporated so much of their personalities into the details. I had such a great time working with them both!

Cake: Luscious Layers
Ceremony + Reception: The Newberry Library
Caterer: Food Evolution
DJ: Kate + Rachel from Toast & Jam
Florist: Kio Kreations
Hair: Kelly Schaul
Lion Dance: Seven Star Lion Dance Group
Makeup: Jen from Sonia Roselli
Photographer: Jeremy Lawson Photography
Photo Booth: 312 Photo Booth
Videographer: I Do Films
Trolley: Flying Lady Livery

All photos by Jeremy Lawson Photography.


I love long, fabulous lashes and Miranda totally rocked hers!


There was a little bit of a vintage feel to the wedding day, and the dress was just perfect.


Miranda even wore an awesome birdcage veil. Love this shot of her!



Brides often wonder how it works when it’s time to put the dress on. Miranda’s mom took care of kicking everyone out while Miranda slipped on the dress. Usually the photographer is invited back in when it’s time to zip up the dress.


While the girls finished getting ready, the guys hung out in the trolley and made sure Rich was ready to go.



After a morning of getting ready, it was time for Miranda to leave the hotel…


…and see Rich for their first look! This is always such an exciting moment.
Do you spy Rich’s awesome shoes?



With the first look over, it was time to load everyone onto the trolley to take pictures around the city.




Jeremy Lawson is great at catching awesome shots from unique points of view.
This is one of my favorites!



Miranda and Rich very obviously had a lot of fun throughout the day!
They enjoyed hamming it up for the camera.



Up next I’ll share Miranda and Rich’s ceremony and reception at The Newberry Library!

Martha + Julio, the reception

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Yesterday, I did the first blog post about Martha and Julio. And let me tell you, the had what was one of my favorite weddings last year!


The festivities continued at Catalyst Ranch.

Upon entering the venue, the couple had a picture for their engagement picture to greet guests.

Since both M + J are in the education profession, they used students to perform for the cocktail hour and dinner.


The escort cards were a DIY project by the Bride.

Instead of traditional and formal escort cards, guests received a card that was modeled after Lotería.

No detail was forgotten. Surrounding the cardbox were the couples initials.

Catalyst Ranch has a room that is perfect as a bridal suite.


Perfect for the funky vibe of the venue, each table was a little bit different.

A few of the room where the reception was held.

A DIY Goddess, Martha heat embossed the menus with a skull to keep with the Day of the Dead accents.

I love that the look of the wedding was bright and colorful!


Each of the tables had an enlarged Lotería card as the Table “Number”.

Rather than hide the table number sign, Martha used it as part of her centerpiece.

The couple cut one of the many layers of the delicious tres leche cake.


The couple took the floor for the first dance.


Jeremy does the best ring shots.

The wedding turns into a party!

Love it!!


I love the sweetness of this song.


The bride made fabulous DIY favors.

Martha could give Martha S a run for her money!

The couple had cookies for guests to take home!


Happily.

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